We've only gone and done it! Tapatya is now truly SV Tapatya :) :)

We launched exactly 3 weeks ago today in the company of some of our fantastic patrons who were able to attend. The launch all went very smoothly and the guys at the yard who did the actual work of launching and putting the masts in their rightful places were absolutely brilliant.

She floats, a little deeper than my guessed waterline, but not too much, and the waterline will be corrected this winter. The motor started easily - I had to do a bit of adjustment on the throttle linkage later on to get full revs and a good tick over, but otherwise all was well. Then we motored around to our temporary slip in the marina and I set to work rigging and stowing and provisioning.

Exactly one week later, we headed out on our first sail, doing about 40sm up to the German island of Fehmarn. She sailed brilliantly and I am a very happy man :)

Well, I'm very pleased to report that the move up to the marina went smoothly. I documented the entire procedure in Episode 284 of my YouTube series, and I have to say that I was extremely pleased and impressed with the boat movers; the way they managed the loading onto a smaller trailer, offloading in the driveway and then loading again onto the street trailer was outstanding :)

Now, we're in the yard of the marina up on the Baltic coast of Germany. I'm driving up there most days, hauling kit and stowing it, and preparing the boat for launch. As things stand, I've completed the epoxy primer/sealer, painting the patches that I couldn't reach as she sat in the backyard at home. I'm currently wiring and installing the solar panels and I've prepped the rubbing strake ready for fitting.

I have a couple of family commitments this month, so I'm still trying to work out when will be the best time to launch. I'm leaning towards the end of the month at the mo...

So, the second attempt to move her up to the marina will begin later today. The plan is to just relocate her in the back yard to a position where the big truck/trailer rig can get to her without having to manoeuver  too much. The big rig should come tomorrow for the big move!

I've dropped the bimini again and packed her up ready. We'll see. Fingers crossed!

Yes, she has indeed started her own YouTube channel - Sailing Alanouwoly. Here's her latest video :)

I've been steadily working through the list and am pretty much ready to move the boat up to the marina now. I've done everything in my power to make this happen smoothly and now it's pretty much down to the transport company. One worry I do have is if they can get their truck into our yard - a guy from the company has looked at it and said it's fine. We'll see! Somehow, I expect it'll be my fault if they can't, which no doubt will involve expense...

Yesterday, I emptied all of the loose items out of the boat and Elizabeth and I carried the sail bundles out and up onto the deck. This morning, a couple of very helpful and thoroughly capable locals - father and son - came with a tractor and we put the masts up on the deck. We are basically ready!

No! I just mean it's high time I put a post here to update you as to the state of play.

Looking back to the previous post from back in December, I'm sure you can imagine things haven't been easy, and frankly, they still aren't, but we push on.  Actually, in many ways, the boat build has been a godsend, giving me something to think about, as it has throughout the project.

But, lots has happened! And just looking back over the most recent posts, wow! Lots has happened!

The keel is in place, I've fabricated the rudder fittings and hung the rudder, and Tapatya looks pretty much like a complete boat. I've recently finished fabricating the aft pushpit, which doubles as the mainsail sheet horse/traveller. The service battery is in place; I've just wired up the deck plug for the solar; I've sewn a cover for the lazarette hatch, and have the cloth ready for making the dodger that will hang beneath the forward portion of the bimini; I've made the tiller and its fitting, and the yards for both sails; I've installed the engine stop cable and fitted the depth sounder transducer; the VHF and AIS are installed; and, no doubt, much more. Basically we are incredibly close to being finished!

Along the way, I'm in contact with a boat transport company and anticipate moving her up to a marina in the second half of May, with view to launching in June.

In other big news, I've resigned my job to give me more time to finish the build and actually be able to sail her when that is achieved. This obviously has the issue that the amount of money available for the build is severely diminished, but it's close to being finished...

So, what's still to do? Bottom paint, as in epoxy primer/sealer and antifouling; fitting the prop and outer rubber boot on the saildrive; the aft nav light and some wiring for the tiller pilot; stanchions on the raised deck and lifeline wires connecting all the railing elements; running rigging and some upper mast fittings, mast wedges. On launching, the masts will be fitted and the sails rigged, all my stuff will be moved aboard, the anchor will be put in place, and I'll generally get her ready to go. If all goes well, we should be sailing by late June. I hope so!

