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.

BROKEN IN POINT SAMSON!!!

 G'day All, And thatz all 200 plus people (wow) that R now reading the Blog! The mix of Face ache and Blog seemz 2B working well. With many subscribers linking to the blog which isn't as thyme consuming as a "you tube" channel. many have tried and failed becoming slaves to You tube and especially Patreon.

While you tube loox gr8 it's a lot of work to keep producing content.

That fact aside the Yot is still suffering with a busted Port Motor (No cooling) despite a new impeller and a new sea strainer being fitted. It now seemz the culpret iz the Exhaust mixer elbow, with lots of  cooling water leaving the engine but not much going through the exhaust header So I may of finally found the problem!  Problem no 2 solved and we now have a working cooling system. And that means a functioning port motor. 

The full moon iz cre8ing massive 5 meter tides and unfortunately I slept Too long and the tide came in (a long way ) and my ropes cut clean through the rear Stb hand rail doing much damage on the way. long story short I kneed a new hand rail to make the Yot once again safe.

 After much work in 40 degree dayz we have managed a hybrid mix of the old railing plus lots of new welded sleevez to bring the safety railz back to a pre damage state. but with 40 degree dayz itz thyme 4 a bit of "sanity" and do the job in the cool of the evening. 

Job done but only temporary. We will need to weld the rails early in the new year once the work pressure iz off the Ali welding guy up here.

So itz thyme 2 head out into the islands for a few dayz and a trip back to Karratha to pick up a few ebay packages B4 xmas.

Itz now thyme to put a crew together to visit the Montebello's over the Xmas, New year break! I'm thinking 2 or 3 towed boats and a crew of 4 or 5 to enjoy the best of the islands with both the mothership and the smaller vessels. Many days of fishing the shallows for trophy phish!
Problem No 3 solved ! 

With a group of m8z coming aboard for a trip to the Montee's towing 2 jet ski's. leaving after Xmas and coming back after New Years. Lots of enthusiasm with a group of 6 coming, I hope we can all Gel.  

I can't pull a trick at  the moment!

Now itz the turn of the generator to go on strike. The motor runs fine but no electricity iz being made. This meanz no Air conditioning which is not pleasant with daythyme temps hitting 40 and nights not much better at 30 degrees. Of course itz impossible to get an electrician between Xmas and New Year.  Luckily the jetty haz power so I can run the still for a top up of Fellixxer!

2 many fish! GT Mania!!!

 

G'day All, Galleycat has arrived back in Dampier Harbour with the simple task of hiding from 3 dayz of 20knot Westerly winds. The journey here from Dolphin Island resulted in  2 spanish mackerel, 1 coral trout, 2 GT's and a barracouta (not so good) but still lotz of activity. If your going to drive these area's you might as well run a pattern of lures, Chris can give evidence that Barra classics work really well in shallow reefy area's.

Our base is now secure so itz thyme 2 head out in2 the Islands for a 2 week discovery cruise! I've had a response to my Facebook add and I'll be joined for this trip by a farmer (Rick) from the Northern area's of Perth.

Rick's 1st fish, 25kg of Thumpin GT. Followed closely by a stinky Barra couta. Several small mackerel then say hello to 2 more GT's B4 we nailed a nice Queenfish (perfect for sushimi and nummas).

Several dayz later and Rick and I are "fished out!".

A massive day and then night just North of  Legendry Island had us tussling  with some monster phishes with a massive longtail tuna and an even bigger Spanish mackerel. Then for added spectacle we had a whale shark circle the yot twice. "Too big to photograph". I've got a foto but itz just a mass of dots! 

The variety of fish haz proved a winner with the trolled lures giving us some real trophy fish. Lotz of foto'z but not much dialogue as I'm 2 busy fishing! When you R releasing every fish you can, the task becomes much simpler as we don't need to bleed, fillet then freeze the fillets.

Obviously when you're only catch and release the Gaff doesn't help much so itz gloves and Boga grips to lift in sum thumping big fishes.

Itz close to a week later and we are working our way back through the Islands after a brief journey in2 Port Sampson. For Ice! as the ice production on the yot proving 2B not sufficient to give us frozen bottles when itz 38 degrees outside and even warmer in. And I kneed ice for my bourbon!

As I said lotz of fish but a few Sharx as well, unfortunate, but it comes with the territory as our floating balloon lines go "off" in 2 or 3 minutes after being deployed with massive and not so massive attacks B4 the sharx move in and make it not fun any more.

