I don’t know what all the hype is about when talking about a “properly” built ferrocement boat, but so far (knock on wood), I have no complaints. While cleaning the hull we found 2 clams and a small crab and some other thing that looked like a sea cucumber. No rust or exposed wire frame or any other horror stories associated with ferrocement sailboats.

I did, however, find that the shaft is moving a bit and the rudder needs to be removed and repaired a bit. Apparently, it’s fiberglass and needs to be fixed. All the anodes looked good and I was surprised that there were any left at all given the last owner’s non-boating skills. There was a place where there were supposed to be some anodes and someone took the cheap route and didn’t put anything! I’ll be putting those in, as well as a couple extra big ones.

There are also a couple of places that looked as if someone ran aground, which actually made me smile. Knowing that the boat didn’t crumble at the point of contact with something other than water made me feel comfortable in knowing that some of the BAD PRESS that ferrocement has gotten is just that…BAD PRESS.

It’s really comforting to see everyone that I have told this boat is cement have not turned their noses up or even flinched, for that matter. All I get is “Wow, that’s a strong boat” or “It will take care of you”. There was a Scottish couple on the yard today actually admiring the boat and even asked to go aboard and take a look. They were amazed at how big it was and loved the roomy interior.

I saw the speed paddle and depth sounder transducers and hope to replace both this coming week. I have also asked them to give me a quote for repairing some of the paint work above the water line.

As far as I can tell, this boat has all the same problems that fiberglass, wood or steel boats would have and nothing more! Sure, we have a lot of work to do, but so does everyone else with a sailboat!

EL V

I’m going to install a pump closer to the tank and see if that works. If not… It’s time to get dirty and remove the old tank!!!

HUGE JOB!

El Vagabundo

So I set out to get the job done. I was hoping to have the help of a local mechanic, but he was busy, so I had to man up and do it myself. Mind you, I am not a mechanic and, although I know my way around a tool box, I’m far from a DIY Guru dude. The idea was to install a new pump and run new hoses. Well, it’s a bigger job now. Four pumps and a new system is in order! So far, I have replaced the main pump and the water is out of both bilge areas and the shower is draining.

Now that a new hose has been run, all I have to do is install the new pumps!

We took off at 4 p.m. and he showed me a few “dinghy maneuvers”. We also tacked a few times and tried sailing to windward, but there just wasn’t enough breeze. I’m heading back out today and hopefully I will have more to report.

I want to talk about El Vagabundo for a minute. Man, there is so much work to do, I don’t know where to start! One thing is for sure, I’m starting with that damn head! There is stagnant water in the shower because the pump needs to be replaced, so I am setting out to replace the hoses and pumps this weekend after “La Vagabunda” gets settled in.

Over the past few days I have moved my things off Pussy Galore and said my goodbyes to her. I really am going to miss her.  It seems as if I was just getting to know the boat and now I’m moving on…… It was a sad day when I finally moved all my things.

I have been sleeping on board for the last week and getting to know El V.  The first couple of nights were rough as I didn’t have my own bedding.  Sleeping is a chore for me as it is and not having proper sheets and blankets just wasn’t going to cut it! My back was hurting on the second day so I went over to Pussy Galore and grabbed the extra padding we bought and my bedding and have been getting better sleep. I am slowly warming up to the boat, and sleep has been patchy at best, but it’s getting better.

I have had a couple of visitors since I’ve been aboard and haven’t had much time to do anything.  I have cleaned, but I’m sure when “La Vagabunda” gets here in a few days, she will do a full “spring” cleaning and hopefully she and I can knock out a few projects during her 10-day visit.

When I first came aboard the motor wouldn’t start, so Carlos (our new best friend and local mechanic) and I stayed up one night til 2 am rebuilding and reinstalling the starter. Once installed, it only took one crank and El V started right up! I was very impressed with the motor.  It’s a Perkins 4.236 85 HP. I’m going to replace all the hoses and belts and throw on a new alternator and it should be fine.

I have since worked on the water pressure pump and I’m now getting ready to tackle the bilge and shower pump. My plan is to install a foot pump in the galley and head and bring in sea water to wash dishes while underway. I plan to to clean the bottom and do antifouling in the next 2 weeks.

These are our requirements:

1. It has to be affordable. With the sale of our motorboat, we have a budget of about 50,000 euros. The economy is not so great right now, so we are prepared to lower our asking price for a quick sale.

2. We would like a 40-footer. This gives us enough room to live aboard for an extended period of time, while still being small enough for us to handle ourselves.

3. Miguel is a big guy. He stands 6’5″ with broad shoulders. He has to be able to move around comfortably, so a broad beam, sufficient height inside, and a flat deck are preferable.

Everything else can be fitted to our specifications later. We would actually prefer to refit the boat with what we want, giving us full knowledge of how any equipment/rigging/pumps, etc. works and can be repaired.

We read on the Internet of a guy who suggested we look at 100 boats before buying one. I don’t know how much time HE had on his hands, but we don’t have the time for that. We’ll shop around, do the proper surveys, but the way we see it, when you feel you have found the right boat, whether it be the 12th or the 99th boat you’ve looked it, that’s the one you should buy.

Speaking with an experienced captain (2 transatlantic crossings, numerous regattas, etc., etc.), he suggested we look at a Beneteau First 42, a Jeanneau Sun Kiss 47, or a Wauquiez Anphitrite. These are all great boats, but they’re hard to find…

While in Cap d’Agde, we looked at a Beneteau 390 and an Oceanis 411. They were both really nice, but not quite for us.  For the 390, the seller was asking 85,000 euros and the 411 was 99,000. Both of these were a little out of our budget and seemed too dainty. We wanted something that was a little more suited to blue water.