Well, we've had a bit of a shock! Sadly, my wife, travelling and sailing companion, Karin, passed away last Tuesday. She had spoken on one of the videos about her battle with breast cancer. She had undergone multiple surgeries and treatments, but last August we learnt that it had spread to other organs, and that it was inoperable.

Obviously, we miss her terribly. We're currently busy with sorting out all the things that need to be sorted out at such a time. The boat build has slowed for obvious reasons.

There was no video last week. There may be a trimmed down one this week....

Yes Indeed! Both masts are now complete, clad in biaxial cloth in epoxy and the painted with multiple coats of epoxy primer/sealer and then a couple of coats of 2 component polyurethane top coat. They're currently laying in the boat shed, waiting to be fitted and to have sails hung on them :-)

I'm now starting on the fitting of the keel. I've jacked the boat up to give us about 90cm of clearance underneath her, and will soon be dragging the keel construction underneath to be secured in place. Getting there!

Meanwhile, here's a video that Hazel released recently. It's shot in Scotland - in the Orkneys and the Caledonian Canal, where she and Elizabeth have been sailing recently. The music is her latest track :-)

I've been neglecting this site somewhat, it's true. My concentration has very much been on getting the boat finished. Well, I'm still not there, but the light is certainly gaining candelas at the end of that tunnel! And so now, I'm full of good intent to get things going again here and on my Patreon page, and pretty much everywhere else really.

So, where are we on the build? Progress is good, I feel. One mast is, to all intents and purposes, finished. It needs a bit of paint still, and the masthead fitting is only half done, but it's bloody close! The engine runs; the sails are here and waiting to be hoisted as soon as there it a vertical stick from which to hoist them (well, I still have to make the yards!); the keel is waiting to be bolted on. All pretty good really!

I'm investigating various ways of moving the boat to a yard of some description for the final assembly and launch. Having said that, I shall keep her here in the back yard for as long as there are still things that can be done here in the back yard. There's no sense in moving her to a more distant and more expensive location before it's really necessary!

I'm now in the pleasant situation of being able to make a list of jobs that still need doing. Before, there was no sense in attempting a list, there was simply far too much to contemplate. So, it's all pretty good really :-)

Well, it's now early March in 2022 and the work goes on.

First of all, I'm not going to post all of the videos here that I've published since the last blog post, back in November of last year. I have put them up on their respective pages in the "Sound and Vision" section. You can, in fact, watch the entire build via the videos there :-)

The build is progressing well. The interior is very close to being finished - there are a couple of small electrical bits to do, and the engine control cables and salt water system still need a bit of work. The main focus of attention now is on the keel, and this quite possibly been the hardest part of the entire build so far. As things stand, the steel ballast keel box is complete and has been moved into the boat shed for filling with lead. Actually, when I say it's complete, I still need to put fixing points for the zinc anodes on it, along with some steel bar that will allow the aft end of the ballast keel box to locate in the keel wood that extends aftwards to the rudder shoe. I'm currently making a lead smelting/pouring system and should be starting with the lead work soon.

We're also doing some mods to Hazel's Freedom 28; in particular, the anchor chain storage and bow roller. Although, we're also planning some electrical upgrades with solar panels and a bigger service battery, some pantry selves and a new depth sounder. It's all go!

On the music front, Hazel is busy recording and has released several tracks (Spotify - Hazel Brown). I play some instruments on several of them - some bass, guitar, keys sometimes, even a bit of sax on a forthcoming release. We mix and master the tracks together, although Hazel is assuming more and more of that responsibility. For my own music, there basically aren't enough hours in the day!

I really hope to get this boat launched this year, but even that can't be guaranteed! The only answer is to chill and keep at it. It'll be done when it's done! I really hope this series of videos will be a useful resource for home builders though. That'll make it all worthwhile :-)

Well, the boat work is still happening and I'm putting out a video every Thursday evening. This certainly keeps me out of mischief! It has been a while since I posted anything here, so I'll end this post with a catch up of all the videos that have been released since my last post.

Meanwhile, I've made decent progress with the keel timber. The fore and aft pieces that serve to give a flat surface under the boat, compensating for the fore and aft rocker, are now all in place and the section of the keel timber above the ballast keel is laminated up and largely faired to shape (the leading edge will be shaped to match the ballast keel leading edge, so will happen once I have that to work to). Thoughts are certainly turning to the ballast keel, and I have a few bits to sort out before I can attack that. As things stand, I intend to make a mold and cast the lead with the bronze keel bolts embedded in it. This is not something I take lightly and I need to be thoroughly prepared before I tackle that.

