STAG Nation!!!

 

G'day All, Thatz all 15 people that have checked the blog since the last update I clearly do not have the talent to hold an audience.

It iz a thyme of much upgrades interspaced with "F" all progress. The garden beds are finished (not Swedish) and ready 2B planted out however we are waiting to install clear and solid coverz to the pergola area to shelter the fragile plantz from the constant wind that it seemz I must deal with everyday. the planters are 200 litre drumz that quadruple the available growing area that I had when I waz growing vegies B4.

The next major upgrade iz the installation (wkoa) of a brand new twin tub washing machine fitted into the old laundry room. A shelf under the machine iz just the rite size for the dive gear bag . This machine uses next 2 no water with the filling restricted to about 10 litres for the wash cycle and even less for the spin/rinse cycle. The old fisher and pykel top loader used 130 litres for the same program. This was this years xmas present to the yot. Our family Xmas has come and gone with less and less relevance as I get older. Still itz interesting 2c the new generations of kidz being added to the extended family this year waz 22 people with children, grand children and great grand children with the Gr8s receiving the most attention from father Xmas. While the rest of us enjoyed the kidz excitement levels. Thatz xmas over 4 another year.

While we were at Ocean Reef we managed to harvest a mega crop of "huge" mussels so much so that we have 3 live cages hanging off the back of the yot.

Next on the attention list were the problematic bean bags with the old material being sun damaged so the bags would split, spilling hundreds of beans all over the yot that only a vacumn cleaner iz capable of picking up the snow storm.

Out came Mumz sewing machine and between us we managed to sew 2 new sunbrella covers along with replacing the levelz of beans in each new bag B4 we sewed them shut. Not an easy task but well worth it 4 the final resultz.

Now itz thyme 2 remove 5 years of junk from the rear deck roof and install my latest version of a "queen size anywhere bed" while these R gr8 beds, the basic steel frame rusts out after 12 to 15 months! enter the new version! take away the "steel" frame then "steal" 30 milk crates 2 do the same job. Not that easy 2 do in today's climate. However! enter a friend from Browns dairy who showed up with a refrigerated truck, backed up to the boat ramp then proceeded to throw 30 milk crates out the side door. Then a simple wave of the hand and he waz gone.

GENERATOR WARZ!!!

 

G'day all, Itz finally happened the troublesum generator haz been removed from the starboard engine room and it now resides on the kitchen floor. On top of that milestone comes the newz that I've found the cause of all my solar/electrical problemz on the yot with the "col hersey" battery switch being the culprit.

The lift of the genset waz an easy task as we'd been preparing for a month. A special lifting crane waz brought in and along with sum kleva engineering we put our collective minds together to sort any problems we encountered.

All connections to the yot had 2B severed with fuel, cooling water, exhaust and all low voltage and high voltage wiring 

That task achieved!, we then had to use an ultra long 1/2 " socket extension to reach the 6 bolts holding the bottom of the genset to the cross members of the engine room.

Itz now thyme to refurbish the genset ,all itz engine mounts and all over reliability. The main culprit seemz 2B the fuel injection pump however this could not be removed without first removing the whole genset from the engine room.

The diesel mechanic will be down today to go over the engine and tell me what partz we need to make the genset work. 

Itz now thyme for my annual Bathurst event with all the classics like chicken caesar sushi, fruit and cheese platters, home made KFC plus chocies and cafe grande icecream. While the menu was up to par the racing was dare I say but "Boring". The new gen 3 cars and the loss of the holden ford rivalry makez 4 a different feel to the whole thing. That said it was still a weekend full of racing so it wasn't all bad.

Itz 3 weex later and Galleycat is back in Rockingham!

We have set about building 2 new garden beds upstairs on the mezzanine floor.

UPGRADE THYME!!!

 

Itz major upgrade thyme with lotz and lotz of items getting attention. Having Joondalup and itz many stores so close makes it much easier to complete jobz on the yot.

1st up waz the wet exhaust system in the Stb hull, this $200 piece of reinforced rubber carries both exhaust water and gas outside the yot but the pipe has been damaged for several months and salt water and fumes were leaking in2 the engine room. job done!

