Belinda

[Auzzee]

Hi fellow members.

I started my sailing on a 23' Aquarius after making the change from power boats about a million years ago. Belinda is 55' lOA, 49'6" LWL. She is an Adams Aquila, centre cockpit, cutter rigged masthead sloop with a canoe stern and full length keel.

Here, she is tied up at Cullen Bay Marina in Darwin, NT, Australia and is awaiting a repaint. I am considering sailing her to Subic Bay in the Philippines for a repaint at the old US Naval yards where, I am told, the costs are low and the level of preparation and painting skills is high.

I will post a blog address when manage to put one together.

[atavist]

HA... the hotel in the background on the left with the greenish pillars is where I stayed when I was in Darwin a couple of years ago... the 8th floor left corner suite (that is visible in the picture) would have been my room... what a small world.... How long have you been berthed in darwin? When I was there overlooking the Marina I took a LOT of pictures of the boats... out of curiosity I'm going to have to go through them now and see if I've got a picture of Belinda.

and great boat by the way... I've always liked the center cockpit designs.

[Trim50]

Looks like a wonderful Blue Water ship! You need to get a lot of before and after photos to share. I had a few interior projects that I completely missed the opportunity to take progress pics, like the engine, genset, autopilot and galley. I think having a photo record helps one justify the enormous amounts of money they spend...at least it helps me

I would love to see the decks and interior.

How tall is the rig? Also, what color do you plan to paint her?

[Auzzee]

Belinda.

Please come aboard...sorry I did not have the chance to run the vacuum over the carpets....





Belinda has been in Darwin since I sailed it here last century. I will probably paint her a very light 'oyster' grey, as dark blue is just a dumb colour for equatorial sailing. I will post a separate photo of the deck when someone can solve the riddle of the spinnaker staysail. The very observant will notice in the photo looking aft toward the galley, there is a Cruiser Log sticker above the 'gas off' sign over the cooker. Rig is 68'. Atavist, in looking at your photos, you may notics at the furthest point from 'your' hotel, a large white, power catamaran, ferry. I was tied up next to it two years ago.

David.

[MMNETSEA]

David,

Good looking interior !

Does the staysail stay attach to the foredeck with a pelican ? When it is detached, is it taken back to the mast base ? Do you have running backstays to adjust for the staysail when it bent on ?

The number 32 on the sail, is this number found on your main ?

You say that this is an Adams Aquila 55ft. Is this the designer Joe Adams who was succeeded by Graham Radford somewhere down in NSW ? He does lots in Ali and Steel - cutters and CCs '

By the way Dark Blue is a super colour - just completed a big paint job.

Your options for a haul out and paint job north of Darwin are :- Kudat - Sabah Malaysia, Maya Maya Philippines, and Subic.

I have good contacts all 3 - when you want them, I will introduce etc.

Richard

[Lighthouse]

If that was my boat I would be living aboard NOW. It must be difficult to go home to bed at night?

[Auzzee]

Thanks Richard,

Below decks is all mahogany, cedar and teak. Only a few horizontal surfaces are varnished, the rest is oil only. The problem with the Spin/stay'sl is that I don't know how it has been attached as I did not know I had it and only took it from its bag for the first time last week. This is the problem. 38 is the sail number and is consistent with other sails on the boat

The usual staysail I hoist is hanked on to the fixed inner, and I do use running backstays. Incidentally, I swapped the wire running backs for spectra and so far, I am pleased with the results. There is less banging and clanging when the lee stay is led forward under the main.

The Aquila was designed by the Adams design team. Joe Adams is a legend and employed/trained people like Radford and a bloke called Bill Miller. Miller designed the Aquila immediately after designing the Sydney Hobart flyer 'Helsal' in the late 70's. Most people will know Miller by the name he later adopted 'Ben Lexan'

I am undecided on the colour as yet. Do you know of any good yards in Thailand as that will be the first port of call for R&R. I have been told the Anderson Yards in Pattaya (Hans Christian Yachts) are quite good. But I fear they may charge 'western' prices.

#2

Thanks Bob, The house is on the market. When it sells, I have to move aboard, buy an apartment....and then orf we goes!

Cheers

David.

[Nausikaa]

Great boat David.

I am not envious by nature but if I was then I would certainly envy you your boat. As it is, I can only congratulate you on having such a lovely craft.

Aye

Stephen

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Lighthouse

If that was my boat I would be living aboard NOW. It must be difficult to go home to bed at night?

Absolutely,

Put the house out to Rent - move on board - start maintenance

richard

[duckie]

Gorgeous looking interior!

Congratulations on your good taste.

Looking forward to round 2 of photos with the cockpit and deck.

Drool, drool....duckie

[MMNETSEA]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Thanks Richard,

Below decks is all mahogany, cedar and teak. Only a few horizontal surfaces are varnished, the rest is oil only. The problem with the Spin/stay'sl is that I don't know how it has been attached as I did not know I had it and only took it from its bag for the first time last week. This is the problem. 38 is the sail number and is consistent with other sails on the boat

The usual staysail I hoist is hanked on to the fixed inner, and I do use running backstays. Incidentally, I swapped the wire running backs for spectra and so far, I am pleased with the results. There is less banging and clanging when the lee stay is led forward under the main.

