Planet Skipr

Settling In

2011-12-15T09:50:00+00:00

Orchid shopping (Photo SV Catchastar)

The Job List

For cruisers, one of the big attractions of Phuket is the quality marine services and trades readily available. Fortunately our list for this year is very short.

The first things on Ley's list was to buy another orchid. So with Cathy (SV Catchastar) and Lyn (MV Mandella II), we visited our favourite orchid lady. Three flowering orchids, planted in a coconut shell with hanging wires, cost 170baht - around $6.00. With a little TLC and orchid food we hope to have blooms for months to come.

Our aging Caribe dinghy was repaired by Cholamark Boat Company. It needed new handles, new valves and strengthening at the transom/tube connection. The dinghy was returned to us yesterday and now has a new lease of life. It's 11 years old now and our "car on water" has carried us through many adventures, with hundreds and hundreds of sea and river miles under the keel.
It says a lot for Caribe boats !

Crystal Blues dwarfed by super yachts (Photo SV Catchastar)

Yacht Haven Marina

This is our first visit to Yacht Haven Marina and we are enjoying it. There is a good breeze most days and the clean, fast flowing water is alive with fish. Friendly staff and security guards, good wi-fi and proximity to local restaurants all make it a great place to call home for awhile. We are surrounded by Super Yachts, one even has its own helicopter on the aft deck. The most common language spoken at our end of "A Dock" is French, certainly a change from the Singlisgh at One 15 Marina.

Fire On Board MV Grey Pearl

A few weeks back we were invited to the Haven Restaurant here, and with the crews from Catchastar and Mandella II, we sat on the balcony and watched a beautiful sunset over Phangna Bay.

A short while later the Captain from super yacht Michaela Rose asked us if we had boats in the marina - his crew had called to warn him that a boat was on fire on D Dock. They reported the fire under control and we could see fire hoses spraying water over the fire. Unfortunately the fire soon raced out of control and the flames leaped brighter and higher.

Damage to other boats was minimised as the blazing boat was towed out by Yacht Haven Marina Manager Nick Wyatt and staff. That was a gutsy move, given the likelihood of propane or fuel explosions. It was somehow manoeuvred onto a deserted beach nearby, where the fire eventually burned itself out. Due to the courageous effort by Nick and his team it appears that only one other boat was slightly damaged in this incident. MV Grey Pearl was a well proven and well loved 62ft Nordhavn motor yacht.

MV Grey Pearl - Skeletal Remains

Sleigh Ride to Phuket

2011-11-26T04:10:00+00:00

Rebak Retirement Island!
In early November Neil was busy working in India, so Ley filled her days with a typical Rebak Retirement Island lifestyle. A walk, swim and water aerobics in the early mornings, cooking classes, fruit and vegie ferry runs and then provisioning.

Hard to take......

With Crystal Blues fully loaded with fuel, water & wine, we departed Telaga Harbour around 14.00 hours. The wind always gusts strongly around the top end of Langkawi as there are many mountains and high cliffs, so we motor-sailed through the gusts and then turned off the engine. 16 hours and 120 nm later we arrived at our destination, Phuket. Both crew and Crystal Blues had a fabulous overnight sail. Winds were just forward of the starboard beam, blowing 10 to 23 knots. For hours on end we were flying at 8.5 knots or more. As the wind crept up to 23 knots I prepared to furl in the head sail, but the sea state calmed down and we kept flying with full genoa and mainsail. I had decided to let Neil sleep longer, but he woke up early, as he didn't want to miss the best sailing we have had in years. Wind at last !

Squid boat - lit up like a Christmas tree.

Very Scary! Around midnight I saw a shadow of an unlit yacht sailing off our starboard bow. I raced down below and switched on all our lights as this ghost ship silently tacked and glided by 100 feet off starboard. The only navigation light was a stern mounted red fishing light, flashing dimly. The sailor had a small flashing strobe in his hand. I tried to make contact with him over VHF radio, but no reply, so I told anyone else who was listening on radio what I thought of his irresponsible sailing.......a very frightening experience!

Up until then all I had to dodge were lines of anchored squid boats, as in this photo, which are lit up like Christmas trees.

Checking in to Phuket. There are new check-in procedures for Phuket / Ao Chalong One Stop Shop. If you have Internet access before you arrive in Thailand, it expedites clearance if you register and check in on line. All your information online is printed out and is chopped with your boat stamp and signature. Port Captain and Customs also require a lot of paper work still. The new system is in trial mode and hopefully once the system is fully tested, maybe the paper work mountain will diminish.

A New Home We had a delightful sail up Phang-Nga Bay toYacht Haven Marina and are now comfortably settled into our berth on A dock, mixing it with many of the Super Yachts that are based here. Neil has been busy with work - systems design, emails and conference calls each day. On the weekend we took time out to show friends, Ray and Jan Pitt, Phuket through our eyes. I think the highlight of their trip was the fun and games we had at the LadyBoy (Kathoey) bar on Saturday night in Patong. We have also managed to share a few meals with them at our favourite restaurants and cafes here.

Fun and games with Ray and Jan

A Night to Remember!

2011-11-26T02:54:00+00:00

Lucky us!

Silence

I was off watch and woke to hear the engine being shut off. I listened for the sheets to be released and the mainsail raised, but only heard silence, not good at 4.40am. We were drifting with a fouled propeller, with Neil sitting in the cockpit locating the fishing boats on radar. The pitch black predawn and an oily black sea surrounded us, and we decided to wait the few hours till dawn before diving under the boat.

The PowerDive Hooker was set up on the aft deck. Neil donned a pair of leather gloves and armed with a very sharp knife he dove overboard. Five minutes later he hoisted up a floating fishing net that he cut from around the propeller. We were on our way again....

Exactly two hours later the engine came to a screeching stop again, but this time we could see the culprit. We were trailing 6 metre loops of thick rope, which also wrapped around the propeller. Fortunately we had the hooker set up, so Neil went for his second swim in the Malacca Straits, off Pangkor Island, Malaysia.

Strikes and Boom

Just like this!

The net and rope fouling on the prop was really just a minor annoyance after a bad night of electrical storms. Around 20.00 hours Neil was preparing to go to bed when we noticed a large storm on the radar. Lightning and thunder was focused on the mainland and we continued to move ahead of it. Or so it seemed at the time. As the storm slid behind us it moved out to sea and then began spawning storm cells all around us. Soon we were at the storm's epicentre , the lightning was spitting and hissing all around the boat, lighting up our world, the thunder booming overhead. Luckily we had just managed to weave through a fleet of anchored squid boats and could see them eerily highlighted with each flash.

We searched the radar looking for an escape route but the storm was traveling with us and growing in momentum, so we decided to turn tail and run away. The rain pounded down and with each lightning strike it illuminated the white-out conditions that surrounded us. We were not having much fun, but were relieved that we had an escape plan. After 3 hours the storm moved out to sea and we turned back to our original heading. Neil went to bed, and for the next few hours I watched the storm angrily boom and flash out towards Sumatra.

The Great Escape

At the Shade Tree Cafe, Penang

Apart from rope, nets and storms we had a dream run up the Malacca Straits! We are heading, via Penang and Langkawi, to Phuket, where we plan to base ourselves for awhile. With positive current and tide for most of the passage and no wind at all, we were really looking forward to a change of scenery. We stayed at the new Straits Quay Marina in Penang, for 4 days and caught up with Kathy and Mark on SV Catchastar.

Crystal Blues is now berthed in Rebak Marina, Langkawi. Neil has flown to India for work for the next two weeks. Ley has been challenged to stock the boat with all things duty free in his absence.

The Evolution of Emergency Beacons

2011-10-26T03:56:57+00:00

We’re all familiar with Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons (EPIRBs). Yachts venturing further than 2 NM off the coast are obliged to carry them on board. In addition, some of us may also carry Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), attached to our life vests to help find us in a man overboard emergency.

Both EPIRBS and PLBs send a signal to overhead satellites to set off an alarm at the Rescue Authority, in Australia that is AMSA. While these beacons have a proven track record in saving hundreds of people in emergency situations, they still suffer from some limitations. For example, EPIRBs can only send an “all out” Mayday message, with no possibility of indicating the level of emergency, nor can rescue authorities acknowledge or establish return communications. PLBs will only send a mayday and position to the rescue authorities, rather than to those closest to the incident, usually surrounding vessels, who are in a position to provide immediate assistance.

A variety of alternative beacons and Man Overboard devices have come on the market and I thought it would be interesting to highlight two new types which overcome some of those limitations.

Satellite Emergency Notification Devices (SENDs) use commercial satellite systems to trigger an alarm. With these devices, an alarm to the rescue authority can be accompanied with more specific details, as well as making information about the rescue activity available back to the vessel in peril. What’s more, wherever they are, boats can also be notified about on-shore emergencies, for example sick relatives. The DeLorme inReach device (pictured) features two-way messaging and allows a Smartphone to send messages via the satellite connection. Additionally, on demand or continuous tracking can be enabled on a SEND, making the boat’s position available on an associated website.
While the purchase price of EPIRBs and SENDS will be similar, there is a cost to the convenience provided by SENDs, they will require a monthly subscription. Many expect that over the next few years, SENDs will replace conventional EPIRBs, or at least provide an alternative. The required standardisation is being done and the Australian Marine Safety Authority has systems in place to manage emergencies triggered by SENDs.

AIS is becoming common on yachts, particularly on those which need to cross busy shipping lanes. While AIS was designed to provide information about the position of other vessels in surrounding waters, its use has expanded to navigational aids and now personal AIS beacons. The pictured McMurdo S10 attaches to a life vest and uses the alarm feature of the AIS system. When the unit is activated, an alarm will go off on any AIS receiver in the vicinity and the Beacon is tracked on a boat’s AIS display or chart plotter until recovered. The Smartfind S10 is waterproof to 60 meters, will transmit continuously for a minimum of 24 hours and has a 5 year battery storage life. It also features a flashing indicator light, giving a localised visual fix and assisting in attracting attention after nightfall.

These are welcome developments. Mind you, none of us would hope to use these devices “in anger”.

Further information:

Doug Ritter’s blog
DeLorme inReach
MacMurdo Smartfind

Offshore Communications – HF Radio and Internet

2011-10-20T22:15:03+00:00

Here are the slides from last night’s seminar at the RPAYC:

Offshore communication

View more presentations from mariushendrik.

