The Shenoa Story

[haiqu]

Wow, really nice gear. Probably cost more than Shenoa. :-)

How's the engine transplant going?

[delatbabel]

I was tempted by the cheaper price of the GME gear but an exceedingly poor service on my EPIRB lost them the sale. Also the ICOM gear has the ability to directly call an AIS contact from the AIS unit, something that the GME unit can't do. It wasn't cheap but I managed to screw a discount off them at the boat show.

New engine is in and running, just waiting for the mechanic to give it the thumbs up and we'll be off. Pete and Taryn are joining in for the trip up the coast to Newcastle this weekend.

[haiqu]

Cool, my best to both of them.

Send me the address of the mooring, I may drop in when I go back to Sydney in about 6 weeks.

[delatbabel]

This is where I'll be: Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club | Floating Berths | Marina

On a berth this time so you can just walk out. Drop by on your way down, you know what my boat looks like, and the beer will be cold.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by delatbabel

This is where I'll be: Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club | Floating Berths | Marina

On a berth this time so you can just walk out. Drop by on your way down, you know what my boat looks like, and the beer will be cold.

Mmmm, beer. Now you've definitely talked me into it. See you around 15 October or so.

Fixed the last little leak today, about 100mm a day of rusty water that was seeping in below the v-berth. Dug out the previous filler and paint and applied a new patch of hydraulic cement. Dry as a bone now.

And I needn't have worried about that broken through-hull. Tried to remove it with a pair of multigrips but it's apparently held in firmly with epoxy. That thing "ain't going nowhere".

[haiqu]

Had a really LOW low tide today and I was half expecting Shenoa to lay over but instead she stayed upright. I just put it down to the muddy river floor and then decided to get into the dinghy to finish off the hull paint around the transom.

After that was complete I did a once-around to touch up any rough bits and noticed a couple of protrusions from the hull under the bow. By Neptune, she's a bilge keeler! This is the rarest and in my mind most desirable of all Hartleys, a shallow (3'0") draft version that can be run up on a beach anywhere.

Best money I ever spent.

[haiqu]

Just spotted a tiller on eBay and placed a bid. Should save an enormous amount of work. It's suited to a 28'er and the one on Shenoa is huge so it will go to Sydney for Keppelena.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Due to some kind of freak microwave conditions I just logged into https://portal.reivernet.com which is the home of the NZ Interisland ferry. Brisbane to Wellington, not a bad hop!

Well it seems as if the ferry was here for painting, so that puts paid to my "freak microwave conditions" theory.

It chugged by yesterday on the way back to New Zealand.

[redbopeep]

Wow, you have a bilge keel and didn't know it? is the water that dirty there?

[haiqu]

I'm about 5km up Brisbane River in the vicinity of a major port. The water is fairly muddy here. So yes, to answer your question. The side fins weren't noticeable until the bow was well out of the water.

[delatbabel]

Redbopeep must be unfamiliar with Australian rivers to ask that question.

What we call a "river", those few of them we actually have, most of the world would call a "muddy puddle". The Yarra, through Melbourne, has the reputation of being the only river in the world that flows upside down. The mud is on the top, the water is on the bottom.

[haiqu]

True enough. I've swum in it and it sure ain't the Riviera.

[redbopeep]

oh my...yuck!

[delatbabel]

Hey, it's a dry country.

We call it a "river" if it has some water in it, deep enough to get your ankles wet, for most of the year. Larger rivers will be wet all year round, although they have as much mud as they do water. "Creek" means that there's a roughly defined water course that, at certain times of the year, contains some damp soil. "Billabong" contains actual real water, that could even have fish swimming in it, but the rest of the river around it has dried up. And a "lake" is just as likely to have sheep grazing on it as fish swimming in it.

I remember the first time I saw Niagara Falls. I nearly cried -- the volume of fresh water that goes over the falls each day doesn't exist anywhere in Australia, with the possible exception of Lake Ord in NW WA.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by haiqu

Just spotted a tiller on eBay and placed a bid. Should save an enormous amount of work. It's suited to a 28'er and the one on Shenoa is huge so it will go to Sydney for Keppelena.

Update: Won this for $159 shipped from Victoria.

[haiqu]

I intended to go ashore Saturday but it was windy and choppy all weekend so I waited. And waited. Last night it bucketed down, and by today (Tuesday) the storm had blown over. Two yachts dragged anchor with one minor collision involving a bit of a paint scrape.

I'm glad to have had the opportunity to go ashore at last. I was out of water, the Porta-Potti was full and I really needed a shower.

[Auzzee]

Sounds like you need to invest in a solar shower. I think they are about $20 at Mitchells or Bias. Even though I have a shower installed on Sandettie, I frequently use the solar option. Being in a built up area, you may need a 'pop up ensuite' also. They range from about $25 to $70 depending upon whether you want to drape it from the aft end of the boom, or have it free standing in the cockpit.

[redbopeep]

We use a solar shower to heat the water and feed the line into our forecastle where our shower (sans-water supply ) is. Works great. We also do the "sponge bath" from the galley sink with some frequency if the forecastle is piled high with stuff and for some reason (built up area) we don't wan to do the cockpit shower thing.

Portapotty doesn't last long and is difficult to deal with, when will you have a more permanent head solutions in your boat? If no pumpout service there, consider a composting head (look at Airhead or Nature's Head) which will last much longer and be easier to deal with the waste disposal shore-side.

Fair winds,

[haiqu]

Currently the yacht only has 100L of water capacity in the form of a rubber bladder. The pump to that hasn't worked more than twice since I bought it, so all water is coming from two 10L containers. Hot showers are readily available at a swimming pool 1/2km away for the princely sum of $2.20 but in the long run I'll be installing a solar bag for use in the helm, which is rubberized and self-draining.

The Porta-Potti fills within a week, so I bought a used macerator of the same brand and model that's fitted to Keppelena ($6.50 off ebay!). There has been some trouble removing the screws to overhaul it but should be able to make it work eventually. The through-hulls for it are already fitted. A tank and pump-out isn't required by Queensland law at this stage.

[haiqu]

Packed and locked up the yacht, I'm off back to Sydney in about a week. It feels like I've hardly achieved anything but there have been plenty of distractions.

Mostly, life is just good.