This morning we bid farewell to Martin and his family aboard their Swan 59 “Equinochio”. Usually boats are arriving at this time of year but Martin is going the other way. We first became involved in this project through Jamestown Boatyard who we work with frequently. JBY is a certified Swan yard and the place to go if you are looking to do work on a Swan, especially an older boat. Martin found this boat in the fall and brought it to JBY for the project. The techs at JBY know all of the intricacies of Swans and can cut through much of the research that would be necessary for other yards to find and fix parts on a 1979 vintage boat.
In the fall, Phip removed all o
f the old Navtec rod and prepared it for replacement. The older Swan rigs have giant tangs at the spreader ends. Phip was able to integrate the newer style Navtec parts as replacement as well as new style turnbuckles at the deck. When we do a job like this we check everything over on the rig and make other recommendations for service and upgrades. Martin opted to add a few lights, new wiring and a new Harken furler.
At this time I had my first look at the running rigging. Lets just say that it may have been original. In the end we replaced every bit of rope onboard with modern materials for offshore cruising. I used a combination of Marlow Ropes D2 Racing product and also some Gleistein Ropes. When you have this many lines rigged on deck, you need an extensive selection of colors and color patterns. Good thing we stock all of this here at Rig Pro Newport. We replaced the wire runners and checkstays with Dynex DUX. This is not so much to save weight. After all, the Equinochio weighs approximately 60,000LBS! The primary advantage is reducing wear and tear on the mainsail and the aft edge of the spreaders. We then replaced the massive stainless steel blocks with some modern Harken teardrops with padded covers. We also replaced the lazy jacks, furler lines, reef lines and travellers.
Working on Martin’s project was not the same as other yachts that we work on. Martin was leaving on what most of us would consider the trip of a lifetime. The first part of the trip will take them back home, to Chile. Then, in the southern hemisphere summer, they will venture further south to South Georgia Island and beyond. It is safe to say that 1 year old Larry will be one of the youngest to have crossed the equator!
North Sails RI provided Martin with a 3Di mainsail and genoa. These sails are a variation of the product used in the Volvo Race and should be bulletproof for thousands of miles.
Part of the re-rodding service is a full rig tune and sea trial. Phip accomplished with along with the new sails in one outing.
Safe sailing Martin and family!
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