Pierre and Lucie are nurses in the ICU. They would like to travel the world to meet children and teach them preventive and life-saving gestures. To do this they created the association Sauve Qui Peut and set out in search of a sailboat to accompany them on their journey. It is in Hyères in 2018 that they find a Sun Rise 34.
A Sun Rise 34 to rebuild
This one comes back from a tour of the Atlantic, already equipped with a solar panel on a rear gantry and a completely rebuilt engine. This great cruising equipment makes the young couple want to throw themselves into the water. Because for the rest, the boat gives off an appalling smell of diesel inside. The owner indicates that there is probably a leak in the tank..
Diesel in the back!
On the Sun Rise 34, the tank is made of stainless steel and is installed under the chart table. It has a small capacity (45 litres). Obviously it leaks, not all the time, but enough for Pierre to discover 30 litres in the greasy bilges. This leak, which has obviously been going on for a long time, has damaged the entire bottom of the bulkheads, marking all the varnishes. To hold it in place, the tank is strategically positioned against the hull. So we're going to have to debone everything to rebuild it.
The first summer is devoted to the delivery of the boat by sea to its new home port: Saint-Malo. You have to plug your nose as the smell of diesel is so strong inside. Once the boat is dry, Pierre and Lucie can start the renovation.
A diesel leak that rots everything
The damage caused by diesel fuel is enormous. They're going to have to dismantle the whole chart table to get the tank out. He discovers a weld that's ruptured on the stern section. The leak is insidious. Even though it's down below, with 20 litres of fuel, it's not leaking. With 30 liters, we see the liquid leaking and with 40 liters it leaks in a big spurt!
But the worst is the fuel work on the woodwork. Pierre has to change them all. Except the partitions, structural. To mask the grease build-up, he will try all the techniques: acetones, sanding, special paints... nothing really helps.
This diesel really attacks wood. Pierre realized this when he discovered a varangue that was totally soaked and disintegrated. Holes made for the passage of the cable got the better of the wood. Pierre completely removed the varangue to rebuild one before strapping it back to the hull.
Reconstruction of facilities
The kitchen and chart table were completely dismantled and will be completely rebuilt. It will also be an opportunity to redo all the boat's electrical wiring. The navigation electronics will also be replaced. Pierre and Lucie also had to take back various watertightness features (stanchion base, portholes...).
An almost new saffron
Finally, the confinement of spring 2020 gave time to completely redo the rudder: the wooden core was exposed and the shovel was completely laminated for a perfect watertightness.
Ready for departure
Released in June 2020, Sauve Qui Peut (from the name of the association) is ready to go again. The sanitary crisis has delayed a little the big departure which will finally take place in spring 2021. This still leaves time to tweak a few details during the winter. If the big cleaning (and especially the paint) masks the original smell of diesel, Pierre and Lucie had to completely change all the foams of the cushions of the saloon. However, especially when sitting at the chart table, some hydrocarbon smells still persist..
