Team Möbius continue to rack up the milestones and this week we hit the jackpot that inspired the riddle in the title of this post; What dance step rhymes with Cash (and LOTS of it!)
Does this photo taken on Thursday afternoon give you some clues?
Hint: Something is missing?![PXL_20210219_063714754[7]](https://i2.wp.com/mobius.world/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/PXL_20210219_0637147547.jpg?ssl=1 "PXL_20210219_063714754[7]")
How about this one?
Hint: Opening door?
Still not sure?
Hint: What just appeared underneath?
Bingo! “Big Bird” the 72 Wheel Yellow Boat Mover has arrived at Naval Yachts because ……………..
LAUNCH DAY HAS ARRIVED!!
Don’t worry if you have not yet solved the riddle as to what dance step rhymes with “Cash”, hang in there and all will be revealed and be clear by the end.
All the big shipyard doors are opened up full width and Big Bird slides under the all cleared out space (the “what’s missing?” hint above) below Möbius and the countdown to launch begins!
Captain Christine is up on Deck doing last minute prep and clean up and the Owner’s Rep is standing around as usual, getting up close and personal with Big Bird.
All the while Möbius is being her typical good natured and patient self as she awaits the her big moment to shine in the brilliant sunny day we were gifted with for the big launch.
You may recall from previous moves over the years, Big Bird has a series of swiveling hydraulic lift pads along both sides
So they are now being readied to lift our girl off her support stands and struts for one last time. Or so we thought at this stage of the “dance”, stay tuned for more on that.
The silicone InterSleek 1100SR bottom paint is quite soft and new so they cut up squares of carpeting 
….. and slid them in between the hull and the wood lift pads to prevent the rough wood faces of the hydraulic lift pads from damaging this fresh paint.
With all the Lift Pads in position 20 hydraulic pistons easily lift Miss Möbius up off her perch and all the support stands underneath can finally be removed for good.
The Captain does one final check and packs her bag with cameras and champagne and is ready for the long and winding walk to the temporary new launch site that is much further away as you are about to see.
The BIG Day has finally arrived and Möbius takes her first step away from her home of the past 3 years at Naval Yachts and heads for her new home; Mother Ocean.
You can almost hear the shipyard and all the other boats saying “Good Luck Miss Möbius, we’ll miss you!” as she makes the turn onto the road that leads over to the inner harbour inside the Antalya Free Zone.
She graciously poses in front of the home she is about to leave as she heads out to make her own life at sea eXploring that Big Beautiful World of Water that awaits.
Oh, the places you will go Miss Möbius!!
Three of the pivotal people responsible for building Möbius join in the Big walk.
And Möbius’ adopted parents join the parade as well.
Rounding the first of several sharp corners is a piece of cake for Big Bird when you have 72 wheels that can all steer!
This massive construction of the whole inner harbour of the Free Zone which has ripped out all the launching facilities and necessitated that we take an overland route to Setur Marina and launch all the boats from the Free Zone shipyards there for the next few months.
In spite of this major disruption this major construction project of the whole Free Zone port is fascinating and you would probably enjoy watching THIS VIDEO ANIMATION which does a great job of showing how the whole new harbour facility works.
It would normally be quite a shock and surprise to see a ship floating by outside your office window but here in the Antalya Free Zone it is a common and almost everyday occurrence so no one gives it much mind. However, given the uniqueness of the XPM boats and Möbius’ gleaming aluminium silver sides, she definately turned a LOT of heads on her trip to the sea.
Normally this is where the Free Zone ends and there is a very large and intimidating gate here topped with concertina wires and lots of security cams but we were given special permission and so they opened up the gate, took down lots of big power cables above and we rolled on through.
We took this rare opportunity to do what you are supposed to do with all newly born creatures and introduce them to as many of the other inhabitants of the brave new world they have just arrived in.
Not a bad backdrop!
One more 90 degree corner which was no problem for us but ………. 
….. startled a few of the truck, car and bus drivers who suddenly found themselves sharing the road with a 24 meter / 78 foot long boat!
Not your average traffic jam!
The long and winding road trip eventually led us to this road on the back side of the repair yard section of Setur Marina and the final 90 degree turn to the home stretch to the new launch site.
Uğur, who has been with us the longest is particularly happy to see this big day finally arrive, took the opportunity to climb aboard and have his own scene right out of the movie Titanic perched up at the bow as he rode the final land based home stretch.