I have also made a start on the upholstery - cutting the foam for the quarterberth and saloon cushions. I'm finishing off bits of trim here and there and also trying to get the engine room installations finished - the electric bilge pump is being installed, the engine control cables and wiring are sort of on their way, the exhaust and manual bilge pump are still to come. There are other bits and pieces here and there.

Hopefully, these bits will be completed soon - I might save the sewing of the cushion covers for the cold months after Christmas. Then it'll be time to cast the keel and build the masts.

And that could be launch time................ Well, there'll be a couple of other bits that I haven't mentioned!

Catch up time. Here we go;

Phew!

Wow! Where does the time go? It's the 1st of September today and the last time I wrote anything here was mid July....

Between times, quite a lot has happened, although some degree of frustration with the rate of progress undoubtedly also exists. Tapatya is now sitting proudly on the grass in front of the shed and I've made a good start on the construction of the bimini that will provide protection and shade in the cockpit and main entrance hatch area. I'm also working towards getting all of the other bits of finishing and connecting up finished and connected up. This involves fitting and sealing various bits of hardware - the main mast partners fitting, a couple of sturdy eye pads in the anchor box and the cockpit, the stove chimney top... I've fitted trim around the cabin sole edge and made doors for the cupboards/lockers in the heads. I've done some more wiring in the engine room and electrical bay. We're undoubtedly getting there, but there's still a lot to do...

Elsewhere, Hazel has spent the summer of her life cruising in Denmark. Her boat is performing well, although there's a constant list of upgrades waiting to be done... Hazel and Karin were hoping to do a charity event to raise money and awareness for breast cancer, but unfortunately, it's just been cancelled, presumably due to the ever increasing number of Covid cases here in Germany... Shame!

Here's a catch up on recent videos. Also, the Behind The Scenes videos are still being published on my Patreon page, so head over there and have a look!

And so we're into the summer, where it's certainly warm enough for epoxy, paint and varnish to dry without concern, but verges on the hot and sticky and makes hard work a somewhat sweaty business. Still, mustn't grumble and must get on...

It's been a while since I posted anything here. In between times, the keel lead is safely home, Hazel is off cruising in her boat after she and I took it around into the Elbe, through the Kiel Canal and to the Baltic Sea. Tapatya has moved forwards in the shed and now sits with her bow out in the big wide open air, just itching to get out there properly and get going; her pulpit is fitted, her forward nav lights wired up and functioning; her cabin sole complete and her aft bulwarks capped and varnished. It's been a good few weeks, and looking back, I feel I've got a fair bit done! The next big step will be pulling her completely out of the shed. Coming soon!

Here's a catch up...

Well, here's a short interview that I did for the new Junk Rig Association YouTube channel...

Way on back in November of last year, I purchased a load of scrap lead for the keel. It was a goodly drive away, but the price was right and I only needed to drive up and collect it. Then the Covid lockdown kicked in, travel was forbidden, or at least made difficult - tests were needed; at one point we weren't supposed to cross state lines... My first vaccine came along, which was good, but meant I couldn't do a Covid test for 10 days.... but finally, last weekend, Kerry and I took a drive and collected 1 ton of old fishing net weights. They're here! All I've got to do now is form them into some sort of keel....

Meanwhile, the rudder is fully shaped and being prepped for glassing, the cabin sole is nearing completion, and a few other small but important bits are being made. We will actually be pulling her forwards very soon! (I feel like I've been saying that for ages now!)

Well, it's actually the third of May today. Germany has a national holiday on 1st May, but as it fell on a Saturday this year, we got to have Saturday off. Next year, it'll be a Sunday! Oh how the economy will rejoice!

The other great thing about a national holiday falling on a Saturday is that we're not supposed to make working noise on national holidays, so you even lose the Saturday of normal boat building. Grrrrrrr!

However, through some sort of fortunate magic, the boat build is progressing really quite well. I've moved on to the cabin sole, which I'm cladding in fairly cheap oak strip. It'll do!

The interior is really nearly finished - there are some bits of trim and cushions and little bits here and there to finish off, bit we're almost there. I shall be dragging her partly out of the shed soon.

Here's a catch up on recent vids :-)

It's April and a very typical one at that! Last week, we were outside barbecuing, enjoying the sun; this week it's been stormy and snowy, with the occasional sunny spell. What a mad month!

