My little piece of peace

North Tropical Waters, Cooktown to Cardwell:

Thursday until midnight: Winds: SE mainly 10 to 15 knots, though increasing to 15 to 20 knots during the afternoon north of Green Island. Seas: 1.2 to 1.7 metres outside the reef, 0.7 to 1 metre inside the reef. Swell: Less than 1.5 metres. Isolated showers developing.

Friday: Winds: SE to NE 10 to 15 knots south of Green Island, 15 to 20 knots north of Green Island. Seas: 1.2 to 1.7 metres outside the reef, 0.7 to 1 metre inside the reef. Swell: Less than 1.5 metres. Isolated showers.

Saturday: Winds: SE to NE 10 to 15 knots.

 

Well Where is "Silver" and "groper"? - only one visitor - from Mauritious, we had a chat for a while...

I went up the creek, past Yorkies Nob Marina, taking the right fork to a canal-front development to near the sales park with signs proclaiming "Marina Berths", and "Waterfront land" - right next to "Blue Water Marina" right up a narrow little creek... - Boats cannot go any further up the creek than this and a boat-ramp is right next to me... - - - Where are you guys?

 

Mas I hope your visitors arrive.

GOOD NEWS
I am all loaded up and leaving within the next hour to the Vaaldam.
The plan is to spend the next FOUR DAYS in solitude on the boat, exploring the upper reaches into the Freestate.
This is going to be fantastic, to go where there are absolutely no humans.
This of course, is the first trip with all the "electrics" working
AND my next post will be later today from the boat!

signing off for now
next postings from the boat!

 

Hooley Dooley,

Best wishes to you Manie and enjoy your time "at sea"....

 

We lost Andy Williams yesterday. Moon River was his most famous song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_jgIezosVA

 

Now, "and the rain is a tumbling down" - I think those words are from an Australian song about tropics in Australia... at about 06:15am it does not look like doing anything other than easing, - - and then, when your hopes were rising, - - prove you wrong and live up to a reputation of being "The Wet Tropics."... Weather on 'ABC local radio 106.7fm' after the local news at 6:30, and will supply the relevant information... I am a bit "high and dry and up at the port bow" - - just begining to move now as high tide is about 08:00 or a bit later up ths creek...

I have a feeling that Silver Raven may be in Hospital, so everyone, please beseech your preferred diety to wish him a speedy recovery to full health and mobility...
166562

 

you brought the weather with you Mas! hasnt rained up here in nearly 2 months, but as soon as you rocked up look what happened will call you around midday and drop down the marina...

 

Coindence only as Mas did not bring any rain to Mackay.

Silver Raven's phone number was in an earlier post of his if you need it Mas.

good voyaging

 

Hi groper,
Thanks, I will be waiting on CNO, high and dry (with a list to port this time) on the same sandbar...

Hi downunder,
Seems the rain did not follow me up the coast but came in to welcome me I suppose, now that I have returned to the wet tropics... I have been out walking the streets looking for a pontoon that I can tie up to at around $70/week - lets see...

 

Hi Boatfan,
Marina access is such that I and many others do not use them - a demand that you carry $10,000,000 in public liability insurance - cost at least Au$600 per year, a floating pen varies - anything above Au$50 per night... goes up to triple that for cats as they use double berth space... I have managed to avoid all marinas and anchor up in the lee of hills, islands and other places that a cat is especially good for...

I had a problem with my Hutton Orca anchor winch and it turns out to be two tiny springs that keep some pawls out... Replaced by mail from Hutton spare parts immediately for no charge

THANK YOU HUTTON WINCHES... http://www.huttonwinches.com/products/anchor/hutton

 

I met groper, Who is most helpful and is building a beautiful power cat... I will get some pictures soon... Very well designed to meet his needs and requirements...

We looked for places to store "CNO" on the hard but just far too expensive - what is desperately is some of the engineering as is applied to jinkers at Monteys Marina in the Caboolture River down Brisbane way... Huge opportunities to store boats and cats safely in far-north-Queensland over the cyclone season... Reasonable rates, protected from storm winds and tidal surges... Excellent budget business opportunity...

During a cyclone alert, the best place is for cruising yachts to hide well up a small creek and tie off to mangroves on both sides of the creek that will not recieve a significant flooding flows from the rainfall that usually accompanies such storms...

Of course the other option is to be on hard stand WELL ABOVE the storm surge levels...

In a marina exposed to storm surge increases in water levels and winds are looking for an "insurance damage claim" but seems likely that the insurance companies have not woken up yet - except to increase rates to match estimated damages ... for the foolish and wise, so many wise and careful are not insured - - 10% is just rediculous and a poor bet...

 

Hi all,
Some updates and much of the effort belongs to groper, as I was quite directionless, vague, and not quite with-it today as I was sort of overcomed by several "adversities"...

I wish and pray for Silver Raven to have a speedy recovery to effervescent health...

The broken anchor winch appears to have been due to a pair of springs I would be inclined to expect in a pocket watch... Awaiting for the mail, to deliver the parts from Hutton winches... at no charge to me,.. Thank you again Hutton...

Next was the observation that I have a missing rudder (Port side), brocken at where it passes through the hull, - so we removed the remaining short post and links... groper said he would seek some parts and make up a new rudder and help fit the new one - I also figured that we may remove some 4 inches from the other rudder as I can only figure that the broken rudder was removed sometime after leaving Mackay... Possibly striking something that passed under the mini-keels to float up and remove the rudder as there was absolutelu no visible or any other sign of damage to the sail-drive leg or the propeller (not a scratch or sign of abrasion on the "propspeed" coating on the propeller...

I am now sitting sans one rudder, (port), without a working anchor winch, and have an anchor (secondary danforth) set midstream in, the creek holding the stern in deeper water and a line off the stbd bow and tied to a convenient Galip (tropical beach almond), preparing to set fruit for the coming season...

Hopefully I will now sit comfortably and not lean like a drunken sailor lieing side on to the slope of the "beach sand" when the tide goes out...

166659

 

Glad to hear you got off the sand ok mate... a new rudder and post shouldnt be a problem now that ive had a chance to think about it... will get onto it some time this coming week and be good as new again my build thread is here in case youve missed it _> http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/bo...displacement-powercat-build-thread-38588.html

DId you manage to finally get through to silver raven or still no joy?

 

Hi groper,
Positioning is almost perfect... Someone is cooking a curry - a bit more 'tangey and harsh' than my usual (except when I seek to give someone a "hot mouth of masochism"

Not all that many boats launched, coming in dribs and drabs since about 6:00 am... - Might have something to do with the overcast skies,.. Then again maybe it was the young mums breakfasting and readying the children whilst 'dad' fueled and readied the boat?

 

they might be all home waiting for the grand final to start.