Before the start on any of our long ocean legs we will spend a few hours checking all systems aboard and prepping the boat. The following are just some of the checks we performed at Flamenco Marina today in anticipation of our departure tomorrow morning.

Ricky is checking the crane, anchors, tenders, and other gear on the bow for proper tie down and stowage. The tenders will be covered for the trip.

Taylor is helping with engine oil changes. All oil is transferred in and out of the engines by a series of pumps. No need to get our hands dirty! Right Taylor?

This is the shaft seal where the propeller shaft exits the hull. We inspect and clean this before each trip. The black hoses bring seawater from the engines to cool the shaft.

This is one of our two stabilizers. These are fins that are under the boat that move in tandem to keep us stable in heavy seas. We inspect them for leaks and check the tightness of all hose connections.

Pictured here is the main hydraulic tank and cooling heat exchangers. This system supplies hydraulic power to operate the stabilizers and thrusters. You will see two heat exchangers. We just added the one behind the yellow valves to increase our cooling capacity in warmer waters.

This is the main sea water supply aboard “warbird.” Most of our equipment uses seas water for cooling. All of this water enters the boat through five separate strainers that filter out any debris. These strainers must be checked and cleaned before each trip.

This is our fuel and oil transfer manifold. This is how we transfer fuel and oil for oil changes and fuel tank adjustments. We must confirm all valves are in the proper position.

We have two water makers aboard “Warbird.” These will produce fresh water from seawater through reverse osmosis. We can make up to 3000 gallons a day to keep our tanks full on a daily basis. Before a trip we will change filters and flush membranes to make sure they are ready to go!

This is one of our two diesel generators. They produce our power when away from the dock. They are both 40KW generators that output 208 volt 3 phase power. The boat only needs one at any given time. They are on automatic timers that rotate them every 24 hours while at sea. Before a trip we conduct inspections in make sure they are ready to run.

This is our steering system. One of the may systems that gets a visual inspection with all fitting tightened before a trip.

This last picture is the waste treatment system. This system takes all of our black and grey water (sewage) and “treats” it before it is pumped overboard. The system must be flushed and inspected on a weekly basis.