Itz once again thyme 2 return to Townsville! Allreddy!
With King Richard about set to jet off to Africa for his charity ride, I'll be needed around the yard for the next few months.
After Mum and Dad headed bak 2 Perth I had a week up my sleeve to prepare Galleycat for her return journey and settle down to watch probably the most amazing Bathurst I've ever seen.
Then it waz thyme for Brother Mark and his "girlfriend???" Emily to arrive for a week of fun and frivolities.
The weather godz were kind to us as we set sail for Macona Inlet just next to Nara.
It was then thyme to teach Emily how to catch her 1st fish! (while we waited for the tide to abate)
Not a bad effort a huge trevally as her initial capture!Once the tide had dropped enuf we set out to collect a drum full of huge rock oysters. (2nd task accomplished).
Then after a good nites sleep and a hearty breakfast we set off towards Whithaven.
This was 2B our home for the next 3 or 4 dayz. Full relaxation (wkoa) mode!
The aim here was to relax, swim and find a few more of those monster mudcrabs!
Many meals of seafood and other culinary delights made the dining table as well as just one or 2 bourbons.
I even managed do conduct a "wee bit of pirate-in" during one of the messier nights.
My mate "Pud" had the party boat "bella jayde" parked on Whitehaven with a crowd of German Backpackers.
They weren't quite sure what the make of the raiding party that boarded the vessel in the dark of nite. Just pillaging no raping!
This of course resulted in much mayhem and laughter and more drinking.
We've had a few issues with thepropellor on the tender with the central rubber hub slipping.
So we had to make running repairs (several thymez).
However our repairs and crabbing trips did eventually yield another of those huge muddies.However only a couple this thyme.
We've begun the long trip back toward Townsville in a screaming 25 knot SE breeze. The Yot and the crew are both handling it well and we've even managed a nice northern blue tuna into the mix.
The breeze iz supposed to drop off on Monday,so we are heading for the safety of Bait Reef to wait it out.more to follow once we are safely moored up!
We made it!
Bait reef all to ourselves! But that is hardly so very surprising as itz blowing a solid 25 knots with 3 meter waves to keep it interesting.
Inside the Reef its nearly flat calm but still very windy.
Bruce has shown up with a few of his trevally mates to bid for food. The tuna waz around 6 kg, so we'll cut a bit for sushimi then diced the rest for the huge school of phish waiting at the rear platform.
The crew did exceptionally well not to be sick on the trip across with sum very big sea's rolling the Yot around.
The middle floor is leaking again! (bastard) but only around 8 litres got in during the 5 hour crossing from Apostle Bay.
We did really well with the sails providing heapz of power to keep us moving along between 6 and 7 knots.
4 lunch we settled down 2 a chicken bacon and cheese fillet burger ( no thanks to "COLES" nearly all our bread had gone mouldy already).
sux big thyme!
Still the par bake rolls were all good.
The diving too is suffering a little with the conditions, but once your underwater itz still a very magical place.
I've even managed 2B bitten by a GT!
Not too many people can put that on their resume'
While taking shelter it was thyme 2 prepare a feast with crumbed oysters served with a chive and lime dressing being the chosen fair.
The trick was Mark and Em had to shuck the oysters.
I offered much advice from the couch and soon they were both shucking like pro's!
We spent a day and a half sheltering from the winds inside bait reef with several dives each and a whole lot of fish feeding.
One special treat was sending our tunaframe over the side with Em attached to the other end of the rope.
A 5ft white tip reefie came up to play with much tearing and splashing he soon tore the tuna 2 pizza's.
But with the weather clearing and only getting better as the week goes on we have once again begun our quest North 2 wards Townsville.
The basic plan (if there is one) is 2 head North with the rougher weather then fish and dive the reef once the betta weather arrives on Thursday and Friday B4 heading into Townsville on Saturday.
Perhaps a day at Magnetic Island if we get there a bit ahead of schedule.
CONTACT:
We've just gained internet signal again so itz thyme 4 an update on our progress...
The good weather we've been waiting 4 hasn't arrived, so we are now heading in from The Reef.A few wild days have been had, with a complete steering failure the biggest hiccup!