Track & SEND

2011-10-20T22:14:20+00:00

For those interested in tracking technology, we’ve launched a sister site to Skipr.net at tracknsend.com. Over the next few years, we’ll see a whole range of interesting devices designed to facilitate reliable communication at sea and letting others where you are at any time. These might be dedicated tracking devices or satellite phone with additional features.

Some even propose that a new generation of satellite communicators may obsolete EPIRBs. No doubt there will be much debate before that is accepted! So, if you’re interested in communications technology and safety gadgetry, join us at Track & SEND. By the way, SEND stands for Satellite Emergency Notification Device !

Staying awake on watch

2011-10-12T23:27:51+00:00

On Australia’s East Coast, many cruising yachts now are on their way South after “wintering” in North Queensland. Many will decide to bypass NSW ports and make a 3 or 4 day passage direct to their home port.

When night sailing, sleep deprivation can be a safety issue unless managed thoughtfully . I liked this article from gCaptain, which provides some useful information on the way we sleep and some interesting hints to manage micro-sleeps.

How do _you_ stay awake?

Changing Cultures

2011-10-05T14:48:00+00:00

Wanting To Ship To Turkey?

SV Skedaddle Again being loaded in the Maldives 2011

We have posted this on behalf of Pete and Kathy on SV Wave Runner :

"We have negotiated a discounted rate of $800/foot with Sevenstar, sailing early March from Phuket, Thailand, to Marmaris, Turkey. This is the same company that shipped so many yachts from the Maldives early this year, and from Phuket later in the year. We have had good reports from people who shipped. To take advantage of the discount, please contact Pete Jamieson, SV Wave Runner waverunnerp@gmail.com who will put you in touch with the agent and note you are part of the group." See here to read of SV Skedaddle Again's shipping experience from the Maldives to Turkey.

A Cultural Exchange

Based in Phuket for our last refit, the boat work left us little time to cook at home. There was fabulous Thai food available almost everywhere - from the back of motor bikes, street stalls, local cafes to silver service dining. A few of our favourites are Mama's Cafe in Boat Lagoon, Chili's, Raya's and the Thai House.

We've been away from Phuket for 18 months now, but still crave the freshness and flavour of Thai food. Luckily for us Ley has two Thai friends who also live in One15 Marina. They had a cultural food exchange......Ley taught them to bake bread and they are teaching Ley to how to cook Thai. Larb Goong, Chu Chee Pla, Takrai Pla, Phad Thai and Yum Woon Sen and hopefully lots more to come!

Dee and Somkuan with their bread Ley's Larb Goong (Cold prawn salad)

The refrigerator is now loaded with Thai basil, lemongrass, bunches of mint, Thai chives and coriander, ginger, galangal, kafir lime leaves and green peppercorns. All these and more are readily available at Thai Supermarket in the Golden Mile shopping complex in Singapore.

Chart Plotters – the Ultimate Solution?

2011-09-01T19:55:51+00:00

This winter, I have had the pleasure of ‘crewing’ on the boats of a number of friends who were making their way North. It has been a privilege to sail with them, to see how others sail, trim and navigate. One insight was the wide range of equipment and approaches to navigation among my friends.

It prompted me to reflect on the rapid evolution of navigation instruments on our boats, from handheld GPS and PC based chart displays to dedicated chart plotters, smart phones and iPads.

When I started doing coastal passages on our first boat, it was a matter of purely visual navigation (I never mastered the skill of using a sextant). That was among the reasons why we didn’t venture far from our home port. The nineties saw the rise of the handheld GPS, which gave us accurate positions to plot on traditional charts and the confidence to do longer passages.

GPS units soon gained plotting and charting capabilities. On our boat, we started using software at the chart table, using a laptop which was connected to our handheld GPS. Last year, before our cruise to the Whitsundays, we installed an 8 inch colour chart plotter near the steering station and thought that was the “ultimate solution”. But is it?

In recent times, we have seen the release of a multitude of low cost charting “apps” for the iPhone and now the iPad. Taking advantage of their built-in GPS, it turns them into quite competent chart plotters. But to be frank, I’ve been a sceptic. The lack of weather proofing and, in the case of the iPad, poor daylight screen brightness limits all-round use in navigation. I much prefer my permanently installed chart plotter at the wheel. I can read it in sunlight, it keeps working when rain or salt water intervenes. It connects to the auto pilot.

But hold on… It’s not so long ago that I sailed with nothing but charts and a simple hand held GPS. My iPhone or iPad does much more than just plot my position, it gives me access to the latest weather, currents and other useful information such as marina websites and skipr.net . Some charting “apps” even include other relevant information, such as magazine articles and the ability to annotate a chart (so called UGC, User Generated Content). What is more, they’re economical, nay CHEAP, typically $19.95 for a charting app for a phone you already own! And you can’t make phone calls or send emails with a dedicated chart plotter, can you?

So what is the answer? Well, it depends… I still like my dedicated chart plotter. It always keeps me company at the wheel. “She Who Must Be Obeyed” never uses it to email the kids. I can read its display in the midday sun as well as properly dimmed at night. It does not mind getting wet and I can’t accidentally drop it at a crucial moment. You might even say “my life depends on it”.

On the other hand, I always have my iPhone at hand. It is my trusty companion. I use it on our own boat or when sailing with a friend, where I might be unfamiliar with its on-board system. It is much more than just a GPS, I wouldn’t be without it. But rely on it as the sole method of navigation? No, not for us. In the future? Maybe. We will see marine quality, Internet connected chart plotters with iPhone/iPad-like capabilities, but it’s hard to see them for the price of a phone or mass-market tablet like the iPad.

For the time being, the ultimate solution for me is to have a standalone chart plotter AND an iPhone /iPad on board.

Marius Coomans
skipper@skipr.net

Never Leave Port On A Friday - With Bananas Onboard

2011-08-09T02:55:00+00:00

And never sail with a woman onboard - well we won't go there. So we broke all the old rules last Friday and were severely punished!

We cleared out of Singapore heading for a 4 day break on the Johore River in Malaysia. We anchored over night and departed just before dawn with favourable light winds and current. Then the dawn peace was shattered by an engine alarm - coolant temperature was high. Despite having the necessary parts on board we soon found ourselves limping back to Singapore under dinghy power.

Crystal Blues Uses Dinghy Propulsion

When the alarm sounded we shut down, quickly hoisted the sails and slowly made our way through one of Singapore's big ship anchorages. As we sailed we started stripping the engine cooling system, starting with the gearbox oil cooler - if the impeller had failed the parts would be pushed through the system to that point.

A handfull of rubber bits confirmed our assumption, so we then started removing the seawater pump. We kept sailing, letting the engine cool down and when the breeze stopped we dropped anchor just east of Changi airport. The water pump location on the Cummins is tucked well forward, where access is mainly by feel, not sight, through a small opening under the galley sink. Our 11mm ring spanner was too long for Neil to use in such a confined space, so on the back step we used the angle grinder to cut it down. All was going well until the last bolt head sheared off as we released it. Now we had no wind, no motor and 9 nautical miles to return to the marina.

Dinghy Propulsion

A handful of impeller blades

With the dinghy sprung with long lines, just aft of midship, we hung all our fenders overboard to protect the hull. Well smothered in sunscreen and holding an umbrella we did shifts in powering forward, sitting in the dinghy. Steerage was via the autopilot as we moved at 3.5 to 4 knots back to the marina.

Half way back the 18hp Tohatsu outboard motor started cutting out. It would start again after a few squeezes on the inline priming pump, but it was quite stressful as we were drifting in a ship anchorage. We were sun burned, dehydrated and not having much fun! Fortunately our good neighbours, Peter and Somkuan of MV Inn Lieu came out in their large RIB dinghy and towed us the last few miles home. Once inside the marina we maneuvered under dinghy power and quietly slipped into our pen. Now the "holiday" can begin again.

We passed two Dockwise boat / yacht transport ships in the anchorage - maybe we could have asked for a "lift" home?

Mobile Internet – it’s just radio

2011-08-08T02:46:34+00:00

I have had a few questions lately regarding antennas for Mobile Phones / Mobile Broadband. As it happens, the “rules” for getting the most out of your connection are the same for other “line of sight” signals such as VHF radio. That’s because your mobile phone / mobile broadband set is basically exactly that, a radio.
So, as with your VHF set, it really comes down to three factors:

Distance from base station
Effectiveness of the antenna
The connection between the antenna and the set.

Let’s have a look at each of these factors in turn.

Distance

Mobile phone reception is essentially “line of sight”. Because of the curvature of the earth, the higher we position our antenna, the longer the distance that we can maintain our connection. It is not surprising therefore that the best place to install our antenna on the top of the mast. The actual coverage achieved depends on both the height of the base station antenna and the height above the waterline of the antenna on our boat. You can see the effect of antenna height and distance on the diagram below.

For those who enjoy a bit of maths, you can actually calculate the theoretical achievable distance.
Distance To Horizon

Yacht A (10m mast) : 11 km (6 NM)
Yacht B (20m mast) : 16 km (8.6 NM)
Tower (100m) : 36 km (19.3NM)

In the example above, you can see that the achievable distance between Yacht B and the Shore Tower is 16 + 36 = 52 kilometres.

Antenna effectiveness

The quality of an antenna is determined by a number of factors. Antennas are characterised by their “gain”, or efficiency. In effect this is achieved by focusing the antenna’s radiation pattern. A high gain antenna will have a narrow, focused pattern, while a unity gain model will be less so. Of course, a narrow radiation pattern is a disadvantage on a heeling yacht if the resulting “beam” ends up pointing into the sea or toward the heavens!

Antennas are tuned to particular frequency bands, so make sure you select an antenna suitable for the operating frequency. Telstra NextG service runs at 850 Mhz in most places, and therefore needs a matching antenna . Mount the antenna away from metal surfaces and other antennas. On our yacht, Te Moana, the broadband antenna is mounted on a bracket off the top of the mast in order to provide the required space.

Low loss interconnection

Another important aspect of the performance of your system is the quality of the cable connecting the set with the antenna. All cable will cause a signal loss, the longer the cable more critical this becomes. Combined with the need to install the antenna as high as possible, this presents a compromise. The longer the cable distance, the higher the transmission loss, however we want to mount the antenna as high as possble! So only use high quality, low loss coax cable to connect the antenna (the type that’s as thick as your thumb).

A low cost alternative

Of course a well placed antenna and proper high quality cable pre-supposes a fixed mobile broadband modem such as the Ericsson units. For a nifty, low cost, alternative use one of the tiny mobile hot-spot modem units now available (see last month’s article). Put it in a sock and hoist it up to the top of the mast. It will give you antenna height without any cable losses – it works a treat, but not recommended while underway…

Marius

Reference: A good article on Marine Antenna Fundamentals: http://www.boat-project.com/tutorials/vhfant.htm

B.O.A.T Day!

