Journal Entries

July 2007

30 June - Today was the day of the big move. It sounds odd to describe it that way since a boat is supposed to move around regularly, however it's very easy to get too comfortable in one place. The human habit of collecting crap and spreading it all over the place is easy to fall into and I had started to do just that. Moving on is probably a blessing in disguise. I now have to be completely self sufficient. No dockside power and water, it's up to me to make my own electricity and collect my own water.

As a result I'm now sitting typing this web page with an oil lamp and a low amp LED for light. The solar panels were putting in about 4 amps at best today and the fridge draws about 6amps when cycling, so there is going to be a power shortage within the week. I'll consider my options in the coming weeks but in the interim I'll rely on running my engine(under load) once per week to charge the batteries. I plan to get a wind generator but it's fairly pointless in the river since it's quite protected.

Below is a photo of my new location on the pile moorings in Brisbane. I think that pelican followed me. I don't think Cutty is small enough for the Pelican to seriously consider her as a meal.

An update on Cutty - She is amazing! I taught her a new trick today. She will now shake hands when I say "shake". I'm not really sure why a dog would need to learn to shake hands but it seems like a standard trick which people expect. Her current repertoire includes:

Bed, Come - Sit - Lay down - Talk - Pee and Shake Hands (yes, she washed her hands)

Colin from the Westsail "Soya" just called me to see how the move went. He is currently anchored off some island up north enjoying the cruising life. He was lucky enough to meet a very nice lady who is even more keen to go sailing than him. I get the feeling he thinks I'm crazy going south to Tasmania, but as I sit in this cozy little timber lined yacht with the fireplace going and oil lamp flickering away I get quite excited about experiencing a cold climate.

2 July - Having settled into the new anchorage I decided to do my normal Sunday ritual of going to the riverside market and having a coffee and apple turnover from the bakery. I normally have the coffee in one hand, apple turnover in the other and wander the market checking out the stalls. Now I have Cutty I don't have that extra hand since she is attached to her leash. I got my coffee & apple turnover and then went to the butcher stall and bought some fresh pork loins. Cutty and I found a nice quiet spot and we both enjoyed our Sunday morning treats. After we finished we wandered through the market to check out the stalls and then went to the park so Cutty could do her impersonation of a crazy rabid dog. Here she is after running and sliding through grass, dirt, leaves and garden beds. I think the expression on her face shows she is pretty proud of herself.

4 July - I've now been in my new position for 4 days and I'm actually surprised at how efficient my power usage is. I recently installed LED lighting to replace the existing fluro's. Below is a photo of one of the new LED lights. It's not particularly bright and does look a bit cheap & nasty being plastic, but it does the job. I will have to sand and varnish the deckhead (ceiling) since it is marked where the old flouro lights used to be.

The old fluorescent light would draw 1.2amps. The new LED lamp draws .05 amp. That is a huge difference.

I have also figured out how to reduce my fridge cycling. I buy big blocks of frozen meat for Cutty. This effectively works like a eutectic block reducing the need for the fridge to cycle and the bonus is I only need to buy her meat once per week.

I had originally thought getting water would be a huge inconvenience, however it is working out exceptionally well. I bought a 25 litre plastic jerry can with a tap at the base. Every couple of days I just take it to shore, fill it and then upon my return, open the tap and it tops up the tank. I probably only use 15 litres per day so water is not an issue. The other bonus is that the 25 litre jerry can works as a weight and before I empty it I get a bit of exercise. I'm a big believer in adapting to any situation and this one is working out pretty well so far. I'll be quite content until the end of the year.

5 July - Having updated the interior recently I also needed to make some adjustments to the seating cushions. I decided to get all new cushions and I'm very pleased with the result. I maintained the same colour scheme but had everything done in a quality stitch. The seating cushions came back today and below are a couple of photos of the interior getting closer to being finished.

Here is the "U" shaped dinette area on the port side. The stainless steel table base is still being made and I hope to have it within the next couple of weeks. You can see Cutty on her sheepskin rug in the bottom of the photo. That little spot is her bed when she is down below.

and directly across from that on the starboard side is the saloon lounge. This makes a comfortable, wide berth when sailing.

15 July - Life has been going pretty smoothly this month albeit quickly. I haven't made any progress on the boat but I suppose I have a few more months to get organised. I've settled into a routine at my new location. I generally get up around 6am, pack my gear for the shower into my backpack then put myself and Cutty into the dinghy and go to the dock. Cutty and I then gor for a run in the park after which I take a shower.

Here she is in the park. I know there are lots of photos of Cutty, but she is the equivalent of my new child so you are going to have to deal with it until I get it out of my system.

Cutty has been great and patiently waits for me to finish my shower. Then it's back to the boat, breakfast, change into work clothes and off to work. By this stage Cutty is pretty tired and seems to be content to laze around for most of the day. I generally come back to the boat at lunch time and spend some time onboard before going back to the office for a few more hours. I can actually see the boat from my office and keep a watchful eye on Cutty.

I had to go to the Gold Coast last week and decided to make the most of it. Cutty and I went to the beach and she experienced her first time in the surf. As you can see it was a beautiful winters day on the Gold Coast.

That morning I bought Cutty a new harness. It looks quite big here but there is plenty of room for her to grow into it.

After a long run on the beach and in the water we called it quits. Cutty of course wasn't satisfied with this and protested by digging in the dry sand. Wet Dog + Dry Sand = Lots of Mess!

20 July - A couple of weeks ago I ran the engine only to discover within a few minutes it was dumping oil in very large quantities. Fortunately I had only run it for about 10 minutes and saw the oil in the bilge. I'm always conscious of the leaks since it's been an ongoing problem. Below is a picture of the engine pan. This is never a pleasant discovery and it's forutnate that I wasn't in a position where I needed the engine.

It was fairly obvious where the oil was coming from and I was hoping it was something simple.

I cleaned the oil up and called my mechanic friend Todd who had worked on the motor previously. I figured he might have a good idea since he put it back together.

Todd came out today and we discovered that the leak was caused by a joint in a copper pipe which runs to the pressure and temp sensors. This pipe is under full pressure when the engine is running and has been installed by someone previously in a manner which is not ideal. It's most likely that with the constant vibration of the engine the copper has work hardened resulting in a fracture.

Below is the copper pipe with the numerous joins and the joint which has broken. The big blue bulbous thing at the left is the oil pressure sender. I will be replacing this entire setup with a remote flexible oil line.

and a close up shot of the broken joint.

I will also be replacing the old oil lines and connections so hopefully this will solve the ongoing oil leak issue.