Once in Barcelona, we renewed our search. While scouring the Internet for that perfect deal, we came across an Endurance 40 ferro.  We did not know anything about ferroboats, so we did some research. They have a bad reputation, but everyone who actually owns one is thoroughly happy with it and have absolutely nothing bad to say about them. This particular boat was professionally built following the Peter Ibold design. It has actually been surveyed by a famous sailor here in Spain (whose email was forwarded to us by the seller) who had recommended it to a friend.

It has a 12′ beam, is actually 42′ in length, has 3 cabins, 1 head, and is outfitted well, including a 70 hp Perkins diesel engine.

The seller was not available to meet with us, but told us where we could go see the boat. The marina wasn’t far from our own, according to our neighbors, so we set out on foot to Port Badalona. One nuclear plant, trash-littered party haven, nudist beach, and hour later, we were there. OF COURSE the entrance to the pontoon was locked, so I had to climb onto the deck of the nearest boat, balance on the anchor, and jump across to unlock the door.

At first sight, it didn’t look like much. It was in serious need of a paint job, and we spied rotten wood around the cockpit. But getting past the exterior, when we stepped onto the boat, it was apparent by the design that this was a seafaring vessel. Dwarfing his fiberglass neighbors, there was no denying that this boat could cross oceans. The foredeck was one large expanse of SPACE. More than anything, he felt SOLID. Discussing it later, we both felt that this boat had spoken to us. For me, I felt he was saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” For Miguel, he said, “Get me the hell out of here. I want to go sailing.”

We have an appointment to see the interior on Tuesday. We’ll let you know how it goes.

So goes our decision to become cruisers. And that’s that. The first order of business is learning how to sail and buying a sailboat. We have a motorboat. Her name is Pussy Galore (it’s a James Bond thing). She’s a 1989 Gibsea Jamaica 30. We bought her 2 years ago for cruising the Med. She has served us well, but she’s gotta go. Seeing as how we can’t afford the diesel to circumnavigate the world, and it appears to be dangerous to do so in a motorboat anyway, we have decided to make the switch to sailing.

But first, we have to make moves to sell Pussy Galore. And in this economy, that is no mean feat.

She was moored in St. Tropez until a couple of weeks ago. Our lease was up on our berthing and since it is extremely difficult to find mooring in southern France, we decided to move her to Barcelona.  So first, Miguel took her to La Grande Motte and put her on the hard for a thorough cleaning and bottom paint.

Afterwards, he continued on to Cap d’Agde, where I met up with him, and we continued on to Barcelona.

This was my first real passage, having only scooted around the Cote d’Azur on previous excursions. The winds were at 20-25 knots and we were riding swells of at least 4-6 feet. Typical weather for the Gulf of Lyon. So, of course, I was violently seasick. A bit disappointing, since I was anticipating a circumnavigation. However, I was determined to tough it out and get my sea legs. I eventually couldn’t vomit anymore, so I was getting a little better by the time we stopped in Port Palamos. We had actually planned on stopping in Port Roses, but before we arrived, our GPS took a shit and we missed the port completely. We were afraid of running out of fuel, so we headed inland, spotted a marina, and ducked in for a refill. When we pulled up, they offered us a spot for the night, and after discovering that we had passed Port Roses an hour before, we took them up on their offer.

Port Palamos is a new marina, really clean, and expensive. We paid 55 euros for the night. They did have internet, which was welcome, a small bar and grill, an even smaller chandler, and a snack shack. We went inside, gave them our paperwork, then went back to Pussy Galore to wash her down. Afterwards, we ate leftover spaghetti (I’m still not sure how I managed that), then discovered we had a leak coming from the shafts, which Miguel had already repaired on one occasion. To add to the list, the anchorage lights had went out and the windshield wipers had stopped working.

We had planned on leaving early the next morning, but first we had to fix our leak. So, we got up bright and early, had breakfast, then walked over to the dry docks to see if we could find a mechanic. The reason we needed a mechanic is because Miguel is too big to fit in the engine room, and we didn’t have the proper tools on board. After a little searching, we found a mechanic who said he would swing by in 20 minutes, which he did. He had us up and running in 30 minutes. He charged us 25 euros.

We pulled out, stopped by the fuel pumps, and took off. It was only 45 nm to Barcelona and this time we took care to use our charts and Miguel taught me how to DR plot. The seas were calm, so I guess the day before was just my initiation.

We felt that one of the reasons we had missed Port Roses the day before was because we were running too far off shore to recognize the landmarks, so this time we ran a little closer to the coast.

Just as Miguel had finished telling me how to recognize navigational hazards below the surface of the water, we saw breaking water just 200 meters ahead of us. We had been on autopilot and she was steering us directly towards a large group of rocks. This was a good example for me on how important it is to keep a good watch at all times. Miguel steered us around the rocks and we moved out a little further to avoid any other problems.  But about an hour later, Miguel asked me to check the depth on the chart. We should have been at 30 meters, but Miguel was reading 8 meters on the depth finder. We had plotted our course with the autopilot and it had slowly started to creep in closer to the coast. He had noticed the water was getting lighter and pointed this out to me as another lesson in keeping a constant watch. We again tweaked our course and kept it steady, straight for Port Forum. We left Port Palamos at noon and swung into Port Forum at 5:30pm. My first passage was complete. I now had 150 nm under my belt. Yay for me!

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