Under Two Months to Departure ! Loop Prep Continues!!
Looking at our countdown counter this morning, I realized we were under the two month mark before we cast off our lines! Our anticipated loop start date of 9/1/24 will be here in no time!
The month of June was full of projects as we continue to work to get the boat ready for the journey.
Engine work wraps up
Aftercooler and other parts going to CAT to be serviced
Serviced aftercooler going back in
Scott has completed all engine work, which included replacing all fluids, belts, hoses, thermostats, and fuel valves. We also had a CAT mechanic come out to pull the aftercoolers for testing, servicing, and reinstallation.
If anyone has a need for a CAT mechanic in West Michigan, we highly recommend Kevin from Michigan CAT out of Kalkaska.
Anchor Chain
While Scott was busy with the engine work, I made myself useful and re-marked the anchor chain. The previous owner used colored zip ties on the chain links to mark the length of the chain, but we found these markings hard to see from the flybridge, and they were getting weak and breaking off. I removed all of the zip ties, and spray-painted colored markings every 25 feet which we find are MUCH easier to see. Time will tell how well the paint holds up. 
Custom Work Area for Scott
As Scott will continue to work remotely while we are looping, he needed an adequate work space on the boat. Doing high-level computer network/IT support, a simple laptop was not going to cut it. Once again, his ingenuity paid off as he fabricated a custom work space for him that he installed at the lower helm. He utilized a dual monitor arm with keyboard stand and welded up a custom mounting arm that attaches to the base of the helm chair. Although he almost exclusively pilots the boat from the upper helm on the flybridge; should he need to, this entire mount is easy to disconnect from the chair if the lower helm is needed.
Refrigerator Replacement
The last big project we tackled in June I am very excited about! Our original fridge was a 9 cu ft. Nova Kool. Needless to say, I couldn’t imagine living on the boat for nearly a year and only having 9 cu ft of refrigerator space (6.6 cu ft for the fridge and 2.5 cu ft for the freezer)! Not only was space an issue, but we found the Nova “Kool” just wasn’t keeping things very “Cool”.
After searching far and wide for a refrigerator that would both fit our existing space AND provide us the most storage volume; we settled on a residential 14 cu ft Frigidaire refrigerator. Since we have an inverter, we were able to utilize a residential 110v appliance rather than being limited to a 12-volt marine refrigerator. Scott fabricated an aluminum frame that trims it out nicely and helps to secure it in place. We will be installing some child safety locks that will serve to keep the doors closed in rough waters. So far, the new fridge is working great both on shore power and battery, and we are loving the additional space it provides.
Original Nova Kool fridge
Old fridge removed, prepping for new
New refrigerator installed
Still to come
Once we get back from our “shake-down” cruise for the 4th of July, work will resume with the final loop prep projects. Our biggest project left to go will be to upgrade all of the house batteries from standard lead acid batteries to Life PO4 Lithium batteries. We will post more on that large project at a later date!
Erin Jaehnig
