Heidi | Alegria1976's Blog

Recent research has caused me to lower the price to

US$64,900.00!

New blue info 5 paragraphs down added 25 Feb. Older edits near the bottom. This must drive you crazy, but I will be adding things frequently over the next few weeks. If you are at all interested, please check back. I will change the date to reflect my additions.

Here is a preliminary report from memory. Robn returns to the boat in a couple of weeks. Better info then. Contact us at svalegria AT hotmail dot com.

One puzzle that we are wondering about: People seemed to say that the boat should be empty when the new buyer sees it. Having lived aboard her since 1990, and voyaging since 2001 – from Sequim, WA down to Panama, across the Pacific, down to New Zealand three times, up into the N Pacific, across to Guam and the Philippines, down to Jakarta, across the Indian Ocean to South Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, and on to the Caribbean with full itinerary and details available if interested. She has a lot of important spare parts and miscellaneous boat bits on board. It seems silly to dispose of these important items when any new owner that knows anything will want them. Any thoughts on that?

I (Robn) am very fortunate that in 1969 my parents took me and my two younger brothers on a 5+ year circumnavigation aboard a 52′ Rhodes Ketch. I was 20 at the beginning of that trip. http://www.merrymaiden.com/

Some History added 25 Feb

While on that trip, I met Gerhard (a German) in Tahiti. He had also begun his circumnavigation, from Germany in 1969. We continued to sail west, finally getting married and living ashore, building our own home in Washington State. We then sold our house and bought HEIDI in 1990, moved aboard her, and began to ready her for another circumnavigation. She has been my only home, since 1990. Sailing was/is in our blood. In Sept 2001, we were finally able to retire and set sail from near Seattle, in the NW United States. We coast hopped to Panama. then zig zagged around the Pacific, including Guam and 3 trips to New Zealand. The condensed itinerary is available here:

https://alegria1976.wordpress.com/itinerary-of-heidi/.

My husband passed away in December 2010 and I sailed HEIDI to the Caribbean and have been actively sailing HEIDI there since then. Often singlehanding.

I met David in 2014 and that is the only reason that I would part with HEIDI. We do not need two boats.

Heidi, a 1978 Hans Christian 34′, is presently in Trinidad, on the hard.
Heidi at Pago Pago (Usually clicking on the photo makes it larger and detailed)

Tonga

>Whats the price you have in mind?

A fair market price. We are studying comparable boats online. I had been thinking 70,000 USD because I see boats not nearly as seaworthy or in as good condition asking much more. However, recently, research has caused me to lower it to US$64,900.00. Offers considered.

Borneo
The engine is a Beta “BV1505,” 37.5 HP Diesel, about 2000 hours, installed in 2000.
Two Racor filters w/bypass. Use one or both, can change one while running engine on the other.
Exhaust shut off valve for use in high seas
Dripless shaft seal new in 2011
Optima Starter Battery (Spiral Gel Cell
http://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/)
3 Optima House Batteries 65 AH each = 195 AH. New in 2008. Previous set lasted 12 years and tested still good after replacement. Turned out the lost performance was probably due to a corroded connection on the solar panel reducing the input but not discovered till later.
100W solar power: 2 x 50 W panels by Siemens, installed 2001.
Shore power converter not used since 2001.

Sails: 2 Mains, 1 storm main, 1 cruising spinnaker (with sock), 1 genoa, 1 yankee, 1 storm jib, 2 staysails.

2 CQR type SS anchors
chain (90 meters?), rope, snubber.
spare anchor line.
Manual windlass
1 Fortress Aluminum Anchor
1 dinghy anchor
1 Anchor Buddi (lead weight to roll down chain to improve scope)
5 fenders, plenty of docking lines

Achilles Dinghy inflatable, with 8HP mercury outboard. Both new in Dec 2008
Autohelm wind vane w/ auxiliary rudder.

4 man life raft new in 2011
EPIRB new in 2011
Drogue (cone type sea anchor) that is the size recommended for the boat.
2 Drogue lines 300 ft each.
3 bilge pumps. (1 automatic, 1 emergency, 1 hand gusher.)
Life jackets, harnesses (3), jack lines, spot light, 4 fire extinguishes, man overboard pole w/horseshoe buoy, horn, sledge hammer, radar reflector, bosun’s chair. Flares – outdated but have been stored very well. (even plugs for dorade vents if bedding down in a hurricane! Never used.)

