Full of Promise!
There’s something quietly magical about our boat in the dry dock. Balanced, waiting, full of promise — and usually covered in a lot of dirt, tools, and to-do lists than we first imagined. Luckily we escaped damage from Storm Goretti though suffered lots of leaves and mud!
As we count down towards Ithaca’s launch day, Martin and I are deep in the practical work to get her ready. This stage of the journey feels important: it’s where intentions meet reality, and where our commitment to sustainable sailing really begins to take shape.
Spreadsheet Queen & To Do lists!
For those that know me – you know I love preparing a good spreadsheet! Ithaca’s ‘To Do’ list certainly lends itself to this task. Initially most of these have been driven by the boat survey so it was a dump of all the recommendations. We were warned early on that boat is merely an acronym for ‘Bring Out Another Thousand’! We want to ensure that we get the essentials done to keep us safe though don’t want to go mad.
So far we are up to xx No. tasks and have categorised tasks into who will do the tasks – Martin, Amanda, Engineer,
Sustainable choices
Preparing a boat for launch involves loads of decisions, big and small. Safety is paramount though we’re using this phase to ask one simple question:
What is the most responsible option here?
That has meant:
- Choosing low-toxicity, marine-safe cleaning products
- Researching antifouling options with reduced environmental impact
- Repairing sails and equipment rather than automatically buying new.
- Sourcing second-hand or refurbished gear where possible
Not every choice is perfect — and there are trade-offs — but starting with safety and an environmental perspective feels like the best place to start. Overall it is also good for the planet and good for the wallet, saving thousands of pounds by using second-hand or refurbished gear.
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