Delivering the new boat - Italy to Montenegro

Time rolls on as time tends to do, which is my way of saying even with the best of intentions to update this blog on a regular basis, I have not been so diligent.
So 5 weeks after the delivery from Italy to Montenegro, here is the account of it as best as I can remember.

Myself, JS and AS arrived on the boat at 2030 after a flight from Montenegro to Slovenia and a 2 hour drive to the boat, only to be greeted by the engineers who where madly trying to finish off the jobs that should have been completed weeks earlier! All in all though the guys did do a reasonable job and we had no major issues on the trip.
The provisions went aboard along with several cases of Italian wine that is so hard to find in Montenegro. Systems were tested, the spotlight rigged up to a spare battery (this was essential for navigating out of the narrow channel from the marina to the Adriatic sea), fuel was delivered by jerry can with the help of a couple of great friends who also had a boat near by (thanks guys!), a pizza eaten, immigration taken care of, 101 things madly stowed, and we were away by 0200.
After a slow meander through a very narrow channel on a moonless night where the spotlight came into its own by illuminating the post that were spaced every 100 meters or so, we headed out into open sea bound for Croatia.

Heading for the Adriatic

Pre-Delivery job list

Although NS is generally in great working condition thanks to the previous owners investment and care, like any boat there is always a big list of jobs to be done.

In preparations for the delivery south that we will undertake in a couple of months when the weather improves (right now it is blowing 30 knots from the north and 3 degrees) I will have the boat yard where NS is currently located sort out a few of the more important jobs for us.

First on the list are the port cutlass bearings.

A good friend of mine is a marine engineer with 30 years experience. He accompanied me on the survey of the boat and noticed that the port cutlass bearings are in need of replacement. The starboard bearings were replaced by the previous owner as confirmed by the boat yard mechanic, but the port set were not.
This is a job that needs to be done while she is out of the water and involves the shaft being decoupled from the engine then slid out of the stern gland and removed from the boat. The bearings can then be replaced and everything put back together. The prop will also need to come off to allow the shaft to move aft past the rudder.

While this is happening I will have the props polished. The hull can be generally sanded and filled where needed under the waterline, ready for a few coats of anti-fouling just prior to her going back in the water.

The other jobs on the list are

• new starter and house batteries
• re-gas the fridge
• top up the hydraulic oil for the steering
• get the back up bilge pump working again
• service the domestic supply water pump
• new anodes 

I will also order a bunch of spares to carry aboard which will include

• Both Engine and generator filters, belts, impellers and anodes
• spare engine oil
• Spare nav' light bulbs
• hose clamps
• trusty role of heavy duty duct tape
• tools etc

These preparations should be enough to get us home, after which the list of jobs will end up long enough to trail back over the 330nm miles we will have sailed to get her here!