Friday - 10/08/2012
We left Macona Inlet early and had to motor across to May's
Bay as the water will be calmer for working on the boat. People think that we
just cruise around enjoying life, well we do sometimes, but the general run is
that we carry out repairs to the boat in exotic places.
('Alana Rose' anchored at Macona Inlet)
('Ise Pearl' this vessel was built in 1956 in Brisbane a Norman Wright design and was used Japanese pearlers for 38 years, it was found in disrepair by the current owner and refitted and is used for private charters, we passed her as we left Macona just after first light.)
Well the four small head (toilet) hatches appear to be a
success, now to tackle the big hatch. This is my first time of repairing
hatches so I am learning as I go. The first thing was to remove the hatch and I
know that the pins can be knocked out of the hinges on this hatch which is
different to the smaller hatches I have just repaired. Once the hatch was out
and in the cockpit it was a matter of separating the glass from the alloy
frame. I used a thin metal scraper and run it along the topside of the frame on
the outer part of the seal separating the seal from the frame then turning the
hatch upside down run the metal scraper between the glass and the bottom seal separating the seal on the underside the
glass then popped out with little force.
(Starboard Cabin hatch, which is a Lewmar hatch)
(To remove the hatch when openning the hatch you can see the pins in the hinge use a screwdriver to lever the pins through the holes provided and push the pins outwards and remove the screws from the support arms)
(When the pins are pushed out as shown in previous photo, you are able to grab the pins as they protrude from this hole, support the hatch with one hand and remove the pins using pliers or vice grip)
The next part is the dirty part removing all the old seal
from both frame and glass, I used a knife, a scraper and emery paper and then
cleaned the surface with alcohol (not the type you drink, well I hope you
don't).
(On the left cleaning the old sealant off the glass and right, cleaning the hatch frame)
Once all cleaned I placed sealant on the mating face of the
alloy frame then put the glass in position pressing it down firmly then I run a
bead of sealant in the spaces left between the glass and frame and then used a
plastic scraper to level the sealant. I then left it well alone for a day.
(I ran sealant inside the frame before installing the glass then ran sealant around the groove and levelled it off with a plastic scraper).
The bloke I bought the sealant from does this for a living
and he told me that it is a delicate job and the first time is not always
successful, I hope he was wrong in this case.
It took me all day just about after arriving here to do this
job the longest part was the cleaning the surfaces to ensure they were clean
for the new sealant. I know I deserved the beers that I had.
Saturday - 11/08/2012
Today was washing day so I grabbed our small washing machine
that weighs 12kgs, up to the aft deck and set it up for washing. Nancy always
wanted a washing machine for the boat she had researched them and said that we
could store it in the stbd aft head that we changed into a storeroom. My
thoughts on the matter was water usage, electricity etc. So I avoided it for 5
years, quite well done I thought. Then last year sailing south I had to go in a
hardware store in Yamba to buy a small tin of white paint and what should be
sitting in the store a small washing machine, a little twin tub, wash and spin
dry, takes a 2kg load. I was sunk and to
be honest it was a good buy. However, at that time I did not realise the what
would happen in its future.
Due to water usage and electricity I found it easier to carry
4 x 20ltr water containers for the purpose of using the washing machine this
way we are drawing very little from the batteries running the boats water pump
and we can manage the water usage very well as we are not drawing much water
from our main tanks. This brings to a mathematical equation, 20ltr water =
20kgs, Nancy = bad back answer John does the washing. Whilst I do the washing
Nancy cleans the inside of the boat such as the heads and showers as we have
three of them and the cabins. She also hangs out the washing as I complete a
load so we work as a good team. We have probably already paid for the washing
machine from the money we have saved at laundromats.
(The old washing day)
Some of the best conserves of water and electricity are
sailors on yachts I might add, there are some in the motor boat world but not
the high powered types like Riviera's , vessels like that that use $25,000
worth of fuel between Melbourne and Whitsunday's you could not class as
conservationists.
Anyway I did the washing it was clothes today and when we
top the water containers up in a couple of days it will be sheets and towels.
Boy I love this life.
When all else was done it was time to refit the hatch and
that all done it was time for sundowners, the beer tasted good after a day's
work.
Sunday - 12/08/2012
We were up at first light as usual and we weighed anchor
straight away and sailed for Airlie. I have run out of drugs. I need my Bee Gee
tablets, (Staying Alive), you know the usual blood pressure tablets, Lipitor
for the cholesterol and the old aspirin for blood thinning. We had a great sail
across not real strong winds but enough to sit around 5.5 to 7.5 knots
depending on landform getting in the way of the wind.
We got to Airlie got changed lowered the dinghy and went
ashore in time to catch the bus into Centro Shopping Centre where I needed to
see Telstra to pay some money but not the amount they billed me because of a
stuff up. Then got the tablets and then had breakfast at a cafe. Well it should
have been breakfast and it looked like breakfast as it was poached eggs, bacon,
mushrooms and tomato on toast, but by the time we got there after the running
around the shops it was 1150 hours so we will settle for brunch I guess.
We caught the bus back and returned on board unpacked what
we had bought then we went into town to by more medicine, red wine, white wine
and beer. I often get some smiles from people walking by when I have my fold-up
two wheel trolley loaded with 2 cartons of beer, a box of red and a box of
white. Many offer to help me drink it but no one offers to cart it for me.