Next to get an upgrade waz the TV which waz an old plasma unit that cost $100 5 years ago and used lotz of power, (out with the old and in with the new). The newer version iz 12volt and uses less than a quarter of the power of the old unit. Despite being just bigger than the old unit.

In the last entry we were also suffering from storm damage to the solar systems of the yot.

That problem iz no longer with the installation (wkoa)  upgraded to 4 household panels with new dc/dc convertors that link the 45 volts from the solar panels to the 12 volt system of the yot. This iz sumthing untried in Solarland , Kenny put me on2 the fact that these panelz put out 40+ volts on cloudy dayz. While everyone around me needz to run gener8tors just to top up power, my new system haz 2 x 300 amp battery banks full by 9 am in the morning. and on2 float voltage.

Next on the upgrade list iz the brainz of the Yot! The computer and media storage iz failing with bad electrical connections. So both are now renewed with a new laptop coming online and a complete cloning of all onboard hard drives, New hard drive connections made it easier to clone the drives on2 new onez. Only now I learn that thumb drives now come in 2TB size for around $15 as against the new Toshiba drives at $80 each. Oh well we live and learn, I've now ordered 4 of the thumb drivez so I can keep a complete copy of the brainz of the Yot at mum and Dadz place. 

Next on the list waz the dinghy lifting contollz with both up and down switches needing attention. The spot light also had a dicky switch. Once again nutha job done! Lotz of complicated wiring.

Now itz thyme to turn all my attentionz to the troublesum generator which iz ready 2B lifted out of the engine room. then the injection pump will be removed and serviced.

INSIDE KITCHEN MUSSELL !!!

 

G'day All!, 

                  Just a few mussels fresh from Cockburn sound and now residing in my mussel cage floating out the back. Itz gr8 to have fresh mussels whenever I want.

With the yot and myself in hibernation (wkoa) it iz now thyme to remove and upgrade the inside kitchen.

Step 1 letz remove and dismantle the old kitchen, B4 cutting up 2 sheets of 12mm plywood. Once the basic shape and size became apparent , mounting the new oven was also complete. Lotz of effort to make the new bench and cupboard look like the original unitz. And once finished (not Swedish) the unit matches pretty good.

The top waz upgraded after just one day with the 12 ply top looking cheap and dodgy. So I went to bunnings to get a sheet of lamin8, to cover the ply, Long story short the laminate and trimz and glue waz about $200 while a proper benchtop was $150 so I ended up putting the laminate back and buying a 2100x900x35 top. Once cut and fit it loox gr8 but I also had enuf spare to cut 2 really nice chopping boards 1 for the yot and the other for Mum and Dadz place.

Once the sink cutout waz complete I set up the new mixer tap and all the plumbing, then it waz thyme for some timber trims and staining, as mentioned B4 I hate painting so I waz really glad when Emily (my current stowaway) volunteered to tackle this stage of the build. 2 coatz of stain / varnish and the unit iz nearly complete with just the power point and splashback 2 go.  

Enter the STORM... With winds that hit 140km per hour we got blasted BIG THYME, 3 solar panelz destroyed and WFT no1 (the genoa) iz torn and badly damaged. Once the winds abated I removed the one remaining solar panel and we set about removing WFT no1 Not so easy, twisted and knotted up shredz hang where the UV shading cloth used 2B. The leading edge of the sail iz torn in several places.

I now need to accelerate my plans to upgrade the solar capacity of the yot with 4 household solar panels ready to replace the 12v panels that were destroyed.

Special note! This lovely Pink Snapper fell in2 our laps the other day with a boat arriving at the ramp with one too many fish onboard so he donated it to the yot, Not bad a 3kg pinkie and we didn't even need to wet a line.

BACK TO PERTH!

G'day All, 

                  Itz finally thyme to head back towards Perth. We have cleaned and painted Racundra and are now steaming Northwards on a flat sea heading for the Dawesville Cut near Mandurah.

A trip to Busselton Marina is something I'll NOT recommend, they fleeced me about $600 for a pen I didn't use and they refused to refund my pen fee's I see a trip to the lawyers as best I can tell itz fraud. 

