Bailout!

After a long day's travelling, Captain and Matey finally arrived home to discover there had been a slow leak and the starboard (right) hull was filling with water. Oops.
Someone hadn't turned the sea 'cock' off properly (this enables salt water to go through the engine to cool it).
'Don't panic!' said the Captain helpfully. Fortunately calm reigned once again in a time of crisis as Captain fetched the pump and Matey fetched the buckets and lots of pumping and sloshing occurred. About 100 buckets and a couple of hours later and crisis averted once again!

The exercise provided a good opportunity to pull up the floorboards and clean underneath and generally become better acquainted with the boat. It is now much clearer which position is closed and which is open for the sea cock - another good lesson to learn while in safe waters.
Captain and Matey have since pondered their good fortune in having been gone for only three days and returning to only ankle-depth water ... 

Party weekend

Captain and Matey had a quick trip to Melbourne on the weekend for Kathryn's 21st birthday - picture evidence follows ... 

Happy Birthday Kathryn!!

Waking up at Peel Island

Led there be light (and Macs)

Hey Col - this pic is for you ...

Today we had blue skies, sunshine and lighter winds so we visited Moreton Island for a swim and then made our way to a small anchorage at Peel Island for the night. There are only two other boats here so it’s very peaceful so far and a welcome change from the burbs of Brisbane. This will be the first time we have tested the anchor and chain overnight, so hopefully we’ll still be here in the morning. Chris was at the helm for much of the day honing his expertise in sailing (among other things).

There was almost a real disaster today as Matey’s beloved Mac somehow was not properly stowed. An almighty crash was heard and it was on the floor, having fallen about a metre. A distraught Matey tenderly picked it up and coaxed it to life, and gratefully discovered it appeared to be ok - just an injured top. Thank you, God of Apples, for your bounty in preserving the life of Matey’s Mac!

Riding the waves

Following a busy morning of battery replacement and budget-blowing, yesterday we set out several hours later than planned with the intention of going south for a few days. Matey took up her usual position at the front as we made our way through the canals to the bay. Interestingly, in the time between when we left our mooring and reaching the bay (about 10 mins) a gale swept in whipping up waves big enough to surf over. Matey had an exciting time as the boat travelled up and down the waves but was disappointed that she had to resort to holding on (she enjoys developing her sea legs). Captain sensibly decided though that we’d missed the boat and had better turn around. 

It was an interesting exercise as we learnt several things about the boat and its capabilities, including the limitations of the fridge door (it opened but luckily the food didn’t spill out). Another lesson learned is always check the latest weather forecast as a revised one may suddenly appear that’s markedly different from the morning one. We also received the exciting news that the long awaited dinghy had arrived – by nightfall we were pumping it up.

Today the wind continues to gust at up to 28 knots (in the canal so it’s much stronger outside) so we’re stuck here for now – poor Chris is yet to have a sail. But this means the Captain has been able to lavish some attention on the lovely new dinghy, including honing his rope splicing skills and arranging the davits (rollers with ropes to lift the dinghy out of the water and attach to the boat).

Meanwhile, Matey has been reading up about tides. Let’s hope she can file the info. away and remember it!

Down (with) the hatch!!

As everyone knows, good captains keep their boats sparklingly clean and white. This morning Captain was scrubbing away but, oddly, neglected to close the hatches (or ask anyone else to) before he started hosing down. Not once – but three times! An initial spray was aimed at Chris’ cabin, and then the Captain became more enthusiastic in his cleaning and progressed to the upper deck. Captain assumed the water would flow the other way (!) until it began cascading into the galley, to Matey’s great surprise. Fortunately Matey was able to multi-task and managed to clean up the water, burn the toast and utter expletives all at the same time. Then the third strike – and water cascaded into the Captain’s cabin. At this point the language of a true sailor may have passed the Matey’s lips.

Matey has put the Captain’s apparently absent-minded behaviour down to cogitation over the battery situation. The existing batteries appeared to have entered their twilight years and have been less than enthusiastic in helping the engine spring to life. Captain has since decided to send them to their maker and get new ones. He has also sourced them and installed them – all in a morning’s work.

Time and tide

Thanks to Yvette for her very generous gift! 


Just when we thought the boat couldn't get any better, Chris arrived with a fabulous marine clock and tide indicator (does it have a proper name?)  We hope next time Chris comes bearing your presence!

Deck hands

Well – galley slaves actually – yay!

Kathryn and Leigh are visiting and today we went to Moreton Island – where we swam in turquoise waters (with notably different patches of warm and cold water), saw thousands of starfish, lots of turtles, a few rays and a variety of other creatures ...

Hmmm ... these slaves don’t appear to be working very hard. The Captain will have to do something about that ...

The replaced rudder cable is working well. Fortunately the weather has improved greatly over the last few days (28°C and blue skies).

Matey has been pondering why wind is described by the direction from which it is blowing, while tide is described by the direction it flows towards. Some consistency in naming conventions would assist the novice mariner.

In the quest for nautical knowledge Matey has just read Longitude by Dava Sobel. With a little further research she now feels she has a reasonable (working) understanding of both latitude and longitude.  She has also learnt that a nautical mile is defined as 1852 m and has just realised a knot = a nautical mile ...

... without a rudder

Captain's hard at it again - his latest problem to solve is an apparently broken rudder cable.

