Back in the USA
We finished our five week “working” adventure in Australia and have returned to the chilly Northwest. We spent the first week getting Roxia set up then went on a three week shakedown cruise finishing with one more week in Sydney. Roxia is safe on the hard in Bundaberg Port Marina under the watchful eye of Brett Hensler and Donna Pressler. Roxia survived the first 100kph wind with no issues. All the boats on the hard are kept in steel cradles and then the boat is strapped down.
We did have a few issues that we had to repair on the fly. The worst of them was the hydraulic cooling pump connection failed and we didn’t have a spare. We were three days from nowhere and needed the pump to be able to use the stabilizers.
These pictures show the sheared off teeth of the connection between hydraulic motor and water pump as well as the three versions of my solution. First, using cut up pieces of hose, zip ties (V1), then hose clamps (V2) and finally hose with hose clamps and a zip tie to take up some of the torsional force (V3). V1 lasted 20 minutes, V2 lasted 3 hours and finally V3 lasted more than two weeks. I need to come up with a better long term solution. If I can build a bracket to keep the motor and pump aligned the old style may work. The other problem is the pump has slotted head screws instead of hex head. That is the worst invention ever. It is impossible to hold a screwdriver in 115 degree heat in rough seas to change the impeller. At least that is a simple solution.
All in all this was a great trip. We did some cruising of the Whitsundays and the Curtis Coast (down to Bundaberg). Lady Musgrave is a reef about 35 nm off the coast. There is an opening in the reef deep enough to drive through. We cruised there for our last night before Bundy and we are glad we did. After nervously motoring inside avoiding bommies, we anchored and took the dinghy to the tiny little island which is the part of the reef above water. We walked through mangroves with hundreds of nesting birds. The sound was amazing with all the songs and probably yelling at us to get out… Back on the beach we snorkeled in the reef. A tortoise swam with us and we watched a Blue Spotted Ray rest under a rock.
Here are some pictures from our cruising.
As we were cruising I was amazed at some of the patches of algae that we saw. I’m not sure if this is from the warm water or if it is normal for this area but the patches were vast. Here is a picture when we were many miles offshore.
Large amounts of what appeared to be algae
Coal is a huge export from Australia. The controversy is starting to heat up regarding the use, mining and export of coal but these two pictures show the number of coal freighters we saw in both Mackay and Gladstone.
AIS and Radar split screen.
Visual approach to anchorage.
It was fun spending time in Sydney. The ferry service is awesome. With the Opal card you can take the public ferry, bus and train routes. There is a discount with the card and a 15.40 max per day use so once you hit that amount everything is free. On Sundays the max is under $2!
Now the question is: Do we ship Roxia home or drive her home? The big question is if she is ready to make the voyage or can we get her ready before the required (by ATO) April 20 departure date.
Stay tuned.
A week in the Whitsundays
We had a great trip learning Roxia and systems. We are starting to feel comfortable with systems and where to put things. We are back in Mackay to provision for our trip south to Bundaberg to haul Roxia out for the Typhoon season.
We did some snorkeling complete with Stinger suits. Had a first chance to look at the hull of Roxia while snorkeling. It is time for bottom paint but all looks well underneath. We need kayaks or SUP’s for more water fun. We are starting a list of things we want now, not just things we need.
Here is an Item we came across which is one step to improving our use of plastic. I would like to see this at more if not all marinas.
Hamilton Island
We left Mackay, QLD on October 15 and headed to Scawfell Island. We had SE winds 10-15k with wind waves on the starboard beam of 2-3 feet. Roxia handled the seas comfortably. We had one issue with the generator running but not producing power. I checked all the manuals on the boat for the generator and all we had were the Northern Lights books for the engine. I had enough information to rebuild the engine but could I find a wiring diagram for the actual generator…not so lucky. I grabbed the multimeter and headed to the engine room. I was getting power at the generator so I knew it had to be between the genset and the panel. After looking in the N62 manual I found there was a double pole breaker somewhere. Back to the engine room and yes I found the box mounted on the bulkhead behind the gen and there was a tripped breaker. Boom, done, drop mic. First issue at sea solved. We decided to continue the trip. Scawfell was really pretty so we put the dink “On the Rox” in the water to check things out. Yikes, gas gauge flashing empty and no paddle. We circled Roxia and snapped some pictures then back on deck for the Dink.
