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You’ll want to see what we’re all about…
A 3 minute film that encapsulates the very important purpose behind our expedition
‘Northabout’ is the name of our boat
We filmed this in Svalbard last September 2015 whilst boat testing and crew training
BOAT OVERHAUL April 2016
The overhaul took place in Sharpness Boat yard, up the road from Bristol, UK
Overseen by Colin Walker (Walker Planning and Construction)
Thankyou…
to all the companies who helped get Northabout expedition ready. We are forever grateful. Now we are underway we remember fondly the long nights and all hands on deck attitude of everyone working together as one big team. Specifically Steve Beacham, Paul Beacham, Nicola Beacham, Richard, Colin, Brad, Mike Ellery, Joseph, Nick. The slideshow above will give you just a small inkling of the amount of hard work that went in.
The starting point was to make sure the fuel system was clean and reliable so we removed all the old fuel, cleaned the tanks and installed a dual filter system, this means if one filter gets clogged we can easily switch over to the 2nd filter.
We needed to make sure there was enough fuel for the Eastern Passage so we checked the existing fuel capacity and found we had 5 tanks which gave 1700 ltrs of fuel, we then added another 300ltr of emergency fuel in the stern locker.
We needed to manage the fuel and control the flow from each tank so we installed a manifold and a Day Tank, this means we can easily isolate a tank if it gets contaminated when re-fuelling.
The engine was given a full service and all the pipes replaced.
The boat has a lifting keel and the old system was very unreliable so Sharpness Boatyard came up with a clever hydraulic lifting system that would hold the keel in place.
We needed to make sure there was sufficient power for the general day to day use of the boat plus for the electronics so we doubled the storage capacity of the domestic batteries and installed a small independent generator. This means we can generate power from the alternator on the main engine or by the new generator or by the solar panels installed on the deck.
Installed a new water maker which has been loaned to Northabout for the trip.
Upgraded all the electronics on the boat to give reliable boat speed, wind direction and depth.
Installed a new Raymarine solid state radar unit that can be used to spot icebergs.
Installed 2 satellite communication systems so we can keep in touch with the outside world and more importantly gather the latest weather and ice information.
Upgraded the anchor winch as the anchor needed to be oversize to cope with the conditions Northabout is likely to experience.
We had all the rigging checked and upgraded various winches etc….
We had the boat Dry Docked and Sharpness Boatyard replaced the propeller and shaft, we also repaired the rudder and anti fouled the boat.
Re-wired the boat and checked the inverter so we could be sure we have a reliable 24 volt supply for the bread maker and microwave oven.
Maximised the storage area around the boat so we could store 3 months worth of food, including emergency provisions.
Installed a liferaft bracket on the transom and secured a 10 man liferaft.
Purchased two 15HP 2 stroke outboards for the inflatable which could be used to help pull the boat off the ice if needed.
We carried out a lot of carpentry work and added insulation.
