Since we used the engine far more than usual on our sailing trip this summer due to poor wind conditions, fuel consumption became a major concern.. Read more about that here...

As usual, I checked the engine compartment after starting the engine. I immediately noticed that the alternator drive belt was loose. The second time that good routine paid off was with the leaky raw water pump

The summer voyage has finally got underway, but it got off to a slow start. It took nearly two weeks to defuse a 'ticking bomb' (the gearbox), which was on the verge of serious malfunction. Read more about it here. The captain is alone on board; Katrine has to stay at work for the first half of the summer. A brisk southwesterly wind is providing good headwinds as I sail north along the Helgeland coast. I just need to make it there in time for when Katrine and her crew arrive by plane to sign on in Tromsø. A nice cup of tea and a slice of Katrines "Expedition Cacke" (Mormors recipe), higly helps on the motivation of a singlehanded sailor.

The electrical system was significantly upgraded three years ago, and it was now time to make some adjustments based on experience. The most important change was to replace the fuses to improve safety. The second change was to relocate the rectifier, which was mainly for comfort, reducing odors and noise.

Nedriness Qoutient: 4/10 Over the winter, a good deal of the equipment has been stored at home. Now it must find its place aboard again, and John (Wind)Waine is being refitted. Wind wanes are the preserve of long-distance sailors, since they are designed for use on the open sea. We have had nothing but good experiences with this clever and reliable device for many years. This means that we would rather not be without it, even though Moon has two separate electric autopilots. The great strength of the wind rudder is that it does not use any electricity and is completely silent. The latter is very important when the person off-duty is trying to rest and sleep during a multi-day voyage. Once set, it keeps the boat on course according to the relative wind angle. However, it does restrict our manoeuvrability in narrow harbours, as it has an auxilliary rudder hanging at the very back of the boat and impedes movement when we need to manoeuvre carefully. That is why we do not mount the auxilia

Much of the maintenance work in the harbour relies on volunteers. When the harbormaster called for volunteers, 40 men and women showed up. The team I joined built a new bridge connecting two guest piers. With so many volunteers, the work was completed in no time and almost all tasks were finished. We were also treated to delicious cakes and coffee along the way.