Preparations for Greece

1st March 2016

Well after nearly 4 weeks at home did I manage to get all the little projects on Tra Bhui finished? The short answer is No, in fact I did not even manage to start some of them!

The reason or my excuse was that despite the seemingly non stop rain that we had in Scotland during February, I was determined to finish the terracing of our back garden before abandoning the UK again for the next 6 months.. 

However it is not all doom and gloom as far as preparing for our trip goes as I managed to:-

• Refit / re-secure  the tiller head which had started to work it's way loose during last years cruise down the Costa Da Mort in Spain, treat the rust that was appearing on the rudder stalk and fabricate and fit a new bracket for our Raymarine Tiller Pilot.
• Finish painting and rewiring the trailer.- it now looks like a Christmas tree with it's LED running lights.
• Re assemble the trailer, finished servicing the brakes and bearings and put Tra Bhui back on it
• Start re -sanding and oiling all of the teak
• Fabricate two stainless steel locking bars for the rear hatches - this worked so well that I have now ordered enough 60 mm x 5 mm Grade 316 stainless steel to make locking bars for the 4 main deck hatches.
• Re - solder the instrument connections that I took apart in Spain last summer in an effort to get our boat speed repeater to work (it eventually turned out to be a simple setting issue which Niall Wardrop sorted in two minutes flat! - thanks Niall)
• Started fitting a new battery master switch, battery fuse and outboard motor plug and socket
• Fitted a new tyre (at a cost of over 120 pounds) to the trailer - ouch!
• Fitted new uprated suspension to our Land cruiser
• Removed the rear seats on the Landcruiser - it being the short wheel base version we usually fold the seats forward to get all our kit in the back. As we are planning to drive between 4 and 5 thousand miles when we are away there did not appear to be any point in carrying the considerable weight of the folded up seats. By removing them we also gained considerable additional car space.
• Replaced the tow bar back plate and renewed the tow bar wiring and light sockets.
• Fitted a metal strong box to the Landcruiser
• Fitted a metal strong box into Tra Bhui - to be used to store the radio / chart plotter etc when we leave Tra Bhui in Greece during my work rotations.

So in the two days that I have at home before we set off to Greece apart from visiting family catching up on stuff at home and packing,  I still need to:-

• Renew the masthead electrical connections
• Turn the LED mast head light - yes I put it on the wrong way round last year, but in my defence it is all clear until it is switched on
• Finish sanding and oiling the woodwork\
• Finish installing the battery master switch, fuse and outboard electrics
• Fabricate another 4 stainless steel locking bars and install the deck anchors for each of them
• Adjust the rollers on the trailer so that Tra Bhui sits correctly
• Fit the trailer restraint chain
• Fit a new lock to the trailer's tool box
• Find a tow hitch lock 
• Refit both boat covers - I hope they fit OK after being altered by R&J sails before Christmas
• Sort out the tent
• Make and fit something to keep the Genoa sheets clear of the mast
• Paint the whisker poles as the bamboo has started going black
• Find the lock nuts for the trailer's spare wheel
• Fit additional cockpit storage nets

I think I will stop listing things as this is getting a bit daunting! It is going to be a busy two days!!

I have taken a number of photos of some of the more interesting additions to Tra Bhui which had I not left at home I would now add to the "Projects Blog". Updating that will have to wait, but it is a good bit behind anyway as there must be 10 or so unfinished updates waiting on photos to be added. 

The next post will be after we arrive in Greece  - just over three weeks to go!