My little piece of peace

From now on, the stronger trade winds generally die out right through until next year after the wet season etc... of course we can still a get a blow every now and then, but for the most part, finding a weather window wont be difficult at all.

You dont have to pay me to build a new rudder blade Mas, im just doing it as a favour provided you manage to get another post from pacific composites... And your anchor winch wont cost anything either, we just replace the springs and your done...

 

Hi groper,
Thanks very much, It was Niel Bowchow who advised me against aluminium tube or rounded billet, suggesting that it would bend as opposed to break, and effectively jamb the steering as it would likely deform in a twist or bend and render replacement almost requiring a major operation to remove and replace the old tube as well as the offending shaft...

I will contact Pacific Composites come Tuesday... Could you accurately measure the outside-diameter in metric (mm) - - and what about removing the other rudder to use as a mold/comparitive shape and to also contemplate the amount to shorten that blade by, - at the same time?

 

This morning I am off to the shops at the Smithfield centre to recharge dongle and phone and visit JCU on the way back to sort out my Linux OS extras...

Thence back to order the glass shaft for the rudder...

 

OOps budgetary constraints... I must wait until my next pension cheque arrives before ordering... I will be ordering on Friday 5th October....

Northern Queensland Coastal Waters Forecast - - IDQ11260
Issued at 4:35 am EST on Tuesday 2 October 2012

Please be aware - - Wind gusts can be 40 percent stronger than the averages given here, and maximum waves may be up to twice the height

Warning Summary at issue time
A Strong Wind Warning has been issued for waters between Lockhart River and St Lawrence for this afternoon.
For the latest warning information please check the Bureau's web site www.bom.gov.au/qld

Weather Situation
A high [1035 hPa] near western Victoria is expected to move slowly eastwards over southeastern Australia during today, extending a firm ridge along the east Queensland coast. The ridge will relax late in the week as the high moves east over the Tasman Sea.

Peninsula Waters, Torres Strait to Cooktown:
A Strong Wind Warning has been issued for this afternoon.

Tuesday until midnight: Winds: North of Lockhart River: SE 15 to 20 knots, increasing to 20 to 25 knots from the south during the afternoon. South of Lockhart River: SE 20 to 25 knots, increasing to 25 to 30 knots from the south during the afternoon and evening. Lighter SE winds close inshore early morning. Seas: 2.2 to 3 metres outside the reef, 1.7 to 2.2 metres inside the reef. Swell: E to SE 2 metres outside the reef. Isolated showers.

Wednesday: Winds: North of Lockhart River: SE 20 to 25 knots, increasing to 25 to 30 knots during the morning. South of Lockhart River: SE 25 to 30 knots. Lighter SE winds close inshore early morning. Seas: 3 metres outside the reef and 2.2 metres inside the reef. Swell: SE 2 to 2.5 metres outside the reef. Isolated showers, tending scattered in the far south.

Thursday: Winds: SE 25 to 30 knots. Lighter SE winds close inshore early morning.

North Tropical Waters, Cooktown to Cardwell:
A Strong Wind Warning has been issued for this afternoon.

Tuesday until midnight: Winds: North of Cairns: SE 20 to 25 knots, increasing to 25 to 30 knots during the afternoon and evening. South of Cairns: SE 15 to 20 knots, increasing to 20 to 25 knots during the morning and reaching 25 to 30 knots at times offshore during the afternoon and evening. Lighter S to SE winds close inshore early in the morning. Seas: 2.2 to 3 metres outside the reef, 1.7 to 2.2 metres inside the reef. Swell: SE 1.5 to 2 metres developing outside the reef. Isolated showers, increasing to scattered from the south.

Wednesday: Winds: SE 25 to 30 knots. Lighter S to SE winds close inshore south of Cairns early morning. Seas: 3 metres outside the reef and 2.2 metres inside the reef. Swell: SE 2 to 2.5 metres outside the reef. Scattered squally showers.

Thursday: Winds: North of Cairns: SE 25 to 30 knots. South of Cairns: SE 20 to 25 knots, reaching 25 to 30 knots at times offshore.

http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/cha...EST&area=Au&model=CG&chartSubmit=Refresh View

Does not look like the weather will ease much until Monday 8th October (moon at first quarter)...

 

aluminium rod looking any better Mas?

 

Hi groper,
Use of aluminium has been strongly advised against as with any damage it will bend and jamb inside the tube and to repair that would likely mean removing the shaft as it would lock the whole steering system, likely at a time when that may be the worst thing to happen... It may be an option if the rudder was hung outside on a 'transom'...

