Our apologies for the long silence. We have been engaged in prepping the boat for a short trip to the Bahamas then a long run to Newfoundland via Bermuda. We hauled the boat to replace the dripless shaft seal and discovered that the Aquamet 17, 2.25 inch, stainless prop shaft was badly pitted under the PSS shaft seal. This is not uncommon as the water in the shaft tube tends to stagnate and turn acidic which, in turn, can damage the shaft. So, we’ve replaced the shaft with a shiny new Aquamet 22 (more corrosion resistant) stainless shaft, replaced the PSS shaft seal with a Tides SureSeal, replaced the cutlass bearing and transmission coupling, and scanned and tweaked the prop. We also had the hull waxed and applied fresh antifouling, Glidecoat, on the running gear, fresh zincs, etc. Tivoli is better than ever. A short sea-trial, including a wide-open-throttle run, revealed she runs smoothly with no vibration at any RPM…perfect. We’ve also replaced the carpet, added a Mastervolt 100 Amp battery charger, and completed dozens of small projects. There is much to do when planning a long ocean voyage besides prepping the boat; finding crew, navigation, weather, berthing, fuel, communications, customs requirements, provisioning…on and on. We have lists of lists (boat checklists, spare parts lists, provisioning lists, safety gear lists, etc.). Before you know it, two months has passed.
It hasn’t been all work. We’ve enjoyed meeting many new Nordhavn owners here at Old Port Cove and visiting with old friends; and we’ve certainly enjoyed the south Florida sunshine and 75-80F weather. But we are ready to move on and are planning a mid-Feb departure for Eleuthera and points south. This year we hope to explore the Cays on the east side of Exuma Sound; places less traveled and generally only accessible by boat. It will be a good opportunity to test all updates to Tivoli and ensure she is ready for prime-time; a 910 nm crossing to Bermuda in mid-May.
