Finally, the day has come

[haiqu]

Thanks Jordana, glad I could do something to make the slow Canadian winter more interesting for you!

Today was pretty full on. Fixed some sticking doors and cupboards, scraped more paint, wire brushed part of the rear deck in preparation for painting, wired the new LED mast and spreader lights that the PO installed back to the board and got them working, and finally got brave enough to attack the mold and fungus in the head.

There's a fungus in the forests of Tasmania that's reportedly the largest living entity on the planet, and possibly also the oldest. The one in my yacht must be related, this thing was really pervasive. I hit it with chlorine mold remover, scraped and gouged and eventually it yielded taking some fairly large chunks of timber with it. The roof and support member above the head are in serious condition but I'll try to get away with repairing rather than replacing it.

Thankfully the sun was out - unlike yesterday - so the batteries charged up again but I'm now seriously looking at wind generators. If the controllers weren't so expensive I might just go ahead and install one, but more solar panels and a second battery is still an option at this stage.

Del has offered to take me sailing on Sunday, which should be a nice break from the work. Now off to bed, I have to row ashore and buy some epoxy thinners and a few more hardware items tomorrow.

Rob

[haiqu]

Shopping done, I have Epoxy Thinners #7 so can start on sealing the leaky deck this afternoon.

There were also some items needed at the hardware store, and no matter how hard I think about it there are always 10 more items that have to be added to the list as soon as I get back aboard. New sink plugs, check. Plug top for the extension lead, check. More GasMate 220gm butane cans, check. Tube of white mastic to replace the one that exploded yesterday when I tried to use it, check.

Water tank is full thanks to days of schlepping 20L at a time. Batteries are at their peak. Belly is full, sun is shining, and finally SEIKO (Someone Else's Internet Keeps Operating). Life's great!

[haiqu]

Now here's a laugh. My brother in Melbourne just received a letter for me from NSW Maritime. I asked him to open it, and it basically states that as of 20 Nov I have two weeks to make the boat seaworthy, and that also the rego sticker must be displayed.

Don't these pseudo-cops have anything better to do with their time? The registration sticker was affixed last Saturday and since then I've been visibly working on the boat daily. The date of the notice was Monday.

I told him to send it up. At least they can't throw me off the boat while I'm complying with their instructions to "make it seaworthy" - whatever that means.

Rob

[haiqu]

Couldn't be bothered to row ashore today, so I started off trying to fit the outboard that came with the deal. Those mountings snap shut hard, I thought I'd lost the tip of a finger but was too busy hopping up and down to look after it sprang up and landed on my bare foot after hitting a shin on the way down first.

Turns out my inverter can't handle the load of the hammer drill, so left that and started on the head. Cleaned, painted, drilled mount holes for the new macerator and plumbed it but left the final bits like wiring until after I get a piece of lino to cover the horrible old paint-spattered board it sits on. Sure looking brighter in there now anyhow. That really was the ugliest area on the boat, glad it's getting done. And of course being able to retire the ol' bucket will be a luxury.

[Auzzee]

It's difficult to contemplate the universe when squatting over a bucket. A good dunny is a prerequisite to a happy life.

[haiqu]

Totally agree Auzzee. The "throne room" should be a place of quiet and comfortable contemplation.

I fully realize that I should have a tank, but since Sydney is the only place that gets narky about that - and since I don't EVER plan to visit the Med, the only other place this is needed - I went ahead with the macerator. Why buy something elaborate when you have one sitting there free?

[haiqu]

Well that toe is now black and blue from dropping the outboard mount on it. Today I did a trip around buying more stuff, and the dunny now has grey lino tiles under it, very swish indeed.

I started thinking about 240V power while having a coffee a while ago, and it occurred to me there's an easy way to wire it in. Got an old PC power cable and attached a 15A female to one end, then plugged from the inverter straight to the 240V inlet normally used when moored at a marina. Hey presto, all the power points and 240V light now work when needed. Sure better than having an extension cord running from the inverter, which I tended to trip over constantly.

Might even invest $40 in one of those K-Mart 700W microwave ovens now ...

[haiqu]

I'm all flushed with success, the dunny works! Woo-hoo!!

[Auzzee]

Better go get the sunday paper, a pencil for the crossword, and give the new equipment a proper test.

[haiqu]

A day to dekludge.

Kludge: 1. /klooj/ n. The junk that accumulates when an area isn't constantly maintained. Detritus.

Just going through the forward hatches beyond the V-berth and amazed at the stuff I'm finding. Two folding aluminium-framed canvas chairs, height about 3". Why on earth would anyone design such a thing? More safety vests than you could use at a Grand Final, if one were held on a ship (now there's weird idea.) I just can't count them. Old sails. Drop cloth for painting (wish the PO had used that!)

Some people like to add their own "personal" touch by adding bumper stickers to cars. The equivalent on a yacht is small plaques with pithy sayings. I have four of them.

Our Captain says ... "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance - baffle them with bull5hit!"

Quite. It was probably funny once, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.


MY JOB.
It's not my job to run the yacht, the horn I cannot blow
It's not my job to say how far the yacht's allowed to go.
It's not my job to throttle down, or even clang the bell
But let the damn thing hit the dock and see who catches hell!

Oh dear.


NOTICE TO LANDLUBBERS
A marine toilet (one calls it a "head") is a complicated mechanism. If you toss even the smallest thing into it - even a paper matchstick or a hank of hair - it will probably choke. AND THERE ARE NO PLUMBERS AT SEA! If you have never operated one before, the skipper or mate will be glad to show you how.

Matchstick? What's a matchstick? But seriously, this paranoia doesn't apply to macerators.


But here's my favourite:

Inasmuch as three quarters of the earth's surface is water and only one fourth is land, the good Lord's Intentions are very clear. A man's time should be divided - three fourths for boating and one fourth for work.

Exactly. That one's staying.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Better go get the sunday paper, a pencil for the crossword, and give the new equipment a proper test.

She survived the "thunder down under" admirably. :-)

A friend once told me that the best way to make a cat comfortable in a new home is to force it to clean itself by putting butter on it's paws. This actually works, surprisingly. Evidently they associate cleaning with a home environment.

I think the same applies to dunnies and humans. Once you've used the karzie you feel right at home. Well it's only a theory, but I certainly feel better for it.

[haiqu]

Today's score so far: One fluoro, two 12V power points and a dome lamp all working. Totally chuffed.

Think I'll need to invent an automatic wi-fi antenna rotator though, this tidal drift plays merry hell with the connection.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Today's score so far: One fluoro, two 12V power points and a dome lamp all working. Totally chuffed.

Think I'll need to invent an automatic wi-fi antenna rotator though, this tidal drift plays merry hell with the connection.

Got another fluoro going, that will do me for today. Time to mess about on the net now the batteries are charged up.

[haiqu]

Macerator is now wired back to the board and fully operational. The Electric Chair lives ...

[haiqu]

And here's a pic that I tried to post yesterday. Too much wave action, lost connection. The hose clamp at front stops a kink forming in the outlet tube.

[Auzzee]

Very flash bog!

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Very flash bog!

Cheers. The standard by which I hope to continue the restoration ...

[haiqu]

Before: V-berth hatch removed for restoration. Note hole at right and poor paint.

[haiqu]

1. Jim Dandy barnacle scraper I knocked together. Cleaned one side in about 5 minutes without using the dinghy.
2. Deck prepped for concrete repairs.

[cool_one]

Hi Rob,

I joined cruiser blog so I keep abreast of your triumphs and tribulations. All I see so far are triumphs!! Have you had time to take pics of eutechtic fridge & deisel engine? How about the Evinrude? just curious.... Trev