Bojangles has come a long way since her maiden voyage across the Pacific. Although still structurally sound, a lot of work has been required to get her ready for the OAR. Learning from experience, a number of improvements have also been made to her original design. Here’s just some of the things the OAR team have been busy working on over the last few months.
- Replacement of all cabin and deck hatches. These must be tightly sealed to keep water out of the food and kit stored on board.
- Installation of ‘blade socks’ – sealed waterproof compartments on deck to store the oars: Previously this had been a cause of water leaking into the storage hatches on deck.
- Sealing of all cracks, gaps and possible leaky parts: Bojangles is going to get very wet on the North Atlantic.
- Replacement of scuppers: These let excess water flow off deck, but prevent water being washed back in.
- Installation of custom designed ventilation system: Crucially, this must let air in when Mos and Ros are inside the cabin, but keep the water out.
- Installation of custom made mattresses and luxury interior storage pockets: With only two hours sleep at any one time, the OAR crew deserve a bit of comfort.
- Replacement of solar panels: We’re now using nylon bolts to hold these down. The stainless steel bolts in place on Bojangles Pacific journey may have been what contributed a fire on board when the solar panels short circuited.
- Installation of new marine electronics: Thanks to OAR sponsor, Ryamarine, the latest navigation and safety technology will keep Bojangles on course and hopefully out of trouble.
- Refurbishment of Spectra water maker: This will produce approximately 24 litres of water an hour.
- A good lick of paint: Using hard anti-foul paint should avoid the need for Mos and Roz to have to get into the water to scrape barnacles of Bojangles’ bottom during their two month journey.
- Construction of a specially designed wooden cradle to carry Bojangles across country to St John’s, Newfoundland, the port of departure for the OAR.
For photos of the OAR team working on Bangles, please click here.
Check out Bojangles in action, with thanks to OAR refit sponsor, Conceptua.
With grateful thanks to all the volunteers in San Francisco who helped work on Bojangles on the Hyde Street Pier;
Aleksey Bochkovsky, James Dilworth, Fred Eagle, Bryan Edwards, Maggy Frias, Dane Golden, Jay Gosuico, Mike Hammond, Angela Hey, Jonathan Killip, Alex Leviton, Bryan Mann, James Martin, Wesley Renas, Virginia Saylor, Ian Tuller, Kristen Walthour, Cam Webb, Elisa Williams, Gail Wolf, Heather Kearsley Wolf, Elizabeth Zamos.
And those who carried on the great work when Bojangles arrived in St John’s;