CRAYZEE DAYS !!!

 

G'day All, As the title suggests itz that veree special thyme of year when the crayfish come to play.

My task of gathering crays for chrissy iz progressing well with 16 being our best day so far, but the signz are there that those numbers will only increase as the run progresses.

The yot is safely tucked away in Mangels bay Rockingham and Big Ash and Cory arrive at 4.20 am each day for the run out to the 5 fathom bank behind Garden Island. It takes an hour to get there and back but the rewardz are worth it. and you get 2 C sum gr8 sunrises.

The big reward I get, is the ability to go back 2 bed unlike Ash and Cory.  Sue however doesn't like being left behind but as she is generally fast asleep when we return I don't think her separation anxiety is in overdrive. I do notice she'z always asleep on my bed.

Next 2 arrive should B the famous Swan River crabz, Finga's crossed So far there are just a few entries on facebook about swan river crabs this is how we set the craypotz We waited until everyone else was catching B4 we even put our pots in to soak. As usual itz "The Rules" that'll bring us unstuck as you are only allowed to keep 24 crays at your house. No more!

Itz also thyme to rebuild the Fellixer stocks with 40litres being the goal.  I'm at 30 already sitting on oak chips for smoothness. I've also managed to construct a new carbon filter unit that halves the filtering thyme.

LANCELIN SHINEZ AGAIN!!!

 

G'day All,

                 Once again I find myself in Lancelin only this thyme the yot comes with me.

Enter Cameron and Tyrone and we had the makings of a memorable trip.

With the lessonz learned of my last blog entry Cam and Ty both arrived on Saturday arvo for a 2 day stay aboard, First up...

We set our goal of catching herrings and whiting for bait "task acomplished".about 10 of each!

Then it waz thyme for shut eye with a 4am departure from Lancelin Bay to my fishing spotz, 2.5 hours later we arrived and dropped straight in2 big pink snapper (first drop 3 sized pinkies.) No Dhuies were found this thyme but lotz of activity on the rodz.

We spent the morning (which waz a little ruff) the fish were biting, the fights were gr8, we released at least 15 smaller snapper but soon had our bag limits and it was thyme 2 return to Lancelin. 

The weather godz made up for the morning with a flat calm run back 2 town.

I lost track of the species we caught but it waz still a roaring suxcess.  

Cam and Ty left for Perth with an esky full of quality fillets and we all enjoyed a huge snapper meniere lunch.

With the fisheries closure now in effect I've left Lancelin and am now back in Perth.

Itz once again thyme to concentrate on "other" fishing ie whiting, crayfish and squid.

The plan iz 2 move the yot back to Rockingham later this week but for now I'm tied up at Ocean Reef Marina.

Just B4 the closure Harry and Myself headed away from Ocean Reef until we made it to the dhuie spots.

After copping a saturation by two green waves over the bow on the way out. This meant we were both wet and the wind waz freezing, it took a few hours to dry out and finally get some warmth back in2 my body.

First up a baldchin followed closely by 2 nice king george whiting then finally we got an 8kg dhu boy. 

LANCELIN RE-VISITED

G'day All, 

                 Big Ash and I set out in a perfect weather forecast for my old stomping grounds off Lancelin. This involved leaving Perth at 3.30 am and driving the 150kms to lancelin where we took Ash's Dodge Ram onto itz first beach launch. Dead easy!!

Then we plugged in the gps and headed NW towards the bank, 17nm later it waz thyme to get amongst them.

BIG baits mean big fish!

We were here to tangle with the big dhuies that inhabit this area but as you can see it waz the snapper that stole the show, I had told ash on the trip up that I'd never caught "big" snapper on our dhuie spot. So this thyme there was just sized dhuies but lotz of big pinkies. Once again it waz the bag limits that limited most of the day to catch and release.

