WATERTITE2

 
G'day all from and extremely FRUSTRATED GALLEY CAT !
This damn computer system wouldn't boot up AGAIN so I was unable to update the blog last night. After about a gazillion attempts at safe starts and defrags and various other methods I was finally able to kick it into gear and try to get this completed B4 it crashes again. As the title picture shows the new roof modifications(wkoa) are progressing nicely with the final coats of sikkaflex going on today.Then and only then will the YOT be totally watertite. But itz defin8ly a huge improvement from the open air living space I've had for the last few weeks.                                                          

After I get the roofline work done I'll continue with the "small" task of fitting the Muir Anchor Winch to the foredeck(front) of the YOT.This invovles shaping a huge block of teak then cutting some large holz in the deck B4 fitting the winch temporarily to check alignment and operation(wkoa) The main battery bank on the YOT is about 2 be moved "again" this time itz going slightly further forward under my bed area thus making the batteries closer to the winch and giving me back a huge storage area that was basically wasted with the batteries.As I only need access the batteries once a month the new position should be the final one "finga'z crossed". This week has also seen another chapter in"craneology" with a 90 tonne monster arriving to lift "SEA MIST" from her building location of the last 7 years onto the cradle for final painting then launching this Wednesday. This project boat arrived on truck as a rusted hulk affectionately known as LOOSE RUST! But after a $70 000 upgrade she is finally ready to set sail for some serious fishing.While the big crane waz here the Yacht TOKETIE was lifted from the water and placed in the recently vacated spot.
Toketie is a world cruising yacht from Canada with the couple that own her taking a trip back to Canada by plane after 6 years cruising the world.Meanwhile their home will be stored here until they return.
I'm hoping it won't be 2 long before I too am sailing the crystal blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

I'm really looking forward to finally seeing The GREAT BARRIER REEF
up close, with my hard work and toil over the past 12 months getting ever closer to completion. The weather has definately turned with the daytime temps and humidity increasing and afternoon thunderstorms becoming more frequent.
On the culinary front this friday I was all set to knock up a Lasagna, but at the last minute I felt like krusty roast beef rolls, so after marinading a piece of Spudshed rump I slow roasted it with whole garlic cloves and hot english mustard.Then early Friday morning I headed to the bakery for some crusty dinner rolls to accompany the onion gravy and sliced rare beef. On the really ,really weird front

have a look at the adjacent foto! Butter in a CAN!!! WTF!!! Apparently this is how cruising yachties carry their butter "go figure". This can was given to me by the guy's from Toketie  as they cleared their stores before leaving. I'll open it soon and try something I never knew existed.The hydroponics have now been transplanted into their new smaller planter boxes and now replace the rear deck garden. All going well they'll survive the transplant shock and I'll have a fully marineised vegetable/herb garden, once again"fingers crossed".
This week coming should hopefully see the anchor winch and also the 2 sheet winches fitted ready for use. All going well with these final tasks complete over the next month or so and I'll be under way with my first trips to Cape Clevland and Herald and Rattlesnake Island. With the weather beginning to close in the workload is accelerating to get all the outside work done in readiness for the torrents of rain we all know are coming.While the rains slow the work down it dosen't restrict my ability to set sail for the Whitsunday's. So while the big WET is settling over Townsville I intend to spend a good portion of it sailing between the 74 islands that make up the Whitsunday group,not before I get to the Reef with Kenny for a few days of well earned fishing mixed with sailing lessons.
Good luck to all those heading for Winderabandi this year,hope the trip is as good as if not better than last year.I'm sure it won't be that long before I'm anchored in the bay as you pull up.

WATERTITE!!!!

 G'day People,Itz only Wednesday night but with all thatz happening this week I thought it prudent to file an interim update 2nite rather than a four page essay on Friday.As the opening shot showz, the windscreen is fitted and nearly complete with only the outer trimz and securing boltz still to go. The new screen loox fantastic and at least a 1000 times more practical than the old one that I just couldn't see out of. The day after we fitted the screen it Rained! so quickly tarps were place over the old skylight hole and as soon as the rainz cleared my new priority task waz the Skylight. Ken was quick 2 jump in and lend a hand to cut the plywood and 10mm lexan polycarbonate that
we fitted loosely that afternoon. This gave rise to a few

problems mainly the internal cabin temperature which skyrocketed as soon as the coverz were in place. This problem waz quickly overcome with the addition of 2 -10" hatches for rooftop ventilation(wkoa).A guy in the yard just happened to have these 2 vents spare on his YOT, so after wheeling and dealing I managed to get them cheaply and we fitted them that afternoon. I really think the whole roof line is starting to look like a completed boat rather than the construction zone it waz just a few short weeks ago. After toying with the handrail and traveller(technikal yot equipment) we settled on a compromised layout that should give both safety and practicality to the new cabin top. The  

FINALLY WATERTITE!

traveller has been moved further forward and butz up to the new skylight, while the handrailz have been shortened and will be bolted to the roof and the traveller 4 extra strength.This move has given a little more room at the rear of the new roof which will soon b fitted with supportz and a very basic windscreen (actually the old windscreen) that will enclose the roof ready for the curved fibreglass rear deck  cover to be fitted.(more work)! But fun work none the less.The materials for the big cover have all arrived now and construction will begin next week."fingerz crossed". This morning we raised WFT 3 (the mainsail) to calculate how much headroom we'd have on the rear deck with the roof inplace, and the short answer is that the mainsail has to be shorten and the boom raised "again" to give 6ft headroom out the back,itz a little more work but the end result I'm sure will be worth it as the benifit of higher ceilings has become so blatantly clear since we raised the main cabin roof just 3 weeks ago.All going well I should have the whole YOT (cabin and reardeck) covered in and watertite before the bulk of the wet weather getz here.This increased workload has curtailed fishing tripz for the past few weeks ,so I'm hoping to get out this weekend (weather Godz permitting) but at least the crabs are keeping me in seafood with the occasional blue manna variety now showing up in the traps along with some big muddies.The fishing from the front of the YOT has not yielded anything worth keeping for a few weeks now. The last decent fish waz a giant trevally that I caught while Mum was here. Anyway I'm going to call it a night now as I didn't sleep at all last nite as the Nascar race was on at 1am and went right through to sunrise Marcos Ambrose came in about 20th unfortunately.
SO ciao 4 now from Tropical North Queensland.
Captain Felix