Seen better days .....

Wednesday 2nd November 2016

We are stuck in a very expensive marina, and have been for 3 days now.

Having sailed off the anchor in Greys Bay, something I was feeling pretty chuffed about, we then sailed down to Abell Point, Airlie Beach on Monday 31st October. This was a pleasant enough sail though there was not much wind - which worked very much in our favour when we arrived here as getting in on one engine was going to be enough of a challenge let alone if the wind were howling as well.

But we did it !!! Number 2 big pat on the back for today - first sailing off the anchor then getting into an unknown marina on just the port engine. We felt good!!!

Arriving at 3pm the first call was to AllMarine Repairs here at Airlie Beach regarding our starboard engine. They sent a really nice young chap, Justin, down pretty quickly. He assessed it and found the problem to be with the exhaust water lock box - this is a part of the exhaust where the mixture of engine gasses and cooling water are before being pushed out of the boat. Because we had an issue with ours, the filthy exhaust water was not leaving the boat, (luckily bilge pump working well). But this was not the entire problem, as we discovered the next day.

Water lock box innards, supposed to be a nice round pipe
not a screwed-up mess!

New water lock box had to be ordered Tuesday - it would be here on Wednesday's courier (God willing) - Justin would fit it Wednesday afternoon. That sorted, we asked him to do a complete service - then we'd have a start date for the future and know just when things had been done. It was Melbourne Cup holiday in Victoria - lucky for us we were in Queensland else everyone would be closed !! Then he discovered the next problem - or maybe this was the reason for the entire problem. The water intake hoses that had been used on SOL were actually not proper suction hose - so when they heated under use and were put under load they just "sucked" in on themselves and this meant no water getting in to cool engine - engine got too hot - water lock innards melted - exhaust going into engine bay not outside - lots of mess and black smoke !!!!! Then when it cooled down and we looked - the oil level was fine, the coolant level was fine - there was nothing for us to see to diagnose the problem. So - we needed proper suction hoses.

Abell Point Marina at Airlie Beach have a concierge car for tenants use - marvellous as we could use this, race off to ENZED and get hose and joiners while Justin continued on SOL.  And the next problem came to light - the port engine water pump shaft and bearings were on their last legs so this needed rebuilding - Ho Bloody Hum - this would not be ready till late Wednesday afternoon.

Birds perched on top spreaders on yachts
Abell Point Marina

We got organized to leave Abell Point first thing Thursday and decided to head back to Townsville. We would leave SOL there at Breakwater Marina for the next couple of months, till the house settled, then come back up to her and do the trip south again - maybe we'd get further next time. 

At first light Thursday we left - and what a good feeling that was, after a totally unexpected and very expensive three days. Even an unscheduled trip up the mast outside Airlie Beach to fix an aerial did nothing to dampen our spirits.

Sunrise just out of Airlie Beach



Very happy captain as we leave the most expensive marina !!

We overnighted back to Townsville, covering the 136nm in 27 hrs averaging just over 5 knots  - not racing speeds, we used the engines a bit as the wind was very fickle - but we were content with our first overnight sail and arrived back at 0800 Friday. 

Time for a sleep !!!

We now had to "Cyclone Proof" SOL as cyclone season runs 1 November to 1 April.

To do this we took down the screecher, the jib and the storm jib and stowed them in the spare cabin. We will tie the main even though it is fully covered with a boom bag but it is advised to tie it as well. We have tied the wind generator blades so they can't fly around especially as the wind increases. We took the outboard motor off the dinghy. Nothing loose can be left outside - there is the likelihood that things can take off in the high winds. Basically it entails stripping as much as you can from the exterior of the boat and securing it inside. We leave extra mooring lines that can be attached should it be necessary.

SOL stripped and ready for cyclone season

PLAN FOR THE WORST - HOPE FOR THE BEST seems to be the motto.

On our way .....

Left Townsville marina 0600 on Friday 28th October for Cape Bowling Green, a handy days sail away. Wind was only 10-15kt SE, not perfect but we didn't care !!

Along the way we had a bit of fun playing with the AIS and then the Auto-pilot. We were happily anchored in the lee of Cape Bowling Green by 3.30pm and dropped the little Walker Bay dinghy in the water and tootled ashore for a walk around. It's a fairly windswept, barren place, with not a lot to recommend it apart from being an important breeding ground for some birds and turtles.



Turtles at Cape Bowling Green

Sundowners were enjoyed watching the sunset.