AIS transmitter/receiver
Garmin GPS 128
handheld Garmin GPS 12
GPS antenna for computer
Acer laptop with Open CPN, CM93 world wide charts, other navigation software.
VHF
Handheld VHF
Kenwood 2005 SSB receive only
a 2nd SSB receive only
Hummingbird Fish finder/depth sounder
Speedometer – light not working
Compass
2nd compass

2 burner kerosene stove w/oven by Taylor

Sewing machine (household from 1977 but it has gone through 14 layers of Sunbrella! Possibly not included – not sure I want to part with it!)

Car deck w/ usb mp3 player (no CD).

Assorted hand tools including DeWalt 12 Volt drill and flashlight w/ 2 batteries and charger (2014).

H20 pressure pump and galley foot pump. Salt water galley pump.

Porta Potty – Thetford 135

Jerry Cans: 2 diesel 5 gal, 1 gasoline 5 gal, 3 water 5 gal, 2 kerosene 2.5 gal, dinghy gas tank 3 gal.

A lot of assorted spare parts and materials.

Heidi has been traveling the world since 2001 while being carefully maintained since our lives depended on her. She has been our (my) only home since 1990.
Major projects:

abt 1999 replaced Stb Samson post with purpleheart.
2000: new engine (replaced salt water cooled Volvo 34 with the Beta before heading to tropics)
2001: new rigging and solar panels
2002: water tank leak repairs.
2003: new VHF and antenna, new speedometer after lightning strike. No other damage sustained. Bottle brush added. Major paint work, New awning and sail covers.
2003: Auxiliary rudder repairs.
2005: New wiring for navigation lights (both masthead and pulpit), other work on mast including paint.
2006: Replaced port diesel tank (black iron) with epoxy/glass and re-plumbed fuel lines.
2007: Removed bowsprit for caulking access, discovered some rot and replaced the entire bowsprit with kauri. Re-glazed all port lights.
2008: New dinghy/outboard. 90M new chain – not much work done this year.
2009: replaced bow stem chain plates and inner fore stay after the former broke. Blister repair job (first sign of blisters after 1990 job) including one new layer of glass and lots of painting, – unfortunately not taken further up – there are blisters above the water line recently. Also a new awning.
2010: 2 way AIS added. New cushions, new fenders
2011: New life raft, new EPIRB, new docking lines, some new running rigging
2012: New wood for overhead in salon & galley, w/new LED lighting, interior paint and varnish, misc. wood work. New galley cabinet and stove surround. Replaced 2 chain plates (aft shrouds – one showed hairline crack). Re-bedding of forward haws holes.
2013: replaced upper shroud chain plates, new 90M chain. Forward chain plates (shrouds) still original.
2014: re-caulking and refastening teak deck. New engine damper plate. Port Sampson Post replaced with Ipé. New dinghy floor boards.

This list is from memory and is not all inclusive. Lots of additional smaller jobs have been done over the years and items added or replaced. Sails are mostly from my brother-in-law’s sail loft in Germany – Diekow Segel. They are now making sails for the German Tall Ship, Gorch Fock.

Actual repairs due to failure have been relatively few thanks to the pro active work. The only failures over the years that come to mind are the leaking diesel tanks (One was replaced in 2006, the other (black iron) is beginning to leak); the broken twin bow chain plates (as a result they were replaced in 2009); and the auxiliary rudder shaft was replaced in 2003 after it bent when a bolt came loose.

Current projects include refastening the deck. It has gradually gotten thinner over the years though it’s still a half inch thick, so I need to finish setting the teak plugs deeper. Restitch mainsail cover, new slip covers (for upholstery).

Future projects: Topside blisters and paint , replace stbd diesel tank.
Replace the last two old chain plates and perhaps the genoa tracks.

Someone asked if Heidi had a bridge deck. Yes. The cockpit seats go all of the way around. In the photo of Mieze the cat, supervising the cook making dinner, the slightly open door you can see to the left of Mieze, opens to the back of the engine instruments which are at the front end of the cockpit just below the forward seat. I would guess that the seat is just slightly higher than the top of the sliding door.

All of the shrouds, including the lowers are attached to chain plates at the gunwales, not the cabin side. There are permanent shrouds that act as back stays for the staysail.

Inside, beginning near the bow, there is the anchor locker, followed by the V berth, then the head and hanging locker, and then the salon, with a U-shaped settee on the port side, for seating around the table. And if you lower the table it can be used as a double bunk. There is a straight settee on the starboard side.

