Today is the day; Matilda is going back into the water. I had detached the struts from the radar pole and had tilted it in a horizontal position. I also had to remove the back stay in order to allow for the small travel lift to move above Matilda and lift her into the belts. Although quite old, the travel lift has been doing what it should for the last years and therefore, I was not expecting any adventures. Matilda was lifted out of the cradle and the areas where the pads had been were sanded and painted with antifouling. After some time in order to allow the antifouling to dry, the travel lift started moving and Matilda was coming closer to the water. Just 50 meters away from the shore, a big bang stopped the journey abruptly. One of the front wheels of the travel lift had burst.
Waiting for the wheel to be repaired
Hello Evan,
We are pleased to note that Matilda (formerly: Fleur) looks excellent.
No osmosis, we did not expect that either. Another proof that Hallb. Rassy makes excellent hulls. Especially Corry is still looking with sadness to the beautiful pictures of Matilda.
Have you solved the problem of overheating of the reverse gear?
Our Juno is still ashore, waiting for warmer weather for a protective epoxy treatment.
We wish you a nice sailing season with many finel sailing trips.
Guus and Corry.
Hi Guus and Corry,
nice to hear from you! Yes, Matilda is in good condition. There are still some things left to do like the rudder bearing and resealing the portholes but then she is ready for the oceans of the world :-D The reverse gear overheating problem was not a real problem as it seems. I had a chat with a vetus guy and he said that 60C is normal operating temperature. That is because of the oilpressure. The manual even says up to 90C. I have changed the oil with fresh one and will see how it behaves. I am not expecting any problems. I hope that the weather will get better soon in northern Europe and that you will get everything done on Juno in time. I was thinking of applying a protective epoxy treatment next year. Thanks for your wishes, allways fair winds and happy voyages, Evan