Monday, August 16, 2010

Still looking for work

Well I cased the Maylands boat yard and left a notice for work. Someone has started on the big polyester yacht and I gave my name and number to them. It is an itchy old job for someone. Not too much else happening there, so I also dropped in to Mike Gregory's project - a Schionning, over near Fremantle in a yard under those big shade tent frame set ups. He is away, but apparently hired a worker to work for him, so I will go back and try to meet this new guy.
Also trying to get the Drafting Diploma from TAFE (Technical and Further Education). Think mostly deserve that now.
If I got even 20-30 hours a week I guess it would prompt thoughts on SIDECAR number 2.
The project shouldn't become all consuming for a couple of reasons:
!one is that boat building work is actually an unhealthy full-time occupation.
Then extra finishing skills though can be quite challenging if you do wiring or mechanical installation yourself, so it requires learning about other disciplines.

Reaading "Monsoon" by Wilbur Smith and it is quite a good seafaring tale. Set in the 1600's and sailing to Africa and Mozambique. A bit over the top in drama, but good colour and action.

I am considering self promoting skill in boat making to get something like a harry build deal. I kind of start making ONE as for myself, but actually hope to see a profit from IT'S sale.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Getting a Job

I am branching out into other non-sailing reports now. It is related to boats in a way. The house where I just moved was where I made my first two dinghys. Both 8' prams. One a Boden "Cockle" and the other a Hartley pram. Neither were very well finished, but I had minimal tools and little info on boatbuilding. I used the old hartley boatbuilding book and had little info on using epoxy. I had not found the Australian Amatuer Boatbuilders magazine. The plan was mainly a wooden boat of frame and ply using the epoxy as a gule between the gussets and frames and ply sheet sides and bottom.
I then also did some of the Hartley16' boat there. It is a rental house and there are now eight guys of various nationalities and age somehow crammed in with one kitchen bathroon and toilet.
Well as much as I enjoy the company it will be good to score something with some decent shed set up in a less busy area. This house is near the University where students live. Around the next ' two streets up the road is where i did the 28trimaran - he still owes me $600 for buying that at the bargain basement price of A$6500.
At least i saw that one still in use and well kept up.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Going to Esperance

Having a go this week...

(Edit)
Actually that was rather optimistic of me.
I'm not geared up - emotionally, financially ...whatever.
When the time is right, I'll just run down and hit it quick.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Giving up for now.

Too tough to get the winds to go back - easterlies.
Rob reckons crewing east would be better after winter.
I will wait and see.
I see a big division between solo and crew:
solo to me means daylight short sprints between stops.
Overnighting is just too long and tiring.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Getting good window




Good chance this week to get back to Augusta - under the lee of Leeuwin.
Two or three days of Easterlies for a change and hopefully lower swells too.
The weather was pretty cold lately - MAX 14 and I am a little under rugged in the cabin. Things are hard to keep clean, and the diet slightly sucks too.
I have some balls coming down around here in June, but really it had gone super smoothly weather wise. I can easily see making a full crossing over to South Aust. with a crew mate one day.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Cruising around Albany



There are two good sized inlets that open into the King George Sound.
Big ships (bulk cargo carriers) come in to one to load wheat. This comes from the country to the north I think where the rainfall is a bit less and it is easier to grow wheat than grazing pasture. As with Walpole inlet the scenery is full of trees and hills.
I have tied up the netting properly, fixed the length of reefing line, bought some chain for the second anchor and odd jobs like these.
The weather looks mostly from the west and so I am putting off going anywhere for the moment.
A country bus service runs daily back up to Perth, and only takes about 6 hours. I took about 2 weeks to sail around.
I may come back later next week with the outboard and maybe score some epoxy and tools to finish small jobs.

Monday, June 14, 2010

mast is up



here are yard photos from Emu point, oyster harbour, albany, W.A.
SLOW hardener for the epoxy really was tough to use.
The price for a bit of cloth and resin was huge.
But it is baqck in place now.
Not sure how comfortable i am knowing the thing could break again.
I will certainly avoid sitting beam on or even sailing through any choppy waters near the rocky shores.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

small town boat yard

Well i have gottn somewhere on the fixing job. Borrowed a grinder from Roy who was building his boat at Maylands a whi8le ago and is moored here at Albany at present. Cleaned things up and tacked on the base cap, the mast head, and the wing swivel arm which includes the downhaul tackle. Bought some double bias and when the sun dries the overnight condensation tommorrow it wll be ready to staart epoxying things up.
The sunny days should be enough to cure it by the end of the weekend.
Then it's hunt for the anchor. Weather depending ofcourse. See some sights, sail in the Albany harbours, and look ahead - not sailing any further east frojm here.
Friday morning:
Could be aa few hours as there is condensation or dew all over things this morning.
Might start glassing by 10 o'clock. Take some photos maybe to show what is getting done.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Albany and Two Peoples Bay






About four days waiting to get into Albany from two peoples bay. The weather and jury rig wouldn't let me get back to the shops and showers. I had a bit of sickness and felt crappy without decent food for a week saince leaving Walpole.
There was fresh water though and fishermen and the ranger could have given me alift back.
Thi is the nice bay where i sheltered out of some passing fro9nts.

Jury Rigged



The backwash from steep rocky shores creates very choppy waves around this coast.
So much so the mast was whiplashed violently while i was luffed side on to the seas for a moment afetr the halyard sheeve pin broke.
Considering a Bi stayed rig now. A top connecting rod and four stays (two to each mast) would give allround staying to both masts.
Not for the small one though since accomodations are too small to include mast a bulkhead.
I have a few days here in Albany where the boatyard is to sort the shortening by 2 metres.Then probably sail back again. (looking out for some lower swell days).

