Greetings from
Thailand.
We are Jim and Nancy aboard S/Y Laughing Buddha, a Hans Christian 41T. Its been a while since we departed the US (1996), and a slow journey to get 1/2 way around. And, a lot has changed since we left.
Route was
Annapolis to L.A. (Truck),
Mexico,
South Pacific Islands and Atols, NZ,
FIJI,
Vanuatu, OZ,
Indonesia,
Singapore,
Malaysia, and
Thailand. Some back and forth, and long term NZ (became Residents too!)
After arriving in South East
Asia, we took a 4+ year pause in our travels when Jim took a
recall to Active Duty in the USAF. We stored the
boat in
Malaysia (Langkawai), friendly and safe location if needed. However, on return, we found much
work to be done. During our first season back critical to launch was; build a new
bowsprit, clean
fuel tanks, rewire, and recover from having had a rat aboard. Then the
engine needed attention -
cooling system - which if yo have a turbo
Yanmar - can appreciate what a chore that can be. Try that with little access to "real
parts." Got all that done, tossed the old
inflatable, and gave away the dead OB. The aging Pro-Furl would no longer tolerate another
rebuild, so replace with an Alado and added the same to the stay sail.
Engine operational, minimum coms and nav, we set off to Thailand for the next phase of rehab/recovery.
This past year has been a re-varnish and
repair of the
interior following 26 years of
ownership and use. That included new foam and
fabric (thanks to Ziggy-Rat we finally got some of the
Baja Sand out), a redesign of the Nav Station - a
project that began in our minds on
passage in 1999! The "long pole in the tent" was remove the
teak decks (lower decks) and replace with nonskid, and add new
teak to
cockpit seats and sole.
On tap; we are planning a
passage to
South Africa, and some necessary upgrades prior.
Radar is toast, as are the
instruments,
freezer, and RO maker. Upgrade also includes the Autopilots (WH and backup CPT), and add a
Steering Vane. Been lurking for a bit and finialy jumped in. Much good information here and has focused some of our
purchase decisions - Thanks to Rich for working with us on the
freezer, and Tellie on RO maker choices. Following closely the PC
Radar approaches and N2K installs.
Looking at the list - it is almost as if we are re-doing an initial outfitting! We will be focusing on those new projects - but as a long time SCCA members, willing to share anything we can.
Sorry - no website (had one for a few years in '96-98) and we don't tweet. Planning on sharing here and some via a dropbox.
Cheers - Jim & Nancy
Laughing Buddha