2011-08-01T14:30:00+00:00

We had a B.O.A.T (bring out another thousand ) day, yesterday. Fortunately these don't come around too often, but when they do they are nasty.

1. The Genset Saga Continues

Our dear Onan - a love hate relationship

Ley had noticed that there was a light grey, dusty film in the lazerette. Installed here are a myriad of pumps, washing machine, genset, watermaker, inverter, charger and house batteries - each and every component could be guilty......so we checked everything. Two Jabsco pumps and a magnetic (refrigeration) pump were recently replaced, the washing machine just over a year old, the batteries were clean and dry, so we pulled off the cover of the genset......a light grey film of dust had delicately settled over its innards, not good. We started the genset up and saw a puff of grey smoke waft out from the back of the Onan. Why is it that when something fails the problem is always at the back of the machinery, deeply hidden? We have pulled this genset apart too many times to count for other problems, see here, the exhaust system will be a new challenge.

2. Followed by the Battery Charger

Mastervolt Mass Charger on the right

But this was just the icing on the cake. Early in the morning we started the genset, and if you are wondering our latest impeller (30 hours of use) is doing fine, but we didn't seem to be charging our AGM house batteries via the Mastervolt Mass 12/80 battery charger. We could see spasmodically just a few amps of charge, not the 60 plus amps that are normally thumped in. The 240 volt refrigeration system was working fine, so we knew the gentset output was okay. After checking the Mastervolt service book, Neil pulled out the giant tool box and other stuff that is stored in this section to make a pathway for him to lie side-on, over the house batteries and the look at the charger. The Mastervolt charger was bolted in position when this aft section of the boat was not fully populated with stuff, and as it is a low maintenance piece of equipment, we thought this location was okay. After a few hours of observation and testing we decided that the charger was faulty.

The burnt electrical socket.

3. Seriously Sad Wiring

As Neil was lying across the batteries he noticed that the 240 volt plug from the air conditioner was loose in the GPO socket. He tried to push it back in, but found out that the plastic fitting was melted, brown and deformed - a very lucky discovery. So we totally removed this piece of wire, reinstalled and terminated the connection from the GPO plug to the air con unit.......this was the only bit of wiring on our boat that we had let a contractor do. We supplied the wire, double insulated, the black cable protector and the Australian approved 240 volt plug, sloppy workmanship was provided in Thailand.

On Monday we talked with Bob Wisniewskii from Power Protection Solutions in Australia and ordered a new battery charger. We have also sourced Onan manifold and exhaust gaskets locally and from Australia for the genset.

Practice flag carrying for National Day

Ah, a Long Weekend

Of course none of this would be so urgent as most of the time we are tied up to the dock, but next weekend we have a four day holiday to celebrate Singapore National Day and we hope not to be tied up for a few days. Instead we want to be anchored off Telok Sengat and Sebana Cove in the Johore River in Malaysia.

B.O.A.T.......

Happy Days

2011-07-17T15:27:00+00:00

Celebrating 90 years

Four Generations

Ley's father, Ray Worrall, celebrated his 90th birthday on June 21, just a week after the Gemini duo (AKA Neil and Ley) celebrated their joint birthdays.

Ninety years is a sensational achievement and we had a very pleasant Sunday lunch at the Royal Motor Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown. With four generations present Dad quietly blew out his candles and smiled.

Neil's parents also joined in the celebrations - we both feel blessed that we could all celebrate his amazing journey.

Servicing the Whale pump

Pumps R Us

We think our Whale Titan manual bilge pump is around 20+ years old on Crystal Blues. Luckily we have only had to use it once in earnest, when our gear box oil cooler developed a serious leak. Just recently the pump developed a small squirt when being used so we replaced the neoprene casing. Getting 20 years out of a product that is only guaranteed 1 year is amazing - thank you Whale.

Over the past year we have replaced three pumps - our 12 volt Jabsco fresh water supply, a Jabsco macerator and a 240volt magnetic drive for our refrigeration system. The Jabsco salt water deck wash pump also needed a switch replaced, luckily we had a spare in the cupboard.

Our friend Kris on SVTaipan suggested we add up how many pumps we have on Crystal Blues, 16 at least, we think, all moving fluids here and there. No wonder we have a whole cupboard dedicated to pumps and their spare parts!

Space Matrix Sail Away

Last Saturday we celebrated a visit to Singapore by our good friend Prasanna from Space Matrix's Bangalore office. As Prasanna and Praveen arrived at One15 Marina, they noticed a famous Bollywood movie star, Sameera Reddy, in the club lobby. They even managed to get their photo taken with Sameera!

Ley cooked up a multi cultural feast, catering for vegetarian, no pork and no beef diets! Dinghy rides, floating lessons and lots of fun filled our afternoon in the Singapore sun.

Space Matrix Sail Away

Affordable Cruise Communications

2011-06-24T21:08:57+00:00

I thought we would highlight three gadgets which are changing the way we communicate on our cruising yachts. From affordable, convenient Internet access to economical satellite communications.

Prepaid Mobile Broadband

Internet at sea has become an essential part of cruising. Some of us might like to get away from emails, but easily accessed weather information and the ability to keep in touch with friends and family sways most of us. On our boat, Te Moana, we have a permanent Wireless Broadband installation, with which we’re very happy. However, not everyone is prepared to spend $1000+ or have a permanently installed system.

A nifty alternative is Telstra’s pre-paid Mobile Broadband [1] with a “Mobile WiFi Hot Spot” modem, supporting up to 5 devices, which only costs $129. It supports an external antenna for extended coverage (or in remote locations you could hoist the unit itself up the mast). I like the 12 month prepaid plan (10GB for $150), which avoids monthly charges when we’re not away sailing and allows high usage when we are. The WiFi connectivity means internet access anywhere on the boat, while the modem can be placed in a convenient, out of the way spot.

Low Cost AIS

AIS is quickly becoming increasingly common on cruising boats. One night recently, on our way North near Port Stephens, a bulk carrier came up behind us, going along at 17 knots, apparently on course to run right over the top of us. Because of AIS, we knew the ship’s course, speed and call sign. A quick call on channel 16 verified that they had indeed seen us and asked us to simply maintain our course, passing on our starboard side. The system not only provided for our safety, but also for our peace of mind.

Competition in the AIS market and new technology is driving the price of AIS down. SRT [2], a UK manufacturer which provides “white label” AIS products which are re-badged by many marine suppliers just launched a whole new range of AIS receivers and transceivers. Early indications are that the price of AIS equipment is set to halve! West Marine in the US now sells the Em-Trak two channel AIS receiver for $190 [3]. Don’t leave home without one.

By the way, another interesting interesting application of AIS is as a Man Overboard transceiver [4]. The compact AIS unit attaches to a PFD similar to a personal EPIRB. Any boat nearby with an AIS receiver can therefore accurately determine (and track!) the location of the MOB.

Economical Satellite Messaging and Tracking

We’ve been spoilt in Australia with an excellent mobile phone network. But there are always places without coverage, particularly for the more adventurous among us. Satellite phones are expensive for intermittent, long term use like coastal cruising. The inReach Satellite Communicator by DeLorme [5] takes a different “tack”. It uses a recent development to use what is, in effect, text messaging via Satellite. The nifty communicator (expected price in the US $250) allows you to use your normal mobile phone to send (and receive!) text messages via Satellite. It can also be used to automatically send your position to a website like Skipr.net [6], so friends and family know where you are.

While it is not for sale yet (expected by October this year), it looks to be a much more practical unit that the currently available Spot Messenger, which operates one way only. With the ability to send and receive messages, track your yacht at preset intervals and its support for two way alarms (think of being able to be reached in a family emergency), the DeLorme unit looks hard to beat. Industry rumours suggest that there will be similar units from other manufacturers and cruising sailors will be the winners!

All in all, we’re looking at some useful technology coming within reach of our “every day” cruising boats rather than just being of interest to “geeks” or accessible only by the elite. Most of us appreciate the primitive, technology free approach afforded by sailing, but we now also have economical ways to keep in touch with the world around us.

And I also know what I’m asking for on Fathers Day…

Links:

[1] Telstra Wireless Broadband [link]

[2] SRT AIS products [link]

[3] Em-Trak AIS receiver [link]

[4] MOB AIS transponder [link]

[5] Delorme inReach Communicator [link]

[6] Track your boat on skipr.net [link]

Cold & Getting Colder

2011-05-16T11:00:00+00:00

Back in December 2009 we commissioned Siam Cooling to upgrade our 240 volt refrigeration systems. A new Hermetique compressor was installed as well as replacing all the 20 year old copper tubing. Stephan and his team did a fabulous job and the refrigeration and freezer has been running perfectly ever since.

Neil planned to build a new control system himself, using electronic sensors in the cold boxes, to give us finer control over the system. We sourced Elliwell controllers from Singapore, and stainless thermo-couples from Stefan at Siam Cooling.

Old contacts in Melbourne helped with a laser cut and engraved stainless panel to mount the electronics. Over the past 16 months he has slowly completed this project. Today was the big day, power, sensors, solenoid valves and the controllers were finally all hooked up and the system commissioned.

Now Neil is pacing the cabin, fine tuning the set points, differentials and controller parameters. It works ! Yep - it looks like a mini disco is happening in the corner of the galley with red, yellow and green diodes. One more job from our last refit has been completed.

The Tempting Tiomans

2011-05-08T16:18:00+00:00

View from Crystal Blues in the channel between Pulau Aur and Pulau Dayang

Easter holidays offered us a few days away from Singapore, so we decided to explore the Tioman Island group. After clearing out with Singapore Immigration at dusk we motored east through the busy Singapore Straits and then continued on north overnight.

Crystal Blues arrived at beautiful Pulau Aur just in time for breakfast. There are three low key dive resorts here and a small Malay village spread along the two sides of the channel. The anchor dropped between the two islands and we went for a swim in clean, clear water. The cooling breeze, the towering rock escarpments and swaying coconut palm vistas enthralled us. Hard to believe that such pristine beauty can be found so close to Singapore. Early next morning our neighbours and friends from Singapore arrived on MV Saraburi, so the partying quickly began - oh we really miss the cruising life....