We’ve arrived!
Big Bird rolls to a stop right in front of …..,, 
…… Möbius’ very handsome date who has been patiently awaiting her arrival.
Like walking the Bride down the isle, Big Bird carefully escorts Möbius down the path underneath the turquoise arches of this 200 Ton Travel Lift.
There are four of these cabled lift points on each side of the Travel Lift which are now carefully lowered to the ground.
Where the looped ends of the thick wide webbing that forms a sling that goes underneath Möbius belly, are pinned to the lift bars.
To protect Möbius’ fresh silicone Foul Release bottom paint, the slings have all been covered with soft padding.
And then each sling is threaded overtop of Big Bird’s side rails, under Möbius’ belly and connected up to the lift bar on the opposite side.
Up go the lifting slings as the weight transfers from Big Bird’s lift pads and they can now all be removed.
Transfer complete! Big Bird backs out and heads back to the barn while the Travel Lift carries Möbius …….. 
……. the final few meters to the water’s edge.
Sccreeeeeeeechhhhhh!!!!!! HOLD IT!!!
Not so fast there Miss Möbius, there are official vows and a ceremony needing to take place before you get your first taste of Mother Ocean’s tasty salt water!
Travel Lift obliges and backs up just enough for Christine, Baris and myself to say a few words, announce that “We christen you Möbius” and break that champagne bottle over her hefty keel bar.
Note to those concerned, Christine had carefully wrapped the champagne bottle in silicone mesh so no glass shards were spilled.
The not recorded funny part is that this took two tries as the thick glass of the champagne bottle won the first smash on the keel bar and took this second try which you can see in THIS short video clip which I have also embedded below.
But here at last is Möbius first kiss with Mother Ocean.
Oooooops! Not so fast there Captain! Mr. Murphy has different plans for you today!
Immediately upon splashing into the water and while still in the slings, you spend a few minutes below checking all through hulls and other possible sources of leaks to make sure that everything is sealed and all the salt water is where it is supposed to be; OUTSIDE the boat! As we did so we found a small leak on the Rudder Shaft tube and so we made the call to haul her back out and set her back on land while we tracked down and fixed the leak. Hence the less than excited faces on all of us in the video below as came back out of the water and onto the hard for the night.
Poor Möbius! So close yet so far and yet another example of that paradox of trying to get to your destination by taking steps that are half the distance remaining which means that you get closer and closer but never fully arrive!
The Travel Lift set us back down in front of the launch pad and she was once again blocked up for the night.
Later that evening I discovered the source of this leak which fortunately this turned out to be a set of 6 holes that had been drilled into the Rudder tube for injecting Sikaflex around the outer races when they were installing the Jefa Rudder roller bearings for the Rudder Shaft. This happened back in October 2019 while I was back in the US and Canada visiting family so I wasn’t aware of this procedure and the SS plugs had not been threaded into these holes so they were weeping upon entry into the water. A relatively quick and easy fix and I re-tapped/threaded these 6 holes to clean out the threads thoroughly, Uğur & Nihat ran into town to get six M12 x 10mm SS socket head bolts and I mixed up a batch of good ole’ JB Weld to fill the holes and coat the threads and torqued the 6 bolts up tight and we were done before 10pm.
!Next morning, Saturday 20 Feb, 2021 we arose to what was surely the perfect Launch Day with even more sunny and brilliantly Blue skies and NO wind
And it was time to back the Travel Lift overtop of us and put those slings back underneath to lift us up and take us those final 10 meters to the water’s edge!
Lowering back down so Möbius could have here second kiss with Moher Ocean.
Once in we again checked throughout the boat for any sign of seawater inside such as around this Sea Chest in the Forepeak and my first glimpse of the sea below.
Not a drop to be found onboard so a quick check of where the real waterline ended up at the stern and we were good to cast off and be gone.
We gave the thumbs up to the Travel Lift operator and the slings were fully lowered and he backed away.
Due to several complications Möbius did not have a working steering system and the oil for the Nogva CPP gearbox has still not arrived but all the arrangements for getting out of the Free Zone, taking down the power lines, Travel Lift apointment, etc. had been made long in advance so we launched anyway and that meant we had to be towed back to the harbour inside the Free Zone which is why this tug showed up and threw us this line.
Fortunately we had thought of these kinds of scenarios well in advance and had designed this Samson post and nose cone for just this purpose and the tow rope was quickly set and we were off.