The argument as to whether 2 get Starlink itz proving unnecessary as even in the islands and as far as the Montebello's you can get service if you know where 2 look itz once more a case of local knowledge.

Longtail tuna and big mackerel are about, 2 harass the lures but itz the floating linez under balloon rigs that catch the BIG ones. With both the biggest mack and the biggest Tuna falling victim to floating live baits. As such we found ourselves fishing in 20 meters of water for the smallest fish we could catch. So much so that we were making up small hook sabiki jigs to catch ever smaller fish 4 the balloon linez.  

Trophy phish fell 2 these baited lines with such regularity that could nearly set your watch to the strikes on live baits. 3 dayz later and we fish the same grounds with mixed results! A few big fish but lotz more sharx.

Rick haz left the yot and now itz thyme for some maintenance with 2 impellors 2B replaced, the port motor and the genset have both got no water flow and they are kind of essential when itz 35-38 degrees each day.

I've put an add of facebook to see if I can get a few people together for a mothershipping  trip to the Montebello's. I've got the old fashioned paper chartz now for the Monte's and also last weex destination the Dampier Archipelago. with this new information (wkoa) the Monte's should B far more productive (if thatz possible) 

Monster Coral trouts and more reef species than we could count last thyme!

Still there waz a lot less Sharx at the Monte's.

Jobs done and now the motors are both running and the air conditioning worx again. Yippee!

ERROR- I spoke too soon as the port motor still has no cooling water despite a new impeller and lots of detective work I still can't prime the seawater pump.

Culprit is the sea strainer I've ordered a new one but must now wait 4 it to arrive so it's maintenance thyme with a hull scrape and new battery for the Stb engine room. This means I only have one motor to move the Yot. 

Now there's a chance of a Cyclone next week.

NEW PB GT 4 ME !!!

Dampier Arrival! "There's no place like home" Judy Garland.

 

G'day All, When last I left you I waz leaving the totally useless town of Onslow! I thort Coral Bay would take sum beating but Onslow iz on par with Lockhart River in Qld.(and thatz really Bad)

Still I've managed to steam North East for a few dayz and now find myself in Paradise. Still lotz of phish if you know where 2 look. I think we've re-invented coral trout fishing.

Dampier iz a totally protected Harbour with plenty of room "To swing a cat".

Fuel, Water and 100 or so Islands just off the coast making up the Dampier Archipelago plus the added advantage of being just 70 nm from the fabulous Montebello's. in a due West direction So not backwards at all!

 Once again the gardenz have come to the front with everything required 4 a salad now being produced.

Behind the yot iz a tropical Beach with a Yot Club and a fishing club to meet new peoples. Itz thyme to search for new people to continue my journey. First step! Return to The Monebello's.

No actually 1st priority iz get to the supermarket for supplies. This iz where Dampier unwindz. Itz a $140 round trip in the taxi as there is no shops in Dampier. Plus no access to the jetty without a boom gate pass (not available on the weekend.)

So with this development I've moved the Yot to Angel Island some 11 nm from the Dampier Yot Club. With this new base I can catch squidlies and then hide from every wind except due West.

"How Dumb am I" I can get the Yot to Karratha with a bit of skill and a shit tonne of local knowledge. Go in on a rising tide then take the tender to shore this getz rid of the Taxi bill! Then this givez me access to Karratha shopping with 3 supermarkets plus every other service needed except I don't see a Bunnings. 

Shopping Suxcess! A quick trip from Angel Island to Back Beach Boat Rampz Karratha. $28 Taxi to and from the shops. A 2 hour trip inwardz but if the tide iz dropping I have to go past Flying Foam Passage And Searipple Passage, An extra 2 hours as you go North past Dolphin Island. 

The Ideal anchorage I found on Malus Island unfortunately has no internet or phone service even with 5G. So back 2 the drawing board.

So itz back 2 Dampier and itz limitations lotz of shelter from all directions but zero access to shore.

The old boat ramps give me access to the shore without the boomgate issue.

MONTEBELLO MONSTERS!

 

G'day All,

                 Itz 2 & 1/2 weex later and the yot haz returned to Exmouth after a truly fantastic trip to the famous Montebello Islands. The fish were huge, the company waz gr8, The good food goes without saying and even the weather godz played nice. 

The biggest newz was the lack of sharks ! 

By changing tactics and fishing stylez we only lost 2 fish to sharks during the whole journey. By concentrating on the shallows and employing "don't stop drag it to the top" in the deeper water.