Sweet sailing - Photo by Rod Steel

Sunset Sailing

Next day we moved on to Pulau Tioman. Flat seas and a steady beam breeze of 10 to 15 knots showed Crystal Blues off at her sweetest point of sail. Lucky for us there were a few avid photographers on the top deck of Saraburi. It wasn't long before Crystal Blues was sailing off into the sunset, with the log reading 8.5 knots for the next few hours.

Pulau Tioman

Sailing under the dragon's horns of Pulau Tioman. Photo by Mel Dow

According to local legend a Chinese dragon princess flew over these pristine waters on her way to visit her prince in Singapore. She stopped here for a rest, fell in love with the beauty of the area and took on the form of an island. Her horns are the peaks rising up through the mist, her scales the luxurious, green, leafy foliage and her claws are the grey boulders scattered along the shoreline. She also vowed to give shelter and comfort to passing travelers.

Like the magical Chinese dragon, we too were cast under the Tioman spell. As always Malaysian check in and out procedures were quick and easy. We anchored off the marina and dinghied into to have lunch and explore. The main town is a sleepy village beside the (tiny) airport runway. A host of small cafes and duty free shops were spread out down the single central road. As we walked a passing motor bike with side car stopped and gave a lift to a Chinese cafe. We decided to taste a few bottles of duty free wine with our lunch and the cafe owner freely brought a bucket of ice, glasses and a corkscrew to the table. Malaysian hospitality is really hard to beat. Dinner time saw a regrouping of the crews and we headed for a Chinese Seafood feast. After a late start on Sunday morning we headed back to Singapore. The wind was there for us again and after 18 hours we were back at One 15 Marina and soon fast asleep, dreaming of cruising.....

Q&A – wireless broadband and AIS

2011-05-03T00:52:30+00:00

[This is the online version of an article in the April 2011 issue of the Mainsheet, the monthly magazine of the Coastal Cruising Club of Australia]

I have recently been giving presentations about the use of the Internet at sea as well as Cruise Communications generally. Here are some of the questions which came up after those talks.

Q: Where should I install my Mobile Broadband Antenna?

A: It’s hard to be specific without more information about a particular boat, but three principles are important:

Transmission and reception is limited by ‘line of sight’, so install your antenna as high as practical.
Have it away from interfering elements. Keep it away from other antennas such as the VHF antenna (30 cm or more if possible). Don’t install it in close proximity to other metal structure (atop the mast, not next to it)
Install the antenna as close to the transceiver as possible, in other words, close to the mobile phone, USB dongle or Fixed Wireless Terminal (such as an Ericsson W35) you are using.
You’ll note that there is a conflict between (1) and (3), so use low loss cable (the cable that is as thick as your thumb) for permanent installations. The “rules” for antennas are similar to VHF antennas. There is a particularly good article about antennas at boat-project.com [1]

Q: Where can I expect mobile internet reception along the East Coast of Australia and where not?
A: Australia is particularly well served by Telstra’s network. With a simple dongle style broadband modem, you will get Internet access along much of the coast of NSW and much of Queensland, with the exception of Shoalwater Bay and when blocked by Islands. As a rule of thumb, you can say that if you can see the mainland, you should have internet access and mobile phone reception. Telstra have a useful coverage map on their website [2]

Q: I have a mobile phone with Optus and I’m going to the Whitsundays this winter. What should I do?
A: Unfortunately, you’ll only have patchy coverage with Optus. Your choices are:

Switch to Telstra permanently, which might attract a penalty of you have to break a contract.
Get a prepaid plan and SIM with Telstra for the duration of your cruise. But first check that your phone is compatible with Telstra’s 850 MHz NextG network, otherwise you will still only have coverage in major centres. For the duration of your cruise, redirect your Optus calls to the Telstra number.

Q: I’ve been thinking about fitting AIS to my boat, but just found this website, marinetraffic.com which displays shipping along the East Coast. Should I bother getting the AIS unit?
A: While marinetraffic.com [3] is an interesting website to check on shipping, it is not suitable for navigation and not a substitute for having an AIS unit on board. The website relies on volunteer “observation stations” without continuous coverage of our coast and occasional long latency (the delay between transmission by the ship and display on the web page). So by all means, use it for interest, but don’t rely on it while at sea.

References:

[1] VHF Marine Antenna Fundamentals – http://www.boat-project.com/tutorials/vhfant.htm
[2] Telstra NextG coverage – http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/coverage/maps.cfm
[3] Marine Traffic – http://marinetraffic.com

Happy Browsing,

Marius Coomans
skipper@skipr.net

Where is that CCCA yacht?

2011-05-03T00:17:43+00:00

[This is the online version of an article in the May 2011 issue of the Mainsheet, the monthly magazine of the Coastal cruising Club of Australia. This month it is a bit self-referential, but I thought I'd put it up here anyway - MC]

This month, we’ll take a look at skipr.net [1], a Website which some friends and I especially built for cruising sailors, their friends and family.

Skipr was originally conceived on a cruise to Hobart (on Belage, the yacht of CCCA member Peter Style) in 2006. A friend had helped me build a Google map which showed the boat’s position. Having Internet access on board made it practical to build a Web based service which let others know where you were and what was happening along the way.

Today, it has matured into a popular service for cruising sailors who like to keep in touch with family and friends. I’m keen to “fold” that experience back into the Coastal Cruising Club. For those who haven’t used it, here is a quick overview of how you can have your boat displayed on the site:

Register you boat [2]- it’s free, no strings. Just go to the registration page, enter your name, boat name, a password and an email address (so you can recover your password when you forget).
Report a position – log in and enter the Lat and Long and an optional comment into a simple web form and presto, you now have a page where friends and family can find your boat.
Extras – In the Control Panel, you can add a photo and description of your boat and set some preferences such as whether you’d like to have Facebook comments on your page.

It’s in the nature of cruising that boats spend much of their time alongside or on a mooring. So it’s good to know who is on the move. The front page show the 30 boats which most recently logged a report, similarly, the “Currently Cruising” page shows anyone on the system who has reported their position in the past 30 days and highlights those who have done so in the past 7 days. It’s a wonderful surprise to find a friend at a distant anchorage or in the next bay along.

And for those with iPhones and similar “smart phones”, we made it even easier. After registering your boat on the main website, just enter skipr.net/m into your phone’s browser [3] and you’re ready to let the world know where you are. It uses the phone’s built-in GPS to report your position and displays the other boats who have reported recently. We hope to soon even have a menu item to find nearby CCCA members who have joined up.

We’re creating a CCCA page [4] on the main Skipr site, where you will be able to find club members who have reported in over the past 30 days. You don’t have to wait until you go for a long cruise either, why not log your position when you’re at anchor on a weekend and let your friends know where you are or where the fishing is great! Come on, get on Skipr’s CCCA page!

References:

[1] The Skipr website - http://skipr.net
[2] Skipr Help page - http://skipr.net/about/how-to/
[3] Skipr for Smart Phones like the iPhone - http://skipr.net/m/
[4] Where is that CCCA Yacht? – http://skipr.net/where-is/CCCA/

Happy Browsing,

Marius Coomans
skipper@skipr.net

Home

2011-05-01T10:54:35+00:00

We left Jervis Bay and the gorgeous weather with a forecast of light SE breeze, bound for Sydney Harbour. The wind was initially as described but then gradually backed to the south and built, and built. We had 25-30 knots from midday and were pushed further and further out to sea on the starboard gybe. At 145m depth we were in 1.5kts of southbound current, somewhere off Wollongong. Time to head in. The weather really started to clag out. We went onto port and headed for the coast. As we approached the land, night fell and the rain really set in. It was all getting a bit much so decided to bail out to Port Hacking. Came around the reef to Jibbon in near zero visibility, radar on etc.
(Continued...)

In Jervis Bay

2011-04-28T01:59:47+00:00

We had somewhat tedious passage from Eden to JB. There was two knots of southerly current all the way to Montague island then between 0.5 and 1.5 kts to JB. Wind was light SE so we motored for much of the time. Sadly we blew a fan belt in the middle of all of this so lost an hour replacing it. It took us just under 24 hours to get to JB, arriving at first light, before picking up a mooring at Hole in the Wall. Just kicking back at the moment, whilst a navy frigate is practicing firing sequences about a mile away. (View Post...)

In Eden

2011-04-24T07:54:22+00:00

We left Wineglass Bay with a forecast of two cold fronts bringing westerlies for our passage to NSW. Initially there was zip wind so had to motor until sufficiently offshore to get the prefrontal NW flow. Very yucky seaway due to wind against tide. Got going eventually. The wind built during the first night with sustained 25-30, highest gust 37. Ended up with staysail and three reefs, then just staysail for some hours as the front passed. Wind stayed up all the next day but we rolled out the jib giving a very fast two sail beam reach across and into the second night. We were forced east of the rhumb line mainly by the rough 3m beam seas and some current but we clawed this back in the early hours of today making a nice landfall at Green Cape. Arrived in Eden, having done the 335nm in 48 hours. We ate very little. Diomedea behaved beautifully although I did decorate her lee deck with enteric material on one occasion. Rest day tomorrow then on to Jervis Bay. (View Post...)

Cruising along the east coast

2011-04-21T09:19:56+00:00

Back into Hobart where we were very kindly met by Sue and Luke. (Thanks for the car). A memorable night at the Rockwall restaurant with S and L and friends from Launceston, Anne and Charles. On Sunday we left Kettering bound initially for Nubeena, Wedge Bay. Our plans to sail back up the west coast had been abandoned due to the forecast of three cold fronts in the first five days. The wind was light so motoring was the order of the day. Parsons Bay at Nubeena is a nice anchorage with the quiet township on the shore and a small fishing fleet. We did not go ashore as we wanted to spend time at Fortescue bay. Light NW breeze did not allow much sailing and we again ended up motoring past Cape Raoul before threading the channel between Cape Pillar and Tasman island. The dolerite colums of the former shoot straight up for 930m, hanging over the rig in a very spectacular manner. It was then on to Cape Hauy and the totally impressive Lanterns. We had only caught a glimpse of these on the way south due to fog but now had a good look. Things were going to be better though. We anchored in Canoe Bay, settling on Andrea's sandy patch after several furtive attempts inshore of the shipwreck. A quiet but slightly rolly night followed but Tuesday gave us a stable forecast for the proposed walk out to the Lanterns. This track is not to be missed and allows panoramic views of these geological wonders up close and personal. Track times for us were 1.5 hrs each way from the boat ramp. We had consistently NW or W wind forecast so it was north to the Maria island area. Spoilt for choices we finally settled on the fleshpots of Triabunna, anchoring near moored yachts opposite the sandbar. We went ashore and had a Magnum icecream from the IGA. Chatted to some fellows who were doing a crayboat conversion for south Pacific cruising. Today was the next cold front so we had 20-25 NW most of the day making for a fast sail across to Cape Sonnerat (Schouten island) and then a slow grind into the breeze up to Wineglass bay. We got in here about 4pm with the front approaching. Up to 27 kts at anchor but excellent holding in sand. A little bit of roll but easily overlooked by virtue of the stunning scenery. We have had some local Freycinet Pinot Noir, as you do. Two other cruisers and one fishing boat are tucked up here with us. Have a great Easter. (View Post...)

