September 26th, 2023

There are so many plans for boating adventures when summer begins, especially with a "new to us" boat, and then the obstacles come into view and the summer zips by. We picked up the 460 after Memorial Day and got her back to Rock Hall with the idea of taking a lot of practice trips to get ready for the trip south in the fall. Between weather, personal schedules, and boat service needs, we got out a lot less than we wanted. After a number of short trips and one long one, we are mostly familiar with the boat now and have done a few upgrades to make our trip more safe and enjoyable.

She spent a 10 days "on the hard" to have the props repaired (an issue from the pre-purchase survey), and while there got a good cleaning and hull wax. We were hoping that the problem with the bow thruster was due to growth on the thruster blades, but it turned out to be a fuse that had to be changed out by the dealer, and not a common one, so it took a little time to get. It wasn't until late August that we actually had a working bow thruster and got to use it for the first time. It does make a difference, especially when docking. These are the kinds of things I wanted to be practicing during the summer, but patience had to be invoked. 

We have taken a good inventory of storage on the boat to determine where we will store all of the supplies required for long-term cruising. I think we have found every nook and cranny and devised a plan. The combo washer/dryer took a few loads to get accustomed to, and I think we are in good shape with that. The grill on the flybridge has been very convenient. It doesn't get as hot as our Magma propane grill on the other boat, but we have adapted and it is a welcome feature. Speaking of the flybridge, this was on my "must have" list and we have really enjoyed it. The large seating area and great view make it the place to be. I have gotten accustomed to driving the boat from up there in good weather conditions. May not be the best place to be in November and December until we get further south. Another feature that we did not realize would be such a convenience is the built-in icemaker. It is sooo nice to not have to make ice a couple of times a day with the small ice cube trays. We have more ice than we know what to do with.

On our first trip out, we learned that the chain counter (an electric device that tells you how much chain is out when anchoring) was not calibrated correctly. After a number of attempts, we think that it is finally giving us an accurate reading. This is critical when anchoring in areas of swift currents and extreme tide changes as we may face down south. It is not as much of a bid deal in the Chesapeake, but we did mark the chain so that we can verify how much chain has been deployed, just in case the chain counter gives us a problem in the future. We never had this problem on the other boat and were a bit surprised when it happened.

Our first addition to Encore was a Highfield RIB tender with a 20 hp engine. It fit perfectly on the swim platform chocks that came with the 460 and is super easy to launch. We are still working on efficiently loading the tender back on the swim platform. It requires me to be in the water up to my thighs. May be a little cold when we use it in late October and November. It is a very stable tender and can really move. We had a nice trip to Annapolis in June to pick it up. That gave us some practice tying Encore up to a mooring ball, which wasn't a problem.  The new tender should be very useful as our local transportation in the Bahamas. 

Speaking of the Bahamas, we also added a 45 quart AC/DC Cooler/Freezer for bulk storage. The freezer in the refrigerator is on the small size, so this will give us ample storage for the long trip. We also stocked up on spare parts and engine repair items for the trip. Outstanding Marine really helped us out with a comprehensive inventory of supplies that we might need. We also purchased a set of spare props. The downside to the Volvo IPS Pods is that the props face forward without any protection and tend to hit any obstructions in there way. We try to avoid that as much as possible, but accidents happen and having spare props onboard can lessen the inconvenience.

Since we hope to do more anchoring out on our trip south and certainly in the Bahamas, out ground tackle (anchor) is a concern. Peace of mind on overnight anchorages is pretty high on the list of priorities, and I wasn't sure that the stock anchor that came with the boat would provide that. We purchased a new all stainless steel Ultra Anchor a couple of weeks ago and installed it on Encore. The anchor weighs 33lbs more than the provided anchor and is considered a modern high- quality anchor. We have only tested it out once, but I think we are going to be much more comfortable while on anchor.

This past week, we took the boat over to Annapolis to have the Seakeeper serviced. This may be the main (read most expensive) luxury item on this boat. It is a gyroscopic stabilizer system that reduces roll from side to side. We have used it a number of times, and I do believe that it is very effective and provides a lot of comfort to those that suffer sea-sickness. It is a very high-tech item, so I wanted to make sure that is was serviced properly and everything was up-to-date. We spent a nice night at the Annapolis Harbor Boat Yard where the Seakeeper was installed while the service was completed. The folks there were very professional and did a thorough job as best I can tell.

Since the weather is changing, our focus is now on prepping for the trip south and eventually to the Bahamas. We have been gathering both supplies and safety items in preparation for a mid-November departure. More about that later.