Pension comes through on Thursday and I can call and order then... I will need a delivery address (to you?)

 

The beauty of your system is that the rudder can be isolated with the removal of just one easily accessible bolt, thence unlocking your steering should that occur. In addition, i think we can build the blade so that it breaks before the shaft bends - and from memory, my friend builds his rudders with solid aluminium rods, not tubes, a bit heavy tho.

Just the electrolysis is my main concern with alum...

 

Hi groper,
I feel more comfortable staying with glass and waiting for it to arrive in the post...

I am trying also to find out how James (Silver Raven) is through a friend of his in Mackay who I met on the way up...

I found Silver, He seems to be not in a real good way so I would love to visit today... Give me a call on 0408262234 asap...

 

Get well soon, Silver.

 

Silver is his usual exuberant self and recouperating nicely... He has a fair backlog of farm chores, so I will go up to the "high country" above Cairns for a while to help out a little...

This may be the opportunity to test the market as to whether there are any buyers for "CNO"

 

Things have been quiet, - - - Me anchored up in a quiet backwater, attending to "domestic" (non cruising stuff)... - - - Strong wind warning has been lifted and the weather promises to be sunny and balmy for most of the weekend... - - - I head for the hills for a bit of "farmstay work" and hopefully the boat will happily look after itself... - - - For the past couple of days we have had but one high tide and one low tide - - I do not know where the other pair went...

Cairns is supposed to have a solar eclipse this coming new moon day (15 October or is it 14 November) - should be fun...

I still have lots of images to upload and I hope to do this during my 'farmstay' - Telstra permitting...
168853

 

Glad to hear that Silver/James is recuperating it's a nasty business the pneumonia makes you realise how fragile you are. When you come out of it you just want to make sure you get everything you want to do underway and not put things off.

 

Mas,

close to where you are moored there is a pole house, at end of canal to east of you with a jetty and small (10M) trawler on jetty.

belongs to Bill Izard the Wizard a good mate of mine.

Say hello.

Cheers

John

 

Hi Corley,
Thanks for the thoughts for Silver Raven, - I will pass on your words...

Hi Downunder,
I thank you most graciously for the contact, I will follow it up when I next go down to Cairns... Many farm chores yet to be addressed and the "wet" approaches and I am told that with the rising flow of the Barron, the little creek on the farm backs up a bit and ready access out is difficult...

Hi all cruising Yachties, Whilst in Queensland waters please visit Middle Percy Island and pay your dues for "life membership" of this unique yacht club, - - to support the facilities and cover the insurance now demanded to cover visitors by the lease arrangements.

It is hoped that the tradition of bartering, selling vegetables, sales of local Island honey, Feasts of spit roast goat - and walks to the homestead will always be available to be offered to passing cruising yachts....

 

Sorting out the images... Jeeeees I have a lot - and where the F did I take them and do I weally need to resize them all... Oh well best to start......... All are set to 2560 x 1920...

Sadly many of the resorts are closed (global economic dearth and cyclone Yasi and others damage) - and no cash flow to make the exercise of major repair worth considering - DEVINE OPPORTUNITY to lease to the government and process the illegal immigrants at less cost than at present (on Christmas Is (indian Ocean), Naru and Manus Islands - Oh well Bureaucrats are blind and stupid.... and Australians would be employed and the money would be spent inside Australia... I support LESS government... but then again Bureaucrats only look after themselves (PARASITES mostly)...

84 shows the calm (almost mirror-like calm seas I had to endure
17 of the low tide situation at Mackay - No pontoons to come alongside in ones 'tender" and lots of slimy and sticky mud to endure...
27 Burgers of the flavours from around the world - a clever idea and nicely marketed...
51 - another deserted resort at the south end of long Island in the Whitsunday region, (club crocodile or whatever still caters for the boatloads of "fornicating unmarried")...
106 is the sugar terminal 3 nautical miles offshore from Lucinda - rounding this and enduring the shallows before entering the passage behind Hinchinbrook and receiving a 2 knot boost N on the incoming tide...
114 is about a third way along where it narrows and the channel deepens and the 'tidal boost' was about 3 knots Nearing dusk I went in to "port Hinchinbrook and it was still littered with wrecks and garbage - (stuff not where it is supposed to be - being used for what it was intended so I turned and went out and anchored outside the leads to depart in early morning for Mourilyan harbour as Dunk Island was closed and looked sad and empty...