Milestones

2011-04-18T13:44:00+00:00

A Different View

View from the cockpit at dusk.

This month the Singapore Yacht Show came to One Degree 15 Marina on Sentosa Island, and wouldn't you know it, quite a few of the resident "super" yachts had to vacate their berths for a month. Crystal Blues was moved to a temporary berth and although the change of view was great, the long walk along the dock was not appreciated.

When we first arrived in Singapore late in 2005 there was not a single building around the One 15 Degree Marina pond. Now the whole basin is surrounded by apartment blocks, a soon to be finished "W" hotel, a multi-story car park and the One Degree 15 Marina Club. Back in 2005 the marina was "occupied" by international cruising sailors (paying peppercorn rents), and then we had a lot of fun .... now it is a floating parking lot full of large white motor boats which are maintained by permanent crew. We're glad that cruising yachts still visit on a regular basis to enjoy the luxury of One15, and the ease of shopping and provisioning in sensational Singapore. It is still great value.

OMG - My Younger Brother is 50 !

Happy Birthday Pete!

Peter turned 50 in March, and we flew back home for ten days.

What a party that was - the time flew by - only my brother Pete could have three different parties on three different days at three different locations, for three different groups of friends - and every party was great !

Here is a link to Pete's birthday photos.

We still found time for visiting our friends, some shopping and of course playing with our gorgeous grandson, Harrison.

Happy grandson

Ain't he cute....

Harrison is now 6 months old. He wakes up with a smile on his face and it lasts the whole day through - such a joy for all his family.

His first tooth was cut whilst we were in Melbourne and his mum Sarah tells me that the second one is on its way. Harrison is moving backwards, a precursor to crawling forwards ...another milestone soon we hope.

Although he's challenging his parents with his sleeping habits, Harrison's wake up cuddles and smiles just melt your heart.

Cruise Communications Essentials

2011-04-18T03:17:12+00:00

Here are the slides from yesterday’s seminar at the RPAYC on Cruise Communications. It was a follow up from an earlier presentation at the “First Friday” evening held by the club’s cruising group. It is part of a comprehensive series of seminars, held in preparation for the club’s 2011 cruise to the Coral Coast. The seminar notes can be downloaded here and the slide presentation is below.

Cruise Communications Essentials

View more presentations from mariushendrik.

Diomedea flies upwind

2011-04-06T00:29:34+00:00

An article explains how the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) flies upwind. Read it here (View Post...)

World Wide Weather

2011-04-02T20:32:26+00:00

[This is the online version of an article in the March 2011 issue of the Mainsheet, the monthly magazine of the Coastal Cruising Club of Australia]

We all know the role the weather plays in a successful cruise or passage. While we appreciate the weather forecasts provided by local Volunteer Marine Rescue units and the general media, the Internet provides direct access to a rich set of weather information for both casual and “serious” sailing adventures.

Modern forecasts are derived from complex prediction models run on some of the world’s largest computers. It is an unbelievably complex problem to forecast the weather more than a few days ahead and we still manage to complain! But the end result is that today we have a wealth of information available to us via the Web. Whether looking for explanations of a weather phenomenon, today’s weather, a seven day forecast, the expected sea state or precipitation – it’s there for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Exactly which weather service you use depends on your cruise requirements and interest. Below are just a few obvious resources which you might consider.

BOM

It’s hard to go past the Bureau of Meteorology website, particularly since they gave the Marine Weather pages a facelift last year [1] Many of the resources available on the site are excellent for passage planning, for example, the 7 day forecast [2] and Ocean current charts [3] are invaluable. And while at sea, the day’s forecast [4], the radar map [5] and weather observations [6] are invaluable

Seabreeze

Originally designed for the surfing Community, Sea Breeze [7] provides excellent graphic weather forecasts. It’s 7 day weather and wave forecasts in a handy format for much of the Australian coastline. Unfortunately its coverage of the Queensland coast is less comprehensive (not much surfing behind the Reef). Comparing BOM and Seabreeze, the former is usually more conservative in its forecasts.

Further services

There are many more weather forecast services to be found on the internet. Some are free and some work on the basis of a subscription, a cross section is listed on skipr.net [8] It is useful to compare forecasts from a few different sources when making critical decisions around offshore passages. For coastal cruising when a safe port is less than a day away, I find the above services quite sufficient. And if it is a really critical passage, it’s also possible to get a private forecast via email from someone like Roger “Clouds” Badham [9]

Before a passage, bookmark the relevant forecast and weather observations in your browser or smartphone. It’s convenient to have the right information “only a click away” any time during day or night. And if you use your phone on deck, consider investing in a weather proof pouch for your phone…

Websites mentioned:

Happy Browsing,

Marius Coomans
skipper@skipr.net

Celebrating Life, Boats & Women

2011-03-10T14:57:00+00:00

13 Roses

Valentines Day and our wedding anniversary

Valentines Day and our thirteenth wedding anniversary was celebrated Singapore style this year.

Neil arrived at the boat with a beautiful bouquet of 13 roses and after dark we celebrated at a seafood restaurant that is famous for its live crab and fish. We were joined by Steven Shaw, who was Best Man at our wedding, and his wife Carol, along with several other local and international crab lovers.

The beer was from Singapore and the live crabs were from Sri Lanka. Those crabs, plus a large Grouper fish, were selected from huge glass tanks, scooped out and dispatched to the kitchen. We patiently sat and waited for the feast to begin, and we were not disappointed.

Mumbai Boat Show

Just what we need - an on water couch!

Last Saturday we happened to be in Mumbai and so we just had to visit the 5th International Mumbai Boat Show.

Although India has a long maritime history, recreational boating is a fairly new concept there, so the show was low key. It was focused mainly on new power boat owners, boats available for charter, a few stalls with marine bits and bobs and two marina design and construction companies.

There are many marinas planned for India, but until a few more are built India will be hard pressed to grow a pleasure boating industry. We did chat with the builders of the Cochin Marina. This new marina has proved extremely popular this year as a stop over for cruisers heading towards the Red Sea and the Maldives. With at least three sailing rallies using Cochin as their Indian base, this marina is planned to double in size as soon as the paperwork and permits are granted. With the recent unfortunate turn of events in the Gulf of Aden, their planned extension may be lacking in visiting International sailors until the Somali pirate issues are contained.

Women Working In India

Our most recent trip to India included both Mumbai and Hyderabad. With two major AV projects underway for Space Matrix, Neil's time was spent on building sites, co-ordinating services and AV installations. Both of these projects are fascinating in their scope, budgets and expectations. Being on-site is like being in the middle of preparations for an Indian wedding - or the Delhi Olympic Games - with its "it will be alright on the night" attitudes. However the headaches along the way are of migraine proportions!

How do all the building supplies get delivered - on women's heads, up the back stairs of course! Such a contrast to the mega$$ high tech video wall that Neil is building.

Of course the biggest headaches are probably felt by the women on site, like those in this picture, who carry all the building supplies and construction materials up the stairs (all day long) on their heads. The women in this image had never had their photo taken - ever! Seems appropriate to view the James Bond video here, in support of International Women's Day.

Snowing!! Its only March.

2011-03-06T21:46:02+00:00

The dense cloud cap obscured Mt Wellington. Occasional gaps appeared when the screaming SW gale ripped the cover apart. What was the white stuff all over the summit?
(Continued...)

Squall

2011-02-08T07:46:58+00:00

Sailing back from Dover a SW squall of 25 kts came through. The two boats in the picture got caught and rounded up big time as the squall hit no long after the pix were taken. We rolled up the jib and kept going. After a while sun was back out and we had an excellent ride north with full rig. (View Post...)

A Story With A Sting

2011-02-05T09:26:00+00:00

MV Saraburi, photo by Brendan Pollard

Our favourite weekend anchorage is St John's island, a short 15 minute journey from One Degree 15 Marina in Singapore. Most weekends you'll find MV Blue Steel, MV Saraburi and SV Crystal Blues anchored in this bay.

Late Saturday afternoon, two weeks ago, our friends Rod and Angie, (Blue Steel) and Al and Mel, (Saraburi) decided to go ashore in their tender, planning to swim and walk the beach at St Johns Island.

They had just got out of the tenders for a swim when Al unfortunately stepped on something in the shallows that sent an immediate searing pain from his second smallest toe up his leg. He hobbled to the beach, expecting to see a major laceration to his foot. Mel and Angie could only find the tiniest puncture wound in his toe.

Al's swollen leg, 3 days later

Because of the intense pain they immediately sped back to the marina and soaked Al's foot in hot water whilst preparing for the drive to A&E at Raffles Hospital. Al tells us that by now the pain was excruciating and all he could do was hold his leg up on the dashboard, squeezing his leg to halt the advancing pain.

Stonefish Envonomation

Very quickly he was admitted and the doctors diagnosed Stonefish envomation. After 3 pethidine injections the pain started to subside - all the while he was soaking his foot in hot water to break down the protein in the venom. Al's foot was x-rayed and then he went under a general anaesthetic as the doctor wanted to lance the puncture site and thoroughly clean out the wound. Laden with antibiotics, antihistamines, pain killers, a very swollen leg and a hefty bill, he was discharged the following morning.

Mean Looking and Dangerous Too !

Google Images / Peter Verhas

The Stonefish is from the family Scorpaenidae, which includes a large variety of fish characterized by the ability to envenomate with various types of specialized spines. LionFish, Zebrafish, Butterfly Cod, Scorpionfish are also in this family. Stonefish are well camouflaged bottom dwellers and like to live near rock, seaweed and coral.

A quick search on the Web revealed a recent study conducted by Singapore General Hospital on Stonefish stings in Singapore. Its a common problem here it seems. For a detailed treatment regime for either a Stonefish or LionFish envonomation see the link here.

Two weeks later Al is still in pain, and his leg is still puffy from a single puncture wound. We'll all be more careful on the beaches around Singapore from now on.

Can we beat the rain to Dover?

