"U MAST B JOKIN ! "

B4

G'DAY ALL,
                     I was reminded this morn by Brother Mark that I hadn't filled out the Blog few a couple of weex. Thanx Bro!
Basic reason "I was 2 damn busy".
Since I last updated U -Galleycat has had anutha trip to Magnetic Island, the Dinghy Sunk, WFT NO 2 is busted, the Kitchens' been removed, the Mast is gone, the anchor winch has been repaired and Several uther jobs are underweigh!





The trip to Maggie was a gr8 suxcess with lotz of fun and alcohol driven tom foolery.

DURING

The bean bag once again proving a hit!
Torsten, his brother Chris, Mum and Dad had a gr8 thyme splashing around in the shallows of Horseshoe Bay before a hearty lunch of Mexican salsa and then Baked potatoes all served with bourbon and beers. Chris caught a trevally which was turned into sushimi as well.

AFTA

We even broke all my rules and went for a "RUFF" sail. Top speed of  7.6 knots was the result as we set off in a 20 knot breeze just before sundown. Our return trip was not as good with Wft no2 tearing itself to shreds on the inner rigging. Itz hard 2 find good help.
5 am next morning nursing huge hang overs both Lydern and Myself returned to Townsville to begin the task of preparing The Yot for the next big trip.
The major task on the list was the refitt of the mast which is now underway in full earnest.

SEPARATION (WKOA)

The crane arrived early on Monday morning and with very little effort Galleycats' Mast was plucked from the fore deck and taken away for a complete overhaul.
Vaughan the crane man has done this many thymez B4 and with LOTZ of help from the guy's in the yard we had the mast soaring overhead in no thyme at all.
I didn't realise just how bad a shape the mast was actually in until we layed it down on the 3 saw stools and had a good look,
 "What a Mess" 30 years of neglect have not been kind! In fact it was a very real possibility that we'd have 2 scrap it in favour of an aluminium mast that's in the shed. However saner thortz prevailed and we began the HUGE task of removing all the fittings, wiring, ropes and rigging.

After a full day of this I was left with an 11 meter long piece of wood.

SEPARATION ANXIETY

 Another day and many hours with the sanding machine and I'm now left with a stunning piece of Oregon Timber. The German wood workers really knew what they were doing when they put the mast together, experience shipwrights are now stopping and admiring what was considered possible scrap just a few days earlier.
True craftsmanship had gone into the construction of the mast and it'll be a real pleasure to refurbish it.
However, I am going to make 1 major change. The magnificent Oregon will no longer be visible as the mast will be painted not varnished!
This is a pure logistical decision with varnish needing to be re-coated every year V's epoxy paint that'll last many, many years.
The mast will also be fitted with it's radar dome, a cctv camera on the very top, new Led lighting, new sail track and also steps fitted up the sides so I can service everything up the top or just climb 4 a better look around.
As usual Ken was first on scene to lend a hand.

UP AND AWAY

The Yot looks radically different without itz big stick.
Lydern has now left for Melbourne leaving thousands of Foto'z and videos for me to sort and edit. It appears the laptop doesn't have the processing power to edit video's as both programs we've tried won't run on this laptop.
I've taken nearly 100 photo's of the mast before it was deconstructed, as once itz painted we won't have any of the original screw or bolt holes to use as guides to reconstruct it.
The task will take a few weeks but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
The weather has turned to a typical Townsville "WET" with showers humidity and heat the new norm. Plus a cyclone in the worx!
 This means I'm back to the ritual of getting a few hours work done very early in the day and also very late in the day with only indoor / in-shed jobs possible during the heat of the day or during the tropical downpours.
 I will have the Yot ready for my trip to Cairns in thyme come Hell or Hot weather.
As I mentioned in the opening, lotz of jobs are underway with around 6 items on my list already begun. The new bilge pumps have arrived along with the sail track and aluminium for the mast steps. The repairs to the rear deck and railing have begun and repairs and modifications (wkoa) to the kitchen area are nearly complete.
The kitchen upgrade provides more storage under the bench area which was something that proved 2B severely lacking during the Whitsunday trip. I'll need to rethink the big kitchen drawers as well, because the unit I chose has been discontinued and can't be replaced.
Friday lunch this week was a crusty ham and pasta bake with fresh salads that proved to be a real conversation stopper as all 11 people fell quiet while they devoured my offerings.
 Not much else on the culinary front as night thyme is solely reserved for sleeping at the moment with the early starts and day time heat taking itz toll.
Lots of contacts with the West, with Mum and Dad's new house under way and Big Ash also a regular caller. Brother Andrew is still catching big fish and Brad and Dee are busier than ever.
The repairs and upgrades underway at the moment will make sailing / living aboard far more pleasurable with most of the major tasks on my Whitsunday list now begun or in the procurement stage.
The next major undertaking  "the auto pilot" is no small feat as we need to source an "Octo pump" which will be attached to the current Raymarine unit and then plumbed into the hydraulic steering. This is a task totally foreign to me as I've very little experience with hydraulic steering systems but to purchase a new unit is around $3000, So it's something I'm going to have to learn very quickly.
Also in the opening statement I mentioned the sinking of my beloved well traveled dinghy, this was the result of a faulty bilge pump, which has now resulted in the replacement of all pumps aboard both the Yot and the dinghy. Lesson learnt!
The sinking came as a huge blow as 50hp outboards don't respond very well to being sent to the bottom of the river. Gps's and echo sounders like it even less. With a huge effort and many days work the dinghy has been repaired and  is nearly ready to return to the water.
 The whole process has been an unwelcome distraction from the effort underway on the Yot but one that had to take priority as the dinghy needs to be available for both yard work and also for my fishing and crabbing.
It'll take a few weeks to get the whole thing back to full strength with the electronics needing to be repaired. The sinking actually cooked all the wiring in the outboard and electronics as the battery went underwater. I've managed "with help from the boys in the yard next door" to rewire the outboard and actually get it running again. Kenny has helped with the hull being sand blasted and coated with 2 pack epoxy to hopefully repair the electrolysis damage that allowed the water into the dinghy in the first place.
As you can see Galleycat is a very busy place at the moment but with the end goal in sight and memories of fantastic Christmas cruising fresh in my mind, I'll keep pushing forward and have everything ready in just over a month, so our trip to Cairns will be enjoyable, relaxing and fun. Who knows we might even catch a fish!
With any luck and lotz of work I mite even get anutha trip out to the Great Barrier before Mum and Dad arrive in Mid March to help sail Galleycat to Cairns.
I know both Ken and I could use the break! as while all this has been going on the yard is as busy as ever.
So with this in mind I'll bid you farewell and good wishes as this Captain needs to get sum sleep before I begin to sand the boom (bottom of sail ) early tomorrow and also distill a double batch of Fellixer to replace some of the stocks consumed during the Festive season."I see anutha busy day ahead"
Ciao 4 now
Captain Felix