Wireless windlass remote with chain counter & canvas projects- 4/10/22

Whenever we get to a new place, we always go through a bit of moving pains where we have to find all new suppliers to get materials for projects. Sometimes material hunting is quick and easy. Other times it can be a grueling, long, and tedious process of scouring the depths of the internet for what we need. When we got to Cherbourg, we thought the former would be true because we were back in the EU and Mads was familiar with many suppliers already. Boy, were we wrong.

The weather forest called for rain all week, so we made big plans to work on some sewing projects inside, creating a sunshade and jerry can covers. Luckily, we found a canvas supplier that had the canvas we wanted. After quickly receiving a small sample of the canvas, we placed an order for a more considerable amount thinking it would come just as quickly. However, that was not the case. We realized the canvas wouldn't come anytime soon when the tracking had not moved from Paris for five days. It was probably not the supplier's fault and probably just a general shipping delay, but we were disappointed. Either way, it's the cost of moving pains and a price we are willing to pay for this lifestyle. No materials meant we had to switch gears and move down to the next boat project on our list.

Installing the windlass was something that Mads and I were looking forward to getting done. One of our goals for this summer is to anchor or moor as much as possible. Having the windlass hooked up makes that a lot easier for obvious reasons. Checking it off our list was a significant relief. There's just one little windlass-related project left. Given my history with clumsiness, we will make a wrist strap or lanyard for the remote. That way, we have a little bit of insurance if anything should happen ;)

In the Video:

CANVAS PROJECT:

Sewing Machine:

Find it here: https://www.saillifechannel.com/sewing-1/sewing-machine-

Sunbrella Alternative: This is a 100% acrylic and 100% waterproof material. We don't have much experience with Sunbrealla but in many forums, we read this was the most comparable. We went with an alternative to Sunbrella for a few reasons. One, Sunbrella is really hard to find right now because of supply chain delays. And two, because of costs. Sunbrella is expensive and we are canvas sewing noobs. It felt like less of a financial risk going with the less expensive canvas until we're more comfortable sewing canvas. However, so far we really like this choice. The color is rich and the fabric is thick and sturdy which is exactly what we wanted for the jerry can covers.

Find it here: https://www.esvocampingshop.com/en/boat-canvas-blue-dark-navy-docril/

Mesh for Sunshade: Similar to the Sunbrella we found a less expensive mesh for the sunshade. The reasons for this are a bit different though. Mainly, this sunshade is more of a prototype. We are not 100% sure of the design or function that's going to best suit our needs. For us, it made sense to go with a less expensive material to work out all the kinks and find out exactly what we need.