A guided tour of Blue J by her previous owner to show you some of the changes Andy made.

Levelled floor in forecabin

"One of the first ones was to lay the cockpit seats. I then decided that the slopey floor in the saloon was a little uncomfortable on the ankles so I laid a flat floor in there. You only lose a couple of inches height and I thought to myself well I sit in there more than I stand and to be honest the standing room in an Atalanta isn't exactly 'lofty' is it?"

Cabin porthole below rubbing strake "After a lot of consideration and calculations of hull integrity I decided that it was time to allow myself a view across the water from the saloon and so added the windows in the hull. They are made to the same dimensions as the original windows and are in my opinion well worth the buttock clenching moment when I made the initial hole to put them in! There is the added bonus that when you really push the old girl it is possible to get a view of the fishes too!"

Solid fuel stove "But probably the best thing I have added to Blue J was the solid fuel stove. After 4 years of head scratching about where and how I would fit one, it finally came to me when I was on board Hullabaloo in Dorset. You see my bulkhead in the saloon did not have the recessed cupboards and when I sat on Ian’s boat looking at his cupboards it came to me ....kick back the bulkhead toward the bow and fit it there. Well I have to say, my winter season sailing this year,sitting below in a t-shirt, snow on the deck outside and the flickering reflection of the dancing flames on the rich mahogany interior, has had me grinning like a cheshire cat!"

Heads in aft cabin "In the aft cabin I have fitted a double berth across the cabin at the stern, added two lateral bulkheads either side amid the cabin to make an entrance and the starboard quarter berth is now storage for the inflatable and I have fitted the heads next to my new bulkhead. This indeed makes the whole experience of actually using the heads far less traumatic!"




"A few more images of Blue J as she gets her belly scrubbed and painted. This was the cheap alternative to hoisting out and antifouling. You simply beach the boat lift one keel lower the other and she rolls over! When you are ready you reverse the process and over she goes again. It is even possible on hard ground to get to the keelson but not quite the keel band. Once you have done what keel you can see as she leans over,you can get to the rest by lifting of the keel box tops in the galley. Not as easy as a complete lift out but if, like me, you have had a full winter season and don't want to miss the spring then it's not bad!"

Beached for careening Levelled up Repainted