photos: don mcintyre Feature DIY Solo Boat

T h e making of

Found in the pages of Trade-a-Boat, along

with a team of helping hands, the S&S 34

yacht on loan to young Jessica Watson,

16, is now ready for a youngest-ever

circumnavigation starting in September.

The beauty of such an exercise, explains

our adventure writer DON MCINTYRE, who

bought her boat, is that anyone can create a

global-ready yacht for just $100,000 or so

84 tradeaboat.com.au tradeaboat.com.au 85 kay, so you want to sail solo formed a multi-skilled support team and Adventure with a capital A has been the around the world — how much started looking for sponsors — as you do. theme. Pink Lady is on the marina. I have Odo you need? Well it’s up to you Right? Eighteen months later, she sent me been giving presentations on many of my really. You could easily spend millions, an email and, as they say in the classics, past adventures, including my next (see but I know you can do it for less than the rest is history. www.bountyboat.com). These must have $100,000. If you sell the boat at the end an ‘unknown outcome’ to be classed as an “With the prospect of of the voyage, you will be out of pocket BON VOYAGE PINK LADY Adventure. This is part of the attraction for about $20,000, max. Yes $100,000 As you read this, Jessica is about to, or has wanting to do them in the first place. So who includes the purchase of the boat — sound just set out on Pink Lady for the sail of her pays for the rescue you ask? Many people cheap? It is, but it will be safe, too. It life. The yacht is not your average S&S 34 do think that. Well, hopefully no one will, many hours needed for would not be fast, but it would be fun. It and is worth much more than $100,000, but if you are serious about what you are would also be quite different than many but don’t let that stop you. If you want to doing, you will, before setting out, assess all around-the-world racing yachts whose do something similar you can, for less than the risks and do everything in your power to the refit, I placed an ad in owners can pay up to $100,000 just for a $100,000. Trade-a-Boat is full of real ocean minimise them. That means good planning, mainsail, which will be useless by the end yachts that are capable of mixing it with comprehensive training and solid preparation of the voyage! the best of what the Southern Ocean can before even thinking about setting off. Trade-a-Boat looking for In life, there are many ways to solve dish out, let alone the Pacific, and they can Responsible risk-taking (or Adventure), is the same problem or achieve similar be bargains. However, they do need serious the essence of buying a boat, planning the goals. Most people look for excuses not preparation. cruise or fishing trip, preparing yourself and to do something and would give up on I’m currently writing this at the only then, making the go/no-go decision volunteers to help. The the solo idea as being too expensive. Sydney International Boat Show, where It is often only the brave who find solutions and chase dreams. A 14-year- response was amazing” old Queenslander, Jessica Watson, was one such person and two years on, she is in the middle of an audacious challenge to become the youngest person to sail solo non-stop and unassisted around the world — in a PINK yacht! A Sparkman & Stephens 34 to be precise. She did not even have the $20,000 at the start of her dream, let alone $100,000, so what did she do? She started telling people about her quest, began serious training and sailing,

Opposite: Jessica leads from the front and is her own person when it comes to decisions and making sure things happen. Right: The dodger became an obsession and labour of love for all who worked on it. Below: The decks were completely stripped.

