Shipping: Up, Up and Away

Click on the link below and listen to "Up, Up and Away My Beautiful Balloon" by the 5th Dimension.  The music is perfect for the occasion.  You may want to open a second window so you can hear the music while you are reading the article.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akEgsZSfhg

This morning I found an early present under the tree.  Well, OK, it wasn't exactly under the tree. It was in the form of an email from Outer Reef telling us that Guided Discovery was loaded and on the way.

She was loaded in Kaohsiung on Saturday, December 22 after making a short trip on Tania's barge from the shipyard to the yacht transport.



1. The ship's crane lifting Guided Discovery off Tania's barge

Explanatory Note: Notice how low the ship sits in the water.  It appears that the ship ballasts (takes on water) to lower down and then drops support piles to provide stability while lifting the yachts.  Once on board, the cradle is welded to the deck.  Then cables are run through the haws holes and welded to the deck firmly anchoring the yacht to the cradle.  I'm told the cables are covered with rubber to prevent damage to the haws holes.




2. Up, Up and Away

3. Arriving on the ship

4. Arrive on the ship - close up



5. Settling on the deck
Velox (white) coating on the shafts, props and rudders

Explanatory Note: Velox is an antifouling paint imported from Europe by ZF Marine, a major manufacturer of marine transmissions and running gear.  The product involves a primer and top coat.  The objective is to prevent barnacles and other marine growth.  It also reduces resistance so the props run more smoothly through the water.  In theory, the coating should reduce fuel consumption.  Another benefit involves bottom cleaning, which we expect will be done at least monthly when were not cruising.   The diver will be able to remove any growth more easily.  This is the first time we've seen the running gear with the Velox applied.

6. Safely aboard the BBC Africa
Note the securing cables running through the haws holes

Expected delivery in Port Everglades Florida is on or about January 24.  The ETA is dependent on many variables including ports of call along the way, weather and traffic in the Panama Canal.

The ship's name is BBC Africa.  She is 7007 ton general cargo ship.  She left Kaohsiung on Saturday bound for Taipei.  From there she crosses the Pacific heading for Vancouver British Columbia to offload, and, perhaps, on load more yachts.  Then she heads south for the Panama Canal.  After transitioning the canal she heads for Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.

8. BBC Africa

You can track BBC Africa's progress with the link below.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/304881000

Meanwhile, I looked at the weather over the Pacific using the link below.  There are no active typhoons, cyclones or tropical storms.  This bodes well.  I think it is safe to say that a typhoon like Haiyan, which recently struck the Philippines, would put a slight dent in our ETA.

http://www.intellicast.com/Storm/Hurricane/PacificAnalysis.aspx

So, stay tuned for updates on shipping progress.

Finally, Outer Reef provided some additional photos of the finished boat.  These include the aft deck, the aft deck table (photos 26 to 29) and the salon table (photos 20a & 20b).  I suspect that when Howard took the photos last Friday the aft and fore deck cushions were sitting on the aft deck to allow him to take photos an uncluttered salon.  So, go back to Construction: Week 52 - Ready to Ship to see these GREAT photos.

Best wishes 

for happy holiday season

and a great 2014

Les, Diana and Kodi (The Furry Kid)