Galleycat is still a veree busy place!
This week has seen the current project consume me totally! I'm truly spent!
The Yotz mast has gone from an 11 metre long piece of Oregon, to a painted mast, thatz nearly ready 2B installed bak on the Yot.
The whole project is more thyme consuming than I'd ever imagined.(aren't they all) With each stage being a case of 1 step forwards 4 stepz backwards!
Itz now Thursday nite and the mast is currently at the rewire stage, after many, many days of sanding, priming, painting, fitting, wiring and refitting.The temperature is totally out of control with ex tropical cyclone Oswald making his presence felt all across Queensland. Itz hard to fathom just how much you sweat when itz 35 degrees as you awake each day. The humidity is the actual killa with current levelz around the 80-90% level, its slightly uncomfortable!
Still the work goes on, thanx mainly to a couple of frozen tea towels (christmas presents) that I place around my neck every 30 mins or so!
Itz very hard to solder or paint with sweat dripping off your nose/ chin/ body.
Itz truly the kind of weather that has U questioning your very reason for existence, many thymez this week I've found myself wondering just WHY I DO THIS!After a reassuring call from my wise Mum I realised that my goal is not only on track but has been achieved! Despite the weather!
The original goal was to,
"RECEIVE NO WINDOW FACED ENVELOPES!"
In 2012, I received just 2!
and both of those went straight in the bin with zero consequence! (readers digest)
You only have to go to your own letterbox for just 1 week and count them to realise just how much these little envelopes control our lives.NOT THIS LITTLE BLACK DUCK!
So I really have zero reason 2 grizzle and it simply takes a minor attitude shift 2 realize/remind me of this.
If I wasn't busy enufff, I've just been told that Galleycat is coming out of the water tomorrow lunch thyme. To be pressure washed, sanded, rudder repaired and fibreglassed then a coat of anti foul will be painted on the area's that R normally underwater. All of this on top of the 7 or so jobs that R already under way.
Oh well In 4 a penny in 4 a pound! or so they say.Today saw the arrival of a special $250 piece of stainless steel that'll be shaped and drilled to fit the sidez of the Yot and support the wires that hold the mast in itz design8ed position. Just a little more work. No small feat really as we have to curve the stainless by 45mm over 2.7 meters. Which is easy -unless its stainless angle then itz down rite impossible! but in this yard the impossible becomes possible with years of know how. I'll keep you updated on this piece of engineering wizardry.
While this work goes on life in the yard continues at itz usual feverish pace with powerboats and yachts coming and going. Many of these are now repeat vessels with many of the owners making comment on just how much Galleycat has changed in the last year. I regularly look back 1 year before I fill out this blog and am constantly amazed at these changes. At thymes I'm incredibly glad that I keep the blog as it provides a time line that I can refer to.By this thyme next week I should have the mast re installed and the Yot will be back in the water.
The culinary front continues as well with lasagna last week and this Friday's lunch will be corn fritters and baked potatoes. I've received a new herb 4 the garden with Vietnamese mint joining the lemongrass plant in itz own containment vessel as both tend to grow uncontrollably.I've received 2 travel offers this week 1 to head back to W.A for a weeks fishing and the other to take a yacht to Brisbane in a couple of weeks. Both of these offers seem like very long shots at this point in thyme with the need to get the Yot ready for the cairns trip my major focus at the moment.
Mr Mick has returned to Australia and is full of beans in preparing to catch a few quality fish. Big Ash has been out on his new boat with great success. Mum and Dad's new house has begun construction with compaction and footings on the agenda for this week. I haven't heard from Miss Mermaid for a while now but that's not overly unusual finga's crossed Amanda will be in touch once they thaw out in Ireland.
So thatz about all for this week except for the news that the mudcrabs have slowed down with all the fresh water we've received over the past few weeks. Hopefully the rains will stay away long enuf 4 the salt levels to bring the crabs and Barra bak to the river. Not that there's much thyme for fishing at the moment.
Ciao till next week,
Captain Felix