Itz a week later and Galleycat iz now back in Mangels bay preparing for a big blow on Tuesday night 45 knot winds and 5 meter swells are forecast so for now itz thyme to rebuild our shattered bourbon stocks. we returned from Busselton with less than 5 litres of fellixxer left. 2 brews are on and buy saturday night I should have 25 litres. I've now decided to up the quantity of fellixxer to 60 litres sitting on wood chips, it means 3 weex and a $150 investment. But I vow never to run stocks that low again.

Hibernation! I now remember why I'm normally in Exmouth at this thyme of the year. Itz Bloody freezing! 2 track suits and a quilt and I'm still cold. Hence the hibernation itz easier to head back to bed and read a book or 2. Warmth at last.

A HUGE congratz! to my dad Ian Holdsworth who can now officially put the letters OAM behind his name. After 2 years of deliberating the Governor General has granted Dad the Order Of Australia Medal for his service to the many volunteer organizations he's been part of over the last 60 years. To many to list here but at least now his service has been officially recognised.

Now all thatz left iz for Dad to go to Parliament House where the Governor General will present Dad with hiz medal. 



 

THE JOB IZ DONE!!!

 

G'day All, The mammoth task of removing all the steel from Dadz old hardware store is now complete, this task ballooned out when Dad chopped into hiz ankle with an exploding 9" angle grinder disc. Lotz of blood and damage, 8 stitches and a night in Joondalup hospital. He'z now recovered and the hardware is ready for demolition B4 the land is sold to a developer.

The new access hatch into the Stb engine room is now complete with the troublesum generator ready 2B lifted out for repairs once the Yot getz back from itz next destination (wkoa) Busselton in the South West. I'm heading down there with Jimbo to lift his yot Racunda out of the water then water blasted and painted with anti-foul. Jim has helped me with  my last 2 lifts so itz only fair I return the favour.

A special hello to Brandon back in Canada who contacted me this week some 10 years after his trip aboard Galleycat from Cairns to Townsville.  It took me a while but I eventually found his journey in the blogs back archives. Itz amazing 2 me just how many visitors from the Queensland era of Galleycat still follow the blog, I get a "ping" everythyme sumone logs onto the blog, especially when that ping iz in anuthu country.

As you can see the crabs are still about if your prepared to put the effort in. Once again itz Jesse and Jim putting in the effortz. Not so much 4 me!

We even had this bad boy that "took up arms" against us B4 the pot full of hot water took the fight out of him.

The trip to Busselton was an uneventful 9hr run over 2 dayz but the first night found us at Dawesville Mandurah. An early start on day 2 had us arriving in Busselton around 4pm.

Flat calm and zero wind to speak of.

Itz now thyme 2 turn toward the task of anti-fouling Racunda b4  Jim, Chris and myself return to  Rockingham Perth.

As usual the tucker iz terrible! fresh squid and garlic stir fry followed by a hearty chicken pie filling only, no oven equals no pastry, but still veree tasty.

KFC night waz also a hit.

Plus I spent a day at Big Ash'z place making all kinds of fresh and dried sausage. All equally tasty in their own right but on Galleycat they can become so much more than sausages. 

The task of painting Racundra iz now finished and we are ready to head back up the coast to Rockingham where I'll need to refill my fellixxer stocks as I'm down to 10 litres. Not bad  we started with 30 litres so lotz haz been consumed during the antifouling project.

TGL The Good Life !

G'day All, 

Galleycat iz still out of the water in Two Rocks just waiting on the welding So itz thyme to get on top of a few maintenance issues like oil changes.

Enter Jim and Jesse they have been a gr8 help rolling the antifouling and replacing the anodes, while catching a few crabz along the way. Limited suxsess on the jetty but once they put the dinghy in the water they were on 2 them. Crabs for lunch!

Lotz of fellixxer and a few meals later and the painting waz done.

Now it was thyme for Vince to come and weld the 5 holes we've located in the hullz. This took three hours and lotz and lotz of swearing as water kept dripping from inside the hull. You can't weld water! so we used the wet and dry vacuum to suck out as much of the water as we could, finally we got the leak to stop and the welding waz done. Now itz just a matter of painting the weld area's with a few coats of thick gluey anti-foul and she'll B ready to go back in the water.

