To whoever may be trying in vain to find out what has been going on, our apologies. It never hit us until we starting conversing with the crowds heading north already.
We have ordered the carbon boom and mast from Composite Engineering in MA. It ended up being the same cost as aluminum. We really wanted to give Mike Quill the business, but to get a free upgrade to carbon was a no brainer. Mike had said they improved the strength at the mast joint by making the mast thicker. This shows it can be a long term problem and the extra thickness also adds more weight. The carbon mast is going to be up to 200 lbs lighter. The boom will be about 75 lbs lighter.
There are a lot of design differences in how the carbon mast and boom are laid out and the dimensions on the boom are different. Composite has been excellent in working through all of this and coming to compromises. The biggest things for us to worry about have been the wind generator under the boom, sail dimensions and how the lines are laid out on the deck.
Speaking of sail. Haarstick said we have a lot of life left in our sail, so we are having it repaired/cut for the new mast. Steve Haarstick contacted the designer at Composite to ensure that the right amount of draft would be cut for the new stiffer mast.
Everything is still being worked on. We are hoping for delivery at the end of April. Our condo is still under renovation. We went further than we planned and actually gutting it to the bare walls and started over. All new wiring, plumbing and duct work.
In the meantime, we purchased a two bedroom further back on the building. We bought it for investment, but are living there right now. That also is under some renovation. Yammy is refinishing the cabinets as I write this. Once we move out, it will be advertised on VRBO. Friends and family will get special discounts. I know it has been a mild winter everywhere, but we were in the mid seventies nearly the whole winter.
Since we started renovations, we have put all other Yumsuch projects on hold. Looks like they will happen next winter. I go down and wash her up once a week. That is about it.
We did get a free 55 watt solar panel from our friends at Starboard Sun. They are the ones who provided us the wind generator. Great group to work with and we plan to keep them updated on how the panel holds up to daily use. We hope the extra wattage will keep us topped off during daily computer usage for work.
Our friends at Nexus provided us with another new wireless wind instrument for the top of the mast. Not free this time, but very good cost. The new version was working great until the mast toppled over. We also agreed to keep them updated on how well it works.
Look forward to seeing everyone as they head north. Be sure to contact us as you go through Myrtle Beach.