Continuing aft on the starboard side, is a short closet, and aft of that is the Navigation station, and aft of that is the quarter berth. The galley is on the port side just aft of the salon.

You can access the engine by lifting up the steps and opening a hatch there, and/or by removing some of the four panels from the quarter berth, and/or by opening the hatch in the port cockpit seat, and climbing down in. If you’re going to be doing a lot of work on the engine, the large box between the companionway stairs and the bulkhead can be lifted out of the way, rather than just using the hatch in front of the box. Beta is well designed for easy maintenance including a mounted oil removal hand pump.

In the photo with the cat, you can see the four galley drawers between Mieze and Gerhard’s blue jeans. This is the only Hans Christian that Robn has owned, so she does not know about other galley arrangements.

I found a little information on

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=7355

I don’t know how accurate it is. The difference that we noticed is that Robn changed the Volvo for a Beta, 37.5 hp in 2000. And it has about 2000 hours on it now. The main boom was also shortened by about 6 ft, increasing the aspect ratio and reducing the chance of bumping into it with your head. When Robn gets back to the boat, she can take some better pictures. But here are a couple we found on the computer.

This photo shows a view from the stern (in Borneo) with the black outboard, shows the companionway and other details.

Borneo

The original hatch on the forward end of the cabin, was a poor design, and leaked where the Plexiglas joined the wood. Robn and Gerhard redesigned it, with the Plexiglas going all the way to the edge, but covered with the teak trim. That stopped the leak.

But if I start listing all of the improvements that Robn and Gerhard made over the years, this letter would get pretty long.

Regards,

Dave & Robn

On passage past Cape Agulhas and Cape of Good Hope. 2011

ADDED 23 FEB, FOLLOWS

I am back onboard. Here is the full list of my planned maintenance. I got behind on the cosmetics when my husband died in 2010 but have kept up on the essentials. With this list I would be caught up on all systems. It is, of course, always possible that more stuff will be discovered during the work. That is the nature of boat maintenance.

1. pulpit (to be installed this last week of Feb) and wiring bow nav lights which are on the pulpit.
2. Chain Plates (at least one of the two remaining has a stress crack and since the others are already done. . .)
3. Set new, shorter, teak deck screws deeper, bung, and caulk. (Teak still 1/2″ thick). If you’d rather remove the teak for some reason, then there would not be any point in doing this – I happen to love the teak.
4. Ceiling Trim – not much work here as the trim is already varnished, just needs to be cut and drilled. Trim is not essential, of course, but these wood pieces are in the way until installed.
5. Paint and Varnish. Teak can, of course, be left au natural, so again not necessary, but the fiberglass would sure look prettier with the job completed. All of the painted teak was varnished and in great condition BEFORE painting. Thus, we assumed that if we wanted to go back to varnished teak, that we could just remove the paint. The paint is NOT into the pores of the teak.
6. Galley sink drain – didn’t have a chance to buy a new one in USA. They are not leaking but they are substandard materials (already starting to rust) installed last year by a “professional” and I want it re-done right.
7. Stair tread re-glue – truly not needed yet but it’s bugging me. The old glue is liquifying and slowly seeping – making for a few sticky spots on the companionway.
8. Engine heat exchanger clean. Reinstall water impeller. Grease winches and seacocks. Bottom Paint. (All regular standard maintenance.)
9. Replace mast head nav light (working fine but not LED so draws more power that an LED. While my LED anchor light is too dim – I’ve been putting this off waiting for LED nav light prices to come down.)
10. A couple grease fittings on the steering system need to be cleaned. The last time I tried to add grease to the nipples (last spring) they weren’t accepting any. This will lead to problems at some point if not dealt with.
11. Auxiliary rudder bearing and control lines. I replace the control lines (Kevlar) before every long passage and as needed in between. The bearings are developing some slop so I’d feel more comfortable with them replaced before too long.
12. Re-caulk bolt: There is a small sometimes leak with one of the mast step bolts. A few drops twice in the past couple years.
13. Replace dodger and possibly awning. Again not necessary, but I don’t like to wait until they are.

