ÿþ <html> <head> <title>Songline - a photo album </title> </head> <body> <p align="center"><h1>Songline</h1></p> &nbsp; <br>Songline is an Island Packet 40. She was built in Largo, Florida in 1997 and is hull number 93 out of the 139 that were built between 1994 and 2000. She is a cutter rigged sloop (one mast and two foresails). The hull is made of fibreglass and has an integral long keel. Her vital statistics are: Length overall 41 feet 6 inches (12.7m); Beam 12 feet 11 inches (3.9m); Draught 5 feet (1.6m). She has a 50 horsepower Yanmar engine and can carry 90 US gallons of diesel in her single fuel tank - enough for about 500 miles of motoring in flat seas. Her water tank holds 170 US gallons, this is enough water for two of us for more than a month if we don't shower too often!<p> All Songline's control lines are led back to the cockpit at the back of the boat making it easy for the two of us to sail her alone. The cockpit is 8 feet long with very comfortable contoured seats on each side and a central steering position with excellent visibility through a clear "dodger" or "sprayhood". The windscreen can be opened to give us better air circulation in hot weather. <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/songlinesailing1.jpg" height=432 width=357> <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/songlinehull1.jpg" height=357 width=432> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/songlinehull2.jpg" height=432 width=357> <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/cockpit.jpg" height=357 width=432> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/dodger.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>Below decks Songline has a warm but spacious feel thanks to the golden brown teak fittings, traditional teak and holly flooring and the light cream coloured ceilings. Just to the right of the companionway is the galley, which has a fridge and freezer, a 3 burner stove, a gas oven, a microwave, a double sink and plenty of storage. At the centre of the boat is the saloon with upholstered seating on both sides, a small navigation desk and a large drop down table which will seat up to 6 when it is opened right out. The right hand sofa will convert into a double bed if required. There are two double cabins, one forward and one aft, each with their own private "head"(shower and loo). Seven overhead hatches and 13 oblong "portholes" provide masses of fresh air and light.<p> <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/floorplan.jpg" height=357 width=432> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/galley.jpg" height=357 width=432> <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/saloon.jpg" height=357 width=432> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/christmastable.jpg" height=357 width=432> <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/cabin.jpg" height=357 width=432> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/head.jpg" height=432 width=357> <p>We, like Songline's previous owners, have modified and added things to the basic Island Packet boat. Some of these are for comfort, others enhance our safety and all improve the quality of life aboard! Her previous owner installed a magnificent radar arch on Songline's stern. Made of one and a half inch stainless steel this arch carries the radar reflector, and various antennae. It has swinging arms (davits) which allow us to lift the dinghy out of the water and even carry it off the stern while under way. Another swinging arm is used like a small crane to lift the outboard engine on and off, and could be used to retrieve a man overboard if necessary. Our stern anchor is fitted to the side of the arch so that we can deploy it quickly when it is needed. <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/arch.jpg" height=357 width=432> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/arch2.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>The most important enhancement that we have added to Songline is the swim platform that we had made in Ensenada, Mexico. Quite apart from giving us an easy route into the water, this small platform makes getting into and out of the dinghy easy and is endlessly useful for loading and unloading shopping, gutting fish, carrying petrol (not welcome onboard) etc etc. We are grateful to our friend Jim of Pacific Pearl for suggesting that for the floor of the platform instead of the traditional expensive and hard to maintain teak we use the encapsulated wood fibre planks that are used to build decking and pool surrounds in the USA. They look nice, are non-slip and need nothing more than an occasional sea water scrub! <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/swimplatform3.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>Alejandro, who built the stainless steel frame for the swim platform, also built us solid stainless hand rails to replace the flexible lifelines that run along the edge of the boat either side of the cockpit. He is a real artist with the welding torch and the new rails are perfectly matched to the lines of the original steel pushpit, so that only someone who knows Island Packets well could know that they are not part of the original boat. <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/finishedrails.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>One of the main preoccupations of people who live on boats is how to make and store enough power! We added to Songline's battery bank so that she now has a total full capacity of 560 amp hours. Then to keep the batteries charged up we added 2 solar panels, which fitted very nicely onto the radar arch, and a wind generator, which needed a new stainless pole, again courtesy of Alejandro. We are in the process of fitting another 2 smaller solar panels on the aft rails. <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/windandsolar.jpg" height=432 width=357> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/windandsolar2.jpg" height=432 width=357> <p>Because we will often be sailing downwind we added a whisker pole to the boat. Not to fly a spinnaker - we are not keen on launching that much sail-power with only two of us on board to retrieve it! We use the pole to pole-out the genoa and stop it from flapping in downwind, rolly sea conditions. Fitting the pole meant adding a track for it on the mast. John did the work hanging in the bosun's chair - many hours of very careful drilling and alignment have been rewarded with some excellent sailing. While he was up there he also drilled, tapped, sealed and screwed the 100 additional holes needed to fit 20 mast steps up the mast so that he can climb it without having to be hauled up by Barbara! <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/jupmast.jpg" height=432 width=357> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/wingonwing.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>When cruising in the tropics protection from the sun is essential. Unfortunately the bimini (sun shade over the steering position) that came with Songline was too low for John! So in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico we had a complete new canvas and clear plastic cockpit enclosure made. The roof is in two parts, a fixed bimini over the steering position and a second removable piece that links the bimini to the dodger (sprayhood). There are clear plastic windows that can be rolled up or clipped down all around so that we can shut out the rain or wind if we want to. One added refinement is the rain gutters that can be attached at each side. These feed into a tube which can be run into a bucket or even into the water tank and they have provided us with many gallons of fresh water. When at anchor we can add further sun protection by putting up the large sun awnings that Barbara made. They make us look rather like a floating tent, but they make an enormous difference to the cabin temperature.<p> <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/enclosure.jpg" height=357 width=432> <img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/gutters.jpg" height=357 width=432> <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/awnings.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>Inside the boat we have added a single side band (short wave) radio which permits us to send and receive text emails from the boat, to receive weather faxes and to tune in to the cruiser "nets" that offer advice on weather and port facilities. <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/ssbradio.jpg" height=357 width=432> <br><p>The navigation desk is home to our computer so one essential addition was a splash screen between it and the galley sinks. <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/splashscreen.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>We carry full size bicycles on board as we find them invaluable when we are learning our way around new towns or wanting to explore. We made bags for them out of splashproof material and we remove the pedals and turn the handlebars before packing them away. They then fit very neatly in the forward cabin <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/bikes.jpg" height=357 width=432> <br><p>Even though the Island Packet 40 has lots of stowage space we are always looking for more. John built these shelves in the anchor locker and they are a wonderful place for stowing all sorts of grubby stuff that we don't want in the cabin! <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/anchorshelves.jpg" height=357 width=432> <p>And we added this cupboard door which gives access to a long thin space between the cabin roof and the cockpit seats above it - ideal for stowing oars, brushes, poles, boathooks etc! <br><img SRC="./images/aboutsongline/cupboard.jpg" height=357 width=432> <!-- #EndEditable --></td> </tr> </table> <p> </body> <!-- #EndTemplate --> </html>