This all done we return on board to stow our goodies and sit
down for a while, Mercedes and Garry from 'Forever Dreaming' came over for
coffee before going to the Shaggers (SICYC) sundowners at Hoggies, we decided
to stay aboard as we had enough running around for one day.
Monday - 13/08/2012
Looking at the weather this morning staying anchored here in
Airlie is going to be a little uncomfortable, we have been considering when to
do the final shopping before heading north and we were going to stay a few days
and do that but with the predicted winds we have decided to head out for a
couple of days.
We were up and about before daylight so we weighed anchor at
first light and headed into the public dock in the marina complex and fill up
with water again after filling tanks and containers we gave the boat a good
wash down and found out that the four small hatches I had repaired did not leak
water but the large cabin hatch did, a little disappointing to say the least
this meant it had to come out again and redo the whole job.
(Nancy on 'Alana Rose' at the public dock in Airlie Beach)
(Sailing out of Airlie, Nancy taking a photo of 'Camira' a tourist catamaran with P7O liner 'Pacific Dawn' in the distance)
(As we sailed out of Airlie Beach 'Pacific Dawn' was anchored off shore and ferrying passengers ashore)
We set sail for May's Bay once again but the wind had not yet kicked in so we had to
motor sail, we had full sail and one engine running which gave us a speed of 7
knots. Just after passing the northern point of North Molle Island I spotted a
whale and her calf in the middle of Whitsunday Passage dead ahead of us so I
had to slow down as it is illegal to approach whales closer than 300 metres. I
backed the engine off and furled the headsail just leaving us with the mainsail
as we drifted along. We were hoping that we could get closer to them within the
legal distance but the whales dived and we did not know where they went. We
slowly headed for our destination keeping our eyes on the water looking to see
if they surfaced. Sometime later they surfaced again to the north of us but
still a good distance away, we got a couple of photos but not good ones as they
were too far away and we had to use the zoom to its full extent.
(A whale and her calf, not a great photo but the whale was quite a distance away and I had the camera on full x26 zoom on a moving boat which is not easy)
(The second sighting of the whales still a good distance away)
We arrived at the anchorage and our usual spot was free as
there was only one other yacht anchored a sole sailor that had been there for
some time.
The first job on the list now we had more water was to do
some more washing, sheets and towels, once all that was done it was time to
work on that hatch again. So I removed it and using a thin scraper parted the
glass from the frame then cleaning all
the sealant of the surfaces and then putting fresh sealant on the frame put it
all back together then left it alone to dry.
(There are quite a few resident turtles in May's Bay and they are very hard to photograph, as soon as you see them you grab the camera and before you can get a photo they dive, I sat with camers and a cold beer near sunset to get thes shots of one turtle)
(Nancy getting the shots of sunset)
(My photo of the sunset with a large motor cruiser)
The wind kicked in during the night around 25 -28 knots from
SE, many boats had headed for Cid Harbour for sheltered anchorage and a couple
of other boats had anchored near us. I think May's Bay is the better anchorage
for these winds. The only disadvantage is there are no walks like you have in
Cid Harbour there is only a small beach.
Tuesday - 14/08/2012
The winds are a little stronger this morning there are a few
yachts out there enjoying the sailing mainly charter yachts most cruisers are
staying in the anchorages as there are many yachts like us waiting for the
SICYC bash at Monte's in the weekend after next and have learnt over the years
that with these winds although good for sailing can cause an uncomfortable
night sleep in the wrong anchorage. Our friend Garry had experienced the
bullets of wind in Stonehaven that is considered in most guide books as a good
anchorage in such winds which we had experienced in previous years where I had
to stay up all night on anchor watch. Garry said never again, he reckoned he
gained a few grey hairs from that experience. It is a bit unnerving when your
yacht is swung about in the bullets of wind stretching your anchor cable to its
limit with the boat swing one way then the other. Most anchorages around the
Whitsunday's have bullets of wind due to the high hills and mountains but I
have found in these strong southerlies that May's Bay has the least.
We had a quiet relax day playing with the photos that we had
taken preparing them for the blog and later in the day I refitted the hatch. Tomorrow
we sail back to Airlie to do the big shop before heading north.
Wednesday - 15/08/2012
We set sail just after first light, it is the last day of
sailing wind for a couple of days that is why we are heading back today so that
we can sail and not motor. The winds around 10 - 13 knots from the SE so it was
a good steady sail with little waves. We sailed at speeds between 5.5 and 7.5
knots and we saw whales again but in the
distance they are probably the same ones as the other day. There is little
traffic this time in the morning many people are still asleep.
We arrived at Airlie and found an anchorage just off the
wall of the marina, as soon as we were settled we went ashore and walked to the
Whitsunday Shopping Centre and did the big shop then caught a taxi back to the
public dock and loaded all in the dinghy then back aboard.
I then did fuel and gas run topping everything up we will
not be near a shop for at approximately three weeks, we then went ashore and
went into Airlie Beach to pick up a couple of items on the way back to the boat
I topped up our water containers to do another wash of clothes. Just as we got
back on board George on yacht 'Wormdrive' called and invited us over for
sundowners and a BBQ so that's what we
did after doing the washing. We got back aboard our boat somewhere around 2300
hours after a very good night.
Cheers.
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