The pieces are falling into place and we will be ready to leave very soon!

There are plenty of tasks that need to be done before we set off on a trip like the one we have ahead of us. We therefore chose to leave the boat at the pier in Vollen quite early on. This means that we have access to electricity and water when we need it, we have trolleys that we can use when we need to transport something to the boat, we have access to showers and a washing machine, restaurants, and last but not least, Ola Andre and W-Yacht have their offices here. The latter will soon prove invaluable, as Ola Andre also lets us use their workshop with all sorts of equipment when we need it.

Vollen Marina og Gjestehavn

Here are some of the tasks and upgrades we have done

COURSES AND HEALTH

Long-distance seminar

We signed up for a seminar organized by the World Cruising Club. Here we spent a whole day with others who were going on a long-distance trip and got lots of tips and advice from people in the World Cruising Club organization.

First aid course

We found that we needed a refresher on our knowledge, so we signed up for a first aid course. Very useful to get a refresher

Medicines and equipment

Actively used other people's lists of what they had brought with them of different equipment on their trips, as well as talking to the doctor. Also got stocked up with what we need of prescription medications for our entire trip. Hope and believe that we can now handle everything from constipation, diarrhea, inflammation, stitches and more.

Vaccination

We have been stocked up on the vaccines we need. We received good help from the Health Office in Bærum for this.

Tidying up at home

Housing

The goal when we go on a trip has always been to have as little as possible to think about other things when we are on a trip. Or to put it more simply, how to simplify life as much as possible. We therefore chose to sell the house and move into an apartment at Bekkestua. This is right next to the international school, and fortunately we were able to rent it out relatively easily.

Car

The next thing we did was sell one of the cars. It went quickly, and at the same time we kept the garage space for the other one, so we have a car when we get home.

School Olivia

In Norway, it is the parents' responsibility to ensure that their children receive the right education. Fortunately, we are lucky, as Olivia has a teacher who really wants to help. We have therefore purchased the books she will use in 5th grade, and will be in close contact with the teacher about what they are doing throughout the year. At the same time, it is also a desire that Olivia will keep in touch with the class along the way to tell about her experiences. We are going to put together a plan where there will be a couple of hours of teaching most days for Olivia, and that she will write and read about the different countries, places, animals and more that we encounter on our way. And beyond that, we are quite sure that the "school of life" along the way will be a very good school.

CURRENT

There are many things on board that require electricity, and for many it is a challenge to be able to produce enough electricity at all times to keep everything running. We therefore chose to take several steps early on to secure ourselves as best as possible.

Battery bank upgrade

We already have 600 Amps of Lithium batteries, but are now increasing with one more battery and have a total of 800 amps of battery bank.

Solar cells

For us, it was never a question of what our alternative energy source should be. It had to be solar cells. The challenge can often be where to place these on the boat. We chose a solution where we purchased an Arch (Targa bar) which we mounted on the back of the boat. On top of this we have placed three large solar panels which together provide 1400 Watts. This hopefully means that we don't have to worry so much about how much electricity we use, at least if the sun is shining!

Arch med solceller og davider til jolle

Generator

As an extra backup, we have also purchased a portable Honda generator that can also be used as an alternative energy source.

RESCUE EQUIPMENT

As part of the rules for participating in ARC+, there is a long list of safety equipment that we must have on board. For us, this has given us extra security to have this list to follow. We have already had a video review with the organizers, so we are checking off all the points that we must have in place plus a little more. We now have everything from a life raft for 10 people to various lifting devices from the sea, throwing lines, extra bilge pump+++. The only thing left is that we will have a check of the entire rig before we set off.

MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT

There are many small and large things you will also want to bring with you on your trip. From the purely practical, to equipment that makes life more comfortable. Here are some of our choices.

Washing machine

We have had a wall-mounted washing machine installed. It takes 2-3 kilos at a time, and means we don't have to go ashore to find a place to wash clothes. Works great and takes up no space.

Vår veggmonterte vaskemaskin som tar 2-3 kilo med vask

Literature

There are many new places and countries we will visit. We are very happy to have books to read up on what options there are for anchoring and mooring for the night, as well as to be able to read up on tides and more. We have therefore acquired a considerable collection of harbor books on board. In addition to that, we have various books for different fish and animals we will encounter on our way, as well as various books for various repairs and more.

We have also purchased a Kindle e-reader to read books, as well as downloaded various audiobooks.

Vår nye bokhylle med diverse havnebøker +++

Guest flag

For each country we visit, it is common courtesy to hoist the country's guest flag under the starboard sail horn. We now have flags for all the countries plus a few more - definitely a collection!!

Noen av våre flagg!

Watermaker

We have chosen a portable Watermaker on board that converts salt water into fresh water. It has a capacity of up to 140 liters of fresh water per hour. Ours runs on electricity, which is not a problem as we have a powerful inverter on board.

Testing av kvalitet vann fra watermaker

Davits for dinghy

As part of the equipment we can mount on our targa bar, we have also had davits installed. This allows us to lift the dinghy high up from the sea when we are underway. An extra plus is that the dinghy hangs high enough that we can use the decking at the back when it hangs there, as well as use the grill we have at the back.

Davider og nett til lagring

Spare parts

We have acquired a number of spare parts that we have with us. Of course, we hope not to need them, but if an accident occurs, we may not have to wait a long time to get parts. What we have with us, besides various filters, oil and coolant for the engine, is an extra driver for the auto pilot, several extra blocks, a service kit for both toilets, an extra pump for the manual toilet, a water pump, parts for the thruster, valve covers and lots of screws, shackles and more.