This Changes Everything! [Ep. 62]

We finally get our new sail, but will it be worth it? Will this carbon fiber cruising sail be an expensive mistake or an amazing upgrade in speed and durability offshore?

The suspense is killing us. We have been waiting for 3 weeks as UPS initially lost the package, but it is finally here. Now we can finally begin preparing the boat to sail south toward Chile!

Join us for some DIY action as we give our sailing yacht another makeover as we continue prepping for bluewater. This time we work on sails and rigging.

After we move docks to make room for catamarans in Santa Cruz Marina, Tenerife, (Outremers & Gunboats for the Grand Large Yachting 500 Rally) we remove our #3 jib, hoist our new genoa, install a new Dyneema halyard and tack line. Kate works on videos inside our boat as Curtis visits the local chandlery and continues to learn to speak Spanish wish his new friend Peter Lawless (who is preparing for a non-stop solo sailing circumnavigation).

#sailing #diy #tinyhome #yacht

More about us at www.sweetruca.com

Don’t forget to check out our friend Peter’s website and YouTube channel as he attempts to be the first person from Ireland to sail solo, non-stop, around the world. https://www.peterlawlesssolocircumnavigation.com/

0:00 Filling the water tanks before we leave the dock
0:31 Leaving the dock in Marina Santa Cruz, Tenerife (Intro)
1:33 Docking at a new dock in the marina to make room for catamarans
2:23 Grocery shopping in Tenerife to begin provisioning for a 3500+ mile passage, volcano eruption in La Palma Canary Islands
3:08 Cleaning the boat of volcano dust (boat wash)
4:37 Treat Time! Roxy the dog catches a treat in slow motion and we go out on the town for dinner and exploring the sights
5:18 Curtis and Peter go to the Chandlery and do boat projects to prepare for shorthanded sailing offshore
6:48 We are replacing our jib halyard and adding a 3rd/4th reef tack line to the cockpit. We install a new dyneema running rigging.
13:27 Taking down our #3 Jib, flaking and folding to store in preparation for our new genoa
14:26 Waiting for our new sail to be delivered after being temporarily lost by UPS
17:07 Unboxing of our new sail and some other goodies
18:00 What we have all been waiting for. We hoist our new Expedition Membrane Carbon/Taffeta Cruising Genoa and get a look at it for the first time.

Our boat is a year 2000 J Boats J/46. We searched for 3 years for our perfect sailboat for sale, when we found it, we knew it was the one. We spent 6 months re-fitting it in Rhode Island and then went for our shakedown voyage in Maine. We stopped in Annapolis for a bit to do some more refit work and offshore modifications, then we set off to the open sea. We went to the Bahamas, Miami, US Virgin Islands, BVI, Grenada, Carriacou, St. Maarten, where we enjoyed outdoor adventures, scuba diving, and have now did an Atlantic Crossing to the Azores where we had a chance to fly our DJI drone (and learned how to fly a drone from a boat) and one of our favorite past times, mountain biking. We have sailed over 10,000 bluewater miles to date.

We watched other sailing channels before we left as well. We even considered van life, a tiny home, or a motorhome / rv. Some of the channels we enjoyed were Gone with the Wynns, Project Atticus, and MJ Sailing. We didn’t really set out to be influencers, but we wanted to return the good karma and pass our inspiration and knowledge along.

So who is this crazy sailing couple making fun videos to share? Well, we are Kate and Curtis. We both sold up and headed out to sea, with the goal of sailing around the world via Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope. We brought our mixed rescue dog along with us as she loves sailing and swimming too!

Enjoy our relaxing video on #sailingsunday!

XO XO Kate, Curtis & Roxy