When I bought her, Madsu had been kept on a fresh water lake. She had been well taken care of but not equipped to be a salt water pocket cruiser.
After the first year of sailing and getting to know the boat, I started on substantial upgrades to make her sea worthy for extended coastal cruising.
The majority of parts and rigging I source from The Binnacle in Halifax. They ship for free on orders over a certain amount and they will price match. The staff there are very helpful. It’s ironic that I’m in Vancouver and use a chandlery in Halifax, but there’s a reason. Locally, I try to source parts at Martin Marine in North Vancouver, with side trips to Steveston Marine. They often don’t have stock of the items I’m looking for, so they have to order them in anyway. And they don’t price match.
Standing rigging and lifelines by: Pro-Tech Yacht Services Ltd., North Vancouver (thanks Pip). Keel work and other heavy lifting by: Performance Yacht Services, West Vancouver.
Rainy Day Ropework
Making some new dock lines and prepping new running rigging, a perfect rainy day job. It’s been a very mild winter here in BC and we’ve got some runny days…
A Little Work Under the Hood
The day started out promising. Despite a call for cloud and chance of rain, the sun was out when I got to the marina. And it was windy. Bonus. However,…
New Through Hulls
Madsu’s getting new through-hulls this week. A rare shot of her with the swing keel down. Even a little boat like Madsu looks big up on the hard.
New Lifelines
Madsu is sporting brand new lifelines. Pip at Pro-Tech Yacht Services in North Vancouver put them together for me – he and the gang also did my standing rigging last…
Madsu’s New Navigation Lights
Catalina 22’s of Madsu’s vintage had very awkwardly sighted navigation lights. The bow light is actually behind the forestay and stem head fitting – not the best for visiblity. And if I…
Cold Dark and Snap
We went out for an evening sail a few nights ago – a pretty big change in weather from even just a few days ago. It was cool and threatening…
Who Needs Ya
Madsu seems to be doing fine, sailing herself. I’ve got a lock-box for the Forespar tiller extender and it works like a charm. update Jan 2026: I’ve been using this…
The Ducks and the Deck Organizers
I was stealthy, but to no avail. I thought I’d sneak up and get some photos, and even though I was all silent-running-like, the ducks were on to me. The day threatened…
Launch Into Spring
It’s a sure sign of spring. Madsu made the move from her off-season storage next to the house, to her salt-water moorage at Sewell’s in Horseshoe Bay. She’s got an “I can…
Buffing with Aretha
Being able to trailer our sailboat Madsu is a tremendous advantage. For one, she spends the stormy winter months parked next to our house, under a full Sumbrella cover. But…
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