It’s the Shakedown

The Shakedown is a not anyone’s favorite time of boat ownership, but it’s inevitable, like of the changing tides, you can always count on the shakedown. Whether you buy a new boat that gets delivered off a ship, or previously owned boat that was lovingly maintained, there is always a period of adjustment to the newly purchased boat. This adjustment includes working on the boat to fix items that came up on the boat survey (inspection), getting up to speed on regular maintenance items, and finding new issues that need to be managed. It also includes adjusting the boat to make it work for your family’s needs. This may include re-arranging items in the boat, or updating various systems including power, water, etc. It isn’t always glamorous, but it is an opportunity as a new boat owner to familiarize oneself intimately with the boat.

When speaking to other cruisers and reading blogs we realized there are various ways cruisers manage the shakedown, some rent a slip in a marina for a few months after receiving ownership of the boat and they slowly move aboard. They usually go for smaller day sails to familiarize themselves with the boat before they officially set out on their great adventure. Others buy the boat and start cruising hoping for the best, which may or may not work in their favour. For us I would say our approach was somewhere in the middle of the two. We didn’t have the opportunity to slowly move aboard as the boat was down in Antigua. So, as per our previous blogs, we packed what we could, hopped on the plane and moved aboard SeaSparrow. We started working on some items immediately, while aiming to enjoy a couple of weeks in Antigua. The intention however, was always to sail over to Sint Maarten to do some of the larger work on the boat. There are a few islands in the Caribbean which are good to get boat work done, Sint Maarten being the closest to Antigua, and duty free, which could save us a lot of money on expensive boat parts, made the most sense for us. So, we have been here since mid-December, and in that time we have replaced toilet pumps (yes, that pumping action is a little easier on Tia now), re-bedded (resealed) some windows and above the water through hulls, fixed up the generator, performed some engine work like replacing exhaust elbows, fuel filters and oil changes and of course we replaced both propellers and the nose cones. We have also used this time to wax the fiberglass gelcoat (the boat seems much bigger when you wax it by hand), polished the stainless steel and believe me the list goes on. Eryk has done so much work and had to purchase so many various parts for the boat that I began to tease him when he started to be known on a first name basis with the employees at the local chandlery.

We also had the standing rigging replaced, which was no small job, but when we purchased SeaSparrow we knew it was original (for those that don’t know the standing rigging are the metal wires that hold the mast in place). This is rare to have a twelve-year-old boat with original rigging; the surveyor had advised that we should get it replaced even though it still seemed in good shape. So we went to a very reputable company here in Sint Maarten, FKG, to have it inspected. They too advised it should be replaced and managed to schedule us in for early January. I have to say, it was an extremely positive experience, not only were they able to schedule us in relatively quickly despite how busy they were, they were professional, friendly and attentive, and to top it all off they came in under budget… gotta love that!

Now, after a break in amazing Anguilla, we are back in Saint Martin (this time on the French side) and back at it. This time we decided to replace an engine and to do so we will need to haul the boat out, which will be a new experience for us. It seems our engine was being shipped from somewhere in Kentucky. Apparently, it is very difficult to locate an engine since hurricane Irma, all the new engines are going to the boat manufacturers who are rebuilding the charter fleets that were destroyed, so we were very lucky to find an engine with a relatively short delivery time. We have received word that our engine made it to Miami and is now on a ship to Saint Martin. While we wait, we’ve made the best of the time by exploring the French side of Saint Martin, swimming in the turquoise waters of Marigot Bay and enjoying the best baguettes and chocolate croissants we’ve ever had (believe me when I say we have been doing our fair share of sampling the chocolate croissants and baguettes). We aim to use the time that we are hauled out to our advantage, and do even more work on the boat, on our list we have, replacing a couple underwater through-hulls, cleaning the bottom from all the growth that accumulated so far (life finds a way quickly), repairing a couple of slow leaks in the dinghy, and I am sure there are a few other minor items. If all goes well, we will splash back in within a week from the time we haul out.

Although it would be great if we could determine how long the shakedown lasts, but by reading other’s blogs it seems that just when you think you know your boat, you learn something new. This usually goes on for a few months, but for others it has lasted for up to a year. For now, we are continuing to learn everything we can about SeaSparrow and adjusting to her as necessary, as she I am sure is adjusting to us.