Home

Captain of many talents

It’s been a blustery, windy couple of days with sub-zero temperatures (ok, Matey may be exaggerating slightly, but she was expecting the warmer climes of the north).
Captain has been working hard at ordering his office today and now it finally looks ship shape (just in time too as our first guests are visiting tonight – the gorgeous Umit and Ben). Matey must concede, now that every useful piece of equipment has a hidey-hole – err sorry, has been safely stowed – and it all looks clean and tidy, TC is a most acceptable home.
Yes, that's right, TC. Captain and Matey have agreed to refer to the lovely cat by the initials of its official name – for now anyway …)

Captain has finally decided to rest and Matey has the pleasure of listening to his creative genius on the guitar. Who needs iTunes?

Galley slave

Matey spent some time today befriending the oven and other tight corners of the galley. She’s pleased to report that the oven appears to work well. (Unfortunately though this means any shortcomings in the ginger crunch can’t be blamed on the boat). She’s also becoming acquainted with Brisbane radio – this may take a little more getting used to. Matey also found some time to flick through her sailing manual to refresh her memory on navigation marks. Matey realises she still has much to learn before hitting the high seas …

Meanwhile Captain ruthlessly tackled the many decisions required of a Captain.  A dinghy is now on order – a compromise on a hard base/soft top has been reached. After much cogitation, Captain has also decided on an anchor chain – 40 m of 10 mm chain.

The motor for the dinghy is still under consideration, and the rigging is another matter again – it’s most important to get that one right. Oh dear – will the Captain’s work ever be done?

Not on the rocks!

Today was the big day of the inaugural sail and Matey almost required a scotch (with soda) before leaving the canal. Prior to setting out Captain and Matey practised landing at the jetty so they'd be confident on returning from a hard day's sailing. As the pontoon is at the end of a canal a sharp turn is needed before mooring (or a different approach is required). But alas, their turn wasn't sharp enough - the rocks surged towards them and the hulls tried to straddle the pontoon! 
Some serious scrambling occurred, along with whatever brawnpower a Captain and a Matey possess, and a bit of teamwork too - and fortunately, the crisis was averted! Only almost an inauspicious start.
No Captain, Matey or boat was harmed. No-one got wet, and no expletives were heard (though laughter may have been if anyone had been observing). Calm reigned as the crew focused on the task at hand - when it counted, at least. An enjoyable sail followed with a turtle and a dolphin spotted, and only a small amount of residual angst evident ...
Notably, the next attempt at mooring was successful, with Captain, Matey and boat unscathed. Scotch-o'clock was warmly welcomed ...

Name or shame?

Dilemma: what's in a name? According to boatie, err, wisdom, you aren't supposed to change the name of a boat - no matter how bad it is. What about in the case where a perfectly reasonable name for a boat has been changed to a really bad one, by previous owners? Do you then accept the current name because:
a ) it's too much hassle to change it again, or
b) it's bad luck to change it?
Of course, it would be simper to leave it as is, but it's so unsuitable Matey can't bring herself to write it. Suffice it to say that a couple of owners previous gave this so far delightful vessel their medical sounding business name. Need Matey elaborate?
Another big decision for the Captain to make - no doubt there will be further (possibly heated) discussion about this ...

Hot showers

It's extraordinary how life's simple pleasures become so much more enjoyable when they are somewhat more difficult to obtain, e.g. a hot shower. Thanks to our new solar shower (water bag heated up by the sun and strung up from the halyard into the 'bathroom') Captain has just had his first hot shower in days. The cries of joy almost made the Matey weep. Fortunately Matey had had her own hot shower not long before - having sourced the local aquatic centre and had a  swim, hot shower and hair wash - so Captain was able to have the entire bag of hot water all to himself! Bliss ...

The Captain's lot

Life on the road with the Captain provides numerous challenges. Now that we have arrived and are living on said catamaran (still moving in and sorting things, really) Matey will have to set about learning everything she can about all things nautical. Old brain can finally decompose (it's been eager to do that for a while now) and new brain will have to kick in. How exciting! 
Captain does show slave-driving tendencies, at times, but at least he applies them to himself as well. He's been 'up to his elbows' in poop for the last two days trying to fix up 'the head' (helpful marinespeak for the crapper) so anything he may have said in vain Matey will consider excusing.
Captain (with Matey's helpful assistance) has also been busy sourcing a dinghy, and a momentous decision is required here - hard or soft? More croc-proof or easy access for snorkelling? The anchor and chain also need to be sorted - i.e 8 mm or 10 mm chain? Rope and gypsy issues here. Another decision of epic significance. Also - how much? 30 m or 60 m? Coral or mud? New Guinea or Australia, or further afield? There are so many decisions in a Captain's life.
The catamaran is as perfect as Matey remembers from a previous expedition to view the model in the search star and tide for the ideal cat. (That's a liveability judgement - it's yet to be tested on the high seas, but Matey has a good feeling about that side of things).

The Matey's lot

Being a matey is a hard slog, and pandering to the whims of the Captain is a neverending grind. First a matey has to give up work, pack up life, and pile all that can can fit and might be needed in the next year into a rickety looking Wicked van and drive 1700 kms to the vessel of adventure and object of the Captain's obsession - an admittedly very cute catamaran.