We had a great time living in San Juan, PR over hurricane season, but we were itching to get back on the boat and continue our journey south. Last season, we quickly learned that cruising can be like a roller coaster ride with amazing highs and frustrating lows. And this season has started off the exact same way.
We busted our butts for two weeks preparing our floating home for Part 2 of our adventure. We spent long, hot days in the boat yard knocking off project after project. Working in tight spaces in hot, humid conditions can be frustrating, but things were going smoothly…that is until we decided to inspect our port side chainplate.
The surface rust around our port side chainplate indicated that we had a problem, but like a dentist appointment, we put off checking it. Replacing a chainplate seemed like a big job, but having our mast tumble over because of a chainplate failure was just too terrifying. So, we decided to remove and inspect it. We were hoping that it was surface corrosion that could be polished out, but we knew that there was a chance we would have to have a new one made.
Our chainplate runs down through our salon, into a fiberglass box where it is secured with 6 bolts. The only way to access it is through the top of the fiberglass box. This required us to cut a hole in the teak panel. To our surprise, when we peered down into the fiberglass box, we found a handful of uncooked spaghetti noodles. The box was not previously accessible, so we believe that the noodles must have been placed there when the boat was manufactured–probably a sailor superstition. We didn’t want to mess the with good mojo, so we left the noodles where they were.
In order to support the mast, we secured our main halyard to the port side chock prior to disconnecting the shrouds from the chainplate. When we removed the chainplate, we found several stress fractures and we knew we had to replace it. We found a small fabrication shop that was able to produce an exact replica in a week. We made sure to use lots of butyl tape when bedding the new chainplate to keep it rust and crack free. The replacement turned out to not be as daunting as we expected. We wish we would have tackled the project sooner so we didn’t feel so rushed, but we’re happy to have the project behind us. And now we can sleep a little sounder with the peace of mind.
Splash To-Do List
- Replace Centerboard Block
- Replace Reef Line Sheaves in Boom
- Insulate Fridge
- Change Oil in Engine and Generator
- Change Transmission Fluid
- Replace Raw Water Pump Impeller and Hose
- Change Water Filter
- Swap Out Diesel Filters and Remount Housing
- Repair Dog Netting
- One Coat of Cetol on Teak
- Wallpaper Damaged Mirrors in Salon
- Replace Battery Switch
- Paint the Bottom
- Replace Zincs
- Troubleshoot Bedroom Lights
- Replace Running Lights
- Make New Motor Blocks
- Replace Stay Pack Lines
- Clean and Fill Water Tanks
- Put Sails and Running Rigging On
- Put Canvas On
- Fill Propane Tanks
- Refill Battery Water
- Oil Teak in the Cabin
- Replace the Port Side Chainplate
- Laundry
- Provisions
Kairos splashed on Wednesday, Nov 2nd, and with her shiny new chainplate, we left the Puerto Del Rey Marina on Sunday, Nov 6th. We sailed to nearby Palminos Island with our good friend Sergio and met up with our cruising friends, Ben and Quinn (s/v Wanderlust) for one last Puerto Rico hoorah. That evening we said goodbye to our friends and the following day we set sail to one of our favorite anchorages, Culebrita.
Our time in Culebrita was the perfect reminder of why we chose to live this crazy lifestyle. The picturesque island and turquoise water was the best reward for all the hard work we completed the previous week. Once again, the pups could run free on the beach and fetch sticks from the water. We snorkeled, spotted turtles, and caught lobsters for dinner. We even met up with Kimberly and John-Michael from Our Life Aquatic. They invited us over to s/v Pura Vida for drinks and dinner one evening, where we swapped stories and found ourselves developing serious boat envy.
We spent 3 wonderful nights on Culebrita and would have stayed an entire week, but we had to press forward. My two good friends from college, Michelle and Steve, would be flying into St. Martin on Nov 18th to visit us and we wanted to make sure we were there to greet them. So we set sail for St. Thomas.
While we were fueling up in St. Thomas, we ran into Jesse from s/v Smitty. We have been following Jesse’s and Stacey’s adventures on Facebook, but had never met them in person. Although we weren’t planning on staying another night in St. Thomas, we anchored nearby so we could meet up for dinner and drinks. Again, we swapped stories with fellow cruisers late into the night.
Things were going great. We had fallen back into our cruising routines. We were running on beautiful beaches with the pups, sharing cocktails with other cruisers, snorkeling in clear water, and eating lobster dinners. Our confidence was high and we were happy to be back on the water island hopping.
The following day we set sail for Great Lameshur Bay in St John, where we spent a couple of days making our last boat preparations before the Anegada passage. We had been watching the weather closely all week. The Anegada passage, often referred to as the “OH-MY-GOD passage” by cruisers, is known to be quite rough. The forecast was calling for 12-15kt winds from the ENE, so we decided to make our move. At 5pm on Monday, Nov 14th, we left St. John and pointed our bow towards St. Martin.
Even though we’ve sailed several overnight passages, we were a little nervous as the sun began to set. But this night would be special. We would have the glow of the super moon to light up our way. We watched the rust colored moon rise over a brightly lit cruise ship on the horizon and our fears began to melt away. It was incredibly peaceful on the water that night and the picturesque view of the super moon mesmerized us. It was while we were watching the moon grow in the sky that the unthinkable happened. A red alarm light on our engine panel began to shine even brighter than the super moon and we knew Kairos was in trouble…
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