Adesso’s canvas was very tired when we bought her and as we are in the Pacific Northwest ( cool and wet ) a full enclosure was desirable.  This would give a “mud room” going on and off the boat in wet weather but also made cruising on wet cold days almost civilized!  This space would also double as Tilly’s home.  We have always been impressed with the design and quality of Iverson Dodgers over the years and after an exaustive share and price comparison we decided on them.  This meant a trip to Everett Washington and week’s wait while the job was completed.  I can not say enough good things about the dodger, professionalism and speed in which this job as done.

The trip to Everett was sunny warm and windless but we made the best of it!  Boat neighbour Mal Walsh and my son Josh came on the trip which was a little longer that expected but a good time was had by all!   Arriving in Everett after a stay in Friday Harbour and Port Townsend put us in time for our appointment!  On the first day we removed the old canvas and metal, new metal was bent ( we went with the 1.25 stainless tubing ) and the complete pattern was taken for the full enclosure.  After this we had a week to wait while the dodger and panels were created.  During this time I was working on installing our Webasto heating ( winter was coming!!!)  and numerous other small projects .  Nothing like a week away from distractions to get work done on a boat!

One week later our canvas arrived and was installed. What was most impressive was the fit, tight as a drum!  By the end of the day what was to become known as our bubble was done and we were dry inside!!

The hatches on Adesso were built by Atkins Hoyle and were showing signs of wear and tear.  The two large hatches had been recondition at great expense but still were missing some of the opening hardware.  All the other hatches needed seals, new Makralon and some of the hardware replaced.  The decision to replace rather than repair was Atkins Hoyle no longer made the 10 by 10 hatches that are used over the galley and forward head.  One of the 10 by 10’s frame was bent and another had broken hinges.  In the end it was also cheaper to replace than repair when shipping etc, etc, were all added in!  Lewmar Ocean series was my choice for best value and quality.  I must say that we were tempted by the stainless Bomar hatches but the price was too much for our budget to bear.   This was a relatively easy job as the Lewmar sizes fit without any modifications and the old hatches came off without too much swearing.  My favourite invented tool is a thin metal drafting ruler that I sharpened the  narrow end. I could lift the hatch with a pry bar a little and then run the ruler in to cut the sealer.  We have been VERY happy with the result.  Again one of the surprise bonuses of doing this job was the light that new glass let in not to mention the friction hinges.

New 10 by 10 Lewmar Ocean hatches

A view of the new center hatches on Adesso.

The original portlights on the Passport 47  and 40 were cast in Asia and I’m sure if they were well maintained would still be serviceable today.  Ours were leaking, especially the fixed lights and the others needed seals, new glass and dogs for them to function properly.

Old bronze fixed portlight.

Adesso’s new stainless trim.

 To add to the problem one was warped which would take heat to fix.  I decided to just bite the bullet and purchase a new set of stainless portlights from New Found Metals in Port Townsend ,WA.   The  install required cutting out the old ports, resizing the cutout then installing the new one.  I must say with the advent of  the Fein tool this job was to too difficult.  New Found Metals had excellent videos on the install so with in a couple of days all the lights were replaced.  The fixed lights were a different  matter, a new stales ring had to be custom manufactured, and I must say Nuno at Ocean Metals in Courtenay did a beautiful job.  I chose Makralon for the light material which could be cut by a band saw .

What a difference this has made to the boat. The looks inside and out not only improved but the amount of light that the ports allowed in was many times greater!  The stainless reflects light so much more than the old bronze ports.

New Found Metals portlight installed.

Back in Comox our first task is to get to know our new boat and decide what projects are a priority. From the survey we knew we had leaks around the port lights so that was at the top of a list that we were sure was going to grow somewhat. Most of the systems would have to be gone through!.  These first few posts are after the fact but I will endeavour to recap all the things we have done to Adesso!  While all this is going on our focus is to prepare for a year offshore with Josh, work to save money for that trip, and enjoy cruising here in the Pacific North West.  Life will be full!   While I was busy putting Adesso together in Anacortes, Sue and Josh finished moving out of our sold house , partially into a rental suite which was our transition land base and the storage unit. Downsizing  sounds easy but I can attest to its challenges! Lots of what do we have that for??

Adesso at rest in Henry Bay

So the first job at hand was to take a deep breath and spend a day or two in Henry Bay, an hour sail away to relax after a month of chaos.  While we were walking beaches, the list started.

Sailing passed Tree Island off Comox

replace port-lights,  repair hatches,  new dodger (fully enclosed),  fix and paint shower,  clean everywhere,  remove air conditioner,  clean up wiring,  add solar panel,  decide about the teak decks,  and ….

So in the end we sailed too our berth in Comox to begin our adventure!

Aside from bolting all the hardware back onto Adesso she had to be re-rigged.  We new that due to  a couple of years sitting on the hard in the east coast leaks needed to be attended to.  The chainplates were one of these sources.  The mast was off the boat so removing chainplates and re -bedding was my first job.  The plates were supposedly replace some 4 years earlier but it turned out only 2 had been done.  Thanks to the great work by Craig at Pacific Fabricating two days later the remaining 4 were made!  With a little blood loss these were bolted in and ready to step the mast.

Adesso entering the pacific ccean.

Paint the bottom, clean out the dated auto system, service systems, put the sails back on the boat, more cleaning, dingy davits …………..!  Whew I hope this is the last boat as my age is showing.  To top it off we had a lift deadline of Friday.  Friday am the crane arrived to step the mast (it was only available on fridays) and the lift waould arrive a 4:00 pm to put Adesso in the water.  Without Jean-guy and Owens support I would never have made it.  Cap Sante let us stay on the lift wharf for the weekend so ready or not Adesso entered the Pacific Ocean.  You could tell she was happy to have ended years of sitting on land and we were looking forward sailing back to Canada.

At rest finally.

Adesso on the truck.

Adesso began her adventure with us in Rhode Island, Massachusets.  We chose to truck her to the Pacific Northwest which had its challenges.  At 36,0000 lbs dry weight ( no fuel or water – she was full of fuel ) and a mast that was 67 ft coupled with a 12’8 height restriction we were close to the max that could be transported this way.   Everything on the deck had to be stripped down to make our height restriction and the route across the US was not direct because of load length.  Every state has different rules of the road we discovered.  Needless to say after a few weeks of delay Adesso arrived in Anacortes!

About to land in Anacortes at Cap Sante Marine.

I had two friends Owen and Jean-guy volunteer to help put the boat together and bring her into Canada.  Owen had to head back to Canada because of a sickness but left his van which was an invaluable time saver. This meant Jean-guy and I did the rest of the heavy lifting.  What a job!!! Everything was new to us, it was like putting a jigsaw puzzle back together with out a plan. Thankfully we had great help in Rhode Island pulling the boat apart and the notes that came with the boat resulted in very few nuts and bolts left over at the end!