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Stephen King



Sitting in the Inlet at Agusta watching the rain storms pass across I am enjoying "The Stand" by Steveen King. Not only scary, but tender and quaintly homely as well.
Eventhough the world is about to be destroyed by the flu virus from hell, the ineer stories of folk in various towns around the USA make for good tale telling.
It is unnerving to imagine them existing in real life. Maybe back in the '80's but hopefully things are more civilised in the back waters these days.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Cape to Cape




Well that was a major hurdle accomplished.
After the calm of Geographe Bay it was a little nervous rounding Cape Naturaliste to head down the surf coast. Stormy looking clouds actually only gave moderate offshore breezes and so other han keeping out from the surf breaks, rocks and points it was interesting sailing. This is unlike further north where sand dunes low lying coasts prevail. Rugged cliffs and boulders make some pretty scenery from Cape Naturaliste down.
With a hope to reach all the way to safety of Augusta I was timing it fairly close. About 60nm was the target.
That seemed weel in hand, but forced out wide around cape Hamelin rocks, the wind didn't favour the approach to Caspe leeuwin. The ending was close on the wind and tiring since i would ease off in the gusts on wave tops then haul inand bear away off the backs.
Fairly confident amongst swells (being a bodyboarder), it was still a bit sketchy when the chgart says incompoletely surveyed.
Anyhow after snapping a clew line and dropping sail I tacked around the reefs under the lighthouse while darkness fell.
hankfully some cray boats were moored nearby and the obvious safe anchoring place would be somewhere ovewr there.
A slightly sleepless night was thanks to the openness of Flinders Bay to the SE.
All was rosy come morning and some helpful directions of morning joggers to find riversand bar.

Monday, May 17, 2010

May days

This autumnal weather is so much more moderate compared to the summer.
Less confidence in making a longer sail. Imagine further North is still more summery pattern with seabreezes.
For example, today I was planning to go from Halls head to Bunbury (about 47nm). The morning dawned with maybe 8 kknots easterlies. The better option now is to sail the shorter sail back up to Pengo for some 10:30am high tide offshore swell conditions at the surf spot.
Perhaps if thing slook OK, for sailing on to Rottnest then I could get some golfing in and wait for this next low system to come in closer and squeeze the preesure gradient up a feew2 degrees.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

GooD Times

Well, Rockingham was OK. Mostly spent by Point Peron and then a day at Penguin Island.
Some good fun surfing (boog'in) on Pengo.
Sailed down to Mandurah in some cool NE'lies. Coming into the inlet was tricky: with a few knots of current but a dissapeared wind it got awkward. Some front rudder to help steer did the trick then it was far enough in to jump overboard and push .

Had call from Water Police back at the house message bank: dated back on Thursday the 13th of May. I think I was at Point Peron back then. Or maybe even in Mandurah inlet. Who knows what it was about? Has happened before when anchoring somewhere interesting, landlubbers get all excited and report suspiscious activities to the police!.

Not as strange as some things going on. How about the rudderless catamaran sailing of Peter Mirrow's video link on Proa file today. That is definitely wierd stuff. Would certainly reduce the effect of undercurrrent in a tide race.

The high high's this week interesting - more water over the low bits. Better reef breaks at Pengo. More tide flow in and out of places. It is not that far from June 22nd (solstice). Finally few chillier days down here. Still not a lot of rain yet.

Dooug

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

where are the seals?


Anchored for night here at Seal Island, but no seals on the beach today.Just came from penguin island - no penguins to be seen there either, but they are usually away at sea.
Lots of cormorants laying eggs in their nests. Pelicans and tons of seaguls.

Saw some a fair sized school of fish hanging about over the shallow reef. nice big looking sort. shoulld get a Rod and cast out since it was only a stones throw from shore.

bit of onshore southerly breeze the 'morrow. so, will head into point peron hook, or go around to the other side of Rockingham.
Still waiting on getting paid for boat jobs from months weeks ago, and seeing about computer jobs in the future.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Severing ties

Time to go.
It ain't easy organizing it all into one little boat.
Truthfully I should be working instead.
Anyone got any work?
bye for noww

Light winds, but the reliable sea breeze is still coming in the afternoon.
Sailing now as writing.
On estuary - signal OKAY.
Well established the helm is no good.
So back to full 1.8m long rudders. Adding the 0.3m back on that i cut off last week.
hopefully the fairness is not lost....much.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Repairs


Done jobs needed, so setting off again.
Glad to fix things now rather than later.\
Still not winter weather yet. Sunny. Mid 20's.

Monday, April 26, 2010

testing times around Rottnest



I spent this week around Rottnest with only one rudder operational. The other one is out of actionafter cracking away at the hull to beam join. Obviously the loads were grossly underestimated. I see where it needs extra strength, so will be doing that work this week in Mandurah.
Sailing with omly one rudder makes it a tacker of sorts. A dangerous sort. All the benefit of a hrry layout is lost and the boat becomes very unstable with the wind from the wrong side.
Still got good surf and found a lot of golf balls too.
HAve to fix the mast sail slug groove this week then it should be off somewhere distant.

Monday, April 5, 2010

going out sailing. Easter regatta has had 20+knots until today.
Then bringing it under the bridge withthe gin pole to lengthen the mast. Should only take a couple of days.
Also doing another batten for the new section of unreefed main.

Sunday, April 4, 2010


Sitting around waiting to set off on a round Australian Voyage.
Still a couple of mast and rudder works to finish.
Plus pick up a gps and camera.
Hopefully by then (next weekend?) the weather systems may come through to head Southwards.

I have recently completed about 11 months Refit/rebuild in the boat yard. So far the test sails have been very encouraging.
Here is my usual favourite spot at nearby Rottnest Island.