Refit Diaries: 11/16/25 – 11/23/25

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We’ve been sticking to our half-day at the yard schedule, but lately we’ve been arriving earlier and earlier to beat traffic. It’s been a good balance for us. Knowing we’re heading back to the house after lunch makes us much more productive, and it also forces us to pause before we get too frustrated with a project. I get to spend the afternoon sewing and cleaning the belongings we brought from the boat to the house, and Ray usually kicks back on the couch with his iPad, tracking down parts or reviewing wiring diagrams. Here’s a rundown of what we accomplished this week:

New solar panels 

Thank you all for your help last week! We managed to secure four new 585W bifacial solar panels through Fletcher at J.A. Russell Ltd. They didn’t fit in our car, but thankfully, the company delivered them to the boatyard the same day. It feels good to check this one off the to-do list!

Mast parts sourcing issues

We’re having a bit of trouble finding replacement cars for our mast. The existing ones have no markings at all, so we have no clue who made them, and the mast manufacturer either doesn’t know or isn’t willing to tell us. We could have some custom-made, but for this refit, we’re thinking long-term: imagine years from now, cruising in the middle of nowhere, and a car fails— we want to know we could order a replacement to the nearest developed area without scrambling. One option we’re considering is switching to a Harken track system, but that would be a pretty big, unexpected expense.

Workshop update 

The Circa Marine team continues to make impressive progress. This week, they completed the cabinetry and countertop framing, and we’re very pleased with the height and storage space. Plus, Ray has significantly more headroom than anticipated! We also finalized our finish selections, deciding at the last minute to go with darker cabinets that will tie in better with the rest of the boat’s interior and better resemble the original design inspiration. 

New batteries + bed construction 

Three 24V 345Ah LiFePO₄ batteries from NZ Lithium arrived at the yard this week. Thanks to a forklift and our friend Nestor from a neighboring boat, we were able to get them safely onto Sabado and into the bed base Ray is building for our new electrical system. Ray added a few cutouts for vents and continued framing the rest of the space this week. At this point, we’re just waiting for the Quattro and the new air conditioner to arrive.

Thruhulls 

We had the yard close off two thru-hulls in the port forward cabin. They were originally for that cabin’s air conditioner, but they’re not needed in the workshop layout. Honestly, it feels great to have two fewer holes in the boat, haha!

Sewing 

I’ve converted a corner of our rental house into my sewing lair and have been learning how to sew. I want to thank Kristie, Megan, Lisa, and my mom for all the helpful tips and advice! I finished my first project this week: reupholstering the cushion on our cockpit cooler/storage bench. The corners were definitely the most challenging part! I’ve also started mapping out my fabric to re-do our ratty line bags. I’m finding this new hobby really fun, and I’m looking forward to completing more projects!

Black Friday Purchases

This is the first time in years that we’ve had a shipping address for more than a couple of weeks. I put together a list of all the household items we’ve been needing to replace (sheets, pillows, blender, a mattress for our newly renovated bed, etc.) and have been waiting for each one to go on sale, since we have plenty of time. I hadn’t realized how many New Zealand shops participate in Black Friday, so I tore through my list this week, and the bank account is definitely feeling it! The deals were great and the purchases were planned, but seeing charge after charge, especially on top of all the big boat-related expenses, still leaves a pit in my stomach… Man, I am ready to go sailing again! 

We hope you had a great week. 🙂