A quick visit today confirmed that the (once daunting) worklist has shrunk considerably. I have drawn a line in the sand for an early May launch, and the boatyard are now working hard to try and deliver on that.
Left: Arabella's modified pushpit has now been fitted, and various antennae installed as described below. The lines of the original pushpit (now the lower section) can still be clearly identified.
Above: The modified pushpit, viewed from inside the cockpit - the sense of security engendered by the modified version, as compared with the original, is considerable. The Raystar GPS antenna/receiver sits amidships, with the new Hella Marine LED stern light. The extra height now allows the horseshoe buoy to sit cleanly above the transom - on the original it overlapped and obscured the name of the yacht.
Above: Metz Manta VHF antenna (for NASA AIS unit) to starboard quarter. This unit, supplied by (YBW forumite) Salty John is a surprisingly dainty little thing - I had always envisaged it as being the size of a can of Heinz beans with a whip sticking out of the top, but in fact the base unit is smaller than that.
Above: A waterproof VHF speaker has been installed in the starboard quarter of the cockpit.
Above: Photostitch of the nav station to port - nobody has quite dared tighten the screws on it yet (!), but it's basically there...
Above: ...and this is what I was trying to achieve: with the sliding galley worktop in the aft position, acting as a chart table.
Above: Internal cosmetics are still going slowly - and may indeed not be finished before Arabella goes back into the water, because of my insistence on a firm launch date - but this shot shows one of the new LED interior lights. There are three white lights (two amidships and one forward) and a red LED located over the nav station.
Above: Detail of one of the LED interior lamps on its teak mount.