2011-02-05T08:33:55+00:00

Oh my god! Oh my god! The frother for the cappuccino machine is not working. I don't think we can go on. I offered to replicate the machine with an attachment onto my cordless drill but the wife said no. Frothless flat whites.
(Continued...)

Under the Sheltering Sky

2011-02-05T08:27:21+00:00

We had a delightful motor in no wind from Kettering to Missionary Bay on Bruny island for a lunch stop. The forecast cold front for the following day was giving us notice with a constant display of mares tails and other Patagonian skyscapes. Leaving our meal stop Diomedea sailed south in 10-15 kts SE seabreeze and then it was up the Huon river past the absolutely gorgeous Huon island and sundry fish farms before turning north into Port Cygnet. The aerial displays continued as we dropped anchor in Copper Alley bay. A beautiful quiet night. (View Post...)

Fun and Games

2011-01-30T03:14:00+00:00

Mussel Man

Nephew Brendan's Awesome Visit

Neil's nephew, Brendan Pollard, came to Singapore for 10 days in early January. We shopped, partied, cooked, listened to good music and were completely zoo'd out during this time. We were also able to listen to Brendan practicing on his saxophone most days - a private sax player in the anchorage.

Widening Brendan's horizons was fun - he can now make mean Margaritas and Mojitos, and he applied himself to other cooking skills. He baked bread and then moved onto scrambled eggs. In return Brendan cooked his fabulous French Toast.

Neil and Brendan spent a lot of "geek" time together, shopping and eating in Sim Lim Square- the Singapore temple of all things electronic.

But the most interesting thing we shared was our mutual love of mussels...just how many kilos did he eat?

Sailing In Singapore

Akhil Paul and Jason enjoying the sail.

Last Sunday eight of us set sail for a Sunday picnic at St John's Island. Five were novice sailors from the Bangalore and Singapore offices of Space Matrix. With a good breeze and friend Rod Steel at the helm we enjoyed a few hours of sailing before anchoring for lunch. Akhil Paul and Jason Aung (both complete boating novices) spent most of their time at the bow, reveling in the salty sailing.
After a very cosmopolitan lunch including two traditional and delicious Burmese salads, most of us opted for a swim. For once the water was cool and refreshing. With our visitors eventually free of inhibitions, Neil and Akhil were last seen jumping off the bow of Crystal Blues.

Strange but True

A few years back a large silvery white fish jumped out of the ocean and danced along our foredeck. It skidded into the side of the open hatch over our bed, but didn't go through, leaving a trail of silver scales along the deck before flipping back into the sea. On Sunday a similar fish leaped from the water at midships and whacked into Ley's calves. We heard the whack and the splash but did not really "see" our fishy visitor, just the scales in the gunnel and Ley rubbing the bruise on her calf.

A work in progress!

Crimping Again

Our refit in Thailand wasn't quite complete when we departed there last year. So last week Neil started work on the new 12 volt control system for our refrigeration system.
For the first time in many months we had the tools out and the boat looking like an electronic workshop. With the Eliwell controllers, plus many switches, diodes and Blue Seas terminal blocks, there has been a lot of soldering and crimping. This is all being fitted to a custom stainless steel panel that was cut and engraved in Australia. A work in progress to be completed....soon.

Coms in Tasmania

2011-01-21T02:26:32+00:00

Internet was unbelievably good. Wired internet access is available on Deal island at the caretakers cottage and they are very happy for anyone to use it. Diomedea found excellent internet reception everywhere south of Deal island, even anchored in remote bays on the west side of Cape Barren island and well off the east coast of Tasmania. I don't think we were ever out of reception in fact.
(Continued...)

The Shining Sea

2011-01-19T07:10:08+00:00

My art collection (View Post...)

Cruising with Reliance

2011-01-19T07:05:41+00:00

The good ship Reliance well reefed down (View Post...)

Under Spinnaker

2011-01-19T07:03:28+00:00

Flying the kite (View Post...)

In Bass Strait

2011-01-19T06:59:29+00:00

Rolling down the waves (View Post...)

Dolphins

2011-01-19T06:56:44+00:00

Dolphins of course (View Post...)

Visiting Neptune

2011-01-18T03:47:03+00:00

We needed to refuel and headed to Kettering marina. And the pub. Fantastic carvings. Neptune watches over us as does his offsider, the little mermaid. (View Post...)

No tropical shirts

2011-01-14T11:37:37+00:00

The exceedingly damp easterly flow continued at Port Arthur and the gale warnings kept coming for all Tasmanian waters. NE gales building ahead of a front on Friday with winds shifting to WNW. Not a good wind direction to sail at 290M towards Hobart. Accordingly we departed Port Arthur Thursday into 30-40kt initially around Cape Raoul. Once into Storm Bay we suffered a similar fate to our 2005 Hobart race - large patches of light wind in the lee of the land. However, this time we could turn on the motor! Once past Wedge Bay, we were fully exposed and raced off toward the top of Bruny island under our nice new staysail and triple reefed main in 30+ kts wind. The top of the island was turned and we ran down the D'Entrecastaux channel to anchor in Barnes Bay in company with a varied collection of cruising vessels including one couple (Phil and Linda) who have just sailed over from NZ in their kauri ketch "Windora" for the wooden boat show next month. Tonight we are going to Kettering marina. This will be the first time we set foot on Tasmanian mainland. The classic yacht is in Barnes Bay (Quarantine Bay). The last picture is of the Oyster 65 "Miss Molly" in Port Arthur, being delivered south for her owners' summer cruising. We met the crew, Jeff and Meryl, at Eden originally. The other pix are Storm Bay of course. (View Post...)

Furthest South

2011-01-12T02:16:28+00:00

"Patches of sea fog" became a prevalent line in the coastal waters forecast but the wind remained in the east so Diomedea headed south once more. We passed Mingara on the same track as we approached Cape Surville and then made a course for Cape Hauy. The cape is astonishing up close and personal. The pre-eminent features are the jagged dolerite spikes of the Lanterns seen in the photos. The cloud played across the vertiginous face rising from the 100metre depths at its base. Patches of lichen gave colour to relieve the eyes as we gazed into the clefts holding the Candlestick and other formations. No sooner had we doubled the cape than the sea fog decided to sock in. Visibility nil and the wind is all over the place in the now familiar spin cycle of near-cliff ocean. Our initial plan had been to pass between Cape Pillar and Tasman island. The cockpit debate raged for a while. The passage is only 5 metres deep and no more than 0.25nm wide. We have never been through before. An easterly swell is pressing into it as is the wind. The fog remains. Despite the presence of daylight and a good radar overlay the crew of Diomedea is not up for this one. Tasman island is rounded unseen to starboard at 43 degree 15'S. The course is shaped for Port Arthur in light airs and light seas.
(Continued...)

To Maria island

2011-01-12T02:14:57+00:00

Well, its not all beer and skittles. The weather changes as it does in Tassie and so we set out for Maria island in light easterly flow. Past the sea lion colony of the Ile de Phoques and then onto the Il du Nord just off Maria island itself. The sea lions can be seen, heard and smelt. The anchorage is in the "deep hole" (6m - the rest of the bay is 3.2m!) of Chinaman's Bay. Rain. The cloud base is trying to visit our deck. We have sundowners with John and Sue from "Aurielle" a beautiful example of an Adams 54 footer. The new day brings no improvement so the plans for walking are shelved. (View Post...)

To Schouten Passage

2011-01-12T02:13:51+00:00

It was 120 nm from Cape Barren island to Schouten passage with a significant portion slowed by adverse flood tide past Swan island. Consequently, despite departure at first light we arrived off Schouten passage at midnight in 33 kts of NE wind pushing us hard onto the coast. Wild seas. The passage is 0.5nm wide and we have never been in before. A lee shore of massive granite cliffs either side. Oh, did I mention it was pitch black with no moon. All one can see is a large mass blocking out the stars directly ahead of the bow. Hmmm. Should we go all the way around Schouten island instead and come into the anchorage from the west. Its at least another 10 miles and plenty of other rocky hazards in those miles.
(Continued...)

Christmas Cheer

2011-01-05T15:12:00+00:00

Even though Neil was in between hospital visits over the festive season, we did manage to celebrate Christmas together with good friends.

On Christmas Day Crystal Blues and MV Saraburi rafted together at St John's Island, Singapore. Our friends Richard and Susan, SV Sea Bunny joined Al and Mel on Saraburi and their friends Maria and Nick, for a shared feast.


Christmas Day on MV Saraburi, photo courtesy of Richard Kidd

Our grandson's first Christmas! Photo courtesy of Sarah Gatter.

We spoke with both our families on Christmas Day over Skype. As the phone was passed around the tables in Melbourne, we managed to share in the Christmas cheer. Looks like grandson Harrison also enjoyed his first Christmas!

Incredible India

2010-12-31T03:37:00+00:00


Bolgatty Marina, Cochin

Although Neil has spent a long time in India this year, very little has been spent relaxing. So early in December we flew to Cochin in the state of Kerala, "God's Own Country". Located on the south west coast of India, we explored the ancient town of Fort Cochin and the marina at Bolgatty Island. We were not disappointed in the food, the friendliness and the wonderful sights. We stayed at the Fort House Hotel with a wonderful view of the extensive waterways leading into Cochin's backwaters and lake system.

Ouch!

Three days prior to this Neil was working in Hyderabad. He was bitten by an insect whilst in a car on the way to see a client. The bite instantly became red and angry. By the weekend in Cochin the bite area was infected. Neil started on a course of antibiotics and after a few more days he contacted the company's International Travel Assistance Service. New antibiotics were prescribed but the relief was only temporary, the bite site began swelling and in a few days was the size of a half a golf ball. Neil immediately flew back to Singapore and was at Singapore General Hospital an hour after landing and admitted for surgery later in the afternoon.

Cleaning the wound site - not much fun.

One more scar added

The surgeon excised the infected area, leaving a 3 cm by 1cm wide and 1cm deep hole in his arm (only click here if you want to see the wound). He was immediately put on a course of intravenous antibiotics. The wound site was kept open and cleaned and packed daily for the four days Neil was in hospital.

Visiting Boat Nurse

On discharge a nursing service was organised to come visit Neil on board and continue with cleaning and repacking the wound. Gradually the new grainy tissue and blood vessels began to fill in this hole.

Excellent visiting nurse service

After Neil visited his surgeon for a followup visit, Ley took over the cleaning and wound packing. With a week off between Christmas and New Year we planned to relax and hopefully find time to finish off the 12 volt control side of our refrigeration, still not completed from our refit. But this was not meant to be....

