Sailing KWELI

On the 25th July we had discovered that the ‘port’ side rudder was completely loose in its tube. This was a critical fault which meant we couldn’t use the yacht and repair was needed immediately.

The yacht was hauled out for the repair last Friday. The maintenance team , selected by our agent, were very skilled and careful.
Both rudders were removed. The port side upper bearing had become dislodged as we suspected, and dropped down inside the rudder tube.
New Jafa bearings supplied by Excess were installed in the correct manner. Modification tube spacers were installed and everything put back together.
She was re-launch this morning at 7.50 and with all the Solent Repairs team and the Endeavour Quays team present there was thankfully no collateral damage due to the very tight squeeze in the dock. Side clearance was less than 50cm each side.

Our 3rd haul out is scheduled for another production problem.

- 1st was in Les Sables d’Olonne. Port hull gel coat cracks
- 2nd in Saxon Wharf in Southampton UK. Port sail drive leaking. Seals were incorrectly installed by the factory
- Now the third is because of a failed bearing on the port rudder. This could have caused serious safety related problems if I had not found it..

We are aware that this yacht is a new design but the problems we are experiencing are simply manufacturing mistakes by the factory.

We are immobile at present in Swanwick Marina waiting for some repairs to be done under warranty.
At the same time we are installing a washer dryer and an all electric oven.

We are now in UK after a tiring 2 1/2 day voyage from Les Sables.
Initially some beautiful sailing with the north wind on our starboard side, followed by some exciting ’rounding’ of the infamous Raz de Sein and the headland of Ouessant where we had wind-against-tide conditions.
We crossed the crowded TSS shipping lanes in the English Channel on the last night to arrive in the Hamble to a surprisingly sunny Thursday morning.

Repair was successful so relaunch on Tuesday at 16.00 (high tide).

We found some gel coat cracks on the port bow and the Excess delivery manager determined that Kweli needed hauling out so that an expert from the factory could do a proper repair.
These kinds of cracks are not uncommon due to the difficulty of laying fiberglass and resin in the tight corners of the bows. The remedy is to grind out the area and rebuild it.
So at high tide this morning Kweli was ‘beached’ on the boat ramp, and then she was carried to the boat yard for the repairs.
The plan is to relaunch tomorrow…fingers crossed..

This afternoon the electricians finished our LiFePo installation. Over 1,100 watts of power.!
Soon we will have a full array of solar panels to feed the hungry hunk of Lithium.

We have our new ‘tender’ and outboard.!
It’s a Highfield 3.1, with a 20 hp motor. Should be capable of planing with four people on board.

Kweli has her name and port of registry. Now we need a Red Ensign and the Jersey registration plate.

Today was handover day!
Excess handed our boat to Sea Ventures and they in turn handed the boat over to us..
So we went through the detailed explanation of all the equipment, then we went out for a test sail.
What an incredible experience !

Today was launch day.! 🎉
4th April 2023 at 11.23 ..

After leaving the factory in Le Poiré-sur-Vie, Kweli was trucked to the port of Les Sables d’Olonne and placed in the ‘finishing’ yard of Yacht Care Services. Here she was ‘dressed’ with rigging and sails and trucked the short distance to the launch travel-lift and gently lowered into the water.

The following photos are of the journey from the finishing yard to the lift and then the splash.

Here are some photos, showing stages of build..

Ten years ago, almost to the day, we launched our first yacht ‘Kwanza’ .
Now we hope that our next yacht Kweli will launch in a few days. 🤞
After our 800 km trip from home yesterday we go a sneak view of her over the fence of the finishing yard. Anti foul paint applied and rigging mounted..

This FB page is to celebrate our new Excess 14 catamaran. We will show you what she looks like, how she behaves and where she takes us in the wide world.

We had been searching the second hand market and looking at new-build yachts since we came back from NZ at the end of 2021 after selling our beautiful Oceanis 48. Our intention was to keep sailing, cruising and exploring.!

Nothing was available in an acceptable condition and at a reasonable price so we chose the Excess 14 off the drawing board in Feb 22 for a delivery in early 2023. We had seen an Excess 15 in NZ and we concluded that the Excess mark had a few good advantages. First of all they are not designed for ‘tourist cruising’ but more for the dedicated and short handed cruising couples. Then there was the simplicity and spacious design. The hull shapes to punctuate speed. The warranty cover from the largest boat manufacturers in the world with representatives in a lot of worldwide destinations. New build means new advanced equipment etc.

She was transported from the factory to the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne on the 22 March.
She will reside in the boat yard of Yacht Care Services while they apply the antifoul paint and install the mast and rigging.
We anticipate a splash date of the 4 April, so let’s see how it goes. Fingers crossed.