October 16 found us at Goldsmith Island and a nice little sheltered cove on the North side. Two sail boats were already anchored but we were all separated and cozy. I forgot to leave the inReach on so it looks like we transported there but we actually cruise there. It rained hard but it was warm so Roxia just got a nice wash down. Anchoring is quite nice with the use of Flopper Stoppers to keep the rocking to a minimum. A 300# anchor and 1/2″ chain makes you sleep easy. An item we never had on any other boat is the hydraulic automatic anchor wash down. Water sprays the chain at 180 gpm so as we haul it up it gets clean. It is so strong I thought it might blow off the galvanizing…maybe not.
October 17 we decided to head to the snazzy marina of Hamilton Island Marina. A little pricy but very nice. We did make the mistake of calling in for our slip assignment and proceeding in. Oops, here you wait for the concierge dinghy to come greet you and lead you to your slip. I had to back into a slip for the first time and managed to keep all 70 tons from crushing dock or human. This marina was hit in March with a Category 5 Typhoon. The island, marina and resort were blasted. People in the marina (150) all huddled in conference center to wait out the storm. 260-280kph winds remained for nearly 6 hours. The people were pinned in the building for two days. Food was running out then the steel doors caved in. Everyone tried to stay in the large restrooms. We rode the free shuttle around the island and our driver was in that group. There is a driving range where you hit balls into a pond. The wind blew all the water out and sent 10,000 golf balls onto the runway. Airplanes couldn’t take off or land until it was clear. Resort staff walked the entire runway and cleaned it off so people could be evacuated. The owners of the resort hired 500-600 tradesmen to rebuild the resort. They are still working on projects seven months later but the resort and Island was only closed for 7 days!! No WiFi here! What?
Pictures will have to wait.
Shibumi is For Sale
With our sights on new adventures and a growing family we are looking at a different boat. Shibumi is at a perfect stage to sell. For the person looking to differ some costs by keeping her in charter she has a consistent history of bookings. It is always good to buy a boat from a boat nerd who is a little OCD. Check out the tab and look at the PDF and let me know what you think.
Projects are slowing down.
After 12 years of making sure Shibumi was fit as a fiddle there are not that many more projects. Finally added the AIS to the system and the new paint. It might be time to sell and buy the next boat, possibly the last boat. Interested?
The funniest comment during haul out this year was how shiny our propshafts were. I replaced them three years ago and there are no marks of any kind on them. Maybe the quality is better. I have to give Marine Hardware in Redmond, WA a shout out for building these shafts. They are perfect and have no vibration.
Pettit has been my paint and varnish of choice for the last few years and bottom paint, topside epoxy paint and varnish are holding up better than expected. Thanks to Rachael and Pettit!
Cheers,
The days are getting longer!
For me it is always a time for celebration the day following the winter solstice. The days are getting longer and I can feel the funk draining away from my brain. It also means I have probably started to complete some winter projects. These two pictures represent more work than they appear.
The picture of the electric panel shows a new selector in the upper right. There are now two locations to plug in shore power. One in the cockpit and the other in the same location as before on the port side of the pilot house. We are in so many locations where the stern location would be preferred, now you have it. Since I was running wires I also wired Shibumi to accept 50a 240v. I don’t have a use for it yet but I’ll think of something.
The picture of the hydraulic pump came after Shibumi returned from a charter with the pump hanging in the bilge after it sheared off. I decided to design a new bracket that would be stronger and my friend Marc Lecoq from Lecoq Machine Works fabricated it. I notice the engine has less vibration and the gusseted bracket has no movement.
Still have a few more projects to finish…