The storeroom

The storeroom also needs a certain organisation. Estimate the time, even if approximately, you will spend at sea without being able to shop, and think of buying only fresh food in small quantities. If your destination is the Aeolian islands (except Lipari where supermarkets are to be found ) you can do your shopping at the small grocery shops in every island where the choice of the products is reduced. On the boats you will find both ice-boxes and refrigerators but it is always convenient to see to the purchase of non-perishable or heavy goods. Water is never sufficient, calculate at least two litres per head per day, and choose plastic bottles. Put the drinks also on board (in tins or in plastic bottles ) and beer that should never be lacking. Milk should be at long term preservation preferably in a half litre four sided container. If you want , you can have the requisites for aperitifs, dry biscuits, crackers and breadsticks which are easily digestible and are preserved better, teabags and sugar cubes. Pasta is fundamental. Often a single dish; pasta with fastest cooking time is advised. As regards rice, the parboiled is preferable, it can be used in large quantities and a rice salad is always a good idea. Fish, even if very fresh, is to be preserved totally clean in the refrigerator or in the ice-box only for a couple of days at the most. Easily cooked meat and tinned tuna fish are advisable. Avoid already sliced dressed pork products, it is better to buy them each time they are needed, even more so, the industrial ones packed in bags. Be careful of fresh cheese, it can become sour very quickly and can only be preserved in the refrigerator or in the ice-box; non-grated parmesan cheese is advisable. Fruit and greens not too ripe...do not forget the nutella!!

The boats

- After having used the engine for a long time, let it run in neutral at a minimum for some minutes so as to bring the working temperature back to its normal level;
- During the sailing with an engine, it can happen that some seaweed or rubbish may interfere with the thrust in the sea of the cooling system of the engine, thus blocking the outflow of the water. In this case it is necessary to clean the exhaust pipe and to substitute the pump impeller which will be ruined after rotating without water;
- Before setting out for a night sailing trip, check that the lights are efficient, on the contrary, replace the bulbs with the ones that are in the equipment kit;
- Never let the bilge pump rotate uselessly;
- Do not throw any paper or objects into the W.C. If the bilge pump of the bathrooms rotates but does not suck adequately, unscrew the filter with transparent cover situated under the sink ( shown on check-in ), remove the hairs and the other impurities which are impeding the suction and screw on the filter top delicately. It is important that the sucking circuit is air-proof; the clips must be tight and the filter must not have bad threading ( it must be perfect );
- When supplying water, avoid the jet having too high a pressure;
- The electric anchor winch operates only with the engine on. In the case that it does not work, check that the magneto-thermal switch that is situated near the battery poles has not jumped ( due to a sudden effort ). The magneto-thermal switch is seen as a little black box in the centre of which there is a red button which serves to interrupt the circuit, ' to detach the magnet'. If a black tang is sticking out of the box, the circuit is interrupted. It is sufficient at this point to put this black tang back in the box to restore the contact;
- The jerking of the chain can damage the anchor winch. For this reason, once the anchoring has ended, it is convenient to prepare a rope which, fixed on the mooring bitt passes through the links of the chain thus transferring the strain onto the bitt; On every boat there is an OWNER'S BOOKLET in which you will find the instructions of what has been installed.