It was supposed to be so easy! [Ep. 169]

Rigging the Main Sail Stack Pack and Deploying the Dinghy

Down in St. Martin, Sailing Supernova is tackling a relentless list of boat projects with the help of visiting friends Eric and Greg, who flew in from Canada. The morning kicks off aloft at the mast to finish the new main sail bag, or lazy bag. Darcy climbs the rig and notes: “This is the first time we’ve had the main sail completely covered since we bought this boat. I love this sail bag or stack pack or whatever you want to call it… to me it’s everything. I’m going to marry this thing.” With the stack pack fitted, Darcy devises an endless line system with a block to easily pull the zippers up and down. The boys give it an immediate vote of approval.

Next on the agenda is getting the tender running again. With the tubes repaired and brought back to the boat, inflating them becomes a team effort. Instead of using a manual pump, they hook up a vacuum on reverse as the fastest way to inflate the tubes before maxing them up. Darcy comments on the heat: “I’m both physically and emotionally dying of heat.” After attaching the front bolts and rear straps, they drop the tender into the water to test it out under load, heading out toward the beach to check for leaks and ensure the tubes are fastened securely.

Welding Aluminum and Collecting New Solar Panels

Back on deck, modifications are underway to replace the old T-top frame with a streamlined single crossbar. Darcy measures, cuts, and stick-welds stainless steel tubing, warning about the cooling slag: “When you’re welding with stainless steel stick, the slag at the end that covers the weld pops off when it starts to cool down. So you have to be very careful it doesn’t pop off somewhere and light your boat on fire.” A planned sunshade installation hits a snag when Darcy realizes he printed the 3D brackets with insufficient wall loops and holes that are slightly too small, forcing a reprint. Meanwhile, the diving board repair is also delayed until the next morning.

To soften the day’s frustrations, the crew heads ashore for dinner at Ramen Wat chez Ali in St. Martin. Darcy raves about the handmade shiitake dumplings and rich ramen, declaring: “This place is literally It’s It’s so good. It tastes like you’re in Japan.” When asked if it is the best food in the Caribbean, Darcy replies: “It is so good. Name of the restaurant? Ramen Wat chez Ali.” The chef adds: “I put all my love inside and do it for passion.” Later, they sample house-made star-fruit (carambola) rum and pepper-basil rum.

Mounting Solar Panels and Overcoming Rivet Struggles

The following day, after picking up new 600-watt solar panels and electrical wiring from the electric store, the crew tackles the arduous task of mounting them above. Three unused antennas, including TV and single sideband radio gear, are cut away to clear space. However, installing the aluminum hinges turns into an exhausting overnight epic. The metric 4.8 rivet gun stops gripping properly with heavy-duty imperial rivets from the Dutch side, turning a simple task into a frustrating hours-long ordeal.

Darcy explains the breakdown: “We’re talking seconds per rivet.” When working through the night, Darcy notes: “It’s 2:00 in the morning, and we’re trying to get rivets in. Rivets are supposed to be really easy.” Using a new rivet gun and softer aluminum rivets, the installation time drops to just 5 minutes and 54 seconds per hinge. Once wired in next week, these bifacial 600W panels will push their off-grid solar array.

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