Tag Archives: repair

How to Live on a Cruising Sailboat. Happily. – Ep. 64

I made this Episode more documentary style and longer than usual. It’s about how to stay sane while sailing around the world and why having fun should be on your to do list!

Only Beer and Bikinis?

The boat will not, I repeat, WILL NOT give you a break from work. Trust me on this one. When you sail around the world, whether solo or in a team, you have to remember to take time out of your schedule to enjoy the reasons you went on this exceptional journey in the first place. It is just as much your duty to keep the boat afloat & safe as it is to keep yourself mentally sound.

This is why in this fabulous video, we as a travel couple are documenting what a healthy working-life-balance looks like when cruising. We don’t always manage to balance work and fun this well. This week we spend in Ecuador sailing around with Ryan was everything we strive for everyday we’re out there.

Lots of Love from Hawai’i
Kim & James

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Zingaro is Wrecked – Photos of the Damage

Real time update | After five days of recovery, we finally found the courage to go back to the marina in Kailua Kona (Hawai’i) and have a sober look at Zingaro. Without the adrenaline the boat looks horrible: Our floating home has broken in two pieces.

Seeing the damage now in the daylight, it amazes me that we were able to get the boat into harbor. Tying the boat together with Dyneema made all the difference and I am super proud to say that we did everything we could to save her, but our plan for the future is uncertain at this point.

Here’s the OFFICIAL story of how our sailboat split in HALF, and how we saved her …

Here’s the livestream talking about the accident that caused catastrophic damage to Zingaro: Recorded version of our live broadcast … (Action starts at 4:30)

Much love
James & Kim

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Zingaro Arrived in Kona (Hawai’i)

Real time update | The boat is in a disastrous shape. All the cross stringers in the starboard hull are broken, bridgedeck is ripped to centerline, most bulkheads are broken. Basically the starboard hull ripped off.

But we were able to save Zingaro. Coast Guard was following us to port, handed us 15 gal diesel last night, we motored with one engine to Honokohau Harbor.

I can’t believe we made it. It was very frightening: Huge waves, water coming in, repairs broke many times, starboard prop shaft snapped.

Most importantly we’re safe!

We haven’t thought far enough to decide what to do. At first we want to get off the boat for a few days. We’re totally exhausted, but in good spirits. This will be the start of a new adventure.

James

Cruising is Working on Your Boat in Exotic Places – Ep. 56

Here is an episode about when we arrived in Ecuador. That was already a year ago! Whoa, how time flies! We had tons of work to do on the boat and Ecuador was really a great place to do that. Not too hot to work during the day and a low cost of living (we ate out on a daily basis because we were too tired to cook!).

The only problem was getting parts, because the cruising scene is basically non-existent there. 5200? Can’t find that. New anchor rode? Gotta turn the whole country inside-out to find it! A new 5hp two stroke outboard? Forget it!

It took a lot of running around for us to get things done, but luckily we don’t get frustrated too quickly 😀 and, very important, we speak Spanish! Ecuadorians are very helpful and relaxed people that will take their time to help You, but barely anybody we met spoke English. You can always do the hands and feet dance, but speaking their language makes communication way more efficient 🙂

Anyways, working is part of this life and that’s ok. As long as You don’t forget to have a little fun as well!

Lots of love
Kim

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Three Boat Hacks You Need to Know! | Sailing Zingaro – LVB Series

Living La Vida Broka (LVB) is back! This time, Zingaro is sending out three boat hacks, that I learned along the way.

These are things I didn’t know about when I started, that I wish someone had told me. Tips to save money and time on your boat. Learned during my circumnavigation, I’m passing the knowledge to You.

Hope you enjoy!
James

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We SPLASH Zingaro – Ep. 49

If you remember in the last episode, we were just about ready to drop the boat back in the water…. BUT (and there’s always a but) the “Biocide-free” paint we used didn’t dry. Ever.

What are we suppose to do now? Sail away? Wait in the boatyard? Start going crazy on the paint manufacturing company? We’ll see. Watch and find out.

We made sure to follow the directions perfectly, but after 27 hours it’s still wet. Damn. So we let her stay up on the trailer for another 5 days while we try to get a refund for the paint, and see if it will ever dry (it didn’t, we got a refund 6 months later).

After we finally splash Zingaro Kimmi is in heaven being out to sea again, and the boat is WAY faster than it had been, and much safer.

We now just need to check out of Costa Rica, and head for the PIRATE ISLAND of Isla Del Coco 🙂

Hope you like the episode!

Much love!

-James & Kimmi

Stories from the Boatyard | Sailing Zingaro – Ep 48

In this episode we talk about plywood catamaran problems and what work you can expect.

After sailing 700nm we finally find a boatyard to haul out Zingaro. Repairs, refit, bottom paint, and lots of fiberglass await.

When we got Zingaro on the hard all hell started breaking loose. We could see numerous dripping spots on the bottom (indication of delaminated fiberglass and water intrusion).

