Last week, Vanguard was loaded for transport to Antigua and Fort Lauderdale. We considered running her on her own keel, similar to the successful transatlantic of her sister, Mobius. Being new, the cost comparison and "orders to get home" mitigated against this. So, instead, permission was granted to go to the Caribbean early in 2025 and explore those islands before the tourists arrived.
Preparation for loading
We drained the water and fuel tanks where possible. Fully empty tanks are not advisable, as the arrangement compensates low fuel with water to maintain a constant draft and trim. We settled on empty fuel wing tanks and pressed up the center tank with what remained.
Black and grey water tanks were emptied at sea and flushed with clean water.
We will blackout when she is lifted, dead ship, losing our battery monitoring system. The strategy to minimize risks was agreed with Praxis and tested in the marina before loading. Power batteries were run below 30%, disconnected from the bus bars, and each battery cell was disconnected from the next. We isolated the house batteries from all systems and all 24VDC users from the bus bars. We then shut down the Victron 230 VAC and 24VDC inverters as a final precaution. With an eye to the future, a start-up procedure was created and tested in the marina before loading. I hope it works in Florida!
Fridges were emptied of any perishables, exterior cushions stowed, and the fenders were inflated and then stowed on the deck, ready for use upon discharge.
A comment from the LoadMaster was well received. She was simple to lift, in well-defined locations reinforced for the purpose, and easily supported her 66 tonnes. Since her underwater design is configured to dry out, she can quickly and securely chock for the voyage. It's great when a plan goes to plan!
I'll let the photos speak for themselves. The antifoul will be pressure washed clean before discharge. After the first 12 months in the water (off and on), the anodes remain in good condition with only slight corrosion. Paintwork is as new.
"Our thanks to Valeriy and Veronica for their hard work in helping make this collection happen!"
Back to the Low Country
So, home went our merry band, back to the Low Country of South Carolina, and a very long list of "Honeydoos" was waiting. It's not all work, though; there is still time to explore the many creeks and marshes of the low country in the cool weather of early winter, back to where the Redfish run.
Regards to all
Chris Leigh-Jones