2022 Galicia

Skyfall was re-launched on August 19th. Have a look at the photos we have added to the page 'Preparations| Preparing the boat(2)' to show Skyfall with her upgrades from the stay in Xufre.

One week later the skipper set out on a 'shake down' sail, crewed by the Howell family. How did the upgrades work?

1. Solar arch and Power

We doubled the renewable power generation and increased battery capacity to 960AH. During the week we just left everything on, including the freezer, and did not ever worry about battery state. A big success

2. Davits

Having davits for the dinghy is such a luxury. Why did we not do it earlier?

3. Scout Onboard ( router with 4G and wifi booster antennae)

This setup was not straightforward. Initially, I had a faulty router. Once replaced it still did not work. But downloading the latest firmware and playing with Norton firewall settings solved the issues. The Scout Onboard system is much cheaper that the Digital Yachts solution - but you get what you pay for!

4. Forward hatch tent

The 'tent' to cover the forward hatches works well and is quick to set up.

5. Hydrovane

We have yet to try the hydovane as the furthest we sailed in a day was 30nm.
 

With respect to standard maintenance everything seems to work well. All sail issues have been expertly dealt with. We would highly recommend the sailmaker, Ramon. The Lewmar windows, which had again starting leaking (they were new at the start of 2021), have been taken out (inside part only). it seems that, last year, insufficient glue/sealant had been used. The windows have been re-seated and, at least during this week, no longer leak.

Unfortunately, on day 3, the anti-siphon device on the engine cooling water developed a leak so using the engine required constant bailing. This has now been fixed. However having water in the bilges is never a good idea and one of the gray water pumps died shortly afterwards. It is unknown if this was due to 10 years service or the excess water in the bilge. In any case, it has been replaced.

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We spent the 6 days within 40nm of Ria de Arousa. There were many reasons not to venture further. (e.g. little wind, wanting to offer a gentle introduction to first time sailors). In addition, the islands off Ria de Pontevedre and Vigo are lovely and so there was no need to go further.

Enjoy the pictures. remember to click on them for an explanation

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