Crew: Geoff. Forecast: Northerly 3-5 kts. Perfect day for cleaning Halo's hull. I rang Sven and he was able to book us in at the slipway for 1200 hrs. I cast off from Chaffers an hour earlier and motored round to Evans Bay via Shoal Pile with 'Ernesto' on helm (hence the nice straight track).... Continue Reading →

Replace Solar Panel The old solar panel suddenly stopped working. It was five years old so I guess that's about par for the course for semi flexible panels in a marine environment. Replaced with the same model from Jaycar: Powertech 100W. Service Jib Sheet Winches Both Harken 40 self-tailing jib sheet winches serviced by Fergus... Continue Reading →

Early start this morning to get Halo's hull cleaned before the Wellington Classic race today. I cast off from Chaffers at 0830 hrs. A beautiful clear morning as I motored out towards Evans Bay. On the way I stopped to check out the amazing super yacht which had recently arrived in Wellington Harbour. Kamaxitha is... Continue Reading →

Hull Washdown Before sailing over to the Marlborough Sounds we had to wash down the hull. The Waikawa and Picton marina biosecurity rules require: All vessels to have been antifouled in the last six months, or lifted and washed in the last month. On 28th August I motored Halo round to the Evans Bay yard and Sven hoisted the... Continue Reading →

It's now almost two years since Halo got her last antifoul. Time for a bottom clean and refresh before we do the Wellington Women's Regatta! I made a booking with the Evans Bay yard and motored the boat round to the slipway on Monday 16th April. First job was to water blast the hull while... Continue Reading →

A recap on some of the Halo jobs I've been working on recently. Harken Traveller Repair Our wonderful Harken Windward Sheeting Traveller has started getting increasingly difficult to move. It came to a head during the Waikawa Regatta when it was totally stuck at one stage. I was advised by the professionals that I probably needed... Continue Reading →

I decided that we needed to get a heater for Halo after some rather cold nights while cruising outside the summer season. After looking at other boats and talking with boat owners it seemed a 2KW diesel powered unit was the way to go. I ordered a Chinese knock-off unit through AliExpress. OK there would... Continue Reading →

Annual Nanni engine service by Isaac from TS Marine Ltd as per manufacturer’s recommendations.Drain and replace gearbox oilDrain and replace engine oilReplace impellerClean out water strainerReplace Racor 500 fuel filterReplace engine fuel filterReplace oil filterReplace engine zinc anodeReplace alternator beltCheck start and house batteriesEngine hours: 534 Power Cord I also got the boat power cord checked and... Continue Reading →

Took Halo round to Evans Bay yard on Monday 30 May. Water blasted the hull and cleaned the topsides with acid wash. Did some paint touch-ups on the bow. Got 2 x 4L tins of International Ultra 2 antifoul from Barton Marine and applied over a few days. Replaced the 1″ zinc anode on the... Continue Reading →