The first trip away from home

So much has happened in the last two years.

1. A new mast built of cypress
2. Replacement of all standing rigging
3. A new tiller from mvule wood,
4. An extensively refurbished rudder that was riddled with teredo worms
5. A semi failed boom repair (it’s a bit too short but still works for now)
6. Refurbished bowsprit and boom kin using laminated strips, scarfed in.
7. A new dodger
8. Serviced and repaired winches
9. A few necessary new seacocks
10. An airing out of the Hull i.e there was a delamination of the fiberglass at the Stern, underwater. It was ground away, dried, sealed and refiberglassed.
11. Waterproofing of the rudder brackets
12. Waterproofing of steel plates on keel
13. Build up of waterproof paint and antifouling
14. Resewing of most sunbrella on the boat
15. Resealing deck fittings
16. Fixing the waterpump and installing a new drinking filter
17. Cleaning diesel tanks from corrosion from the inside
18. General Engine overhaul and new exhaust pipe
19. Sorting thru all old spares and what is needed on board
20. Fixing the toilet (one day to many of my life) and then buying a new jabsco pump
21. Sealing the galley sink
22. Refurbishment of saltwater foot pump
23. Fixing lights and a few electrics
24. Installing new masthead light
25. Rewiring VHF
26. Fixing a secondhand rubber dinghy and dealing with getting our outboard stolen – as well as the oars (and our shoes)
27. Regalvanizing anchor and chain
28. Replacing station bolts and rotten wood on gunwale

And so so so many more things that are involved with the above jobs as well as things that just involve everyday boat life like getting water, modifying living arrangements to suit our needs and so much more.

I feel like we have put a lot of work into this beautiful boat and are yet to enjoy the fruits of our labour. Early this year we went for a cruise to Lamu, in northern Kenya, but due to Sandra having to work, it didn’t feel like exploring yet.

So here we are now, ready for the NE wind season and with an (almost) open schedule.

We are aiming to set sail next week for a couple weeks of cruising around the islands in Tanzania, namely pemba, zanzibar and Dar es salaam. Then James will take the boat back to Kilifi for December, as Sandra and he will both be working remotely that month to then be free and without commitments in January to go sailing again.

Will update and post about the cruise soon,

And slowly over time will get to more in depth posts about all the above work we did to Jamala.

Happy November!

Introducing Jamala to YouTube

We have started a YouTube Channel: Jamala the sailboat

Exciting steps towards sharing more of this journey with you all!

We will be posting more video content and showing you how we built the mast, repaired the rudder & tiller, refitted the spars, put up the new rigging and Jamala’s first sail with us.

Please click on the link, subscribe and make sure to like the video!

How I found my new dwellers

I had been bobbing around my mooring for almost 13 years before my original dweller, Keith, finally got convinced by a friend to find me some new dwellers – some that would actually breathe some life back into me.
Give me the tender loving care I deserve, you know. And damn, it was about time, as you see, us fine pieces of ocean going art don’t get any younger!

So this was the idea they hashed out to find some new lovers for me:
1. Give me away for free, to a humanoid that would invest the money and time to get me back on track for offshore cruising. Paying it forward so to speak.
2. Part of the deal is that they sail me away to far off adventures
3. Once the current dwellers reached their expiration date , they would find someone else who would keep sailing me forever so I could become vintage and super cool (because that’s just how boats work – the older we get the more admiration we get, forget bout what I said earlier)

Oh and of course he wanted me to stay in touch, coz I’m his baby. So another condition was for the dwellers to post my logbook on the internet for him to see. So we could stay in touch and he could see how I was doing, you know , because first love never dies…
Anywho I’m a pretty amazing storyteller so I’m sure you’ll enjoy this too. Otherwise why would you be reading this right!? I mean a boats diary…get a life…

So off he went to Thailand for his affair with another yacht – a catamaran. Never understood that but I guess some men like bigger toys. To my luck that’s where he found the new dwellers Sandra and James!
You see Sandra was an old friend, who is a sailor, loves the ocean and little wooden boats. Plus coolest thing is I know her from way back! Always noticed how she looked at me with that look on her face, like she wanted to take me sailing. I new she digged my lines from the moment I sailed into Mtwapa (where I have been bound to my mooring for so long now!)
And Keith had even met her boyfriend James a few years back.
So I could tell Keith found these two, because they told him exactly what he wanted to hear: That they were looking for a boat to go cruising the seven seas on! He was even more chuffed that they incidentally were the perfect dweller couple for me!
James all technical, as an electrical engineer and computer geek, who can check out all my systems and Sandra, as a little sailor to take care of me and navigate us to far off places!

How exciting! I could feel the seagrass tickling my keel when I got the news! And guess what – next best thing to make it the perfect fit? Sandra is actually from Kenya and grew up right on the shoreline in Mtwapa , where I am moored! So she could even be with her humanoid family while they were fixing me up…

This all happened in August 2015 and then they promptly came to visit me for christmas that year. They checked out many nooks and crannies in the tidal

dry dock  (Though I hid a couple of surprises, can’t give it all away in one go, you know..) and they got straight to work.
It took them a little while to leave their lives in Thailand to come and fully dedicate themselves to get me ready for cruising, but that’s ok. Sandra finally got here in June 2016 and James in August of 2016 to start one of the biggest projects I could offer in a long while: building a completely brand spanking new mast for me!

But now thats enough for one day – I’ll tell you more about the new mast being built soon!

So long landlubbers.
Jamala
x

Jamala in mtwapa

James

Sandra

Keith,Sandra, James & Jamala

My Youth

I was conceived 1988 and launched June 1994 in Vancouver, Canada by my builder and first dweller, Keith. Then, you know, years float by and finally in August 1997 we set sail for an ‘unplanned’ and ‘schedule free’ circumnavigation. How exciting!

I sailed Keith down the West coast of North America to Mexico, where I wintered in the Sea of Cortez (Baja).
In 1998, we departed for the South Pacific where I meandered from Island group to Island group for 1 1⁄2 years.
Thereafter, we sailed to New Zealand for the America’s Cup (and out of the Hurricane season), returning to Fiji and New Caledonia for the following season.
I exited the South Pacific by sailing to Brisbane, Australia, then North along the Barrier reef to Darwin, Australia.
I then crossed the Arufa Sea and entered into Indonesia, visiting many islands and sailing up Jungle Rivers in Borneo (now Kalimantan). It was just so cool.
Singapore and Malaysia followed, and the dweller decided we should spend Christmas that year in Phuket, Thailand.
Pretty nice places so far I must say. Plenty of water under my keel, breeze to keep me sailing and interesting dweller stories, which are to be told another day.
On I went across the Indian Ocean, where we passed through the Andaman Islands and Maldives to spend 3 perfect months in the Chago’s Archipelago.
Now that was quite something. From Chago’s, I was sailed single handed via Seychelles to Mtwapa, Kenya, my new home since 2001.

That has been my story up until now….
I am looking at leaving this fantastic past behind me, lift anchor and set myself free again to go sailing to new horizons! And hopefully get a little closer to my circumnavigation.
As mentioned previously, before that can happen I need a bit of doing up. Can’t leave for the big sea without my top on, now can I!?

So I am going through an new stage of my life at this moment. I am getting a new mast, rig and spars, a new wooden deck and a new bottom! Then of course there will be some other minor bit and bobs that they need to check out, like the LPG system, watermaker, plumbing… but thats all baby stuff… oh and I can’t wait for them to get rid of those tiny ants – they tickle!!
Those are my current major flaws, and I must admit even tho I cant wait to go sailing , it is so entertaining watching the dwellers figure things out… I will be writing a few stories about my repair soon!