Nine of Cups is For Sale - Her Highlights

If you've been a follower of our blog over the years, you know that Nine of Cups has been repaired and refitted in a multitude of exotic places. Whenever we reached a new destination, our time was split between exploring and fixing or upgrading the boat. (BTW – many of the projects were featured as articles in Good Old Boat Magazine and Ocean Navigator in the U.S. and Cruising Helmsman in Australia.) She's in pretty good health and will soon be ready to sail away to whatever destinations the new owners have in mind – whether it's another lap around the world or some gunkholing in Downeast Maine. This week I'll highlight the good stuff – all the things we've replaced, added or upgraded over the years. Next week I'll talk about all the things that need repair or replacing.

Specs and Features:

1986 Liberty 458 cutter

LOA: 45' 8”

LWL: 40' 4”

Beam: 12' 11”

Draft: 7' 0”

Displacement: 16 tons net /18 tons gross

Ballast: 10,500 Lbs.

Water: 2 Stainless tanks, 60 gallons each

Fuel: 1 Steel tank, 65 gallons, replaced in 2009; 1 Epoxy tank, 55 gallons, replaced in 2004

Daytank: 2.5 gallons with pump and controller

Hull: Hull topsides, sheer stripe and bootstripe all repainted with Awlgrip in 2015

Sail Inventory:

Main: 356 sq. ft. Replaced by Ross Sails, NZ, 2010

Jib: 90% Yankee (458 sq. ft. ) Replaced by Quantum Sails, RSA, 2015

Spare Jib: 110%

Staysail: 194 sq. ft. Replaced by Quantum Sails, RSA, 2015

Storm Jib

Storm Trysail

Standing Rigging:

All standing rigging replaced in 2015

Mast: Aluminum – Repainted and rewired mast, boom and spreaders in NZ, 2011

Chainplates replaced in 2015

Propulsion:

Ford Lehman 90 HP. Replaced with a re-manufactured engine in NZ in 2010 - approx. 2000 hours on new engine. Repainted Engine room, new motor mounts, etc.

Transmission: Borg-Warner Velvet Drive, Rebuilt in NZ, 2011

Tons of spares: starter, heat exchangers, alternator and lots more

Refrigeration:

12v, re-insulated and updated in Australia, 2014.

Freezer compartment with cold plate; Refrigerator section spillover from freezer with thermostatic controlled fans.

Watermaker: Katadyne 80, 3.5 GPH 12v

Alternative Energy Sources:

Solar: 240 watt, 3 panels total with charge controller and energy monitor

Wind Gen: Four Winds

Shaft Gen: Wind Blue Model DC-540 Permanent magnet alternator

Alternative Energy Monitor located in Nav Station

Electrical - DC:

House Batteries: Six new AGM 100 AH TPPL batteries (2017)

Starter Battery: 8G Calcium

2 kw Inverter

Alternator: 200 amp Balmar with external regulator, new in 2017

Charger: Xantrex 30 amp

Electrical - AC:

Wired for 120 VAC, 8 duplex outlets

30 amp shorepower connection

Selector switch for shorepower or inverter

50' 30 amp shorepower cable, new 2017

Electronics:

Chartplotter: Raymarine C70

Depth, speed, water temp: Raymarine ST60 Tridata

Windspeed and direction: Raymarine ST60

GPS: Raymarine ST60

VHF: Standard Horizon GX 2150 with AIS and remote RAM Mic

Stereo: Sony AM,FM,CD with two speakers

HF Radio: Icom IC-706MKIIG

Pactor Modem PTC-IIE

HF antenna

2 VHF antennas

Autopilot: Two units

Primary Autopilot:  Raymarine, Model: ST6000 12-volt hydraulic

Backup Autoplot: : Navman Model: 3380 12-volt hydraulic

Both located in the cockpit

Ground Tackle:

Windlass: LoFrans 1500 with gypsy and capstan, replaced in 2014

Chain: 200' 3/8” HT, new 2017

Rope: 200' 9/16”

Various other chain and rope combinations for secondary or stern anchoring

Anchors: 80# Manson Boss, 40# Danforth, 40# Fortress

Deck seawater washdown system

Dinghy: 9.8 ft AB rigid bottom. It's getting a little long in the tooth and has a few patches and repairs, but still holds air and is very serviceable.

Dinghy Engine: Yamaha 5Hp 2 stroke, new in 2014

Safety:

Liferaft: Great Circle Oceanmaster, 6 man new in 2014

EPIRB. ACR with GPS, new in 2014

Flares: Electronic

Personal Flotation Devices, Fire Extinguishers, Life Rings, MOB Gear, etc.

Galley:

Force 10 three burner propane stove and oven, new in 2017

Propane tanks - 2 composite 10# tanks, located in vented locker

Propane system fitted with remote solenoid shut-off

Microwave

Double stainless sink

12v Adler-Barbour refrigerator/freezer system

Pressure water

Seawater foot pump

Freshwater foot pump

Freshwater System: Pressure water provided to forward head, aft sink, galley, aft head shower connection, deck shower.

Miscellaneous:

Sanitation system. Two manual toilets with seawater flush. 40 gallon fiberglass holding tank. All new hoses in 2017. Forward head replaced 2017. Aft head rebuilt 2017.

Bilge Pumps. Number of pumps: Two 12-volt. One with a float switch and one without. Two whale gushers installed. Handles readily accessible at the pumps.

Saloon upholstery replaced in 2015.

I have detailed maintenance records since our first day on Cups, plus manuals on most every piece of gear aboard. We also have a ton of spares and repair parts.

This link will take you through all the things that need attention.

It's a new chapter, not the end of the book!

We must say we’ve been overwhelmed by the well wishes and hundreds of comments and emails that followed the announcement that we were selling Nine of Cups or as sailors put it ... “swallowing the hook”. I guess the important point to make to everyone, especially our readers, is that we’re just turning the page and starting a new chapter. It’s not the end of the book!

Though the decision to sell Nine of Cups and move on was a difficult one, derived after months of deliberation, now that the decision has been made, we’re not sad, by any means. On the contrary, we’re excited about the new adventure we’ve planned. We’ve not made the decision because we have health issues or we’re feeling too old to sail. After 18 years aboard Cups, we’re exhilarated about starting a new and different adventure. We’re feeling much the same excitement and anticipation we felt when we decided to sell up and sail off 20 years ago.

We’re in a similar situation actually. We’re making timelines, plans and lists and checking them off. Except instead of winding down professional careers like last time, we’re winding down our sailing careers. We’re getting Cups ready for new owners, making her shipshape while at the same time looking, planning, anticipating and putting things in order to make the transition to a new life.

Nope, we have no intention of staying still. No intention of sitting in rocking chairs and knitting mittens or whittling little wooden animals. Oh, it may eventually come to that, but we reckon we’ve still got a few good decades left in us and there’s a big world out there just waiting to be explored.

So what’s the new adventure and how did we decide? We’ll tell you all about it this time next week. In the meantime, we’ll continue with our There to Here series, bring you new travelogue pages on the website and David has plans to regale you with lots of Cups info and project progress as he readies our girl for her new life. Stick around and keep traveling with us … just a little further.