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Monday, September 24, 2007
Saturday to Tuesday morning 25th
Messed about in various places from Esk to Whitehaven and Cid Harbour for El’s birthday dinner. This was a culinary masterpiece. Roast pork done to a turn on the BBQ. Then back to Henning and Hamilton to drop girls off. Attempted to reprovision in Hammo but there’s nothing super about the supermarket. They do a nice range of mince. Resembles Russia. Prices, of course, are more your Fortnum and Mason. So Pam is lying in wait for the morning supply barge from the mainland. Could get nasty.
Another failure was dinner ashore last night. “Do you ‘av a reservation monsieur? Oh mon dieu you don’t? Zen I am afraid you weel go ‘ungry” And this was at the Chinese joint….last on our tour.
So we shared a “yachtyburger” and charrdonois at the tavern with the other social outcasts. Seems it’s school holidays and unless you’re related to Bob Oatley…….
Off in the general direction of Whitehaven for a few days and then we start thinking about heading slowly south.
FRIDAY 21st September
Tongue Bay. Walked up the Hill for a stunning view of Hill Inlet at low tide and all the different colours of water depths…quite stunning.
SUNDAY 17th September
Back to Airlie for one night to provision and prepare for the arrival of Sam and her friends. Motored to Cid for an evening before their flight arrived the next day on the 19th. After collecting the girls we headed for Whitehaven beach and had a fairly pleasant evening with the stern anchor out. Next day 20th was magical,oily calm waters, turtles popping up everywhere and the most amazing blue sky. Decided the day was too good to stay in one spot so motored to North Whitehaven to dingy up the Inlet but too low tide, and only got so far but saw lots of sting rays as we dingied ashore. Next on the agenda was Dumbell Island and snorkeled amongst the coral and amazing amount of colourful fish. On over to south Border for lunch and a walk along the beach then back to Tongue Bay for the evening.
Messed about in various places from Esk to Whitehaven and Cid Harbour for El’s birthday dinner. This was a culinary masterpiece. Roast pork done to a turn on the BBQ. Then back to Henning and Hamilton to drop girls off. Attempted to reprovision in Hammo but there’s nothing super about the supermarket. They do a nice range of mince. Resembles Russia. Prices, of course, are more your Fortnum and Mason. So Pam is lying in wait for the morning supply barge from the mainland. Could get nasty.
Another failure was dinner ashore last night. “Do you ‘av a reservation monsieur? Oh mon dieu you don’t? Zen I am afraid you weel go ‘ungry” And this was at the Chinese joint….last on our tour.
So we shared a “yachtyburger” and charrdonois at the tavern with the other social outcasts. Seems it’s school holidays and unless you’re related to Bob Oatley…….
Off in the general direction of Whitehaven for a few days and then we start thinking about heading slowly south.
FRIDAY 21st September
Tongue Bay. Walked up the Hill for a stunning view of Hill Inlet at low tide and all the different colours of water depths…quite stunning.
SUNDAY 17th September
Back to Airlie for one night to provision and prepare for the arrival of Sam and her friends. Motored to Cid for an evening before their flight arrived the next day on the 19th. After collecting the girls we headed for Whitehaven beach and had a fairly pleasant evening with the stern anchor out. Next day 20th was magical,oily calm waters, turtles popping up everywhere and the most amazing blue sky. Decided the day was too good to stay in one spot so motored to North Whitehaven to dingy up the Inlet but too low tide, and only got so far but saw lots of sting rays as we dingied ashore. Next on the agenda was Dumbell Island and snorkeled amongst the coral and amazing amount of colourful fish. On over to south Border for lunch and a walk along the beach then back to Tongue Bay for the evening.
Monday, September 17, 2007
SUNDAY 16h September
Motored the whole way to Cid Harbour as we had to run the engine for at least 10 hours to see if the oil was going to repeat it’s previous behaviour. Once something goes wrong, then every new sound, your heart goes thump and you worry what it could be and so you are on tender hooks for the first hour and then as no smoke appears you relax a little.
Cid Harbour was magical, no wind torquise water, turtles popping up everywhere and nowhere to go and nothing to do except lunch and an afternoon of .zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Bliss. Went ashore to explore and find the spot 26 years ago where we built a fire and cooked a pork roast with Peanut butter sauce which was delicious. The whole area has changed become a National Park so you can’t light fires but can camp with table and chairs and long drop toots…..and lots of Goanna’s. A very
pleasant bay.
Fishing Notes: I don’t believe it but set up the line to jiggle for bait and then gave it to Nick who was jiggling for a few minutes then had to leave the line to do something and when he came back said I thing the line is caught on the dingy at which time the rod bent right over and took off. After 10 minute of running around the boat and playing with the fish he finally landed a 5kl silver trevally which he hadn’t even hooked but caught a line which the fish had originally been hooked on…..very tinny. Let the fish go but am now 7 behind Nick in the fishing department.
