Aboard Shenoa again

[haiqu]

The one I'm in now, Shenoa - the 30ft Hartley Tasman - would be the easiest to get sailing. It needs both sails replaced, an engine, a haulout to repair the hull and a full paint. That's about eight to ten grand that I just don't have.

[AussieBruce]

Sorry to hear you might not get the enjoyment of sailing you babies after all the hassles &hard work you've put in. Your 'notable quote' mentions "the cure for anything is salt water.... sweat, tears.... " this part you have definitely experienced, but it goes on to mention..."..the sea". Perhaps if Keppelena could be sold you might get enough to keep going with Shenoa? It looks to me that your marathon is now in the stadium with only the final laps to go. (seems a shame to stop now) If you could finish Shenoa "the sea" might just be your cure to enjoying life again.
Whatever you decide to do Haiqu, thank you for being part of Cruiser Log and this forum. I have followed your journey & been encouraged by your determination, I wish you all the best for the future and hope to hear that you will (at some time) feel the wind in your own sails. AussieBruce

[haiqu]

Thanks Bruce. I always saw Shenoa as simply a place to live while I'm in Brisbane during winter. All my best work has gone into Keppelena, she's way more suitable for cruising, being a 35'er.

I don't want this to become just another shattered dream. Deferring the decision until I return from NZ, hopefully the estate issues will be fully sorted by then and I'll know what my actual income will be.

In life, it's the waiting that gets you. Waiting for job interviews, waiting for parts, waiting for finances, waiting for opportunity, waiting for the right partner, waiting for the crane barge guy, waiting for the mooring service. You could totally waste a life away this way. I've been ready for 35 years.

With what I lost last week I could have bought a Ferrari. I always wanted one of those. It could also have paid for total restoration of both yachts and about 5 years of cruising, which is far more relevant.

[haiqu]

Just got back aboard Keppelena today after a run down from Brisbane to Temora and back to Sydney again. Why Temora? I was looking at a property for sale there. But here's the thing: I couldn't stand being so far away from the coast. Well, there were cows on the property too. I hate cows, fish are so much nicer to have as neighbors.

Kep's batteries were dead when I got aboard, due to some dastardly connectors used between the solar panels and the regulators. I simply bootstrapped the batteries with a direct connection to the panels, then when they were holding enough voltage to trigger the regulators, bolted them back into their normal place again. Should be good after a few days of charging, no doubt. I'll be replacing those connectors soon.

I'm off to NZ again on the 29th Sept so this is just a flying maintenance visit. Check everything, scrape the barnacles and go. Won't be doing any boating in NZ so you may not hear much from me for a while. I'll be back in Sydney for New Year's Eve.

[redbopeep]

Good luck on your travels. Seems you're spread a bit thin these days. Hope things sort out nicely soon.

Fair winds

[haiqu]

Here's hoping 2015 is a better year, Bo. A few months working around the house should level things out a bit, and by then the finances should be settled.

Just checked Chiara Stella's online map, they're nearing Vanuatu.