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NOV
13
0

Things done today

CoralWetsuitAnother full day spent getting things organsed for our worldcruise.

Wetsuit
We collected the custom made wetsuit from Coral Wetsuits in Cape Town today. This company gave us no hassle getting sorted out with a wetsuit. About 10 days ago, we went there and ordered an custom made wetsuit. They took lots of body measurements, told us to come back in 10 days for fitment. We went there yesterday and everything was ready as promised. I got into the wetsuit while the manager/owner made marks, nipped and tucked. We were told that the wetsuit would be ready for collection today.

SAMSA
We finally manged to get the yacht registration and safety certificates from SAMSA today - one year overdue! What can I say!

Collect the last of our goods
We collected the last of our goods which must go on Revelations from our good friend Brent Gray. Brent, thanks for the storing our goods and all your assistance!

Shipping back home
We also crated another box (bigger than a adult man size coffin) of stuff which have no place on Revelations. this will be sent back to our home in Johannesburg.

Arrange suppliers
We also telephonically spoke to a number of suppliers and made arrangements when they need to visit Revelations to do their work.

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OCT
28
0

Productive day

Today was a productive day and we managed to get some important things done.

Freezers
A couple of months back, we bought and installed 2 x CRUISE INOX freezers (90 Liter) - Read Here - but when we moved on board, we found that they were not working. Rather, the compressor motors were running, but the freezers did not at all get cold. We considered the probable cause/s of this - from incorrectly wired - inadequate ventilation - no refrigeration gas, etc. We spoke to a very helpful Cobus at National Luna, the distributor, who asked a number of questions and by process of elimination, conferred that it had to be refrigeration gas.

A few days prior to this, Sue made a booking with Lionel's Refrigeration to come and check and if required, refill the freezers with gas. So Lionel arrived this morning, on time which is most unusual for business in Cape Town. A damn nice guy who knows his business and seem to have his head screwed on the right way. He sorted us out in no time and now the freezers are working perfectly. If your fridge or freezer needs gas refilling in the Cape Town area, don't waste your time farting around with amateurs - contact Lionel at 084 7364394 or 073 5824351. He will sort you out pronto!

Revelations COF
We also met with Dave Alcock, SAMSA approved yacht surveyor who did a complete Category A inspection of Revelations. The whole operation went smooth and we were well prepared for this COF (Certificate of Fitness) inspection. As last time, we were quite pleased to hear Dave compliment us on the condition and sea worthy state of Revelations. He was impressed and so were we. We are happy to announce that Revelations passed the SAMSA and SA Sailing requirements and we were issued with our yearly COF.

Blackwater Pump
We found that the impeller of one black water macerator pump was damaged. Jacque Basson stripped the pump, took it home, replaced the impeller and installed the pump again today. We had no time to test the pump today but will do so tomorrow. Hopefully everything will work and I will soon be able to drop the overdue turds I have been carrying around.

Cleaning and sorting the yacht
In the interim, Sue is continuing sorting and cleaning Revelations. On the face of it, it seems a small and easily accomplished task. No so at all! In yachting terms, Revelations is a large yacht with hundreds of places for storage, some easily accessible and other quite difficult - everything must be unpacked and cleaned (spotless if you know Sue), then packed in a orderly fashion whilst making notes of the location for every item onboard. It is a HUGE and never ending task! But Sue is slowly but surely making headway on this formidable task.

Spearfishing and diving gear
Later this afternoon, we went to a spearfishing shop for diving gear and kit. I managed to find most of the stuff I was looking for - OMER spearfishing fins, snorkel, dive knive, bags, float, fish stringer and a couple of other things.

Omer

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MAY
07
0

Brownie's third lung diving

Brownie1
Brownie2

It's easy to understand why so many people love scuba diving: they already love the water - whether it's being near it, on it, or in it! Thus, whether you've never tried diving before or have logged lots of time underwater, it's easier than ever to dive right in! Those who really get into diving from their own boat gravitate toward Brownie's Third Lung systems. This boater-friendly system offers a wide range of affordable and flexible options, including petrol-powered floating systems and battery-operated options. Basically, Brownie's Third Lung systems provide a rubber hose that you use to breathe on and under the surface (referred to as "Hookah").

The beauty of the Hookah system is that it frees you of most of the equipment traditionally involved with diving. Along with the air hose running to the surface, you only need a simple weight belt to control your buoyancy! It's also one-size-fits-all. The floating gas-powered systems come in two sizes: F280 (two divers to 24 meters or three divers to 7 meters) and F390 (three divers to 27 meters or four divers to 18 meters). The electrical systems include the E140 (one diver to 18 meters) and the built-in yacht system (two divers to 18 meters), as well as several more "commercial" options and a fun pressurized "snorkel" option that allows one diver to reach 2-3 meters.

Brownie's also offers battery-powered systems that can handle one or two divers to 18 meters, as well as a pressurized snorkel option. With Brownie's, regular or Hookah certification is required-and many boaters are finding it's well worth the minimal time and expense-you could often get a three-diver system (F390X) for the price of traditional mid-range dive gear for one!

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