Magic makeover

Been busy this last 2weeks working on the stern and deck area of the boat.the paint had been applied poorly by previous owners and was showing it,s-age.

Some areas had rot which we have cut out and replaced with new timber then glassed over.
At the moment I am covering the entire area with fiberglass cloth to make it totally waterproof .
Then the big task of repainting the boat.

Untitled

A blog from my iPad

Trying to set up my iPad to enable me to update from France .not sure if we will have a lot of wifi coverage but will try and write up a report and send some pics whenever I can.

Magic maintenance

Trying to spend as much time as possible when I'm not riding the bike or in the shop down at the Harbour working on the boat.
Both corners of the deck/cockpit had a small amount of rot so have been cutting the old rotten timber out and glueing new timber in it's place

After lots of filling and sanding I will cover the entire area with fiberglass cloth then more sanding'filling and more sanding before I can start to paint.

Of course this is only the start of a major repaint of the entire boat, we will take the boat out of the water in late august and paint/antifoul the hull so i hope to have the topsides finished by then. lots of work ahead of me!

The year so far

After a busy christmas season and when the shop returned to a more steady pace we managed to get out on Magic for a few trips. We were blessed with super weather and calm seas for most of february and early march.
The water was nice and warm which made the diving very pleasant.

We took our neighbours Sally and Steve out for a weekend and had a great time fishing and diving. Sally proved to be an expert fisherperson!

 My mate kevin landed this good snapper on a rapalla lure that is used for much larger fish.

It is hard to beat sitting at anchor in a beautifull bay surrounded by good friends watching the sun go down while enjoying a drink or two.

Since we have owned our boat it has become tradition to leap off the flybridge. great fun!.

Now that the days are getting shorter and cooler boating has taken a back seat,which allows me more time for training.
At the time of writing this i only have 50 more sleeps till i return to france for the greatest show on earth. .The Tour De France. I started riding again in febuary and im real pleased with my training so far.
After a 4 week block of long steady riding i have been in the hills suffering!I'm climbing well which is good as the tour this year takes us over some of the best mountains France has to offer. The tourmalet,Galibier,Mount Ventoux.Luz Ardiden  and of course the Alpe Duez are on the list. To say i'm excited is an understatement!
At the same time as trying to get super fit i have a business to run as well as a boat that we are trying to maintain so my days are full on at the moment.
I must thank my best friend and wife Diane. Without her total commitment and understanding I would not be able to spend the time out on the bike that i do.

maintence time

As the dreaded xmas rush is about to begin our days have gone very quickly. organising stock and ordering enough product to get us thru the holiday season is a major headache but has to be done.
Having said that I've still managed to get in my daily ride as well as doing some work on the boat. Diane has painted inside all the cupboards  and we have repainted the motor to make it go faster!.

I have been working on sealing the storage cupboards on the flybridge. After a major paint strip i have applied a fibreglass layer to the entire suface,very dusty work but once painted it will be totally moisture proof.

catch up time

Holy mackeral! last time i wrote something here was in august! where to begin? Fiji was great! warm and sunny but a bit windy. Pete and Sara got married on the beach which was nice but should also mention the Diane and I renewed our vows again(as you do)

Pete and myself went for a dive over a coral wall,bit choppy on the surface but great once on the bottom.

We had been toying with the idea of buying a launch for a few years so started looking on the net and found this beauty.
Magic was built from wood in 1976 and has a ford diesel motor. Jim helped us inspect the boat before purchase and has been a great help teaching us the ins and outs of big boat handling etc.
So far we have done a little bit of tidying up,paint etc and fitted new carpets.

We have been able to get out for an overnighter and luckily we managed to get 2 days of perfect weather.

We rounded out a very busy 4 months when  we went to Vanuatu for a week.great country with warm,clear water.

I also managed to get back on the bike and have had 2 weeks solid riding although we are soon going to get very busy in the store so the bike will be hung up till at least the end of january.

crazy weather/Fiji bound

What is happening with this weather? lately it seems that every day is raining or brilliant sunshine.I know it's still supposed to be winter and we have passed the shortest day but you never know what each day will bring.
Managed to get out on the beemer a fair bit over the last 2 weeks which has been nice.
I have been sorting the bike out getting it ready for the grand challenge ride in october.

This saturday we fly out to fiji, a trip we have been looking forward to all year. Sara,pete and the girls are coming with us so should be a great time.

To make it even more special Pete and Sara are going to get married while we are there and as it is our 20th anniversary we are going to renew our vows at the same time.

Pete and i will get a few dives in while we are there and as pete has only just learnt to dive im looking forward to seeing his reaction to that clear blue water and awesome fish life.