This is part of my list of things to do on TANASZA before departure from Hawaii (I'm not sure I can recall all of them)
- Take everything out of the boat. And there was plenty to take out. To look though the things and to get rid of anything that is not necessary and checking out what more is needed. Once, I found a dinghy's floor. I also found a pump and accessories to an inflatable dinghy but there was no sign of the inflatable dinghy itself. So in order to get rid of unnecessary things I exchanged the pump for a tool and threw away the dinghy's floor. Just few days later I came across a big bag stowed under the deck - it was an inflatable dinghy, of course! So, running I went back to a rubbish container but … it was empty already. Thus, I had to look for a used one, adjust it, and get a pump (I could not afford buying a new one). Anyway, I eventually had my inflatable dinghy complete.
- To disassemble the capstan. No comment. Mend mattress casings. Paint inside of the yacht. Change leaking hatches. Fasten radar reflectors on the mast. Put sponsor's labels (stickers) on the hull and the sails (Roque from Sign By Day - Thank you for your help!) Fix the alcohol cooker. Repair a door. Make a navigation table. Install solar panels for the batteries. Fix the anchor chain. Mount a new compass, a wind vane, radio, and speakers. Change the rigging. Change halyards. Install lazy jacks. The bottom part of furler must be repaired. Poor Charlie from the Ala Wai Marine LTD shipyard, I was bothering him almost every five minutes to borrow a specific tool or to ask for a piece of advice - I think he was helping me out just in order to get rid of me☺.
- Repair the wind vane - here I want to thank Monitor for a quick and competent service
- Fix new electrical systems, lights, and to install electrical equipment - that is an SSB (a long distance radio) and its cables, setup, grounding, mounting tuner and antenna,
- I ordered new sails from Australia - the exact same Hawaii-made would cost twice as much. Frank from Horizon Sails took my time shortage seriously and helped by giving me a priority. Thank you. Thank you Artur, for lending me money to pay for them. Tomek, I appreciate your help with bank transfers. I contacted Frank in order to have my sails done best because he is specializing in making sails for the yacht like mine. What a pity battens for main sail arrived to me broken. As I can recall it now I cried about it when I opened the package. Gibb and Jackie helped me out and borrowed for two years a tool to set them in the main. By the way they offered me an EPIRB too. (EPIRB is an instrument to send a distress signals if you are in need).
- I had to install a reefing system to help me out with reefs in order to make the sail surface smaller when the wind is too strong. Blocks, tiny blocks, ropes, rivets, riveting period started ... But sometimes the rivet was not right, sometimes the tool was just not functioning…
And so on, and so on.
- The engine needed to be serviced and needed a new fuel tank. After the change there was a gap in my hull - luckily enough I like working with fiberglass…
Believe me, having a beach 5 minutes away from the shipyard where we were moored I did not go to the beach even once! Sometimes I was so exhausted that I would fall to sleep when one was talking to me, some other time while my friends were sitting on the deck I would snore peacefully under because I was too tired to accompany them after hard day of work, not to mention that I was supposed to be then on my way to a shower. One day I would fall into sleep during daylight in a sitting position when I went down under the deck in order to make a call...
Everything was going according to plan but with an exception of timing -I was delayed and the delay was just getting longer. My determination, however, was fed by a support of bunch of people like Sebastian from Chicago and John Wade. Sebastian heard an interview on a radio, called me and sent some financial support. John read an article about my project in a sailing magazine and as he read he wrote to me and generously paid for my fenders and other parts.
Till the very last day I was counting on promised money from my main sponsor, well, he was giving me clear signs money is coming! I faxed lots of documents, insurance, contract, passport copies … everything he asked me for and everything he could possibly think of…. I had to leave without his support and I took off starting my journey with big debts. I had to borrow money even to buy fresh fruits for my cruise! But I'm working on it, on finding a main sponsor, media patron for my travel.
Now, I am on the other site of Pacific. So it proved you don't have to have everything but you have to work hard and look towards your dream as it was said in “Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho that if you really want something the universe will help you. Plus, you need some of “blind good luck” and most of all never give up and be good to the others because the goodness will always come back to us somehow ☺.
