Valentine is a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40 sailboat; she was well fitted out when we bought her in Annapolis, but we've done a lot to get her ready for extended cruising; upgrades include:
1. Ditched the old radome which was on a stern pole and mounted the new one on the mast. Had all the running rigging checked and modified by Rick Zern and installed a Strong Track so the main is much easier to rais
e and drops like a stone.
3. Installed Raritan Electro Scan, so nothing going into the holding tank in most places and no more pump-out required.
4. New Jabsco Toilet and all new sanitation hoses.
5. Island Time WiFi Booster.
6. Spectra Watermaker; our slip mates tales of hauling multiple Jerry Cans of water in a d**k did not appeal to me! Ours runs on the electricity produced by our solar panels.
7. Reinforced and braced the Bimini frame with .065 1" stainless steel; added tubes to mount a total of 416w of Solar Panels.
8. 400w Wind Generator.
9. Hypervent under the mattresses in the berths. Added a second pole at the stern and fitted a Garhauer arm hoist on them to use as davits.
10. We replaced our tired inflatable with a Porta-bote with a Lehr Propane motor. Also added an inflatable SUP and two kayaks.
11. Changed all lighting to LED.
12. Added a Manson Supreme anchor and Mantus Bridle.
13. Zodiac 6-person Offshore Life Raft. I made a nice rack for it on the deck forward of the companionway. Hope it stays there!
14. Ronstan Whisker Pole; now I can sail at a decent speed downwind in light air. That covers the major upgrades. Belinda made a new Bimini and Dodger in white Sunbrella, which I think looks much better and has a nice soft light in the cockpit. With our solar, wind generator, and water maker, we are dependent only on a little diesel and food. Belinda gave me a little ice cube maker that will run nicely on our inverter; perhaps my favorite addition. There's nothing like a cold Valentine cocktail at anchor.