The beam joining the 2 rudders together came apart during the wild weather causing some very hasty repairs to be undertaken.Itz a good thing I've got 240 volt power and power tools to fix these kind of breakages, a normally equipped Yot would B stuffed!
After a repair job we set off again, Northwards on the very outside edges of The Gr8 Barrier..
A great nights fishing at prawn reef has our freezer full of emporer fillets.We are 30nm from Magnetic Island under full spinnaker and cruising at around 6 knots. Trolling!
The spanish mackerel seem 2 of disappeared to be replaced with the far less palatable shark mackerel.
The weather in a word has been terrible with a near constant 25 knot breeze, rain and big tides creating not the most enjoyable conditions.
Still we've managed quite well by sheltering behind reef systems at night. Somethymes a little to closely as we've bumped into the top of a few bommies. No damage!Still everyone is totally rested, fed well and the Yot is in one piece, so all in all itz not been that bad really.
The food list reads like a four star restaurant with sessions dedic8ed to planning the meals for the day.
Today for instance:
Breakfast: Muffins topped with cream cheese,ham,scrambled egg then a layer of melted colby to top it off.
Lunch: Fresh crumbed pork fillet burgers with fresh apple and pear sauce plus all the trimmings
Dinner:Poached spangled emporer,meniere' sauce,steamed asparagus and squash with grilled polenta,
Dessert: cinnamon poached pineapple with butterscotch cream and home-made frozen mango yoghurt.
All low fat of course! NOT!
2nite is our last night at sea so a special meal seemed fitting and with the total calm of Horseshoe Bay being a very welcome change we should all party into the wee hours B4 sum much needed solid sleep.Update:
ITz nearly a week later:
Mark is bak in the real world !
Em is back beside a pool in Vic and Galleycat is now tied to the shore just outside the yard.
Our last nite in Horseshoe Bay turned out 2B truly fantastic! As the fish turned on a really gr8 nite.
During the day we'd moved the Yot a mere 200 meters and this proved a huge transformation(wkoa) to our fishing effortz.
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| SHARK & CHIPS |
She'll know about the bruises in the morning!
Mark and Em spent the morning ashore xploring Magnetic while I did sum basic maintenence.Then it waz thyme 4 a special meal to celebrate the end of the trip
We set sail early the next morn 4 Townsille hopefully in thyme 4 the V8's at the Gold Coast.
It seems the concept of beaching yachts is viable for the yard, as I need to wait out a repair to another Kat B4 I can park up in my normal spot and begin 2 help around the yard.
The yard is in defin8 need of a hand with many of the jobs at the same level as B4 I left,
Already the joblist has grown at an alarming rate, I've begun 2 fill in a big worklist that requires my attention.
It was only 2day that I realized that I'd taken the positiveness of Em's ability to divide life in2 two distinct halves, one of these being life!
The Yot now haz 2 distict halves one being YING the other YANG and itz simply a matter of balance.
The pace of life here is weigh 2 fast 4 my comfort and I'm defin8ly seeing the need to leave "civilization" wkoa...sooner rather than later.
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PORQUE'NO LAS DOS! |
The steering is in need of major "toughness" upgrades, We had far 2 many problems with it during the rougher conditions.
The refrigeration also has had itz last journey, I'm on the verge of setting up a final refriger8ion system that'll make life aboard "SO" much more practical.
The troublesum Waeco's will be replaced by 2 brand new Evakool 60litre fibreglass units 1 of which is 2B a custom built freezer unit
Both systems fridges and steering are hamstrung by the basic need 4 power!
More consumption means the need 4 more production.
So 2 new 200w solar panels will be fitted to the pergola in a major upgrade of the solar production capacity aboard.
The trip as a whole was really gr8 with the thyme spent with family a real bonus.Now itz thyme for 3 months of hard graft to complete the upgrades and paint the Yot.
Itz good to know that even in fairly intense weather Galleycat can not only hold her own but ride it out in safety and comfort.
I'll end this entry here with the knowledge that I'm closer than ever to "LIVING MY DREAM"
Captain Felix
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| MAGNETIC ISLAND SUNSET |
