The Ghost of Arthur and the Boat with No Name

With the pressure to get sailing due to the Southern Hemisphere cyclone season starting early in November, an intensive eight-section checklist guided the vessel's preparation, with the crew successfully cutting a potential two-week delay down to seven gruelling days. Work ranged from critical rigging and system repairs to a final, frustrating battle to exorcise the previous owner’s data from the chart plotter. Despite the physical readiness, a last-minute paperwork snag forced the team to depart Phuket using the boat’s old commercial name under the broker’s authority. The initial relief of finally getting underway quickly turned to caution, as they were immediately hit by a heavy squall and spent the first four hours of the passage painstakingly navigating a low-visibility "crab-pot hell."

SAILING TRIPBOAT PREPARATION

Jason Haigh

10/7/20253 min read

To ensure the vessel was ready for the upcoming ocean passage, we utilized a comprehensive pre-departure checklist covering eight critical areas:

Passage Plan
Hull, Deck & Rigging
Engines & Propulsion
Fuel & Water Systems
Electrical & Electronic
Safety Equipment
Plumbing & Bilge
Galley & Provisioning

If you want a copy of this checklist please fill in a contact us form

Overcoming the Two-Week Delay

Initial assessments of the required tasks—including fixing leaks, fitting safety gear, servicing engines, testing the water maker, adjusting the rigging, setting reefing lines, —indicated we were facing a delay of up to two weeks just to complete the preparations and a final shake-down sail. This presented a significant problem, as we were bound by a strict deadline: the boat had to be out of the southern hemisphere cyclone region by November 1st.

To accelerate the process, we offered to "muck-in" and assist the engineer. With three capable people instead of one, we calculated we could potentially reduce the timeline and leave the dock in about five days. This meant Jack, the owner, took on the crucial role of logistics and provisioning: chasing paperwork, sourcing missing parts, and, notably, acquiring the two full carloads of supplies, food and drink required for a six-week passage.

Chart Plotter Exorcism

After seven long, sweaty days, we finally cleared nearly every item from the exhaustive work list. Only one technical task remained; updating the chart plotter software with the new owner's details and downloading the necessary charts for the upcoming voyage (a useful safety item).

Unfortunately, this simple task became a frustrating ordeal. Despite multiple memory wipes, new SIM cards, and hard resets, the details of the plotter’s previous user, Arthur, kept reappearing like a broken record. We eventually determined that an app on Arthur’s phone must have been auto-logging in and re-establishing the old settings remotely. An email to Arthur resolved the issue; he deleted the offending app, and the chart plotter finally started working for the new owner.

Leaving the Dock with Someone Else’s Boat

After all the pressure and logistical juggling of the previous days, we were finally ready to make a plan to leave the dock—a moment we all eagerly awaited!

However, there is always one last thing: the small, yet crucial, matter of transferring ownership from the broker to Jack. When we shared our departure plan with the engineer, the expression on his face told us we had one more hurdle. A bit of poor planning and management by the broker meant that the necessary paperwork—including the bill of sale, insurance and name change documentation—that should have been started six weeks ago, was being "sweated over" behind the scenes and only started the day before yesterday.

Ultimately, it wasn't possible to complete the proper paperwork by our desired departure time. To allow us to leave, the broker provided us with the bill of sale and a letter of authority allowing us to leave under their ownership and insurance. This meant the boat's new name would have to wait; for now, she was now known as "204" It is comforting to know that, even after 204 sales, they are clearly still "refining" their procedures.

Underway at Last… and Straight into a Squall

With the boat cleaned, fully refuelled, and the engines warmed up, we finally cast off the lines and began our journey downriver, departing from Phuket.

We were immediately confronted by a new challenge: a heavy torrential downpour struck us right whilst we were navigating a narrow river that is a very popular local fishing spot. The result was "crab-pot hell." With visibility severely reduced and forced to slow our speed, we spent the next four hours weaving our way carefully through a minefield of flags, floats, and various debris all marking the submerged crab pots.

In the next article, I will share details about our arrival at Langkawi, where we finally plan to change the boat's name and tackle some issues that cropped up during the passage.

The Ghost of Arthur and the Boat with No Name

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