Out with the old and in with the new!

 

G'day All, As many have noticed and commented the blog haz been neglected for a few weex. This was mainly a Bi-polar funk but also the yot is still broken.

As the title suggests itz a thyme of change my old ice box used as a fridge with ice bottles has been upgraded (thanx B to Mum)  I've been using this icebox for more than 15 years but itz thyme 4 a change and introduce a brand new 75L "kick ass" fridge to revolutionise the onboard refrigeration (wkoa). No more ice bottles itz thyme to join the modern world with the new fridge having a major positive effect on the on board battery systems.

Wholly Crap!

A massive "BANG" at 5 am had me scrambling to get out of bed and sort out the boat that had hit me. It wasn't  another boat it waz a full blown tropical storm that put SO much pressure on the ropes that it broke the aluminium bollard on the Port hull. Easy to fix but still amazing with the shear power of the wind. It also blew both kayaks off the roof and into the harbour. 

As you can see the replacement gearbox haz arrived and iz now installed however it turnz out the controller on the dash of the yot is damaged and the morse connecting cable is also damaged so itz thyme to source a replacement controller and new cable. Yet another set back!

WELCOME 2 MY NIGHTMARE!!!

 

G'day All, Yes that iz a gearbox sitting on a milk crate!

I was wondering last entry whether I waz in the grip of Mango Madness or a Bi-polar funk. Turns out it iz a bit of both.

As it standz atm I'm broken in Port Samson with the Stb Gearbox having no reverse gear.. I have had to put my mechanics hat on and removed the gearbox with lotz of help on the phone from both Aaron in Perth and Kenny in Qld. That said it took me 2 full days and lotz of swearing to remove the gearbox ready for Aaron to rebuild reverse gear once I get the gearbox back to Perth. 

Itz 3 weex later the yot is still broken but thanx to Aaron in Perth a complete new gearbox is on itz weigh!

No parts were available worldwide however we were lucky enuf to find a whole new gearbox in Tasmania (other side of the Island)

With huge thanx to Westmore seafood the gearbox will leave perth on wednesday and arrive here on Friday.

HERE WE GO AGAIN1

 G'day All, When last we spoke I was dealing with tropical cyclone Sean, It's 3 weex later and once again we are under the influence of yet anutha cyclone. This thyme itz a new low pressure system currently off Broome which has formed in2 cyclone Zelia.

With winds scheduled to reach 150km this thyme as a cat 3 cyclone! Our only hope at this stage is the cyclone iz swinging more inland near Port Hedland rather than coming down the coast aiming for Karratha. I'm not taking any chances this thyme ,so the yot iz already parked in Point Samson harbour and I'm ultra prepared for a cat 3 or 4 cyclone. New ropes an extra bollard and 4 brand new "snatch straps" that have a 9 tonne rating that means each tie up point can have a 25 mm rope Plus a snatch strap 4 extra protection.

Once again itz a thyme of flux aboard galleycat! Itz either a Bi polar funk or a touch of mango madness. With daythyme temps hovering at 39 degree's with the nitez only dropping to 30. Itz only the air conditioner that makes the difference but I try each day to put the air con as late as possible, but it still uses about 20 litres of diesel each day just 2 cool the yot.

WHOLLY CRAP!

Last nite I went to bed around midnight with a Cat 3 passing 150miles North of us but by the thyme I awoke (with a small drama) the new forecast is Cat 4/5 passing only 100miles North of us. The decision has been made to abandon the yot and I move myself and the dog  onto 1 of the 4 trawlers that are secured in the harbour. The chance of the yot being damaged is far greater than a 160 tonne trawler and I  can also keep an eye on the yot from the trawler. as to the small drama I was awaken by multiple phone calls telling me my dog was missing from the Yot and was being held on the jetty by a mate. i have no idea how she fell overboard but she's safely back and dry and warm on her bed.

A PRAYER IS ANSWERED!

I am "not" a religious man however as I went to bed last night I said a small prayer wishing the cyclone away from us and more towards Port Headland. Well I awake on what should be my last day on Galleycat to find the Cyclone has done a complete U turn and Headed North again. We are not even in the danger zone any more!

SURVIVING CYCLONE SEAN!!

 G'day All! 

                  As the title suggests I'm tied to the jetty in Point Samson while Tropical Cyclone Sean passes by about 50nm offshore. Thatz not technikaly true, the storm is not yet a cyclone but that doesn't stop the 45 knot winds and horizontal rain. Add to the equation (wkoa) a 4 meter tide range and things get interesting. I know I need more bollards and cleats on the yot itself, plus a couple of extra mooring ropes for good measure.

Because of the tidal variance I had to set 2 hour alarms over nite to adjust the mooring lines as the tide rose or fell.  But I was able to get some solid sleeps in between rope runs. That's the benefit of being moored safely in the Marina I trust the ropes to hold and the jetty isn't going anywhere. I've broken 1 mooring line overnite as it chaffed through on the jetty pylon , and the extension cord iz now ruined as well.

What is obvious is the fact that a Tropical Low is still a very formidable storm system, as it was the same storm pattern that destroyed the original Galleycat. Severe gusts up to 57 knots or 100 km per hour have hit the yot and I definitely don't need to wash the iron oxide red dust off the pergola blinds we had SO much rain I think the tides were higher because of all the extra water.

Itz 24 hours later an Sean is now a Cat 3 Cyclone sitting off Exmouth. The wind here is still 20 knots but that is relatively calm compared to the 57 knots we recorded yesterday. It's thyme to assess! No damage and very little mess to clean up. What I am looking 4ward to is a solid night'z sleep without my 2 hourly wake up calls.

MONTE MAYHEM!!!!

 

Tropical Storm Chaos!

 2.30 in the morning and the wind picks up from a steady 3 knots to an every direction changing 50 knots of disaster. So strong 1 of the jet ski's broke itz tether line. luckily it waz blown away from the yot 2ward a patch of reef and sand. Not much we could do at the thyme it waz purely a case of cross your fingers and see where it landz, It waz easily recovered after the storm fukkd off and the sun rose to illumin8 the beach behind the yot.

G'day All,   

                    Galleycat has returned to Dampier after 4 days of relaxation (wkoa) on a very different trip. For a change the crew didn't want 50 kg of phish filletz to take home. which iz just as well as we caught fukkk all fish with the exception of a nice trevally and an even better coral trout however these came at a cost as we lost 4 lures on the trip. We trolled unsuxcesfully after realizing that out of the 4 lures we had behind the yot for 25 nautical miles none of them waz working with 2 hopelessly tangled on a jet ski and both the otherz having weed on them!   A waste of thyme, fuel and energy but once we sorted that, the fish began 2 arrive.

Not 2 many but as I mentioned this trip wasn't about fish, none the less with a bludger trevally and a nice coral trout falling for the now cleared and maintained lures. We had fillets and sashimi fillets just not in the quantity I'm used too.

As usual we ate well with all meals being hungrily demolished.

Caesar salad and thai glass noodle salads were the stand outs.

Despite the tropical storm the weather gods were on our side and even during the heat of the day the crew managed to float around in the 33 degree water behind the yot, lotz of flotation toys. From jet ski's to a child's sized floating mattress. 

It waz interesting to once again catch up (technikly) with the younger generation!

 Face ache, You Tube and Patreon control peoples lives! Thatz why I left in the first place. I have a problem with window faced envelopes. And they never stop coming, unless you leave the system behind.

Disaster strikez with the anchor winch going on the blink. This means itz thyme 2 cut the trip short and head bak 2 land and the safety of a mooring. We were able to retrieve the anchor and chain using 3 people and the dive gear.