Well I’m almost ready to go back in the water, the hull is antifouled, the anodes inspected and changed as needed, and the prop cleaned and greased.
The faulty seacock and one way valve is working fine now, 
and I’m just going to do a few cosmetic jobs, like patching some scrapes along the waterline / boot top, then have a relaxing weekend before launching on Tuesday. I decided not to replace the hull zincs, although they look worn down, there’s still a substantial amount of zinc there, and given the rate of decay, they should be good for another year. One of my jobs is to redo the earthing wires inside the boat, several have broken off the seacocks so, this might increase the anode decay.
Oh almost forgot, the solar panels are installed and doing a fine job. 
A few mornings ago, I went into the cockpit to get some bananas, I have them hanging there, only to find they had been eaten, and the visitor had left me a load of rat shit as a calling card. How it got up the ladder is beyond me, but I’m not mad on the whole idea, I keep the hatches shut at night now.
I’ve had time to get to know Kudat a little now, the boatyard is at one end of a man made lagoon, most of which is surrounded by a golf course, that has its clubhouse / hotel resort on the front. 
There’s a lovely little marina at the other end from the yard, and you can tie up to mooring bouys here for free. It’s very laid back, the marina has a nice little cafe, and a few berths, but it’s a low key affair.
Downtown is also sleepy and pretty laid back. The market below is very busy every time I have been down there, but no lettuce or plumb tomatoes, so my salads will have to wait a bit. The fish market is great.
Mostly the town is home to a fleet of fishing boats, many of them squid boats. I had one of the crew help me choose the best lure for catching Squid today. I have restocked on lures, lines, wires, hooks etc. I fully expect to have a full freezer of fish by the time I arrive in Labuan in a weeks time.
Work continues in the yard, with a constant procession of fishing boats arriving and also launched. I have been told that many boats will haul out in 2 weeks time for the Chinese new year and stay ashore over the period, which is about two weeks long. I hope to see some of the festivities in Labuan.
Of course, the boat has been quite a tip the last week, but all the jobs are done now, so I can start tidying up. I gave my three old solar panels away to some French cruisers who are in the yard here.
So I built a mockup of the frame for the solar panels to sit on first, I found a double glazing shop that sold me a stack of aluminium extrusion, box shape, which I used. I had planned to have it welded together, but the hardware store next door had a good supply of stainless steel bolts at a very very reasonable price, so I bolted it all together, with the thought of maybe welding it later. I have since decided that bolts are better, and will have more give than a weld as the frame comes under stress.
With a little help from Brent, a Brit on the catamaran behind me, I got the new panels mounted and bolted down. I can’t find supply of jointing compound anywhere. I hope they have some in America 😉
I’m very happy with the physical install, there’s not a lot more weight than the three old panels and canopy, plus the windage area is much the same, so I’m hopeful it won’t blow away in the first gale. As for performance, look at the readings below.
The panels are pumping 35A into the boat, I had to put every 12V device on, lights, deck lights, radar, fans fridge etc to get this up, as the batteries wouldn’t take more than 20-25A. I expect I could get 40A if needed, but at the moment, I have had the mains charger turned off for a few days, and I find the batteries are fully recharged from the evening/nights drain by about 10AM. At 07:30, not long after sunrise, with the sun low in the sky, they are providing 10A. I expect that in the northern latitudes, they will perform less well, but will be more than enough. I’m keen to find out.
For Kathy, some yard pups, hope that doesn’t get me into trouble with the metoo gang 😉
I had booked the 8 AM slot for launch on Monday, but later realised that I had to go to three offices to checkout, harbour master, immigration and customs. I have to get my passport stamped to leave Sabah to travel to Labuan, both Malaysia, but different states. I don’t think people back home fully appreciate the benefits of freedom of movement.
Consequently, I have put the launch back to Tuesday, that gives me more time to get fresh food on Monday. I need to be in Labuan before the 27th Feb, so I have plenty of time to meander down there, it’s only 160 Nautical Miles.
Paul Collister