Kaya Reboot - Bari, Italy

After 1.5 years apart from S/V Kaya, Italy began opening its doors to visitors and we decided to pick her up. I was apprehensive about leaving New York and travelling during the pandemic, but once we saw Kaya, it was clear that she needed a lot of love. There was rust, dirt and sun damage all over from sitting unused all this time.

The freshly repainted hull looked good, but when we inspected the rest of the boat, Tobi said "the honeymoon is over."

Getting into Italy was not too bad, considering the rules around entry are constantly evolving. The New York flight agent was the most confused and looked at the most documents, including our marriage certificate, while giving us a hard time about our Rapid vs PCR Covid-19 test results (although this was not a problem then, at the end of May). Italian immigration only looked at the test results. No one glanced at any vaccination records. On arrival in Puglia, we self-certified that we would isolate in a hotel first, then our boat.

People here were masked up and seemed to be cheerfully socializing outdoors. Italy was hit hard in March 2020, but we learned that the third wave in February 2021 was also very tough. We were glad to hear that the family who runs the shipyard were all healthy; only grandma caught the virus and she fully recovered.

View from the hotel where we self-isolated in Monopoli, Puglia.

We were jetlagged and still exhausted from moving out of our NY apartment when we put Kaya into the water and started an intense phase of cleaning and restoration. As we tested various parts of the boat, it felt like remembering our way into a not-so-distant life. Some parts were broken, and some we simply forgot how to handle. Step by step, the boat became more livable and ship-shape. Here was some of the work we did (TL;DR if you're not interested in boat tasks):

• Checked the engines, which were luckily fine except for rust on the starboard side (Yanmar FTW). The generator wouldn't start because its isolated battery died, so we had to order a new one. Solar power had continuously topped up the main batteries and those were fine.
• Disinfected the water tank, which takes 24h. Once water was available, we turned on the gas and cooked meals on the boat.
• Lots of elbow grease cleaning and de-rusting of interiors, exteriors and tools. We found that citric acid is good for salt corrosion, acetone for grease, and rust remover (oxalic acid) for rust.
• Sailing trial to test the hydro-generator and check the rigging and sails, which were rather dirty.
• The heads (toilets) didn't work on the first try (ugh!). We cleaned the holding tanks with fresh water and discovered a pipe leak.
• The A/Cs didn't work right away either. We got slightly panicked thinking they were broken, until the shipyard technician reminded us to check the filters for the seawater intake, which were clogged and smelled like rotten eggs from the stale saltwater in the pipe.
• Checked all electronics e.g. Upgraded our GPS software, set up the boat wifi (this took a few days!) and tested our Iridium Go satellite device.

We love the family-run Nautica Ranieri shipyard. Great quality of work done by extremely responsive and nice people!

Checking expiry dates. We threw out bags of expired food and medicines.

Replacing zip ties that add an extra layer of security to shackles.

We stained the faded wood around the boat. Most of the discolouration was from accumulated dirt.

Cleaning the bimini that provides shade in the cockpit. This power washer is Tobi's new best friend. At this point, Twiggy is nervous about crossing the passerelle (gangplank). She has her confidence back now.

Eventually, we tackled the less critical things like de-rusting our bike. Getting our bike out considerably shortened the trip to the marina bathrooms.

Prior to pickup, our trusty shipyard had made many fixes and exciting upgrades while we were gone, such as installing a synthetic teak deck and a hydro generator. We also printed new ship logos for the side and back - yay!

Guarding our shipments. Yachtshop.eu is run by our contact at the shipyard, the very capable Tommaso Ranieri.

Big thanks to Paolo and Lindsay for helping us make the logos look good <3

Putting the final touches on the new water filter.

Stocking up. Eataly closed down during the pandemic due to the lack of tourists, but little shops like this have lots of regional goodies. Bari also has an asian food market (rare), lovely farmer's markets and high quality organic food stores.

An avenue in Bari.

Playing a card game called "Jolly."

In the meantime, our plans were becoming more clear. Beautiful Puglia had been kind to us during this busy and poignant chapter, but it was time to go. S/V Kaya had technically overstayed the 18 month grace period (aka "temporary importation") for non-EU yachts to stay in the EU, making us potentially liable to pay VAT on her. Montenegro (non-EU) is almost directly across the Adriatic sea from Bari, ~100 nautical miles away. The day our new generator battery arrived, the winds were favourable, and so we set sail that evening.

Saying goodbye to grandpa Ranieri. He started the shipyard 70 years ago and although nephew Antonio runs the place, he still whizzes around in his electric wheelchair every morning to check on things, even on Sundays.

S/V Kaya leaving Bari. This photo was taken by Franz & Helga, a lovely Swiss sailing couple we got to know during our stay at the shipyard.