This thyme of year iz special with every visitor telling me I'm "Livin the dream" or "The Good Life" That iz until you come out of the water and the jobs are huge as iz the yot and itz downright expensive! Lotz of Fellixxer to soothe the nerves and eventually with lotz of help the jobz are done one by one.

Livin the dream!  Well I don't know about that but itz certainly a different existence.

Now I mentioned the anodes B4 and I know we have an electrolysis issue on the yot, but spare a thought for this bloke, no anodes for 3 years and the corrosion has totally destroyed the boats legz, gearboxes and propellorz. This would have 2B the worst example of electrolysis I've ever seen.

 Zoom in and have a good look at the destruction. Suddenly $400 worth of anodes seemz cheap.

Itz also thyme to update the safety gear on the yot with both the Flares and the Epirb due for out of date replacement.

The yot iz back at Ocean Reef while I help Dad empty the yard at our burnt out Hardware store in preparation for the demolition of the building.

 

BARNACLE BILL !!!

 

G'day All, as you can see Galleycat iz out of the water and ready for itz yearly dose of LUV.

What haz amazed me iz just how bad the marine growth waz itz some of the worst I've ever seen. Still 3 hours on the water blaster and the hullz were clean. Some of the barnacles were an inch, huge!

Itz 5 dayz later and the new antifoul is on plus new anodes for the hull and both shafts. Just waiting now on Vince my welding pal to come and plug 3 holes in the bottom of the yot. This year I've changed to Hempel antifouling as the jotun version clearly did not do itz job very well. 

We have also cut an access hatch in the inside Galley floor so we can get access to the troublesum generator. This hatch allowed us to spend 4 hours with a diesel mechanic trying to get the unit to run. No joy ! There's no fuel getting to the injectors.

Once again itz that thyme I hate so much itz painting thyme!

ITZ THYME TO UN-RETIRE...

G'day All,  Brother Mark haz decided to get re-wed to another Vet and I'm doing the catering with Mum. Lotz 2 do with a 15 dish menu all 

GLUTEN FREE!

Anne (Brothers Wife) iz severely allergic to Gluten and as such the whole menu is lacking in Gluten. This presents a few problems but a pre tasting for 10 worked well so all we have to do iz 12 thymez the recipe to feed the 120 guests expected All went 2 plan and we retired from the reception around 8pm.Apparently the party kicked on until 2 am.

 That was when the next day bluez hit, all I wanted 2 do waz sleep. At 50+ it takes a lonnnger thyme to recover than it used to. 

Still, That dilemma done with, itz thyme 4 the yot 2 come out of the water for her annual antifoul and anodes, BUT

B4 that Jimbo showed up with the goal of installing the new gear controller on the Yot.

JANUARY FLIES PAST !!

 

G'day All,   Australia Day haz come and gone along with all of January.

The yot iz back in Rockingham after itz trip to Rotto with Cameron. The local seafood iz taking centre stage with plenty of mussels, whiting and lotz of crabs when you look hard, our trip to the Swan River waz a bust, yielding no sized crabs! So we kept the boat hooked up and the baitz in the nets and set off for Mandurah and itz bountiful crab supply. We came back with 15 good sized blue's. Itz really the chilli /garlic mussels that shine! they are a pain to clean but itz worth every minute when you end up with a pot full of these monster molluscs.

Cameron and I headed for Rotto after 2 dayz crabbing with Big ash. We targeted whiting and squid with good sized whiting making the menu but no squid were found. We headed out to the back end of Rottnest to try and find a Dhu or 2 here we suxceded with 1 dhu, 1 snapper and 1 black arse making the trip worthwhile. Lotz of drinking and eating plus a gr8 thyme sharing these experiences with Cam.

Itz now Demersal Closure for Western Australia with the Govt in itz infinate wisdom shutting down all boat fishing for 6 months of the year. This is devestating to our boating plans with no bottom species on the "legal" menu.

However lotz of lateral thinking means we can still fish but 4 different species. In amongst the new rules those in Govt have reduced the legal limit of hooks per line down to 1 unlike our standard rig that has 1 large hook and 2 smaller hooks "snooded" together.

The sneaky bastards!

This once again reduces you chance of a hook up.

W.A.y  2 many rules!