The Free Zone harbour is literally around the corner that is on the Left side where that Blue & White tug is tied up so it was a very quick trip and with no wind it all worked out just perfectly. The large green boat in the center is inside the Free Zone which then becomes the container port on the Right with all the cranes.
Rounding that corner on the Left with the Green boat now off on our Starboard side to the Right we can see the slot they have opened up for us to tie up in between the end of the Red tugboat on the Left and the Grey bow of the first of four Arabian Police boats you can see lined up along the same wall.
Naval had arranged for a second second small tug to help maneuver the stern and push us into our slot sideways.
Because as you can see, the open space was only about a meter longer than our 24 meter overall length so It was a pretty tight fit and they needed to push us in sideways to fit.
With the help of some of the great guys on Bozcay IV and III, we got the first line ashore and it was all very quick and easy from there in these windless conditions.
Now the second tug on our stern could push us sideways into the wall with just enough room to spare off the bow of the first Police boat.
Viewed from up in the SkyBridge, this is Möbius’ first contact with a dock.
Stern lines secured and we were soon all tied up for the first time!
When Christine and I were first drawing up our design criteria and use cases, one of the things we wrote down was that we wanted to fit right into being docked in a working harbour and stick out like a sore thumb in a “yachty” marina.
So how well do you think we have met that criteria with these as our neighbors astern……… 
….. and these two up front?
Still lots to do as the real work begins but enough time for a quick snack and celebration with the two founders of our builder Naval Yachts; Baris on the far Left and his brother Dincer on the right.
The rest of the afternoon was equally as Goldilocks time as we enjoyed this stunningly sunny 17C/62F weather being entertained by our two new bow neighbors as they brought this little fella “Lucky Star” in to get loaded up.
Then it was just the Captain and I, and of course Ruby and Barney so it was at last time to celebrate with an unbroken bottle of champagne that we had at last made it to that ever elusive Launch Date!
Peanuts, a box cutter and champagne, what could be more Goldilocks; Just Right, Just for Us?!!!
While we never doubted that we would make it we did often wonder just when this day would arrive but that has all made this milestone all the sweeter to experience. We still have LOTS of work to do to get our beloved Möbius fully finished and ship shape so we can head out for those infinite horizons and get back to eXploring this awemazing world of ours.
Oh, almost forgot! If you are still wondering about that riddle, it was the 2-step Splash Dance! 
I’ll be back to cover all of that starting with next week’s Progress Update but for now we’ll be sleeping aboard to keep an eye on this new launched beauty and start learning all she has to teach us.
-Wayne
Congratulations! What Momentous event!
Here’s to many great moments on deck.
Cheers,
-evan
Thanks Evan, we will keep you posted as the adventure continues.
-Wayne
Oh my! Such a momentous occasion! Years and years of planning, work, long days/nights, and highs and lows all come down to that one moment when she floats in the medium that will be her home the rest of her life.
And you had a lot of firsts! First (and second) travelift ride, first leak, first dock, first tow, first alcohol consumed while on the boat in the water, and the list goes on and on.
I’m so happy that you have reached this major milestone, and look forward to even more coming fast and furious, as they usually do at this stage!
Congratulations!!!!!
Thanks Steve! We’ve definately got the “furious” part down but the “fast” part not so much! But we make progress every day, even though it is usually the three steps forward, two steps back polka but still, that nets us on step forward so we’ll take it!
You and your posts have been a big help already and will be more so in the future. Once we get them all sorted we can start making our way westward around the world and get ourselves over near you as soon as we can.
Congratulations,
I’m a little teary eyed and so happy for you on this so special, long awaited, momentous day.
Doug
Even though it was a “mini maiden voyage” it and the initial launch were surprisingly emotional and there were some tears over here for sure. Thanks for joining us and hope you will stay tuned as the adventure continues.
-Wayne
Awesome Wayne, congratulations to you and Christine for such an incredible undertaking. Can’t wait tosee her in the flesh, uh, aluminum, when you make port in Vancouver.
Hey there Dave and Joan! Thanks for the best wishes and we are already looking forward to sailing into the PNW and being close enough to host you and the Coopers, MacAuley’s and others aboard.
Tears here in Florida for this once in a lifetime day! You two were destined to meet and make this gorgeous ship! We can’t wait till Möbius makes port somewhere a bit closer! Blessings on every floating just right day!
