I decided to search for a new mast that was two feet smaller, hoping to make the boat less tender without losing any sail area. The boat had all the halyards on the mast and there was no reefing sstem. he main haards and a new singe ine reefing sstem were designed to come ac to the cocpit so that I don't have to leave the safety of the cockpit in extreme weather. The last big project for making Good Hope ready was stripping the bottom of 40 years of paint. Over the years, it had new layers of paint slapped on without removing earlier layers. The Port Credit Yacht Club was kind enough to provide me with a nice spot away from other boats so I could go through the tedious process of removing all the layers of paint one by one. That done, the biggest consideration was the selection of bottom paint that would ensure I don't have barnacles growing on the bottom that will slow me down toward the end of the race. JOIN THE 'BULKHEAD OF SUPPORTERS' an peope as aurav how the can hep. ou sure cannot sai with him as the is a soo race. ut ou can send our memory round the world with a small gift to Gaurav's campaign. The main bulkhead in the boat Good Hope will be committed to add names and pictures of supporters who have helped Gaurav in their individual capacity. All gifts and time given to Gaurav and ood Hope get a spot on the uhead of upporters. he oden oe ace tarts eptemer , . Visit: https://www.gauravshinde.com As one of my main considerations was making sure it was the least damaging to the environment, I decided on Coppercoat, a non-leaching coating that is kinder to the environment than conventional self-eroding anti-fouls. I am aware that when I launch Good Hope next season, I might gain just half a knot or more from all this work but that half a knot will be worth a lot over the 250 days I will be spending at sea. ■ CANADIANYACHTING.CA 59https://www.gauravshinde.com http://www.CANADIANYACHTING.CA