The Aquila was designed by the Adams design team. Joe Adams is a legend and employed/trained people like Radford and a bloke called Bill Miller. Miller designed the Aquila immediately after designing the Sydney Hobart flyer 'Helsal' in the late 70's. Most people will know Miller by the name he later adopted 'Ben Lexan'

I am undecided on the colour as yet. Do you know of any good yards in Thailand as that will be the first port of call for R&R. I have been told the Anderson Yards in Pattaya (Hans Christian Yachts) are quite good. But I fear they may charge 'western' prices.

#2

Thanks Bob, The house is on the market. When it sells, I have to move aboard, buy an apartment....and then orf we goes!

Cheers

David.

Hi David forgot to ask is your Belinda G a steel Boat ?? How heavy - builder's cert ?

I got a reply from Bob Faircloth in Subic - will forward details etc.

As far as Pattaya is concern - the work will be OK, but extraordinarily EXPENSIVE -

I presume you will want to be hauled out for the paint job ? If it is steel do you expect corrosion repairs? The best bet is in the Boat Lagoon - Phuket. There you have a travel lift that can lift yours without trouble - Local Thai workers can be contracted at reasonable rates and produce very good work (see attached pic of the steel Ketch just painted - this is the one I re-engined recently) Western Companies Charged stupid prices for work that is badly supervised.

In Langkawi, you can lift out in Rebak Marina - again you can contract local artisans.

Also in Langkawi there is Wave Master who handle big stink boats at a stink price.

[Auzzee]

Thanks again Richard,

Belinda is GRP composite. My only concern about painting, is the boat's looks. I don't look forward to arriving in foreign ports looking scruffy. But, the main criteria for painting are quality and price.

I will need a small amount of fairing (eg: around the bow, mooring bouy's and chain riding have created a few scars), then its a matter of a scrub, undercoat and urethane top coats. I also will adjust the boot line and maybe scour the underwater surface of old antifouling and reapply new coats. FYI, the topsides are curently covered in Awlgrip.

Thailand is not sounding like much of a prospect from a dollar perspective. Subic has been recommended by people who have used the haulout facilities there before. Unladen, Belinda is 56,000lbs or 25 imperial tons. With water, fuel and 'stuff' a 30 ton travel lift will still haul it with ease and she'll sit nicely on her own keel with a few arcoprops.

Cheers

David.

[Trim50]

Mighty fine looking interior!

[atavist]

Found her... there's Belinda in the left hand side by the big catamaran just like you said.....

what a small world.

[Auzzee]

Well spotted....Cripes, a bloke's got to be careful who he goes to bed with these days....Big Brother is watching you! The big ferry was obviously out on the day you took the photo...it used to be on my port side. The cat to the right is a lovely boat owned by Pete and Jay who regularly shoot through to Asia or the east coast.

Cheers Atavist.

David

[atavist]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Well spotted....Cripes, a bloke's got to be careful who he goes to bed with these days....Big Brother is watching you! The big ferry was obviously out on the day you took the photo...it used to be on my port side. The cat to the right is a lovely boat owned by Pete and Jay who regularly shoot through to Asia or the east coast.

Cheers Atavist.

David

Ironically appropriate statement. At the time that photo was taken I actually was working for the government and in Darwin on a countersurviellance opperation for US Naval ships in the area... so while we weren't watching Belinda in particular we were watching... this was of course all in cooperation with the Australian authorities... great guys too, they were kind enough to take us on a guided tour of every strip joint and dive bar in the area.

[atavist]

Actually most of our CS was done on the road, watching for people watching our convoys, but we did keep an eye on any boats that came to near to our ships. I just like boats and was taking a lot of leisure photos from my suite... one of the boats just happened to be Dave's.

as for the strip joints... that was part of our "force protection" mission... afterall it's important to know where our US servicemen might get into trouble.

[duckie]

David,

At 28 tons, Belinda G is a big boat. How much of that weight is beer?

Here is a reference to a yard with 50 ton travel lift in Subic.

http://www.noonsite.com/Countries/Philippi...epairFacilities

A good tip about avoiding yard surcharges on imported parts.

You could talk to Frank Ohlinger who had a refit on his 40 Cat (& a typhoon)

at Subic Bay last year. reference here and here

duckie

[Auzzee]

Thanks heaps Duckie,

Very good resource and I thoroughly enjoyed Frank's posts. Seems as though I have to keep an eye out for Victor.

Thanks again.

David.

[Auzzee]

I promised I would add a photo of the deck. Here it is, taken this morning and showing the timbers of the dorade boxes, bulwarks, hatches and such which I am about to clean, sand and oil. I have also removed a window from the dodger..One of those blasted leaks which just persists. This time I am going to find and cure the durn thing! I am also going to start sewing a new lightweight awning from shademesh...just for fun.