The surface activity on lures proved 2B a huge bonus with plenty of mackerel, a few nice tuna and tonnes of "Big Coral Trout" taking our offerings.

For much of the trip we were below 5 meters in depth and had to sort through which fish to keep and those that were to be released. But the shallows really provided a gr8 area in which to catch some monster sized trout with the biggest over 80 cm and the average at 70 cm, plus lotz of smaller releasable sized trout also

With the trout being so plentiful we had 4 of them on board B4 we even arrived at Montebello Islands with  just a taste of what was to come from our overnight anchorage at the top of Barrow Island  

While Big Ash and I caught plenty the same cannot be said for the guy's on "Reel Serene" as they only managed a single shark mackerel on the inward leg of the trip. Once we changed lures from Tuna-Mackerel styles to more flashy Coral trout stylez (Elton John) the catch rate went up heaps with not only the good sized trout but a few mackerel as well. Then without let up comes the flow of "other" phishes;

Coronation Trout, Long nosed emporer and the spangled variety and untold otherz. Believe me when I say I have too search through tonnez of  fotoz to bring you an up to date impression.

While on the journey North I met up with "salty jocks" Google them!

Here I realised that the blog iz not the evil demon I thort it waz. With James the author of Salty Jocks being the first to admit that his updates were 11 months behind the real life version. While the Blog iz generally up to date as long as I have internet service! But what iz most apparent is the need to upgrade from the standard $60 per month to the $160 per month for STARLINK. We were relying on Reel Serene's internet to get weather updates as the yot'z coverage was spotty at best.

Dave from RS caught this stunning green jobfish in 25 meters, biggest we've ever scene.

While the fishing waz gr8 it's all about the people and Ash and I had a ball tearer trip with some stunning meals. Lotz of fresh vegies both from Perth and the now productive garden beds upstairs were turned in2 lots of salad based meals. Plenty of fish, some gr8 steaks,  grilled chicken, fresh bread pita's plus a real apple strudel.

After a single day in Onslow itz immediately obvious that this town will not do! No supermarket and minimal supplies in the general store. 

Still itz just offshore to The mackerel Islands and itz only 100 nm to Dampier Harbour so I've put an add on the backpackers page looking for crew but if I don't get a response quick I'll just head North myself and take a few days to reach the Dampier Archipelago.

Decision maid! I've left Onslow heading 100nm north east to Dampier but I'll do it in 2 or 3 jumps.

ANTICIPATION (WKOA) RED LETTER DAY!

 

G'day All,

                 Itz finally happening! Big Ash leaves the Stormz in Perth behind on hiz weigh up 2 the Yot for a mega trip of a lifethyme to the amazing MonteBello Islands !00 nm North of here.

But, B4 that trip beginz I spent one last day round at Tantabiddi chasing bottom fish and trying to entice a fish on the trolling linez. No luck on the lurez but we did manage an impressive selection of bottom fishes. 2  tomato cod, 1 coral trout and a honeycombe cod to make up a nice collection of fillets for Reel Serene. I already have more fillets than I kneed in the freezer.

After a night of chasing Spango's in the shallowz with Dave from Reel Serene I wanted to try my luck with the lures and also try to get Dave on2 a quality fish or 2. Unfortunately the biggest fish of the morning waz destroyed by a shark! better luck next thyme Dave.

Over nite we caught a few nice spangled emporor but we were hungry for bigger fish so we trolled from Tantabiddi to South passage with zero results, thyme to change the gear and try bottom bouncing in 40 meters of water, here we had more suxcess.

Quality fillets at last!

With 4 nice table fish we returned 2 Tantabbi to have a lunch of chicken ceasar salad B4 I left Reel Serene behind and headed back to Exmouth to await Big Ash's arrival tomorrow. Itz a 15 hour drive so Ash iz leaving at 2 am the morning.

It'll take a few hours once Ash getz here to load up the gear for a 3 week trip to the Monte's.

The opening foto showz a lovely 5 kg GT that took my ever popular red and white Halco! 

Unfortunately the GT swallowed or inhaled the Halco so he couldn't B released but I found a dinghy off Exmouth marina who waz happy to receive the trevally.  The last 5 fish have been on this lure while the ever reliable blue mackerel pattern Rapala hazent had a touch.

We did manage 7 nice emporor last nite while at the Tantabbi Mooringz 

CAMERON CONNECTION!

