From Latitude 38
October 2002

Seayanika -- Best Laid Plans of Mice, Men...and Boatbuilders

“So, when’s the boat going to be done?”  “When are you launching?”  Erik is beginning to hear these questions more frequently from friends, relatives and passers-by.  (Truthfully, I have the same questions, but I’m trying really hard to keep my mouth zipped.)  He’s become a bit less forthcoming with answers lately, and I suppose it’s because we’re behind our original schedule of a June launching.  Way behind.

Were we overly optimistic thinking we could build Seayanika, our 49-foot sailboat, from a bare hull in 20 months?  Probably a little.  I guess we didn’t factor in quite enough 'vacation' days, or boat show days, or waiting- for-parts days, or let’s-have-a-party days.  We didn’t factor in enough “Hey Erik, can you take the day off and help me out with my _______?”  (Fill in the blank with anything from electrical, plumbing, grading, concreting, welding, house inspections, block walls, mechanical problems, blueprints -- you name it, he does it all.)  And how do you turn down your friends?  Or your wife?  And frankly, we just didn’t factor in enough “I need a break from fiberglassing and sanding” days. 

So no, the launch didn’t happen last month, and it won’t happen in September.  We’re now pushing for November or December -- which reminds me, I’d better let our rigger, Fritz, know about the delay.  No, we won’t be leaving with the Baja Ha-Ha this year.  In fact, our weather window for this upcoming season is shrinking into a little blip of time.  Which means we might not leave until the following season.  Which also means I might not be enjoying my upcoming 'milestone' birthday frolicking with the fish in the Tuamotos as I envisioned.  Oh well, bummer, but life goes on, progress continues, and my determined husband continues to work on a variety of projects.

Erik has ordered, cut and fit all the Lexan windows for the cabin, and has cut, welded, polished and mounted the stainless steel window frames.  The hatches and portlights are all in place, as are the deck fills and most of the cleats.  Tubes and framing for the dorade vents are in.  We purchased 2-inch rigid foam insulation from our local Home Depot and it's currently being cut and installed in all of the voids in the cabin roof.  With the wonderful, steamy summer we’ve been experiencing this year, the insulation has already made a big difference in the temperature inside the cabin.

We ordered 1-inch stainless steel tubing for our railing which has been cut and fitted, and 1.5-inch tubing for the radar arch, which is about half done.  We agreed to go with a solid rail instead of wire lifelines around the entire deck for safety and security.  We don’t feel it detracts from Seayanika’s lines -- form follows function, right?

 "Yeah honey, um-hmm, no kidding, oh wow,

 that's great.  No, really..."

With the assistance of Costa Haramis of West Marine, we were able to obtain the specialized AC/DC electrical panels and two inverters required for our application.  Erik spent three days, determining our electrical loads, drawing schematics and attaching so many wires that it looked like he was wiring the space shuttle.  Every time I wandered near his inner sanctum (aka 'the workshop'), he’d call me in and patiently explain what he was doing; which buttons, wires, toggles, gizmos did what; how he was balancing the load; how the three phases on the generator would be split; how the electrical requirements for the engine, bilge pumps, cabin lights, running lights, computer, navigational equipment, communication equipment, radar, TVs, VCRs, pressure water pump, watermaker, icemaker, stove, microwave, dishwasher, coffeemaker, ad naseum, would be distributed; and how we could switch between main engine,  generator, inverter, and shore power. 

I keep nodding my head during these encounters going, "Yeah honey, that looks great.  Very nice."  I then escape upstairs, shaking my head, going, "How does he know this stuff?"  Or more to the point, "Does he expect me to understand all of this?"

Last month we also experienced our 15 minutes of fame when the local TV news station, Channel 8, requested an in-studio interview with us.  It was a fun-filled morning, talking about the progress of Seayanika, how we came about naming her, our planned cruising route, the costs involved, schmoozing with the local personalities, and answering questions like, “So, when’s the boat going to be done?”