Countless fishes were sent back, we damaged 2 rods and generally had a gr8 day then we set off back towards Perth. A blown tyre on the trailer had us stuck on the side of the freeway for about half an hour. We finally got back to Ash's place just on dusk.

What this trip showed us waz that Lancelin iz just a little too far for a single day trip, Our recovery thyme now we are 50 iz just to gr8. But once the yot arrives peoples such as Cameron,  Ash, Brad and Hanni can leave Perth a day either side of the fishing trip, camping on the yot either B4 or after a fishing trip. Brother Mark has already reserved the Penthouse suite on the rear deck roof.

 

TOM TOMZ .....

G'day All, and a really BIG hello to my mermaid Amanda in the UK.

As you can cee the new hatch above the skipperz chair iz now installed and working. I also have 2 house guestz as 2 swallows have decided my air con unit iz a gr8 place to source dead bugs and nesting materialz.

Once the anchor winch iz fixed they'll find their nesting place iz up for a big move.

The Tom Tomz are beating! LOUDLY  telling me itz thyme to leave Perth behind and point the yot Northwards again. I'll start with Lancelin then graduate to Exmouth. The weather godz are all against this trip. As itz Cyclone season in just 4 months. No insurance if I'm above the 26th parallel.

The guy in these fotoz needs to update hiz insurance as he forgot to put the "bungz" in! Hiz boat sank behind mine in about 30 secondz. He needed a life jacket and a lift 2 shore. The salvage guyz took about 2 hours 2 refloat the trailer boat. B4 towing it back 2 the boat ramp.

Meet Sue!

My new travel partner haz arrived. 

Itz Honey mark two as she looks just like my previous dog honey.

Sue haz been at the Dogs home looking for a new owner. She iz a staffie kelpie cross. 6 years old and ready to join Galleycat for the next phase of my journey.

 

KOMPUTA GLITCH

 G'day All, Galleycat iz experiencing technikal issuez with the "brains" of the yot.

The computer is absent at the repair guyz for at least the next few weex. this affects the whole yot with stereo, Tv ,weather forecasts and many other vitals missing or absent. Big Ash haz lent me a tablet type computer 2 keep in touch with the world. The weather godz have finally given us kleer sky'z and calm waters. Galleycat iz now parked off palm beach jetty in Rockingham. Still within the shelter of Mangels bay but much further out into the sound. The main idea iz 2 track down a couple of snapper which are known to frequent the area at this thyme each year.

The repairs undertaken at Hillaries have been a complete suxcess with both engines now fully funktional but we still lack the troublesum genset. the stormz of the last few weex have highlighted several operational problems aboard.

The biggest iz the problem hatch over the skippers chair. This haz now been replaced with a larger square bomar hatch. It turns out the hatch had 4 leak pointz but the nearby spotlight and gps antennae both had big leaks also. The next issue waz once again battery issues with the port side house battery dropping to 10 volts while itz brother sat at 13.8 volts. A big think session resulted in me changing the solar charger imputs from a "bus bar"  to directly onto each battery.

KWINANA BEACHED...

 

G'day All, 

                  Itz strange I've gone from not much 2 report too "What a fortnight" The biggest item was an unexpected 2 mile journey to Kwinana Beach. The mooring in mangles bay became "chaffed" and broke allowing the yot to drift 2 miles up the coast and park itself quite nicely on the sandy beach. Getting the yot off the beach was a whole nutha thing with an excavator and cray boat being bought in to first dig the yot out then tow the yot from the beach.

It wasn't until the guy on the excavator started pushing from the Bow (front) that the yot began to refloat on the high tide, then the crayboat just winched us out into deeper waters. A quick dive to check propellors and rudders then I started the engines and drove back to the damaged mooring, 2 new ropes and we are ready to sit out the next storm front which will last 3 dayz this thyme. Perth haz been buffeted by strong Northerly storms for the last 10 days "most unusual" as most our weather comes from the South West which gives Mangles Bay plenty of shelter.                               Nice new bbq

On the fishing front I've done another trip with Cameron, Plus Hanni and the boys came for a trip then one more trip with Ash to the back of rotto to collect snapper. 

