Saturday, 29 April 2017

Boys Toys!

This is the new Nav Station layout on Snow Goose. We have altered it significantly from the original specification.

For the technically minded, From right to left we have the 12 volt and 240 volt switch panels taking up the lions share of the space. The chartplotter above also displays and controls the autopilot, radar and AIS transponder. To the right of the swich panels is the secondary Garmin GPS with 240 Volt source selctor switch below. This panel is completed with a Raytheon Multi display (wind, speed, depth etc) and the generator control panel at the extreme right. A dedicated Navtex receiver is mounted underneath the plinth.

The side panel is dominated by the VHF and SSB radios, both with DSC. A pactor modem, connected to the SSB radio for email/internet access, is located in the louvred cupbaord on the right. Above the radios is the water tank gauge, nightlight, battery bank condition monitor, inverter/charger control panel and a reading light.

Unfortunately there was no room for the watermaker or heating control panels here so they have been mounted elsewhere. There is a secondary chartplotter in the cockpit, together with the primary autopilot control head and a Raymarine Multi display. The usual trio of Raymarine instruments (wind, speed and depth) together with windlass and bowthruster controls are mounted on the steering pedestal in the cockpit for easy access.

Friday, 28 April 2017

Final Preparations!


Snow Goose is our Island Packet 380. She was built in 2001 and we bought her from her first owner in 2012. We have refitted her extensively over the last 5 years in order to prepare her for our retirement cruise, which we are finally about to embark on. We have spent the last few weeks stowing all the equipment, spares and provisions we will need on our voyage and making sure that she is in perfect shape and ready to go.

We will be casting off for Plymouth in just over 3 weeks. We will then be joining the ARC Portugal with a couple of friends on board. The plan is then to move into the Mediterranean to do some warm weather cruising as the start of our retirement sailing adventure.


Leg 8 – Sines to Lagos – 30 June 2017

On Friday 30 th June we completed our final leg of the ARC Portugal Rally from Sines to Lagos. Departing at 0600 this ...