86 tradeaboat.com.au tradeaboat.com.au 87 Clockwise from left: Jessica could not sit at the original chart table so it was ripped apart and a new seat built. She will spend long hours here; Gussets are glassed to cabin sides for strength, the cabin top vent holes glassed over, the PINK composite storage box and engine box are strong but light, while the foam headliner still needs fitting; New galley and Yanmar engine with fuel tank behind; Everything about the Yanmar engine installation is hey! But she really does call the shots. accessible and very well engineered; The Simrad autopilot is installed to a the best names in the business to supply From our very first conversations, I have quadrant deep under the cockpit. Jessica can climb over the fuel tank to get equipment, talent and expertise for a very given her every bit of experience and to it. New larger more efficient cockpit drains were also installed. important refit. The critical things in a knowledge I can about media, sponsors, solo solo challenge like this are to make sure sailing, equipment, campaign management, the structure is sound, the rig is secure, to and so on. As indeed I have many others. to set out. In the case of Jessica be there, live, on the web at all broke or set solo around-the-world keep water out at all cost, maintain control She absorbs that and then decides what Watson, every stage is a big one. www.jessicawatson.com.au records in them. With more than 160 built and keep moving forward through all is right for her. I do the same on all my The stakes are high. She cannot in Australia since the mid-60s, they are conditions. None of that will happen with adventures. You must do that. If you always afford to make any mistakes THE 3&S 34 not hard to find. And they are still building a weak, tired or injured skipper, so total just do as someone tells you and it goes before setting out. There were five S&S 34s in Trade-a-Boat them. Many have cruised around the world system integration, and human dynamics are wrong it can be frustrating, because you then My involvement with sailing when we decided to buy one and lend it to and even more are still racing competitively. important. Keep the skipper happy and the wonder if you made the right decision. If circumnavigators and their Jessica, along with some of the equipment There is an active association (visit boat will be too. you actually make the decision yourself after boats began 29-years ago with she would need. Shanty was built in 1984, www.ss34.org) where you can find careful consideration and it goes wrong, you Englishman, David Scott-Cowper. had a new engine, was in reasonable everything you would ever want to know THE REFIT at least have no regrets. My admiration for Now, over the past 10 months, condition, had a seriously solid rig and an about the S&S 34 and join a forum. Every It began with a truck ride to a shed in Jessica grows every day. Margie and I have been helping asking price of $68,000. We negotiated that boat built is apparently still sailing. The Buderim, Qld, where everything on the As an example, I pleaded with her to take Jessica and I can assure you, to mid-$50K and had a deal. Jessica cleaned yacht has a cult following and rightly so. boat was stripped from the structure. Air-X Breeze wind generators. We have used she is on the right horse, with it up, held a press conference to christen Sailing 23,000nm in an overloaded boat, Even the brand-new engine came out, as a them around the world with great success solid planning and appropriate it Youngestround and then headed to the non-stop for eight months through the Yanmar 30hp with Gori folding prop were and I have seen them go underwater at speed training. Time to sit back and Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show to Southern Ocean and around Cape Horn considered superior replacements. The with the blades surviving. Jesse Martin used see how she copes with the tell the world. will surely stress both skipper and yacht. benchmark was set. If it was not exactly them and they survived his voyage. Jessica multitude of challenges that will The humble S&S 34 has a proud history. They need each other to succeed. Jessica what Jessica wanted, it had to go! Jessica is thinks they are noisy, so went with another surely come her way. It will all Jesse Martin, David Dicks and Jon Sanders has quite literally pulled together some of not your average 16-year-old. Pretty obvious, unit, the Rutland 913 and built a clever drop-

88 tradeaboat.com.au tradeaboat.com.au 89 mount to replace broken blades easily. frustrations, joy, anger and exhaustion that cleats, stanchions, and more — absolutely Opposite: Some of the Trade-a-Boat I really liked David Dicks’ targa with goes with that. There was a great deal of everything. Decks were sanded, all holes team of Volunteers. I flew up for the tilting solar panels to maximize the sun’s collective expertise among the workers to glassed and filled, then painted (light pink day from Tassie and they presented efficiency, which Jesse Martin successfully help Jessica make decisions. Bruce Arms, of course) and everything refitted was me with my own torcher board copied. Jessica thought it was all a bit high the boat manager, also became social worker brand new! Then came the dodger, not your to start sanding! Clockwise from and vulnerable, so built a lower targa to and people coordinator extraordinaire, while average dodger, more like a work of art that right: Nothing was left untouched. hold solar panels and electronics. I would Jessica’s parents had to house and feed them consumed everyone during its construction. It was either renewed or rebuilt; never sail around the world without the all in between other campaign management It was a gift from the ‘workers’ to keep the Jessica is handling the attention two standard cowl vents on dorade boxes duties as well as helping to sand and grind. skipper dry, safe and happy. It was a passion well, but she is looking forward to by the mast. It helps fight condensation The hull was cut back, epoxied and and symbol for all who worked on it and, getting out there and doing it; The and provide fresh-air flow when things are painted, pink of course! All skin fittings, yes, it too was pink. new galley; Jessica was so excited battened down. Again, I pleaded with her. valves and hoses were renewed, and keel People were going the extra yard to help when everything was finally ripped Jessica worried about leaks, so took them bolts X-rayed and one replaced. The pedestal Jessica. The mood was infectious. Fleming apart and things could start moving off and fitted some mushroom vents under and wheel were off and a new rudder Vanes had sponsored a wind vane and a forward to create a Pink Lady. the dodger instead. I did persuade her to fit and tiller fitted. New cockpit drains were boom brake with Phil George, the MD, a UFO vent over the head. If it leaks it will designed and installed. All chainplates came offering to fly up from Melbourne to help fit land in the toilet. out to be checked and new rear lower gussets them. That led to helping around the boat, glassed in and extra chainplates fitted. A which then turned into engineering and THE TRADEABOAT TEAM new watertight bulkhead was glassed in constructing, at his expense, the substantial With the prospect of many hours needed forward of the chain locker to hold the new aft targa and pushpit frame. To top that, for the refit, I placed an ad in Trade-a-Boat inner forestay chainplate and then the anchor when the frame was mortally damaged looking for volunteers to help. The response locker filled with foam and sealed making trucking the boat down to the Sydney was amazing. At times there were up to a great crash compartment. The electric International Boat Show — no problem, he 11 people working on the boat. Corporate anchor winch was removed and the anchor built another one in double-quick time! executives, retired carpenters, sailors and now stowed below. All the cockpit lockers friends from around Australia. They all were made independently watertight, with NEW GALLEY moved up to Queensland to pick up tools. In their own bilge pumps, so as not to drain into Down below, a new galley came together fact, sometimes, they even went to the shop the hull. Four Johnson electric bilge pumps and the chart table was redesigned to include and bought the tools with their own money! were installed, together with two big manual a functional seat. The lightweight composite Like all aspiring adventurers, Jessica was pumps, one inside and one outside. building skills of BWR Multihulls were put not flush with cash. So began many weeks All deck gear came off, including hatches, to effective use, not only on the dodger, but of frantic effort with all the emotions, windows, winches, tracks, travellers, also building a new engine box and a centre