No snapper in the sound as Cameron and I found out with a trip to the legendary D9 wreck. NO  snapper not even a ray or a shark bite all night. We let our livebaits go in the morning. Still we did manage a few herrings and just a few catch up stories. This waz a nice coronation trout that got on the menu during Hanni's trip.

The new pergola area works a treat with most visitorz heading up without encouragement 

As you can see my trip with Ash chasing snapper waz a suxcess we got our bag limit and headed home with quality fillets again.

 

FISHING WITH CAMERON....

 

G'day All, 

                  Well itz finally happened, Cameron haz come out to the yot for our first fishing trip aboard.

After fishing off Perth for 40 years I realized I have no spots less than 12 miles from Hillaries, wot 2 do!

Years ago I used to fish with Jimmy Stott out from Observation City Scarbourgh in 28 meters chasing whiting and squid. So I thort why not try that again, itz not exciting fishing but itz constant and yieldz a gr8 result.

Enter Cameron who I met at Hillaries marina b4 heading South for a few miles. Once past the South Cardinal we headed straight out until 28 meters deep. Shut off the motors and began chasing Whiting.

No joy for the first half hour, heaps of butter fish, wrasse and baby flathead. Then we found them. Cam got a double header first up followed closely by hiz first squid.

We ended up with 8 squid Cam got 7 to my lonely one. Only 1 sized flathead amongst the 50 or so small onez. 30 or so whiting plus a few Mackerel we headed back towards Hillaries mission accomplished, thyme 2 turn a bucket full of fish in2 food. We anchored just North of the Marina and Cam cleaned the squid while I scaled then filleted our whiting. 

Then we set up a crumbing station to turn each of the whiting fillets in2 tasty treatz. About an hour later we had 50 crumbed whiting fillets plus 4 containers of squid. Lattice chinese style cut pieces that fried up quickly into yummee snacks.

MUCH SADNESS .....

 

G'day All, 

                 Itz done! The pergola iz finished...   

Much work has gone in to making the new area useable and praktikal. With nearly 25 square meters of extra deck space the new area will transform the way the yot iz used.                                  It waz not until the tools and construction stuff waz removed in prep to do the deck painting that the true scale of the new area became apparent. Not only that area but the bed haz also arrived to fit on the rear deck roof adding yet more area.

The whole floor haz now had 2 coats of rubberized deck paint. With the arrival of the hammock and the Anywhere bed itz thyme to look for a beanbag and a table and chairs to kit out the upstairs.

Music and lights are now also complete making the area ready 4 use.

Now comez a thyme I hate SO much. Painting thyme again, in this case itz antifouling the bottoms of both hullz.

Mum waz first to show and lend support, followed closely by Jim a local yottie.

I had 20 litres of jotun antifouling ready 2 use with the hope of getting 2 coats across the hullz. In the end we got 4 coats with the whole job only taking 2 dayz.

You can always tell your mates by those that arrive to antifoul the boat. Itz a prick of a job working with thick, gluey and poisonous paint.

Just the propellors, shaftz and rudderz to do now, with a much harder wearing antifoul.

The job overall haz taken several months with the blog being a gr8 thymeline So much work haz occured over the last few months that Galleycat iz now a completely different boat.

FALSE START.....

After a week of no go,  the yot haz finally left Two Rocks heading for Hillaries.

The yot went back in the water on Tuesday morning and immediately began sinking on the Stb hull.

No idea where the water iz coming from but the lift machine waz busy until Friday anyhoo.

The bilge pumps kept the water to a managable level. But it doesn't help you sleep when you know the boat iz taking on water and itz only a bilge pump stopping the water levels from rising 2 far.

Come lunch thyme Friday we lifted the boat out again and it waz immediately obvious where the water waz getting in. A 1.5 cm split under the toilet room.

