Journal Entries

June 2007

27 May - The annual Sanctuary Cove Boat Show was on this weekend and I was determined to get to it. I've been rushing around all week with work and managed to set aside 4-5 hours to check the show out. There were a few things I had wanted to see and I came away with a few good ideas. Actually I came away from the show realising how little I really do need on a boat (and also how much I love my own boat).

The show had an atmosphere of virtual chaos with hundreds of people crammed along floating pontoons. It was funny to watch most of the men trying to convince their wives or girlfriends what a good idea it was to own a boat. Even the most rational and logical man can lose all sense of reason when it comes to justifying boat ownership.

I think they guy below is saying, "see honey, I could take your friends out for a sunset champagne cruise..." but actually thinking, "hey I could fit 10 of my buddies on here, a few cases of beer and go fishing for a whole weekend."

In a sea of plastic motor boats I managed to spot some masts. That would be where I could find a sailing boat.

damn, more plastic....

finally a sailing boat and what a bargain. Only $303,692.00. Well it does have teak on the deck. This one was way out of my price range.

This one is getting closer. I couldn't believe how tiny these boats were. Compared to a Westsail they are like toys. They are pretty to look at but I wonder if they will be around in 30 - 50 years time. After seeing the fitout of these boats I really think that buying an old boat built in the 70's for under $100k and restoring it is a great option. These boats are priced with no extras on them. So you would probably need to add another $20-$30k in gear to set them up for serious cruising.

I shouldn't be so negative. They are nice boats and built for a purpose, I just wouldn't swap my Westsail for one.

The boat show was pretty good this year. I think it was more enjoyable because I went by myself. I could walk around and take my time looking at things I wanted to.

I've been considering my options in regard to a life raft for a while. I don't like the idea of a blow up plastic raft which sits in sealed container until such time when you need it and hope to god it works. Then if it does you sit in it and hope to god someone comes to rescue you.

The Pardeys concept of a modified inflatable dinghy makes sense to me since you know it's going to work because you use it everyday. I am exploring the option of modifying a rigid bottom inflatable with plenty of tie down points and the ability to deploy a drogue or sea anchor, have a weather cover and then when the weather calms down the ability to hoist a sail. I found a couple of manufacturers at the show who would be able to make something.

There were plenty of nice inflatables at the show.

Unfortunately most of the show is about big motor boats. Below are a couple of big motors. I hate to think what something like these use in fuel. A small 40ft cruiser uses about 100 litres an hour. Diesel from a marine supplier will no doubt eventually hit $2.00 per litre. $200 per hour is some expensive cruising.

I found the product below really amusing. This is the retractable deck cleat. At the push of a button the cleats retract into the deck and you have a nice flat deck. What a great idea! I'll put these down on my "MUST GET" list, just after my big screen tv and satellite dish.

Ok, I'm just being negative again. There was one motor boat which really appealed to me. The one below. It had some nice timber on it and was pretty sexy. I think if I owned this boat even I could get a girlfriend.

and for about $8million (I say "about" because hey, who's counting) you could have this glamour below. I think that also includes the rubber inflatable (but don't quote me on it).

9 June - This weekend is the Queen's Birthday long weekend and for the past couple of years I have gone to the "Gaffers" regata. I would have loved to go again this year but since I'm moving out of the marina a the end of the month and I have so many jobs to do on the boat I figured my weekend would be better spent attending to the boat.

I still had a 44 gallon drum with 100 metres of anchor chain sitting in it which needed to be put onboard. The total weight was over 200 kilos and I had to figure a way of putting it onboard by myself. I'm not finished with the old chain just yet and I figured while I was at it I might use the 44 gallon drum to soak the anchor ropes. Below is a photo of the old anchor chain.

As you can see below, it is pretty rusty. This link is one of the worst and much of the chain is still ok.

I had to cut the anchor chain from the anchor rope since the shackle had rusted tight.

and below is the new chain stowed in the bilge. It will sit in here until I make a routing tube for it to run from the bow locker. It's way too much weight to have up in the bow of the boat so when passage making I will pull it back to this space. I also intend to make a bulkhead to contain it with a small drain pipe running to the aft bilge.

the new links certainly look healthier than the rusty old chain.

now that the anchor locker in the bow was empty I could give it a good clean. It's surprising how much crap accumulates in the bottom here. I suppose most of it is old dried mud and rust flakes.

Now it was time to wash the ropes. That 44 gallon drum came in handy. I've been told by several people to wash the ropes in fresh warm water, then soak with fabric softener. This I did.

and drying time.

I've put the chain and (soft) rope back in the locker with a new shackle and my anchor locker is smelling pretty. I'll get around to the routing pipe soon so I can use that new anchor chain.

It's a good feeling when I make some progress and get another job out of the way.

11 June - The next few weeks are going to bring some ENORMOUS changes and I am very, very excited.

After some careful consideration I have finally decided to get a dog. I know, I know... it's a huge commitment and even more since I will have it on a boat, but I have thought it through and want to integrate it into my life. I haven't got a social life and don't have a girlfriend so a dog would be a perfect companion. Not just any dog though, a Portuguese Water Dog.

She arrives on Friday and I've decided to call her "Cutty Sark".

15 June - Today is the big day. Cutty is flying in from Melbourne on the 10.05am flight. I got out to the airport and went to the pet collection centre.

From the freight depot I could see Cutty's plane.

I was getting pretty anxious by this stage and hoping Cutty was going to be o.k. It must be stressful for a puppy to leave her home and be shoved around in a crate. Below is a photo of her coming to the depot. Her crate is the bright orange box on the last carriage.

and finally here she is. I was very excited by this stage and I think Cutty was looking at me thinking, "what's this guy so excited about".

Finally the papers were signed and Cutty was handed over. I found a nice grassy spot to let her have a run around. She was a little quiet at first but then started to act more like a puppy.

After playing in the grass for a while it was time to take her to check out the boat. She seemed to take it all in her stride and settled in straight away. She found a nice soft spot on my deck chair.

After a while she settled down and felt right at home on her new sheepskin rug. She slept for a while, woke up and chewed some stuff, then went back to sleep, then chewed some stuff, then went back to sleep, then chewed some stuff...

Portuguese water dogs apparently like to eat fish. So dinner consisted of some nice raw fish and some chicken. She loved the fish (which is fortunate since I hope to get plenty when we go sailing) and then settled down for another sleep. Here she is on her inside bed which is in a nice little nook in the saloon.

Cutty has been fantastic today considering what a big day it's been. I already feel like we have bonded well and I have a good feeling we are going to have some great adventures together.

19 June - This has been a big weekend. I've been settling Cutty into her new home and she is doing incredibly well. She is a little angel. I can't believe in only 3 days she has already learned to come, sit and go to her bed. I'm working on teaching her to lay down next. She has been in the water a few times already and it' s difficult keeping her from wanting to swim. I suppose these portuguese water dogs just can't stay out of the water. Below is a photo of her looking very pretty.

We went for a dinghy ride today to check out our new mooring. I'll be leaving the marina at the end of the month and have secured a pile mooring in the river. I hope only to be there until around Nov/Dec and then head down to Tasmania. Cutty will have grown by then and hopefully be a valuable crew member. She immediately took to riding in the dinghy. I noticed a big change in her personality tonight as she really began to become assertive. She would run about 10 metres away, then turn, line me up and run straight at me launching herself to try to knock me over. She did this for about 15 minutes. We went back to the boat had some dinner and I think she was ready for a big sleep. I think she enjoys sitting up on deck watching the world go by.