Thanks much Kathleen and Steve. Christine will soon be sitting across from you both and able to tell you all the more stories in person. Most of all though she is looking forward to some long awaited and much needed hugs and I’ll be anxiously awaiting her return to get some of them from her on her return.
Hi Wayne and Christine,
Congratulations on the launch! Here’s hoping commissioning and debugging will be swift and fun!
Hi Carl. Well, swift and commissioning rarely are used in the same sentence but we are working our way through the long list of commissioning and confifuration of all our systems and are making progress, however slowly it seems, on working our way through the list and whacking more and more of the “moles” back into their holes.
Congrats! I was not expecting this today and what a great surprise!!!
Not sure we were expecting it either Donny! And as you’ve been seeing with the posts here while we are floating we are still not quite ready for the first true sea trial in open water, but getting closer by the day and hoping to have the first one this week so do stay tuned.
Really big congratulations.. “FINALLY…”
What a moment of joy and freedom.
Really god luck on your journey, now at sea..
All the best // E
Finally indeed Erik! Thanks for the best wishes and we will keep you posted here as we start sea trials, hopefully later this week.
Congratulations from NZ! You have done a massive job to reach this point, well done. Can’t wait for the sea trials, and to one day share a quiet anchorage with you somewhere =]
Christine and I talk about that day when we get to have Koti and Möbius anchored together so let’s both keep working on making that happen Dennis. I’m long overdue to send you an Email with a number of questions so will do my best to carve out some time in the midst of the chaos here right now.
Wow, congratulations Wayne & Christine. On the water at last!
Hey there Brod! We’ve got the great pleasure of having John aboard with us now and you two have already come up in several conversations. We will keep you posted here as we progress through the commissioning and sea trials and then get back to cruising.
-Wayne
Congratulations Wayne and Christine! This is the moment you have been working towards for such a long time. Years and years of hard work and now, your dreams are coming true. What an amazing experience to build a boat like this. Hoping the trials go well and you can set out on your “plan no plan” soon.
Hey there Sherry & Rick! Hope you’ve been enjoying seeing your beautiful artwork on display here every day with those two gorgeous etched glass walls in the Master Cabin. Everyone here sure enjoys them and they gather ooooo’s and awwww’s with everyone who comes aboard.
We talk a lot about how much we are looking forward to hosting you and Rick aboard for the fist of many visits with us so do start planning for that OK?
Splash!! Remarkable what you’ve all created. Anxious to see the sea trials.
Us too Richard! Stay tuned, we hope to start doing proper sea trials later this week.
Wayne, what an amazing journey you and Christine have been on. And to think it’s only begun. Congratulations, many happy voyages.
Thanks Jack and Kirsten. We are already looking forward to when we get Möbius over to the Best Coast and close enough to have you come join us aboard Möbius. Till then, we’ll do our best to keep you posted on what’s going on with us and where we wander to next.
-Wayne
WOW. Congratulations and many bon voyages await you. So happy to see the splash on such a glorious day. Looking forward to hearing about more adventures and hopefully meeting up with Mobiius one day! Big virtual hugs to both of you.
In one sense, you’ll never be finished, you’re getting to a stage where the nature of the process changes. Out in the world. Becoming part of the world and evolving with it as part of functioning within it.
Quite right as usual John and we are looking forward to making the transition from building to cruising and getting back to that old adage that cruising is the art of moving your boat from one exotic repair destination to the next! 😉
We are thawing out here in Texas and dealing with some burst pipes … this really REALLY made my day to read about and see all the pics
Really made our day to Andrew! We’ve had a few burst pipes too, but not from cold or freezing fortunately, just installation issues which like you we are sorting through. Glad you continue to enjoy the posts and I’ll do my best to keep them coming.
Congratulations on your huge launch moment. So exciting to see it all unfold!! Best of luck in getting your last few ducks in a row! 🙂
Congratulations Christine and Wayne!!! We are so happy for you!
Thanks Sophi. Too bad that you and Maurice are no longer close enough for a quick trip to join us aboard but let’s both keep that in mind and find the next opportunity to get together.
Congratulations, Chris and Wayne, on the big day! Great to be spending your first night on the water in your new home. Can hardly wait to see her and all four of you!
Thanks Steve and Susan, we anxiously await being able to host you aboard Möbius in the not too distant future.