Meanwhile, the boat build goes on. The main concentration recently has been on the stove, in particular the flue pipe and through deck fitting thereof. I've also mounted a new stove fan control unit. Elsewhere, the inverter install is nearly complete - how long can it take? - with outputs in the galley and at the switch panel. I've measured up and ordered quite a bit of stuff for the engine room - raw water filter, diesel prefilter and water trap, hoses for those, battery cables, a battery isolator. It just goes on! The forward combing caps have been cleaned up and are being varnished. I also managed a week up at Hazel's boat doing some refitting and generally prepping the boat ready for launch, and she's now afloat again :-)

Here's a video catch up;

Oh! And there`s a new "Behind The Scenes" video over on the Patreon page, here;

www.patreon.com/sv_tapatya

I'm pushing on with the interior and, really, starting to see the light glowing in the distance.

We've designed a new version of the companionway steps and these are in construction - simple and clean, and moving away from the traditional old teak steps that were gleaned from Miss Molly and previously Popeye's, and have been loosely standing in Tapatya for quite a while now.

Elsewhere, the forward mast partners fitting is now complete - I shall give it a clean up and then get it fitted. The forward water tanks are plumbed in, with the exception of the tank breather, and the diesel tank deck filler is in place. I've fitted a couple of small scupper drains in the cockpit seat area and one of these is plumbed to a thru-hull high up on the port side. The other will go to a thru-hull that I've fitted in the cockpit well, but I'm still waiting for the final part I need to connect that up.

Also, I've been working on completing the Miss Molly Adventures on this website. Some new stuff is there now, but the final chapters are coming soon!!

Here are the latest videos;

Anyone who lives at any latitude north of here will probably think I'm a total wimp, but it's been jolly cold recently, in fact, too cold to do very much. Temperatures have been as low as -16°C and being out in the shed for any length of time is hard work; doing metalwork even harder. Combine that with the fact that, due the the ongoing virus situation, all of the hardware stores are closed, it makes for the most frustrating period of time as yet in the 3 1/2 years of this build.

Here are the 2 latest videos. I've also been doing a bit of writing on the continued Miss Molly Adventures....

The last few weeks have been basically all about finishing off in the forepeak. The plan is to start forward and work aft finishing things. To this end, I made up a short dummy mast so that I could get the angles something like right on the mast steps and partners fittings for both masts. As already stated, the forepeak was first on the list, so armed with this short mast, I set up the position of the mast step and built it using a method developed from ideas from Arne Kverneland (thanks Arne!). Once that was good and solid, the forward bilges were painted out, the bunk boards cut to their final layout and the hull liners were installed. These were made from eva foam mats, following the idea shown by the Sailing Uma guys (thanks again!).

The last steps will be to get the water tanks all hooked up and the partners fitting made and temporarily in place.... Then we're moving aft :-)

Here's a catch up on recent videos;

All 13 cabin lights are in a working.In the end, I replaced the 3 older lights that I had converted to LED with purpose-built LED lights. The old lights looked a bit tatty, the adapters were less than satisfactory and I preferred the idea of having all of the lights using the same bulb (or LED lighting unit). Time to move up to the forepeak now, to start working my way aft, finishing things....

I've just started publishing a new fortnightly video series called "Behind the Scenes". The idea behind it may not be a massive surprise given the title, but it's to try to show more detail of the week-to-week goings on of this build, and perhaps to discuss thoughts and ideas relevant to the build. It's aimed at people with that extra bit of interest in this project and will be published initially exclusively on my Patreon page here

Published videos from this new series will also appear on this website a few weeks after their initial appearance on the Patreon page.

This week has seen me practicing boat yoga to contort myself to reach all those delightful out-of-the-way places that are just ideal for hiding wiring and connectors/terminal blocks. The good news is that I'm nearly finished and the boat has an almost completely functioning electrical system. It's amazing how long this takes even on such a simple electrical system as this one! However, I've used tinned wiring throughout, with soldered connectors screwed to terminal blocks providing easily accessible junctions and an easily traceable system. I'm pleased with the result - just a little bit more to do!

While I've been fabricating a fibreglass motor panel and running wiring various in Tapatya, we've also been getting down and dirty in Alanouwoly, Hazel's Freedom 28. Progress is good on all fronts, although a bit smelly sometimes :-)

Hazel and I have release a new music track. It's a chill kinda vibe and is available from all of your favourite digital sources - iTunes, Amazon, Tidal, Spotify, etc