Sorella Build Update #5, February 2023

We're in the final weeks before departure and everywhere we turn there is a flurry of activity and an unending list of tasks to accomplish before we go. Had we been accomplishing these tasks in the months and years leading up to this point, we could be enjoying our final weeks in leisure, but as we all know, nothing would ever happen if it weren't for the last minute. So here we are picking away at packing, arranging cat international health certificates, finding boat and health insurance, gathering all our tax information, learning about our comms needs, getting our finances in order, etc.

Looking aft from the salon out to the cockpit. You can see the lazerettes (storage compartments) in the floor, the bench and winch mounted on the pedestal, and behind, the bow of the boat coming out after ours.
Standing on the deck looking toward the bow. The open hatch leads to the portside forward cabin.
This photo of the boat gives a good view of the the salon roof with the curved windows (not yet installed). Beyond that is the bimini over the cockpit, which will be sealed in with a windshield for a fully protected helm. The six solar panels (300+ kw each) will be installed on the bimini.
View of the salon looking to port. The cabinet covered in blue plastic in the upper left center is the freezer, accessible from above, and the refrigerator is on the back end of the cabinet, accessible from the galley in the hull below. This will be our indoor living and dining room. The cockpit, out the door on the left will be our outdoor living and dining room.
Boatload of cute. This is the first we've seen them snugged in a bundle like this. It gives us hope.

Sorella is also in the final weeks of being built, and the Antares crew is no doubt feeling down-to-the-wire just as we are. In a video walk-through with the builder–I wished I’d had the ability to record it–we saw our dinghy (Little Sister) hanging from her davits as they set proper alignment. The Corian countertops are in place, but hidden by protective covering. The basic structures are all set and now the wiring is being completed, the windows and hatches are being installed, and all manner of mechanical systems are under way. It just occurred to me that my earlier statement “down to the wire” (which originated from horse racing, when they used to stretch wires across the finish line) could be referred to as down-to-the-wiring, and this is part of the final stretch in completing the boat.

 

We’re excited to the see the transformation from this construction site to the finished hand-crafted beauty in the works.

 

 

With the help of friends Amy and Sarah (separately), our Sorella logo got a little updating and we’ve sent the new version to the factory. We’re looking forward to the mockups of what it will look like on the side of each hull. We’ve chosen the boot stripe (waterline) colors to match the black and blue of the logo.

The port aft cabin--the pink ceiling shows the steps in the mold for the deck above.
An additional view of the port aft cabin shows more of the decking mold above the bunk, as well as the window on the interior of the hull, which will give us a view of the water beneath the boat.
This view is our starboard hull, looking forward. There's lots of storage with closets on left and right, and the washer/dryer cabinet on the left.
This is a partial spin of the owner's cabin that I don't think will work in this format, so it's just a strange perspective...
This empty cabinet in the starboard hull is going hold the electrical panel, a vital piece of equipment which we will get to know inside and out, but which we currently (no pun intended) look at and see lots of switches and buttons and pretty lights...
Port hull forward through galley. The countertops aren't yet installed in this photo, but now that they are, they are covered for protection and we don't remember the color Corian we chose becuase they couldn't get our first choice and we had to pick another color on the fly. #Surprise!