In November 2022, we ordered a new sail from North Sails here in Gothenburg, a “Tradewind” sail. The sail is customized for sailing when the wind is around angles at or close to straight from behind, (downwind – wind between150 to 180 degrees). It is a relatively uncommon type of sail; essentially two foresails made …
Since Lulu spent the winter in the water, we needed to lift her up and clean her hull and perform basic maintenance. We chose Öckerö Harbor in the Gothenburg area, and it was a great place to get work done, we recommend it highly. Not only did they have everything needed to get the work …
This past weekend we began the slow installation of our Spectra Ventura 150 watermaker. It is a thing of wonder, able to convert salt water to fresh water, using the solar energy generated by our solar panels. Since it will be just the two of us onboard, we don’t need a big watermaker, and the …
Over the past month, Magnus has been working on upgrading our electrical system. It started last year when he ordered a new lithium battery bank, which didn’t arrive until April. In the meantime he has been collecting Battery Management System (BMS) devices, DC/DC devices and tools to manage the wiring in preparation for the installation. …
Recently we took a class on “Caring for your Diesel Motor” with the Swedish Cruising Association, our sailing club. It was a good overview of how a diesel motor works, and even though Magnus and I are at vastly different levels in terms of understanding a diesel motor, we both learned a lot. Fortunately for …
We like the environmentally friendly aspects of sailing, and it’s important that we don’t contribute to the pollution already in the ocean. Therefore, part of our preparation has been finding environmentally friendly options for as much as possible of our regular cleaning needs. That means soaps and detergents without plastics, and using baking soda and …
As I like to say, Lulu is one fantastic boat. There is a bow thruster on Lulu that makes docking in a slip much easier, and it is controlled by both a control panel in the cockpit as well as by a remote control device. There is nothing wrong with the functionality of the control …