Outstanding. I’m very happy for you. Commissioning a new build boat (which I’ve done once) is a rare moment, a time to be cherished. Yes, you still have so many things to do, but you’re now in the water, and have finally returned to your nautical lifestyle. Best wishes from Wade and Diane only 2.5 hours drive away in Alanya. We will drop by for a short visit “soon”.
So happy to see Möbius in the water and to see you moving into your new home! All the best on your many adventures!
Thanks Philip and it was fun to see that you and Nancy are off on your own new mobile adventure in Africa. Looking forward to your updates on that AND to your next stop over here on Möbius!
Standing ovation, great job!
Hope we meet at some anchorage, one day!
I’ll be sure to come by and demand a boat tour, you’ll be warned!
It would be our delight and honour Andy and we can’t wait for that day we get to meet up and have you onboard the Good Ship Möbius. No warning required but you may need to cut the tour short as it stretches into the 2nd day!
Sitting on your deck drinking champagne … what a moment … is that treadmaster on your fold up table !!! just kidding
Of COURSE it is TreadMaster! What else would you cover a table with?!?!
Thanks for all your contributions and for joining us here for so long Andrew, hope we can continue to entertain and be of value as we start to make the transition from building to cruising.
-Wayne
Huge congratulations to you Wayne and Christine from Salmon Arm from both of us. Rick and Linda Hirtle
Thanks Rick and Linda. Can’t give you any dates but we WILL be making our way to the PNW and would enjoy the chance to host you both onboard Möbius when we get to your part of the world on the Best Coast. I still have many family and friends in Beautiful BC, sister in Comox, dear friends in Courtney, son in Vancouver, etc. so we will be much closer to you in the not too distant future we hope.
-Wayne
CONGRATULATIONS
She is amazing, gorgeous…and…she
FLOATS .
Jake
A few months ago I didn’t think that you could splash her this soon. But I’m glad that you have gotten there. It’s now nearing the completion of a tremendous project. We’ve all enjoyed your sharing and look forward to your continuing journey.
All the best.
Thanks JZ, Christine and I often liken this experience as being on “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” or also the “Life is a box of chocolates” reference from Forrest Gump so we also wondered when we would finally launch! Seemed classic to us that it took two tries to do the initial launch and then another month + before we were able to finally move under our own power. Still a few more jobs to complete before we feel that Möbius is seaworthy enough to take out on into open waters for her first true sea trial and then many more after that as we fix and tweak the details we find as we start to put all the systems to the test and strain of use. So we should have many more updates to keep you entertained as the commissioning and tweaking continues to the point where we feel that we can finally head out to the open oceans where the REAL testing begins. So do stay tuned and thanks so much for joining us on this adventure for so long.
-Wayne
Congratulations to both of you! Enjoy the champagne
Unfortunately we didn’t have any of your wine onboard, which is a problem we hope to rectify soon with your help. But we did enjoy the Turkish champagne none the less. Can’t wait to be toasting with you and Ruth onboard in the not too distant future Swiss.
Congratulations on your successful “splash dance” and for allowing us to tag along on your journey!
Thanks David and it is all very humbling for us to have so many people decide to join us vicariously on our latest adventure. It definately would not be anywhere close to the same experience for us if we were doing this in silence all by ourselves and so you and the thousands of others out there make a HUGEY difference for us, knowing that we are in some small ways “paying it forward” by passing on our lessons learned and helping to encourage others to go for it when it comes to chasing one’s dreams and desires.
-Wayne
Congregations to both of you. So much enjoy following your adventure from middle of the US.
Robin! Wow, what a wonderful surprise to find out that you’ve been lurking in the background all this time. Very humbling to know and puts a big grin on my face to get this blast from the past from you. Once we get Möbius over to North American waters do let us know if there is any way we might get close enough to have you come aboard for a visit. We’ve got a lovely Guest Cabin that can have your name on it anytime you wish.
Congratulations Wayne and Christine to this first and important step toward your explorer. Hope we will catch up with you soon.
We look forward to that as well. We sail on The No Plan Plan once we get out on the water so not sure just where we will end up and when but one of the possibilities is that we will do the Viking route to head west across the north of Scotland and then along the South coasts of Iceland, Greenland and down into Newfoundland and so we may end up spending the rest of this year up in the north Atlantic so stay tuned as our routes evolve and let’s see if we get a chance to meet up.