With a good heater and dehumidifier , it can be lovely and warm and dry in winter. I've had more difficulty with humidity in the Azores than in the UK. If you find a boat you like, that suits you and your character you'll find happiness wherever you happen to be.

Yes, indeed. The jobs still not finished yet. But getting there.

@@JayneToyne Safe journey home, if that’s where you are heading.

@@markturner6008 probably will bring Boogie Nights back to the UK eventually. Nothing is ever guaranteed.

Hi, no this is an old video from 2018. I just found it again and decided to drop it into my KZbin space. The new rig is gradually coming together The linear drive story is currently drafted up but I had to go rummaging for the pictures. I'll upload that in the next couple of weeks as I'm busy editing videos that are paid work, so ya know, one pays for the other. :-)

Hi, this video was made back in May this year. The installation was successful and the new evolution linear drive was absolutely faultless all the way to the azores. I'll be back in that locker soon inspecting everything. Including the watertight gater I made. I'll add the video to KZbin when I get a chance in a couple of weeks.

Hi Jayne, everything ok? You’re making progress with rerigging? Still looking forward to the next episode. Greetings Bas.

Hi, I'm still none the wiser. The mast broke above the first spreader. I saw it go, but didn't see the top of the mast so can't say for certain if a cap shroud went or not. When cutting the three stays that were curved across the coach roof, they all felt very much under load and none had any sign of slack from being detached from the mast. That's not to say it wasn't, it was very dark, no moon, no light source other than head torch. The mast was deep underwater while i was cutting the stays. It could have been a stress fracture from a rivet as there was several fittings where it broke. Including a self tacking jib sheet sheave box. The previous (original) rig had some fixed check stays that would support just above where it broke, they weren't installed on the new rig (that broke) and this could have allowed mast pant in heavy weather. We had been through some very heavy weather two days prior to mast loss. Those check stays will be reinstated for rig number 3. Fingers crossed the next rig lasts as long as the first one (25 years) rather than the second rig (5 years) It's very expensive to replace a rig!

It must have been a frightful experience, good luck with rerigging and keep on sailing.

Good question. Two options: replace the prop with a fixed 3 blade and motor to lisbon then coast hop to the UK. Then rerig in UK. The other option, leave boat in azores, get new rig made in uk, ship to azores. Rerig there, then move to a more sheltered marina for winter (dec/jan/feb) sail back to uk early spring with small crew.

Jayne Toyne We were coming the other way, from Horta to Plymouth (in a Bowman 57, not my 36 CWS) and saw a couple of AZAB yachts on AIS. We were able to route north and east to avoid the worst of Miguel, and had a fast ride home - an hour over 8 days. Good luck with the next steps.

I have to order a new circuitboard. I think it was the fault of the manufacturer for leaving metal turnings inside the tail fin that have eventually caused a short in the circuitboard, but the company was bought out or taken over by another. AND it's out of warranty. I don't have the time or energy to fight it. so I'll write about it instead.

Jayne Toyne bugger! Is the board itself fried or is it just a couple of components?

Ken Haylock I'm guessing it's a component. But as i skipped advanced electronics while i was training to the shit ton of other things I DID learn to do, I'm prepared to pay cash money in return for goods. In the grand scheme this year, it's relatively cheap, compared to the replacement deck panel, non slip deck surface and probably a few other expensive things I haven't thought of yet.

Jayne Toyne I have a soldering iron, care to ping me a couple of hi-res photos of the board in question, front & back? You know people who can fix this sort of thing for you if it is fixable, and if it is as simple as an exploded transistor or a blown cap, like for like replacement is quick & easy...

bfssmackdaddy beggars can't be choosers. Besides, what else could a person such as myself possibly need? ;-)

the solar and wind turbine were some of the best investments I've made so far on this boat. Buying good batteries was another. (the first set of batteries I bought were a bit budget and they didn't last very long at all. you get what you pay for) hopefully I can get the wind turbine back up and running again soon. I'll be needing it pretty soon.

no, he's a decent instructor. We were just doing a hove to and reefing drill. That was normal banter between two friends.

and admire your skills

+DJ Vertigo that all depends of course on how windy it is. It starts to spin at around 8 or 9 knots of wind, but only really starts to charge at 12-13 knots. I get between 4 and 8Ah out of it generally depending how windy it is. That's enough to keep the boat powered indefinitely when sailing, that means nav equipment including autopilot. Though I switch my fridge off when sailing. I supplement it during summer time with solar panels when I'm moored up, which give me additional charging when there's no wind. I can live pretty much happily off wind and solar. only need to plug into mains for heating in winter.