Along comes Vince again with hiz welding truck to repair the split with a welded patch over the whole area. The lifting sling haz opened a stress crack.

Itz just amazing how much haz been achieved in the last 4 months. Itz taken nearly 20k and heaps of not only my labor but friends also to transform the yot into a true motor sailer.

The yot iz now ready to begin the next stage of my journey and head North again to warmer climes.

MUCH SADNESS...

My friend and travel partner iz no more.

Honey haz been going downhill rapidly over the past 3 months and it waz thyme to say my goodbyes.

Honey was a rescue dog from Qld and was scheduled for termination (wkoa) some 6 years ago. So she'z had many many wonderful days since her reprieve.

I have tonnes of photoz and therefore memories of my best friend.

She passed peacefully with no pain so I'm gr8ful to Anne who helped Honey on.

 

PRAKTIKAL COMPLETION...

 

G'day All, 

                  Itz taken a heap of effort but the pergola haz reach a milestone with all the welding completed, well almost.

There are several welds that need tidying up or beautification (wkoa). Thatz the task for this week along with fitting the rearwards guy ropes to strengthen the pergola even further. We are basically working on the principle of making it as strong as possible.

Itz taken 5 extra lengths of aluminium but the whole structure iz 100 thymez stronger than that of the same structure 2 weex ago. Diagonal bracing plus extra handrails and legs with four cross weldz on each leg to really lock the whole structure together.

Now when we shake the pergola the whole boat moves rather than one or the other. This should reduce future stress cracks. 

On the whole we are now confident the pergola wont blow away during a storm, still with the change in structure I  now class the yot as a fair weather sailer only in other words I plan to avoid stormy conditions as much as possible.

The pergola must be getting close to completion as the hammock and new quilt for the upstairs bed have arrived. The quilt cover haz lotz of flouro lures, the picture dosen't do the colors justice, Itz bright.

Mum arrived the other day to paint the felix logo's on the stern and itz thyme to repair all the damage weve done to the deck paint, there are hundreds of burn marx in the paint and the area down the sidez of the cabin will all need a new coat. Luckily I've still got a 5 litre tin of paint to do the  floor of the pergola area.

We lost a couple of days due to the tail end of a cyclone that went past the metro area. Lotz of wind but bugger all rain really. Still the pergola has sat out itz first storm B4 we are even back in the water.

The arrival of the storm also saw the arrival of the new "unsinkable" tender. 

A SMARTWAVE 2400 haz been fitted with a 6HP Tohatsu four stroke outboard.

Both are also fitted with gps tracking so if they get lost or stolen they can be instantly tracked down.

Up until now dinghy'z have been a major issue for Galleycat. The new version iz safer smaller and lighter than itz predecessors

MUCH PROGRESS!!!

 

G'day All,

                 While there iz much progress on the yot there'z also thyme to get amongst them again.

Another trip out to 35 meters off Ocean Reef same result we bagged out B4 noon with a nice dhu plus a good size baldie made for the bulk of the catch, but the sub list iz impressive= we caught squid, cuttlefish, octopus, whiting wrasse and a king george whiting 2 boot. That waz just the small line we caught 2 rays 1 shark plus several undersize dhu's and baldchin on the big lines.

But once the wind arrived the bite stopped so we headed home with our bag limit of quality fishes again.

Now itz thyme 2 get back to the yot and finish this damn pergola. The hoops are all fitted as are the solar panels plus the ladder iz also complete. The welding haz been interesting with kyron bringing in a TIG welder to do the ladder which iz only 0.8 mm thick thatz why I had so much trouble with the ladder as I had the machine set for 2 mm no wonder I burnt right through it.

TEKNIKAL HITCH!

In my effortz to make the pergola as light as possible 120 kg so far, I've overestimated the structural strength of the whole structure, the best way to describe  the issue would be that of a "daddy long legs spider" all the weight iz up high and the legz are too week to support the structure.