Saturday 15th Abel Point Marina (Airlie Beach)
Diesel Man couldn’t find anything wrong with the engine. Well at least nothing major. Pressure tested the cooling system which showed up a couple of leaks but these were sorted with a screwdriver applied to jubilee clips. So no head gasket or worse. Changed oil and filter again and will motor over to Cid Harbour for a couple of nights and then back here for another oil and filter change. So we live in hope.
As to the reason water got in to the oil this matter was debated long and hard at the Airlie Beach Yacht Club last night. Unfortunately it was a little too long and I can’t recall the verdict. But I think it has something to do with the fact that we’ve lowered the raw water supply hose when removing the eutectic heat exchange. This has brought it closer to water level and may have created a siphon. How’s that for a Hugo moment? So if you know a closet plumber (keep Darren out of the picture. He has a certain reputation in these parts) or shipwright please feel free to offer suggestions. Regardless of that we shall raise the pipe and get in the habit of closing the seacock to the raw water inlet in rolly anchorages.
The only other point of interest is that the average age of visitors to the Airlie Yacht Club must be over fifty. I make this assumption on the basis of the fact that at the sign in books they have the usual pen roped to the desk. They also have three pairs of spectacles. I asked the blonde receptionist if they also had hearing aids and incontinence pads. She said ‘certainly not’ with a cross look. I said then that’s discrimination. I think I lost her at this point.
Friday 14th Abel Point marina Airlie Beach.
Interesting day yesterday. Only had to come from Cid Harbour which is about 15nm but in order to do that you need a bit of breeze. Drifted in the general direction with the ebbing tide then got about 8 knots but on the nose and then finally it went a bit North and we got the kite up. Lasted about 45 minutes and then died completely. At this stage we were still a couple of miles out of Airlie. So I can now report that a 3.3 HP outboard will push a 7 ton boat along in calm conditions at 2.8 knots. Got ourselves to the harbour entrance and gingerly started the diesel which got us to our berth.
So we’re here until the engine gets a clean bill of health.
There are indeed worse places to be stuck.
Motored the whole way to Cid Harbour as we had to run the engine for at least 10 hours to see if the oil was going to repeat it’s previous behaviour. Once something goes wrong, then every new sound, your heart goes thump and you worry what it could be and so you are on tender hooks for the first hour and then as no smoke appears you relax a little.
Cid Harbour was magical, no wind torquise water, turtles popping up everywhere and nowhere to go and nothing to do except lunch and an afternoon of .zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Bliss. Went ashore to explore and find the spot 26 years ago where we built a fire and cooked a pork roast with Peanut butter sauce which was delicious. The whole area has changed become a National Park so you can’t light fires but can camp with table and chairs and long drop toots…..and lots of Goanna’s. A very
pleasant bay.
Fishing Notes: I don’t believe it but set up the line to jiggle for bait and then gave it to Nick who was jiggling for a few minutes then had to leave the line to do something and when he came back said I thing the line is caught on the dingy at which time the rod bent right over and took off. After 10 minute of running around the boat and playing with the fish he finally landed a 5kl silver trevally which he hadn’t even hooked but caught a line which the fish had originally been hooked on…..very tinny. Let the fish go but am now 7 behind Nick in the fishing department.
Saturday 15th Abel Point Marina (Airlie Beach)
Diesel Man couldn’t find anything wrong with the engine. Well at least nothing major. Pressure tested the cooling system which showed up a couple of leaks but these were sorted with a screwdriver applied to jubilee clips. So no head gasket or worse. Changed oil and filter again and will motor over to Cid Harbour for a couple of nights and then back here for another oil and filter change. So we live in hope.
As to the reason water got in to the oil this matter was debated long and hard at the Airlie Beach Yacht Club last night. Unfortunately it was a little too long and I can’t recall the verdict. But I think it has something to do with the fact that we’ve lowered the raw water supply hose when removing the eutectic heat exchange. This has brought it closer to water level and may have created a siphon. How’s that for a Hugo moment? So if you know a closet plumber (keep Darren out of the picture. He has a certain reputation in these parts) or shipwright please feel free to offer suggestions. Regardless of that we shall raise the pipe and get in the habit of closing the seacock to the raw water inlet in rolly anchorages.
The only other point of interest is that the average age of visitors to the Airlie Yacht Club must be over fifty. I make this assumption on the basis of the fact that at the sign in books they have the usual pen roped to the desk. They also have three pairs of spectacles. I asked the blonde receptionist if they also had hearing aids and incontinence pads. She said ‘certainly not’ with a cross look. I said then that’s discrimination. I think I lost her at this point.
Friday 14th Abel Point marina Airlie Beach.
Interesting day yesterday. Only had to come from Cid Harbour which is about 15nm but in order to do that you need a bit of breeze. Drifted in the general direction with the ebbing tide then got about 8 knots but on the nose and then finally it went a bit North and we got the kite up. Lasted about 45 minutes and then died completely. At this stage we were still a couple of miles out of Airlie. So I can now report that a 3.3 HP outboard will push a 7 ton boat along in calm conditions at 2.8 knots. Got ourselves to the harbour entrance and gingerly started the diesel which got us to our berth.
