She is hull number 14 of the Zero design, from Marc Lombard, built by Fast Zero in Tarragona, Spain.

Further construction details and photos coming soon

You can see here that the gelcoat chosen for the hull is yellow. A light grey colour has been used for the deck as this doesn’t reflect as much as white - and is therefore easier on the eyes.

The next steps are to bond the deck and hull together (this week), followed by fitting out including adding all the electronics. We are currently looking at a completion date of last week of June.

Progress is good on other fronts too, including all the paperwork. A class number (583) has been allocated. Finding insurance is proving to be a problem as the main UK marine insurers don’t want to cover these boats. I can’t see why these boats are any different to sports boats - and besides - if we are higher risk - just suggest a higher premium or higher excess - but don’t say no! More on this in the future

…Yipee…finished (almost)…

…You can see the white epoxy primer (prior to anti fouling going on)…

Great progress on the hull. The electrics and electronics are now going in and we should be ready to ship from Spain to the UK in a few weeks. Sails are being done (Bruce Banks Spain).

I always had in my diary July 16th - the double handed round the Island race (Isle of Wight) - as the first race outing - however this is now unlikely - never mind!

Lots more opportunities to sail around that particular island (and further!)

Firstly the boat hasn’t yet come to the UK. This is depressing news. The hull is complete (and has been for a while) however there has been a problem with the mast. It managed to get stuck in a French factory for August. Not great as we all know French factories are shut in August! (I have worked for a French company before and I know how this works)

Secondly I have changed my plans for my sailing. I am no longer going for the 2007 mini transat - but aiming towards the 2009 event. I guess this is why in a sailing log you should always say “towards” rather than “to” - as things do have a tendancy to change. The 2007 event seems a little too soon in order to do qualifications etc etc all in 2006. Although its technically possible, its not very practical for me as I also work (something has to pay for the boat!) - and I have decided to keep on working rather than take an extended period off. On the way towards the 2009 event I hope to take in some of the more interesting events - and gradually qualify over the next 2 years.

And sorry everyone for all these UK socials I have missed. No I am not being a recluse - its just that I need to get myself excited again about the concept of sailing these boats. I am sure when Yellowfin does eventually arrive that I will be happy happy happy.

I was also intending (indeed I purchased my flights & hotel reservation) to go to La Rochelle for the MT 2005 start - but I cancelled that as well - in order to focus on my work. Right now I am project managing a big ecommerce web project for one of the UK leading travel companies - and that is keeping me fully occupied.

Cheers for now

Alex

As you can see - Yellowfin arrived in the back of a massive lorry!

The photo above shows just half the lorry!

The next challenge was to get Yellowfin out of the lorry. I had a conversation with the guys at Hamble Yacht Services (HYS) and they were not expecting this kind of lorry - we were not sure how the travelhoist could be used!

A couple of minutes consideration later and out came the fork lift truck:

After a delay over the summer due to factory holiday periods in August I had hoped that everything would be ready to come over in one go - But no - the sails are stil in Spain - and so is the rigging!

The Spanish yard have kindly marked up the fittings so I know what goes where - however its still very much a large jigsaw - and to add to the fun - the handwritten labels were all in Spanish! As I spotted this yesterday this morning I turned up prepared with my sailing dictionary, so quickly worked out which was bow, stern, port and starboard!

I had hoped to start sailing before I broke anything - however today I managed to create my first unplanned work item by breaking the cockpit step. Its a simple piece of marine ply that is removable - so nothing serious. Better broken now than later, I guess.

The TV news tonight is full of a report on a piracy attack on a cruise liner off Somalia - and how the cruise ship fought back with a big bang. (No idea what this was actually). This whole story reminds me of the 4 week 2 handed delivery I did through that area of the world in 2003 - which included an episode with pirates off the Somalian coast. (I don’t plan to go anywhere near to Somalia with my mini - unless anyone is wondering!)

I have managed to locate a new GPS unit (or at least I think I have). This has been causing some fun as the class rules indicate that GPS units must not have charting functions. The electronics chap in Hamble that I was talking with today said its increasingly difficult to find GPS units that don’t have radar - let alone not having charts!

Also on the class rules front, I have been looking for 2 new bilge pumps. These need to be of a specific kind to meet the rules. I did originally ask to have some fitted in the factory - as it would have been easier - but they were added to the boat next door…. ummm

Sails are coming along - and I know they are being made in Banks loft in Spain currently… better late than never…

Might be sailing in January - you never know!

Alex

The mast is up (thanks Rupert!), the sail numbers are on the hull, the GPS is half fitted (its wired by not attached!) and most of the electrics and electronics are now fully operational. The biggest problem came with the keel and the rudders.

With the keel I was struggling (with my brother) to work out how it all goes together. After a bit of fiddling (and several hours) I have it all fixed now and fully bolted down. The only problem is that when doing the antifouling at 6 o’clock in the morning (in the dark) the application hasn’t gone on too well - probably due to the heat of the paint. So it needs to be sanded down again and reapplied…. More fun! One trick that I have been told is to keep the antifouling warm prior to application (especially when putting on at this time of year) - so next time I will keep in the car - lets see if this works any better.

The 2 rudders are now attached as well - a bit of filing was required to get the pintles and stock to line up - but all OK now. I needed the exercise anyway! Sails from Banks are still missing in action….

However I have heard from Spain that they are 2 weeks away…. ummm…. I hope so - as weekend racing has started in Southampton and I would like to be there.

Alex