Itz the dawn of a whole new year and a new era for Galleycat. With the practical completion of the extensions I've finally got thyme to have take a breather and fill you in with all the goings on aboard the yot!
Much merrimint and good thymes have been the hall mark of the festive period only overshadowed by the huge work load to get the Yot ready to head towards The Whitsunday's this week.
The Qld temperature is back to itz 1derful self with humid days interspaced with occasional downpours. Many cool showers and a clever work pattern means we manage to stay productive 4 most of the day and sumthymez well into the cool of evenings.
We all agree we miss Noah around during these balmy evenings with Courtney his ever present guitar he'd play a tune while I'd cook up a feed.
He's found himself stuck back in Canada and his boats been put up for sale.
The yard has been called "The Yard of Broken Dreamz" I'm still determined not to fall into that category.Christmas and New Years were celebr8ed with much alcohol and many gr8 dishes including a nice whole baked mangrove jack caught bye Dale on the work wharf with a piece of roast chook 4 bait.
Torsten made a fresh cous cous salad while I added a warm potato and whole grain mustard salad to the feast.
The summer garden is nearly at full productivity with just the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes to come on-line. With heaps of fresh basil, thyme, rosemary and lemongrass plus the usual parsley and spring onions and chives making salads a delight.
Even the humble baked spud getz the royal treatmint now, with fresh thyme rubbed onto the skin with garlic oil and rock salt B4 the bacon rashers are layered on top of the spud while it roasts in the oven.
I simply chop the crispy bacon and stuff the spud with a rough mash of itself throw on sum parsley and chives with a dollop of sour crème and you've got a gr8 nitethyme meal.
Fresh pasta with cashew pesto is anutha gr8 late nite fave.Once again itz Kenny who's been the driving force in making the Yot ready for sea even with a few personal dilemma's to deal with. He's got a huge holiday aboard booked while the boat spends the next little while in The Whitsunday's or more accurately at the Reef behind the islandz..
Mum and Dad have returned from a Chrissy trip to Groote Island during the festive break. Dad even managed his first Barra. Andrew as usual had to outdo him with a bigger fish. A huge estuary cod of sum description on light tackle. Impressive New Year treat 4 both. While Mum watched the cricket in air conditioning. Mmmmm air conditioning "there's a dream!".
King Richards yacht is now fully serviced, buffed and polished and back in the water. Kenny even found thyme to repair sum cyclone damaged paintwork left over from cyclone Yasi.
The trawler Morning Star now occupy's the big cradle while Freedom is on the smaller one.
Bill (see earlier foto!) had his yacht up during the Christmas break after driving into Cape Bowling Green and destroying his rudder.Galleycat is now ready fore see with the final touches still being bolted onto the extensionz as we were heading out of the harbour.
The new dinghy doesn't tow anywhere as well as the last one But this won't B a problem with the new hulls allowing the dinghy 2B lifted aboard during anything but the calmest waterz.
Other than that the new extedionz seem to deliver everything Kenny and I hoped they wood and more!
For those that don't know what this means "Google-it".
The freedom to explore the reef under the Yot is a huge part of the reason for the Yot in the first place. the locker for this unit was the first one created on the new rear deck.
I now have the ability to dive alone or with another person to a depth of 12 meters but around here you don't need anything like that depth. The other huge positive about this unit is you don't need 2
b a licensed scuba diver, its much the same as snorkeling
We R currently anchored behind Rattlesnake Island to hide from the 25 knot trade wind thatz arrived thanks to a large cyclone near Tonga.
We won't be trialing the new Powerdive here as Torsten has managed at least 3 big Tigers to the boat so far. Plus a few spangled emporer and a cod means we'll be having a coconut curry or laksa for dinner 2nite.The island has an oversupply of ripe coconuts so we'll head ashore this arvo harvest a few and see if we can catch a flathead or barra in the shallow coral sand patches.
more 2 follow Much More!
Itz now 2 days later we're still hunkered up behind Herald island and the wind is a good 25 knotz with squalls up 2 40.
My comment regarding the dinghy not being a good sea boat were a little premature, as yesterday morning it decided it had had enuf of the ruff weather and left in the middle of the nite to head back to shore.
We've just had a call from the water police to say it arrived safely at Balgal beach just near Richards house. I think a hot spa at Richards house wouldn't B a bad idea either.
On the fishing front we've lotz 2 add. With the best a 15kg Spanish Mack plus Baldchin, Cobia, Gt's, and lots and lotz of sharks.
Torsten is having a PHAT Thyme catching all sorts of stuff.We did try Northeast Bay at Palm Island yesterday but the trip there and back was simply a lesson in seamanship with huge seas and strong winds. The extensions have had a full shakedown and a severe washing down with "green" waves breaking over the sides more than a few thymez.
On the gr8 side the Yot sails really we'll in these conditions and without the dinghy behind under full sail we managed a good 7 knot
speed without using any fuel.
Andy came roaring past in the Sealink ferry just past Acheron Island .(pic's to follow)
The update will continue soon but a reel qwik overview is: We have just recovered the missing dinghy from the beach and the yot is bak in Townsville!
Life is 4 living!
Captain Felix...