 

G'day All, 

                 Itz a thyme of flux aboard! ,Cam and Kim both arrived bak in Perth (no problems) and Cam iz all set 2 re-visit, with a 3 week trip to the famous Montebello Islandz on the agenda in the near future. Big Ash is on hiz weigh and Cam will be joining that trip.

3 years ago I didn't know if Cam waz alive (Jan 2021) or where he resides but life haz now turned 360  and I  find myself in full contact and spending a few weex aboard on the weigh up here haz done wonders for our relationship. Itz not til you put this fact at the top of the list that the relevance becomes apparent.

Cam iz 20+ years old and I only had contact until he waz 4, after that itz a hopeless blur of officialdom. But our trip waz fantastic and Cam haz already expressed hiz interest in continuing the journey once he'z dealt with the Defence Force Guru's. And hiz possible future of service to the Oz Govt. Still itz what he want's 2 do so I'll support him 100%.

For So many years I only wanted to know Cam waz alive and normal, that hurdle iz gone, I can only hope 2 improve our relationship with bigger, longer more meaningful tripz. With my focus totally on rebuilding our bond. Spending as much thyme as I have with Cam on board for journeyz to the Monte's, Mackerel Islands and the Dampier Archipelago 

Our journey North waz upset abruptly when Cam dropped hiz mobile in 4 meterz of crystal clear water at Tantabiddi, quickly retrieved but damage done, with the fone shorting out B4 the following morning. No repairz available in Exmouth, problem solved in 1 hour once Cam and fone were back in Perth. While our trip yielded many trophy phish, The journey North of here should prove 2B far more amazing. The Islands that make up "The Montebello's" are only 100 Nm away from Exmouth so itz an obvious destination (wkoa) Not only improved fishing but the opportunity 2 catch BIG mudcrabs, crays and plenty of oysterz. While the fishing showz concentrate on fishing these pristine waterz we are looking 4 a variety of aquatic species. Crabz oysters and squid should compliment the bottom coral based species. Plus the opportunity 2 do sum deep dropping in 2 or 3 hundred meters chasing sum amazing fish.

While I'm concentrating on the future as the fotoz show we caught plenty of foto worthy fish on our trip North. Using ultra light gear to catch some pretty impressive fish. Hours of fun as we caught bigger and bigger fish on the lightest tackle we can get away with.

95%  of our catch iz returned to the water after a foto of the impressive captures. Hundreds of fotoz, itz just a case of  pick a few for the blog and to remind us of just how many fish were landed.

MUTTON BIRD ATTACKS

After 2 nightz at South Muiron Islandz both myself and REEL SERENE were visited by hundreds of Mutton birds (actually shearwaters) on a 20+ knots of night thyme wind and swell. not only resting on the Yotz but shitting their way through the night and then throwing up tonnes of smelly baby squidz. With black ink targeting Reel Serenes deck space. 2 dayz of cleaning followed. While I had 5 live mutton birds aboard after first light  Reel Serene had closer to 20 aboard. Not only that but both of us had dead birds also, with the birdz flying in2 the mast rigging and breaking their necks. There must of been at least 50 birds upstairs going on the signatures left behind on the grass flooring (not 2 hard to wash away)
Update Thyme!

Unfortunately Cameron has had to pull out of the Montebello's trip with just a week to go. This iz because he's now working as a driver for Big Ash's Soil yard and Landscape business. If Ash couldn't find a driver he waz going to have to pull out of the trip also with the yard going "ballistic" and surpassing all their expectations (wkoa).

So as it turns out Big Ash can relax and enjoy hiz thyme away thanx to Cam!

 A negative 4 me but a big positive for both of them.

Meanwhile Miss Kim who journeyed North with us haz decided to throw caution to the wind and take up the Nomadic lifestyle. And she'z not doing anything by halves Selling her house in the Marina and buying a 100k campervan from NSW to begin her new life , gr8 to see!

" Background!" Kim has a house and Jetty in Mindarie Keys marina and allowed me to park Galleycat there, no charge! 

So she decided to come with Cam and Myself on the trip to Exmouth. A true life changing Xperience!

The yot iz fuelled and ready for the Montebello's trip so I've taken the op to revisit Tantabiddi Anchorage (while I wait for Big Ash) just 1 more thyme and hook in2 the Spangeled Emporor which inhabit this spectacular place! More fish than I can count but I only kept 2 of the biggest. As I caught a nice Mackerel on the way round from Exmouth. As the foto showz there'z a few good sized blue bone here as well.