One more time....

Happy New Year!

A few days later Neil was back in hospital. Another infection had flared up, this time in his nasal and sinus area. More blood tests, more IV antibiotics and bed rest at Singapore General Hospital. The infection appears to be retreating and Neil no longer looks like Rudolf's brother! But the bad news is that he will be seeing in the New Year from his hospital bed.

Wishing all our family and friends a very healthy, happy and peaceful 2011.

A Month Of Challenges

2010-12-22T14:58:00+00:00

Neil continues with his "other" life, working mostly in India, with ongoing AV projects in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. He had quite a few health issues over the last 2 months, but he seems to be on top of it now. But not even a red-eye flight from India to Singapore was going to deter him from his latest challenge.

Getting Knotted

Bowlines.....up the burrow, around the tree, down the burrow, back to me!

Close friend Carol Shaw is "den mother" to a group of Cub Scouts here in Singapore. The pack, 120 plus boys, were having a camp-out in a National Park and one of the planned experiences was knot tying. Being an "old boy scout" in Australia, and a sailor, pre-qualified Neil for the teaching task. But he still had to pass an online test to permit him to instruct a scouting group.

With his new certificate and a basic out line of available equipment and expectations, off Neil went to the Singapore camp out. Both the parents and the boys had a fine time learning how to tie knots, coil line and the understanding of which knot to use when and where.

Kris and David departing from One15 Marina.

Hello....& Farewell

In early Novemeber our friends Kris and David on SV Taipan docked here at One Degree 15 Marina, Singapore, just two berths away from us. Wow - "real" cruisers to do real boating things with ! David, Kris and Ley shopped till they dropped, chasing boat bits, including webbing, alternator parts, and batteries. A little food, clothes and shoe shopping happened as well.

We enjoyed many great meals and good wines, until they finally cast off their dock lines, heading for Sarawak (our favourite Asian destination). They are slowly heading northwards and our paths may not cross for many years to come, leaving us the challenge of saying farewell and safe sailing to great friends.

Continuing the Tradition

When we were based in Sydney we celebrated Thanksgiving with our American friends, Steve and Carol Shaw. After the annual Saturday feast we usually loaded all the leftovers and more friends aboard Crystal Blues for a peaceful picnic on Pittwater. We're pleased to say that this year we continued with our Thanksgiving tradition, celebrating again with the Shaw family and friends. True to form, Sunday saw us sailing with delicious leftovers, plus a bunch of hangovers. Crystal Blues sailed to St John's island, a challenging journey of at least 2 kilometers. Our taste buds and waist lines were again challenged with turkey, mounds of stuffing, plates of vegetables and Carol's fabulous pumpkin and sweet potato pies.

Allen and Neil enjoying Thanksgiving!

Steven Shaw carving the turkey.

Time for Noah to get his Land Legs

2010-12-08T02:49:14+00:00

All good things come to an end they say but we are looking forward to the next “good thing”.
As the year came towards the end we decided that we should put our beloved girl Maripi on the market and we were not shocked to have her sold within a few weeks. Our fortune continued with the delightful new prospective owners happy for a long contract allowing us to finish out the year as we intended with a glimmer of hope for Ro to fight back on the fish count. Well, Maripi changed hands last week with very mixed feelings towards a yacht that had served us so well with safe passage and lots of amazing adventures and moments, Noah’s first home and such a special year to spend together. They say the best 2 days of boat ownership is the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it. Not quite sure about that as we had many great days of boat ownership and surprisingly few days of frustration. Even anti-fouling her was a joy.
Now as we drive our 4WD through the flooded Newell Highway in western NSW as we head to Tassie for Christmas wishing that we still had a boat (cars don’t float as well) we have passed the time so easily reminiscing the most amazing year on board Maripi with Noah. We look forward to our plans for further adventure. These plans include something with 2 floaty bits, a couple of sails, fishing gear and plenty of sunsets.
Now as it turns out even with a late surge Lana won the fishing comp 66-64!!! Ro may have trouble fronting up to his mates on this one!
As it turns out it is perfect timing to leave the boat as Noah has found his land legs taking his first steps this week at 10months old. Yay!

Nara Inlet to Airlie Beach

2010-12-08T02:43:09+00:00

As we sailed into harbour for our last time with a clear blue sky, calm sea doing 8 knots under sail tears streamed down our faces as we celebrated our connection with our girl and the amazing journey we had with each other. No words can describe the emotions of that moment with “Hallelujah” playing on the stereo as it did as we left Sanctuary Cove at the start of our voyage.

So our last port of call was Airlie Beach where we handed Maripi over to her new owners who have started delivering her south already arriving at Yeppoon on her way to Brisbane as we write this. Robyn and Chris plan to retire at the end of this year and cruise in the same fashion as Maripi is now accustomed. Our final week in Airlie allowed us to catch up with Lan’s Aunty Andrea, our friend Andrea McGrath, Laura and Kayleigh (some great girls from England), Lozza from Maroon Dam and Craig and Robyn who delivered our car.

Back to Nara to get out of the weather

2010-12-08T02:41:11+00:00

With the predictions of gale force winds we set sail for shelter in Nara Inlet from South Mole Island. With the headsail alone and steep sharp seas that are unimaginable in what you would expect to be fairly protected waters across the Whitsunday passage Maripi reached her equally fastest speed on our watch at 14 Knots. As the port bow began to bury herself and spray masked our passage Maripi started to round up and drop off the wave with Noah grinning all the way. Lana and I had quite different facial expressions!!

Although not the greatest of weather we settled into a pretty laid back few days at anchor up the end of Nara. We spent a lot of time just soaking up the small wonders of nature and catching a few finned ones. Noah had a touch with nature as a seagull almost fed from his hands and white cockatoos graced the safe harbour.

South Molle Island

2010-12-08T02:39:56+00:00

From Stonehaven we went to Marcona for another night and then on to South Mole Island.
Ro has a real connection with South Molle as that is where his Mum and Dad celebrated their honeymoon a fair few years ago. So we were delighted to find it re-opened following the Cyclone earlier in the year and very quite. The owners allowed us to not only use their mooring for a few nights but also all the facilities on the island including the swimming pool. If you ever get the chance We would recommend that you get a look at the amazing shell collection on display.

Visit out to the reef

2010-12-08T02:38:00+00:00

From Airlie we thought to get in a position to explore the outer reef if the weather allowed. We spent the first night in Marcona Inlet where we were visited by turtles and dolphins away from the crowds in a glassy anchorage.

Leaving Marcona the next day with glassy waters and then favourable winds just aft of beam we sailed the 23 miles in relative ease arriving early afternoon at Hook Reef but unfortunately the predicted calm became a 15-20 knot wind with reduced protection as the tide rose. Combined with a tide that placed Maripi beam on to the wind life became a little uncomfortable.

Up anchor the following morning and passing between Hook and Bait Reef with wind against tide was like a washing machine with a boat speed of 5 knots and speed over ground 9 Knots!! We recently watched a Late Malcolm Douglas documentary and related to the tidal whirlpool created in the far north of WA.

After passing through we had an amazing day of sailing with the sheets slightly cracked and fanging along when all of a sudden Lana’s game rod started to hum that tune that says there is something big on the line! We had difficulty slowing the boat down so 30 minutes later a buggered but beaming Lana drags her tuna aboard!!! Noah had a new toy until we reached Stonehaven Beach and I started filleting it!

A Little Bit Of History

2010-11-17T07:01:00+00:00

Trader Boat, August, 1997

Last month marked the 13th year of our guardianship of Crystal Blues. From the moment we saw her advertised in the August 1997 addition of Trader Boat we fell in love. Owners John and Jenny invited us to Townsville for the weekend, to stay aboard and go out for a test sail (motor really - there was no wind...somethings never change.) She passed our inspection and then the surveyor's, with flying colours and a month later she was ours.

A lot of water has flowed under the keel since then and for both of us it has been 13 years of fun packed adventure. Crystal Blues was advertised with "every electronic gadget imaginable" - though we don't think the previous owners imagined Neil's passion for technology!

Fortunately we both enjoy working with our hands and don't mind get dirty. We continue to enhance and titivate Crystal Blues. The worst job we have tackled on Crystal Blues was sandblasting in the forward locker and the scariest was catching and removing a banded sea snake from the machinery area, in New Caledonia. We have enjoyed sensational sailing, beautiful anchorages. Continuing to do boat jobs in exotic places is still high on our agenda!

Three blades broken.....

Something Old

Just for something different we replaced the raw water pump impeller again on our Onan Genset (AKA the Insatiable Beast). Two hours and 35 minutes of running is an all time record for such undistinguished lack of service.

Something New

Life's Good - LG 1055LDP

Our electrolux washing machine died whilst we were at Boat Lagoon last year. It was 5 years old. Unfortunately Electrolux did not support this machine in Asia and the cost of importing new parts from Australia was prohibitive. David and Kris from SV Taipan discovered a compact LG washing machine in Singapore, an LG 1055LDP.

Yesterday we installed our new washer and the lazerette is again fully populated with machinery. Even though the machine came with Singaporean plumbing and electrical fittings we had enough changeover parts to make good and within a few hours Ley was happily watching the first wash.

Keeping Busy

2010-11-08T13:37:00+00:00

Boat jobs in exotic places......

Work

In 2004 we installed an electric macerator to our marine head in order to comply with Australian boating standards. After much research and talking to other cruisers, we purchased the Jabsco Quiet Flush Conversion system. We also fitted a Y valve between the fresh and salt water supply and mainly run the system on freshwater, when it is plentiful.

For just over 6 years the toilet has been maintenance free. It has happily flushed and macerated its way around Australia and Asia. A few months ago we noticed that the pump was making unusual sounds - time to source a new one. A replacement Jabsco macerator pump and seal kit was supplied by Jessie at MarineTech in Singapore for 1/3rd of the price that was quoted to us in Australia (how can there be such a huge price difference?)

The whole change over took less than an hour and the system is working perfectly again. Six years maintenance free, for a marine head rates to us as exceptional service - given that we have been living aboard all that time!

More Work!

Wow another long weekend! We quickly made a plan to go back to Telok Sengat, on the Johore River in Malaysia, so we could relax and tick off a few more boat jobs. There are still quite a few incomplete projects from our 2009 refit and we planned to tackle the control side of our refrigerator and freezer system. Running the 12 volt power cables over and under and through the boat was fairly painless and we are much closer now to completing this project.

Another impeller bites the dust!