Luckily our boat is all Airex Foam and the water had nowhere to go. But on a few places it seeped up inside the glass layers and I had to remove big pieces. We had purchased 3 gallons worth of West System Epoxy to do the entire bottom in an epoxy/copper mix, but with this new dilemma we were forced to use 1 entire gallon on the bottom repairs.

We even removed an old through-hole that was filled with cabosil (not the correct way to fix that). All in all there were 7 big patches, and a lot more work than we though it would be.

-James & Kim

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We sail 500 miles to be TURNED AWAY!| Sailing Zingaro – Ep. 45

After sailing all the way to Costa Rica just to find a cheap yard to haul out, they kick us out!?!?! The dude does not abide. What are we going to do now? We need to repair the bottom of the boat and nobody will let us in!!! Well, there’s only one thing to do… We hoist the sails and go SAILING!

Much love
James and Kim

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Did we ruin Cleveland’s dream?| Sailing Zingaro – Ep. 38

Remember the $5k boat? Well the guy that owns that boat came down to get a taste of cruising. This whole episode is about our time together, and at the end he gives us an “exit” interview.

Cleveland records his REAL thoughts before departing and gives YOU guys a heartfelt, no BS description of the two weeks he spent with us cruising southern Panama.

We love ya Cleve! Had a blast with you bud. Good luck on all your future adventures!

Got a bit of everything in this episode. Hope you guys enjoy!!!

James & Kim

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$5,000 sistership to Zingaro | Sailing Zingaro Ep 35

Cleveland contacts me, and tells me he’s living on a sistership in Sausalito Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) and if I’m ever in town, look him up.

So I was in town, and holy moly he’s not lying. He paid $5,000 for a Crowther Spindrift 37′ and we’re about to go on a tour of it.

This thing is CRAZY. It’s a “fixer upper” for sure.

How to buy a sailboat

I thought it might be fun, since we have internet right now, to take everyone on the buying journey for my boat – and look on the internet to see if we can find a good deal on a cat.

Is it the sailboat deal of the century or a boat buying nightmare? You decide in this walkthrough.

Much love.

James

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Look what I found in the engine room | Livin la Vida Broka

The engine room is definitely my favorite place on the boat. Join me for a maintenance video on rebuilding the water pump on my 1GM10 and find out WHY.

I was doing some maintenance on the diesel, and I found THIS in my engine room! It’s AMAZING! Ive always wanted one! What a beautiful day. Hope you guys like the engine maintenance video!

Hope you guys like!

Much love from James & Kimmi.

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Sailing Zingaro Live from Costa Rica

Want to sail around the world? It’s not as easy as it looks …

Cruising is HARD!!! In this stream we talk about the hard parts of cruising, our sailing plans for the next months, and we have a special interview with another captain that sailed with us for two weeks, a Q & A, & we also respond to some YouTube comments at the end of the show.

[Streamed live on Jun 25, 2018]

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We made it to Jamaica | Sailing Zingaro – Episode 15

Looks like the third time is the charm! The improved Zingaro is finally leaving the Cayman Islands. The ride to Jamaica started out very pleasantly, until we got smashed by a wave that killed all our electronics. I don’t think there is ever going to be a longer passage without a major drama …

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We involuntarily landed on Cayman Brac | Sailing Zingaro – Episode 14

This episode is about our second attempt to sail to Jamaica and about our second failure. Building a rudder on the beach and other fun stuff to do in Cayman Brac (the most expensive place Zingaro has been so far).

When we arrived in Cayman Brac, James knew exactly what to do. By then he was an experienced rudder-builder, You could say. He got his angle grinder out and got to work immediately. And even on this little island, we were able to find a hardware store. YES!

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What is left of the Boat after 9,500 miles | Sailing Zingaro

A lot of people have asked for it, so here it is! Boat tour time! This one will be a bit different than most, as I’ve already given a tour of the layout. If you haven’t seen the first walkthrough, please click here …

If you HAVE seen the boat, Kim and I put this together. A hilarious look at life on our home-built sailboat after 9,500 miles of cruising the world! We’ve fixed a TON of stuff, and there’s a lot left to do, but this is a funny look at the repercussions of sailing around the world. 😉

Hope you all like!
-James

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Livin la Vida Broka (2): Fun with Foam

We lost our rudder off the coast of the Cayman Islands, so Captain James had to build another. Working in a shed, surrounded by roosters, rastas, and rain, we were actually able to finish everything and sail to Jamaica!

A HUGE thank you to our Caymanian friends! We loved it there, thank you guys for everything. Special thanks to the Hyde Family. Thanks for taking in a couple stays.

James & Kim

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Freediving the Kittiwake before it toppled over | Sailing Zingaro – Episode 11

S/v Zingaro makes it to Cayman Islands, and we take it easy with a little kiteboarding and diving. The Kittiwake was a really cool wreck to dive, and Kimmi’s first freedive! She did amazing! Little fish. After that’s all over we realize we’ve got a little problem …

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