So we’re here until the engine gets a clean bill of health.
There are indeed worse places to be stuck.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Thursday 13th Cid Harbour
Great sail from Mackay to Goldsmith Island. Spinnaker most of the way, tide with us also dolphins, whales and turtles. No fish of course but you can’t have everything. Where would you keep it?
This is where I take up my argument with Richard Dawkins because once again we prove the existence of a jealous and vengeful God. Find a nice calm anchorage in Roylen Bay with no other boats and proceed to discover why. By midnight we were being tossed around like a cork. Rolled out of our bunks stuff. Couldn’t wait to get out of there so fired up the engine at first light and clouds of white smoke belched forth from the exhaust filling the bay. Less all bran please mother.
Shut engine down.
Sang ‘for those in peril on the sea’
Used the dinghy to get us out of the bay until we had breeze. Started engine again and this time no smoke so we put it down to slopping about all night, less viscous oil in the tropics and some imaginative physics.
Dropped anchor on the south side of Thomas Island. Highly recommended. Life’s good again. Played bocce on the beach with some local characters and coconuts. The coconuts won.
Checked the oil level. Didn’t look like oil, looked like suntan cream. So the problem hadn’t gone away. Water in the lubrication oil.
So yesterday morning was spent flushing out the sump and cleaning the filter as best we could (having built a strap-wrench) and gingerly edging out of the bay and sailing to Cid. Have made arrangements with Airlie to see the diesel doctor on Friday. Hope Eric is working hard.
You’ve probably spotted the next issue. Can’t run engine, can’t charge batteries.
It’s now a battle between the solar panel and the fridge. I spend my time holding the solar panel at the best angle to the sun. I think this is how Tai Chi started.
So, sailors, today’s lesson involves carrying all the tools and spares you need. This includes several oil filters, at least double the capacity of your sump in oil and about the one tool which we don’t have. A strap wrench.
More rum.
Pam’s fishing notes…we did hook another great Mackerel, but again it was not having anything to do with becoming a sailor and disembarked just as we were hauling it up over the gunwhales. Saw lots of Whales, some breaching in the distance, and then coming into Cid Harbour a mother cruising along with its little baby carvorting all over the place…..sooooo cute. And looking around this morning are lots of turtles surfacing near the boat in the oily calm waters. Oh!!... and Nick forgot his success at Goldsmith the evening before the smoking engine .He was using the jiggler to get some bait fish and managed to hook five yellow tail on the six hook jiggler, whoops of delight and lots of flapping fish…so now were after the big one but will now be in a marina for the next ? days getting the engine seen to so no fishing.
Great sail from Mackay to Goldsmith Island. Spinnaker most of the way, tide with us also dolphins, whales and turtles. No fish of course but you can’t have everything. Where would you keep it?
This is where I take up my argument with Richard Dawkins because once again we prove the existence of a jealous and vengeful God. Find a nice calm anchorage in Roylen Bay with no other boats and proceed to discover why. By midnight we were being tossed around like a cork. Rolled out of our bunks stuff. Couldn’t wait to get out of there so fired up the engine at first light and clouds of white smoke belched forth from the exhaust filling the bay. Less all bran please mother.
Shut engine down.
Sang ‘for those in peril on the sea’
Used the dinghy to get us out of the bay until we had breeze. Started engine again and this time no smoke so we put it down to slopping about all night, less viscous oil in the tropics and some imaginative physics.
Dropped anchor on the south side of Thomas Island. Highly recommended. Life’s good again. Played bocce on the beach with some local characters and coconuts. The coconuts won.
Checked the oil level. Didn’t look like oil, looked like suntan cream. So the problem hadn’t gone away. Water in the lubrication oil.
So yesterday morning was spent flushing out the sump and cleaning the filter as best we could (having built a strap-wrench) and gingerly edging out of the bay and sailing to Cid. Have made arrangements with Airlie to see the diesel doctor on Friday. Hope Eric is working hard.
You’ve probably spotted the next issue. Can’t run engine, can’t charge batteries.
It’s now a battle between the solar panel and the fridge. I spend my time holding the solar panel at the best angle to the sun. I think this is how Tai Chi started.
So, sailors, today’s lesson involves carrying all the tools and spares you need. This includes several oil filters, at least double the capacity of your sump in oil and about the one tool which we don’t have. A strap wrench.
More rum.
Pam’s fishing notes…we did hook another great Mackerel, but again it was not having anything to do with becoming a sailor and disembarked just as we were hauling it up over the gunwhales. Saw lots of Whales, some breaching in the distance, and then coming into Cid Harbour a mother cruising along with its little baby carvorting all over the place…..sooooo cute. And looking around this morning are lots of turtles surfacing near the boat in the oily calm waters. Oh!!... and Nick forgot his success at Goldsmith the evening before the smoking engine .He was using the jiggler to get some bait fish and managed to hook five yellow tail on the six hook jiggler, whoops of delight and lots of flapping fish…so now were after the big one but will now be in a marina for the next ? days getting the engine seen to so no fishing.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
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