Things that a buyer might want that I don’t:

Refinish topsides – there is a band of up to approximately 6″ of tiny cosmetic blisters (max dia less than 1 cm) above the water line. Everything good below the water line (redone in 2009/10 at which time there was no hint of needing to go higher). I had planned to do this but I consider the other stuff higher priority. Heidi has been out of the water since Oct 2014, for my flight to Turkey. The blisters have disappeared, so I have 4 months of drying the hull already accomplished. There are people in Trinidad that are said to be very good at doing this sort of work. Before I launch would be a VERY good time to do it, but I will let the new owner decide, IF they buy before I want to launch!

Refrigerator, speedometer, wind instruments, auto pilot, water maker, electric windlass, etc.. These are popular items these days but would require an upgrade in the power generation and more maintenance. I’m personally happy with a minimalist life style.

ADDED 24 FEB, FOLLOWS

One of the jobs Robn has planned is to redo all of the exterior paint. She was planning to do it last summer, but got interrupted. If the new owner wanted to go back to varnish, or even wanted to have the paint a different color, or different kind, then it would save Robn a lot of work to not have to paint it before she sells it. It’s just that a freshly painted boat, looks so much nicer, and she has already purchased all the materials. She just needs to have time to get around to the various jobs.

As the saying goes, “Cruising is just doing boat maintenance in exotic places.” I will be going to help her in a couple of weeks. As soon as I can get my things done here in Turkey.

By the way, I don’t know if you’ve looked into the cost of flying to Trinidad, but when I was pricing flights between Turkey and Trinidad, flying through New York, Washington DC, Houston, or Miami, and then flying from there down to Trinidad, was a lot cheaper. At least from Turkey. Although I think there are some direct flights from Europe, etc., to the Caribbean in season.

We like using
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/
https://www.google.com/flights/
http://www.kayak.com/flights

However, some of the cheap flights like Pegasus, Atlas, Condor, Thomas Cook, and so on, do not always show up there. So, I find a website that tells what airlines serve Trinidad or wherever I am going, and then I look at the individual airline websites.

One site shows the following for “POS,” the airport you want:
United, jetBlue , American Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, British Airways, US Airways, and Copa.

http://www.trinidad-pos.airports-guides.com/pos_airport_airlines.html
shows these:
Albatross Airlines
American Airlines
British Airways
Caribbean Airlines
Conviasa
Copa Airlines
LIAT
Linea Turistica Aereotuy
Sunwing Airlines
Surinam Airways
United Airlines
WestJet

In theory, the whole point of using matrix.itasoftware.com, kayak.com, etc. is that they check all the possible combinations. In practice that is absolutely not true. I think they wanted US$5,000.00 or some ridiculous amount for Robn to fly from Trinidad to Turkey and back. And it was not a fast or direct flight. Long layovers.

Fortunately I knew that Turkish Air, had a special going between Turkey and certain US cities, and I eventually found a combination, with relatively fast connections that totaled less than US$1,500.00 and routed her through Houston, which allowed her to do some other chores during her travels. But it was not easy. However the reason that I have been able to cruise for so many years, is by being willing to do a little extra work to save money.

Make certain that the site(s) you use tell you the TOTAL, FINAL, price. There are many ways that dishonest sites can sound like they’re giving you a real bargain, and then you find out that that does not include things like the tax, which is commonly one third of the cost of the ticket. Some airlines charge you for reserving a particular seat, and many charge for meals. Some airlines charge for any luggage over 5kg. I might have that much weight in my pockets. Robn has been on a site that quoted a good price. However, that price required that you get their special credit card for US$75.00/yr. So, buyer beware. But, the sites I mentioned, tend to be honest, at least in the past.

If you have Frequent Flyer Miles, try that. My last Seattle to Antalya flight, I was able to fly First Class, with three 70 pound suitcases INCLUDED for a very nice price. Who would have thought that Dave would ever fly First Class?

As many boats discover each year, the hurricane season is like playing Russian roulette. There were a lot of tragedies last summer. It is my understanding that Trinidad has been very safe so far, which is the reason so many boats spend the hurricane season there.

Depending on where you live, you may find it very advantageous to keep your boat in Trinidad and commute back and forth for the sailing season(s). I have seen slightly better fares between New York and Trinidad, than New York and Tampa. And there is no comparison on the sailing choices.

Many people have figured that out.

I have some more photos that Robn sent that I need to add. I will do that soon.

Alegria1976's Blog

Dave & Robn on Alegria sail about

Category Archives: Heidi

Itinerary of HEIDI

It is with sadness that Robn puts her HEIDI on the market