- Take everything out of the boat. And there was plenty to take out. To look though the things and to get rid of anything that is not necessary and checking out what more is needed. Once, I found a dinghy's floor. I also found a pump and accessories to an inflatable dinghy but there was no sign of the inflatable dinghy itself. So in order to get rid of unnecessary things I exchanged the pump for a tool and threw away the dinghy's floor. Just few days later I came across a big bag stowed under the deck - it was an inflatable dinghy, of course! So, running I went back to a rubbish container but … it was empty already. Thus, I had to look for a used one, adjust it, and get a pump (I could not afford buying a new one). Anyway, I eventually had my inflatable dinghy complete.
- To disassemble the capstan. No comment. Mend mattress casings. Paint inside of the yacht. Change leaking hatches. Fasten radar reflectors on the mast. Put sponsor's labels (stickers) on the hull and the sails (Roque from Sign By Day - Thank you for your help!) Fix the alcohol cooker. Repair a door. Make a navigation table. Install solar panels for the batteries. Fix the anchor chain. Mount a new compass, a wind vane, radio, and speakers. Change the rigging. Change halyards. Install lazy jacks. The bottom part of furler must be repaired. Poor Charlie from the Ala Wai Marine LTD shipyard, I was bothering him almost every five minutes to borrow a specific tool or to ask for a piece of advice - I think he was helping me out just in order to get rid of me☺.
- Repair the wind vane - here I want to thank Monitor for a quick and competent service
- Fix new electrical systems, lights, and to install electrical equipment - that is an SSB (a long distance radio) and its cables, setup, grounding, mounting tuner and antenna,
- I ordered new sails from Australia - the exact same Hawaii-made would cost twice as much. Frank from Horizon Sails took my time shortage seriously and helped by giving me a priority. Thank you. Thank you Artur, for lending me money to pay for them. Tomek, I appreciate your help with bank transfers. I contacted Frank in order to have my sails done best because he is specializing in making sails for the yacht like mine. What a pity battens for main sail arrived to me broken. As I can recall it now I cried about it when I opened the package. Gibb and Jackie helped me out and borrowed for two years a tool to set them in the main. By the way they offered me an EPIRB too. (EPIRB is an instrument to send a distress signals if you are in need).
- I had to install a reefing system to help me out with reefs in order to make the sail surface smaller when the wind is too strong. Blocks, tiny blocks, ropes, rivets, riveting period started ... But sometimes the rivet was not right, sometimes the tool was just not functioning…
And so on, and so on.
- The engine needed to be serviced and needed a new fuel tank. After the change there was a gap in my hull - luckily enough I like working with fiberglass…
Believe me, having a beach 5 minutes away from the shipyard where we were moored I did not go to the beach even once! Sometimes I was so exhausted that I would fall to sleep when one was talking to me, some other time while my friends were sitting on the deck I would snore peacefully under because I was too tired to accompany them after hard day of work, not to mention that I was supposed to be then on my way to a shower. One day I would fall into sleep during daylight in a sitting position when I went down under the deck in order to make a call...
Everything was going according to plan but with an exception of timing -I was delayed and the delay was just getting longer. My determination, however, was fed by a support of bunch of people like Sebastian from Chicago and John Wade. Sebastian heard an interview on a radio, called me and sent some financial support. John read an article about my project in a sailing magazine and as he read he wrote to me and generously paid for my fenders and other parts.
Till the very last day I was counting on promised money from my main sponsor, well, he was giving me clear signs money is coming! I faxed lots of documents, insurance, contract, passport copies … everything he asked me for and everything he could possibly think of…. I had to leave without his support and I took off starting my journey with big debts. I had to borrow money even to buy fresh fruits for my cruise! But I'm working on it, on finding a main sponsor, media patron for my travel.
Now, I am on the other site of Pacific. So it proved you don't have to have everything but you have to work hard and look towards your dream as it was said in “Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho that if you really want something the universe will help you. Plus, you need some of “blind good luck” and most of all never give up and be good to the others because the goodness will always come back to us somehow ☺.