90 tradeaboat.com.au tradeaboat.com.au 91 console in the saloon (pink of course) to 2 x 80Watt and 1 x 60Watt Suntech solar hold fuel and water containers. It also panel, wind generator, circuit breaker doubled as a great table or somewhere to panels, Volt and amp meters, Hella nav put things. The diesel tank was removed, and interior LED lights, a full suite of reconditioned, sealed and tested, as were the best Simrad sailing instruments, the water tanks. The head was stripped and broadband radar, autopilots, AIS, VHF, a new Lavac super dunny fitted. an Icom M710 HF, Echomax Radar Everything electrical was simply transponder, Trac Plus Sat-tracker, SatCom ripped out. New conduits were fitted and Global Inmarsat Marine BGAN terminal, then Neil Cawthorne was left with the Iridium handheld sat phones, stereo challenging task of not only designing a system, Panasonic Toughbook computers, complex electrical and electronics system, three fitted video cameras, and a couple of but somehow fitting it all into a little boat cabin fans. with engineers, painters, woodworkers and It all needs to work trouble-free for eight Jessica crawling around in all the places he months — with more than a bit of water needed to be. His bits included: and condensation thrown in. Oh, did I 5 x Sonnenschein Dryfit 80amp gel mention that it will be chucked around batteries, Balmar 120amp alternator a bit, maybe upside down occasionally? and regulator controller, 240V inverter, Some people get all the good jobs!

LAMBOURNE RIG should feel confident at 2am, deep in the It is possible to make a budget around- I have known David Lambourne Southern Ocean, touch wood! the-world yacht and others have done it, from my BOC Challenge Solo So I guess we blew the budget, right? some solo, some with crew, most Around the World racing days. Not exactly $100,000? Okay, but you with stops. He quite simply has been there, could still do it safely without the ‘pink’ When I had my 50ft BOC racing yacht, done that, when it comes to rigs. for $100,000. Jessica and her team have we bought three second-hand sails for the Above: Mast hardware Shanty’s original rig was solid. rebuilt the boat to new and it is a credit delivery sail from Australia to America is world class. Right: In 1984, S&S 34s were fitted to all involved. If you wanted to head off and the start of the event. We used them The deck gear came with either a big, thick section for solo, do it all yourself and bought some again sailing home. Total: more than after the Sydney boat deck-stepped masts or a thinner good second-hand gear, it will not be a 24,000nm. They could have done it all show. Opposite, top one for keel stepped. The original Pink Lady, but a budget on Shanty might again when we were finished with them. down: Boat show photo owner of Shanty went with the big look something like this: The three sails cost $800 total, but my of Jessica’s S&S 34; section, but keel-stepped Redo the rig $10,000; some extra race campaign cost $750,000. Attention to detail is it. David has built a new sails from Hong Kong $5000; redo the Keep the dream alive and remember the everywhere, these tubes mast, selecting one of his important electricals, including solar Jester Globe in 2013. It’s an S&S 34 one will take lines from the unique profiles, which is panel and wind generator $5000; safety design, solo, around the world race! No mast through the dodger about the same size, but by gear $5000; wind instruments, radar, rules or entry fee. Just turn up. to cockpit winches; EA design, even stronger. The HF, VHF, Echomax transponder $6500; At the 2009 Sydney International Boat rain gutter is built into hardware and everything windows, hatches and deck gear $3500; Show, Jessica was running a survey: Do fitted to it is simple, yet pumps and plumbing $2000; windvane you like the PINK? Yes/No. She could not sophisticated and well and an extra autopilot $3000; 2 x Iridium change her mind, but she was reassured considered — I would be handsets $1000; and, slipping, paints and that YES won. happy to sail it anywhere. bits $3000. Now, what about the foredeck hatch? All-new Ullman sails will That’s $44,000 for the refit and I would She wanted it hinged at the back, opening sit pretty here and Jessica have a few thousand left over with Shanty. forward? What do you think?

92 tradeaboat.com.au tradeaboat.com.au 93