Lotz of advice from many sources, it going 2 be a culmination of all these suggestions that solves the problem. Triangle bracing iz the answer but every other addition helpz with the strength.

The biggest of these iz 2 diagonal supportz bolted to the mast, locking the whole pergola at the front.

The best cure 4 any problem iz to forget about it for a while and go fishing to clear the mind.

Back to Ocean Reef and another trip chasing dhufish, however I also managed a crabbing trip with ash.

This thyme we headed for Wanboro  sound at Port Kennedy. Hard work to get a feed but we still got 13 good bluez. Then it waz back to Mumz place to be ready for a 5am start to Ocean Reef.

We did get a dhuie but it waz the smallest I've ever see at about 20 cm's.

With no joy on the dhuz we changed tacktics and chased big snapper.

Better luck here with this nice 7 kg monster being our trophy fish.

God they pull hard in the shallow waterz.

A couple of good sized baldies filled up our bag limit again so it was 28 knots back to shore and back to the main task at hand and thatz 2 finish this pergola and get the yot back in2 the water.

The fishing tripz had their desired effect with the answer to the stability of the pergola solving itself.

The answer waz staring me right in the face, in the kitchen iz the dinghy lifting frame that needed 2B strengthened last year.

By doubling up on the legs then welding cross braces we quadruple the strength of the verticles.

More 2 follow...

PERGOLA THYME !!!

 

G'day All, 

                 Thyme for the work 2 begin with the new pergola taking shape.

There waz however thyme for one quick fishing trip to my old West Coast Angling spotz out the back of Rotto, with a perfect night of flat calm water and no breeze at all.

Big Ash and I completed a few jobs around the house B4 hooking up the boat and setting off to Woodmans point ramp just az the sun was setting.

A lightning fast trip had us in 195 meters but no joy as the current waz 2 strong even with 4lb's of lead.

Back into 110 meters and BINGO the snapper came to play.

Quality fillets and we bagged out in no time at all.

Back into the ramp job well done!

Now itz thyme to put the fishing rodz away and get back to the yot and the huge task of  building the new pergola. Lotz of plans in my head it'll be a miracle if it all comes together like itz supposed to.

Kyron (welder/engineer) and Brad (fridgy) showed up just after lunch and it was straight into it with planks and clamps coming together to build the first of 5 hoops that'll form the pergola legs.

The legs are now all in place with 3 verticle support legs fitted to the centre line of the pergola. These will carry not only the flex in the roof structure but also carry all the necessary wiring from the front to the rear of the new area's.

The on site welding iz progressing well with enuf material to complete the task now assured. Nearly $2000 worth of aluminium haz arrived 4 the job Thanx again Dad.

The next task iz 2 weld in the 9 handrails that'll lock the whole structure together. Once the handrails are secured the solar panels and planx can be bolted into place.

The arrival of a few dayz of 30 knot winds haz put the welding on the to do later list. That said it still didn't stop me having a go at welding the step ladder for the new deck. " I stuffed it up completely!"

The task of learning to weld aluminium iz going well with Kyron showing me how to improve my technique. Once again it waz Dad who purchased a new mig welder just for the task at hand. This will mean from now on I know how to use our own welder to do these jobz and 4 maintenance of the 13 tonnes of aluminium I call home

So on to job number two, fit the new zinc anodes to the hull of the yot, These zinc blocks are designed to corrode and protect the running gear (propellers, rudders and shafts).

Itz also thyme to prep the lower half of the hullz for antifouling. But the actual painting needs to be done just B4 the yot goes back in2 the water. This involves setting the new waterline then sanding down any white paint below the line, this allows the antifoul to stick much better.

The new pergola haz changed the visual lines of the yot with the hulls more resembling a motor sailer rather than a yot. Still it'll open up so much more room with the extra deck to have a table and just a few beanbags and hammocks for those extra calm nights.