Closing the valve on the salt water inlet manifold.

Unfortunately our genset demanded our attention, by shutting down as it devoured yet another water pump impeller. Okay, it was time for an oil change, so we stripped down the genset, lavished TLC in the form of new oil and a fresh impeller. The genest ran for just over two hours on Sunday and when we started it this morning it ran for a whole 2 minutes - yep chewed up and spat out another impeller. We spend way more money and time on maintaining this genset than any other piece of machinery or equipment on the boat. Although Onan were extremely generous and helpful to us initially ( they took away our first lemon and gave us a new genset for free after 2 years of continual problems.) Yet here we are still pandering to an insatiable beast!

and Play

Good food, friends and fun in Penang

Ley's high school girlfriend Judi Scott, decided to have a pre 60th birthday bash in Penang, Malaysia last week. Neil had work plans to be in India so Ley flew north for a few days. Luckily for us there was a wonderful Indian festival happening so between temple visits, partying in the street in Little India and fine dinning at the local cafes, we all had a ball. Here is a link to some of our favourite eating places in Georgetown.

Happy Birthday Judi!

Wooden Boats

2010-10-20T04:21:55+00:00

The crew of Diomedea went to the Wooden Boat Show and had a look at some golden oldies. We liked the entirely non-mechanical yacht from France, Gretel II, Boomerang, the cray boat Julienne, and well ... just about all of them.
(Continued...)

New Crew for Crystal Blues

2010-10-04T13:43:00+00:00

Nana Ley and Harrison

Harrison leaving the hospital, 4 days old.

Sarah, Harrison, Chloe and Shaun

Harrison Oliver Gatter was born on September 7, weighing 8lb 2 oz. Shaun, Sarah and Harrison are having a wonderful time getting to know each other. Luckily for me, I spent 2 weeks back in Australia, enjoying lots of cuddle time. We all agree that Harrison is the "spitting image" of Shaun. Our grandson is a pretty good sleeper, though he still likes to party between 1.00am and 3.00am most mornings!

What a joy it is to be a grandparent.

Townsville to Whitsundays

2010-10-02T15:36:48+00:00

A terrific weather forecast for the next 3 days presented us with a great window of opportunity to head south. From Townsville we motor-sailed the 80 odd miles to Cape Upstart - a safe anchorage from the East-SE winds surrounded by the amazing geology of the area. The following day, the wind was a little more from the south than forecast. This made our relatively short passage of 45 miles to Glouster Island a little uncomfortable under motor, but we still managed to achieve a constant 7+ knots.

Another fantastic night at anchor in Bona Bay - Glouster Island with an early morning glassy passage to Olden Island for a day of fishing, snorkelling and enjoying the sunshine. Soon after leaving Olden Island, the clutch on the trolling line hummed it's beautiful tone Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz indicating a big strike. Ro was first to the rod after almost knocking Lana overboard with his desire to add this fish to his fish count. For anyone who cares other than Lana, the fish count now stands at (Lana = 50 Ro = 47) - a late surge from the Captain is making Lana feel a little uneasy as we approach our last bit of time on the water.

Now anchored off Airlie Beach to shelter from a southerly weather pattern and get tv reception for the football grand finals, we have feasted on Ro's MACKEREL for the last four nights. Yum!!

Back on the water

2010-09-26T14:24:36+00:00

(Sailing South – Cairns to Townsville)
Perfect weather came for us to sail south a couple of days after returning from the USA. Having caught back up with Benno and Yvonne for a great lunch the day before we set sail from Yorkeys Knob Marina at 6:30am, we arrived at Dunk Island around 4:00pm. A glassy day on the water, until later in the afternoon allowed us to motor sail very quickly all day. Noah loved being back at sea – smiles all around. In fact when we first got back on the boat Noah’s eyes just shone and his whole face lit up with the recognition of home. Again an early start from Dunk, with the aid of radar and GPS, and perfect conditions found us tying alongside at the Breakwater Marina, Townville by 4.15pm thanks to our ever reliable Mr and Mrs 20hp Inboards which gives us a cruising speed of 8.5 knots!!! Hinchinbrook and the Palm Islands showed off their good side upon our return journey and marketed themselves as destinations to return and explore.
Having spent the good part of 2 weeks now in Townsville further exploring the sites, sounds and surroundings (and coffee shops) we are looking for a window of opportunity to make the 3 day passage further south to the Whitsundays for another extended visit. As we write this our weather forecasting websites are predicting an opening for south passage this week . Yee Haaa again! It has been great catching up again with Robbie and Craig, on “Unhinged”, quality people with a genuine love for each other and shared vision for a fulfilled life. The 5 of us had a wonderful day on “Maripi” with a circumnavigation of Magnetic Island with prawns, a swim and coffee on the island where Craig and Robyn lived with their 2 boys as a young family.

We will endeavour to keep the blog updated, as we have had a few long intervals without writing anything - having too much fun I dare say. Keep Smiling.

Under the Star Spangled Banner

2010-09-26T14:20:05+00:00

Yeeeee Haaaaa!!! The sailors are in the USA. Just to be clear...We took a plane, we didn't sail here! Maybe one day though.

We left Cairns and flew to Sydney and then had a 13 hour flight to San Fransisco. Noah was AMAZING! The Qantas Hostesses gave us a bottle of champagne for having the best baby they had seen on a flight for a very long time. Noah was a gem the whole way over. How lucky are we?!!!

We spent a fun filled, “flowers in our hair” 4 days in San Fransisco , enjoying the city sights - taking a scenic bus tour, visited Alcatraz and enjoyed time down at the delightful Fisherman's Wharf. The weather was a little cooler than we were used to - but we have since arrived in Florida where the temperature has been above 100 degrees F all week. That is above 38 degrees C. Phew! It has been great catching up with Lana's Aunty Tracey, cousin Aaron and great friends Dixie, Gray and Dorry here in Orlando. Noah has been a big hit and has loved all the attention from everyone. He still hasn't stopped smiling.

Always one’s to make the most of opportunity, we drove down to Fort Lauderdale for a couple of days to check out some lovely catamarans that we have been drooling over on the internet. For some reason boats are predictably cheaper in the States and with the GFC “fire sales” have meant an even further reduction. Coupled with the increased punch of the Aussie dollar it would be quite reasonable to consider importing our next “dream”. So we “kicked a few keels” and were driven all around the local marinas by George the Broker.
We took Noah on a road trip up to Auburn Alabama to visit Lana's cousin Josh and his wife Kristi and spend the night with Dixie's family who greeted us again with the greatest and warmest of southern hospitality. A big family Friday night dinner with Dixie's mother Dorry, and brothers Trey and Skip and their families reminded us of sitting around the kitchen table back home on the Gold Coast Qld or Penguin Tasmania, with our families.
From there we travelled towards the coast as we had withdrawals from the sea, via Atlanta to see Lana's cousin Chelsea and onward up through part of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway in North Carolina, through Hendersonville and down to Charleston, South Carolina, which is steeped in "Southern" history. Again we stayed in the historic waterfront district and toured by horse and carriage through the old streets. Savannah, Georgia, was our next stop which is like a smaller Charleston with great history from the Civil War. A lot of people see these states as being "fly-over" states so the locals just embrace tourists, especially when you sound like Crocodile Dundee!!! Again, Noah has continued to be a great hit and conversation starter. He also opens a lot of doors - like being first on the plane and getting upgraded at hotels.
Road trip highlights included:
• Visiting family and friends
• Ashville and the Blue Ridge Mountains (Made famous by John Denver)
• Hendersonville, North Carolina
• A carriage ride through the Old City precinct – Charleston
• Our own private horse and carriage tour of Savannah including where Forrest Gump sat waiting for the bus in the movie. “Life is like a box o’ chocolates!”
• Cruising in Dixies Mercedes convertible
From Savannah we drove back to Orlando, Florida via a port town of Brunswick to look at a cat that we had been following on the internet for a few months. A night back at Dixie’s and then across to a place called Anna Maria Island on the west coast of Florida. We were lucky enough to stay at Dixie’s friends (Paul and Toni Azinger's) beach house - that was just as beautiful as it sounds - a shack on the beach. Paul uses it as an escape from his hectic golf life and it was great for us to relax and chill out. We had dinner with Paul and Toni and their extended family, who were all in town for a funeral. Paul pretended to feed Noah a chicken bone and he thought that was very funny.
Back in Orlando, we again caught up Aunty Tracey, having already caught up with her and Aaron before Aaron went back to college in Dallas. Aaron is on a Golf scholarship and spends most of his time travelling around playing tournaments against other Universities. It's great catching up with family here as the US is probably a place we will come back to as there is so much to see and do and the people are great.
Lana is just a great mum which probably surprises her more than anyone. I suppose the natural instinct just kicks in but I really think Noah's temperament is a reflection of her calm, easy going way with him even in the middle of a storm at sea or a 14 hour flight.
We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on September 3 with our beautiful friends Dixie and Gray . Gray married us by the seaside in Key West (Florida Keys) 2 years ago. Sad to be leaving friends and family in the states but what have we got to look forward to???? Answer – The remainder of the year sailing back south through the tropics, fishing, swimming and taking it easy! Life for us at the moment pretty good – in fact- is just MAGIC!

A favourite anchorage, 1770

2010-09-26T02:45:12+00:00

We’ve spent most of the past week at 1770, a charming anchorage between Gladstone and Bundaberg in Central Queensland. Joy and I rate it in our top 2-3 anchorages along the east coast.

While some “yuppification” has occurred since we were last here in 2004, it has a real charm, coupled the convenience of easy access to facilities and activities. We were there for 5 days not because of the unfavourable weather, but because we wanted to be there.

Our experience:

The entrance was easy at high tide with nothing less than 3 meters depth and clear marking . Beacon to Beacon 8th edition proved the best information source for navigation and anchoring.

It is well sheltered from the South East and we had no problem anchoring. We anchored in water with never less than 2.2m depth. The local VMR, Round Hill, is knowledgeable and very helpful.

The camping ground sells essentials such as bread, milk and ice cream. The marina sells both unleaded and diesel fuel and some chandlery.

There is an excellent restaurant ashore, The Tree . More restaurants, shops, post office etc in Agnes Waters. The local taxi is at (0417) 749 000 typically $20 for the ride to Agnes Waters.

And there is a chance to be a tourist, taking a “Lark” to Bustard Head or a tourist boat to Lady Musgrave. Despite that, it still largely looks like the place where Jimmy Cook landed in 1770. And it’s a pet friendly anchorage!