Sunset, Cape Bowling Green

Next morning we were off to Upstart Bay, 32nm turned into 40 as we spent the day tacking into the easterlies again, Jamie hand steering a lot of the time as we can't seem to get the auto-pilot to work well when we are close hauled into the wind - yet another thing we will have to sort out over time. Again a pleasant, sheltered anchorage in Shark Bay, Cape Upstart.

Fish and salad for dinner is fast becoming just a dream - we have had the line out trolling a great deal of the trip and I have decided that fish aren't found in the sea, but come from a little man who sells them already filleted.

On leaving Upstart we had an issue with our starboard engine - an alarm sounded, so we shut off that engine and on checking the alternator belt seemed a little loose, the engine smelt a bit hot but otherwise nothing much else to see (of course, the socket needed to tighten the belt is a 13mm - we have on board all the even sizes !! so a wrench did the job).

We passed Abbott Point Coal Loading Facility around 2pm - amazing looking place with huge ships waiting their turn to load up at the end of the jetty which is 2.75km offshore. The coal is sent out to the ships on a huge conveyor belt and around 50 million tonnes of coal is exported from here each year and there are plans for expansion which will make it the largest coal port in the world.

Abbotts Point Coal Loading Jetty - 2.75km long !!!

We entered Greys Bay, just out of Bowen at 4pm and when we turned on the engines to anchor, all seemed fine. But not for long - very soon the alarms were sounding again and the starboard hull was filling with thick black smoke which was also billowing out vent holes just above the engine bay into the cockpit. Engine off, anchor just using port engine, take a breath - and a look ..... grimy black smoke film covered the engine bay and the walls of the little starboard cabin. Nothing seemed obvious at first - the belt which Jamie had tightened was still the same, the oil level was good, when she had cooled we could see the coolant level was good too - hmmm - now what.

Then Jamie spotted the water outlet hose for the exhaust had popped off the exhaust water lock box - so that was why there were signs there had been filthy blackish water in the bilge. We put the hose back together, and test started it - pretty quickly it popped off again spraying filthy water at Jamie and around the cabin. Shouts from Jamie had me turn it off really fast.

This was bigger than we could handle !!

We spent a fair time googling Yanmar diesel marine repairs, not being able to do anything more (Sunday night), deciding we would have to get someone out here in the morning, feeling that we didn't want to negotiate our way into Bowen on only one engine. We would probably have to get someone up from Airlie Beach, it being the nearest biggest place.

Monday morning, awake way too early to call marine repairs and faced with a long wait IF we could get someone out to us, Jamie suggested we head for Airlie Beach and get it fixed there.

We sailed off the anchor, and left Greys Bay. 

Let the fun begin ......

Monday 24th October 2016

And so we are sitting here, in Breakwater Marina, Townsville, on our own boat at last.



Coffee and Banana Bread for breakfast - Yum !!

Ron, boat broker extraordinaire, collected us from Townsville airport on our arrival 7.30pm Sunday 23 October. He dropped us at the marina and we reintroduced ourselves to SOL after a nearly three month absence. Luckily she was just as we remembered!!!

After a not terribly restful night - sounds like water running, electric wires crackling and some sort of scratching kept us alert a lot of the time - Monday was filled with grocery shopping, sorting ourselves, finding where things were and trying to figure how they worked then dinner at our favourite little fish and chip place - Simply Tops - on Palmer St.

Tuesday morning 10am Ron took us out to Queensland Transport Department to change the boat registration into our names. Many forms later and parting with $460 to the nice people in Queensland Government, SOL is officially registered to us in Queensland. If we go to Victoria and register her there - only $82/year - we can cancel Queensland rego then apply and (apart from some various fees and charges) will get a refund for the balance of the year !!

Lunch on board in the marina then it was out to sea for our first trip.

A fairly nerve wracking (unnecessarily it turned out) departure - never having driven a 41 ft long, 23 ft wide vessel before - we raised the main and jib (one reef in each) in 18 kts of wind and set off for Magnetic Island. It was a multi-tack trip in the easterly but that was fine as we got in a fair amount of sail handling practice over the next 3 1/2 hours it took for us to get to our  overnight anchorage in Horseshoe Bay.

This is where we encountered our first real teething problem - the anchor winch (witch/bitch) has a power switch - of course - but where the hell was it located ?????

We found the foot switch and remote easy enough - but on pressing both - nothing. No power to the switch. Come back to main switch board - nothing labelled "anchor" or "winch" or even anything remotely like that. Opened cupboards, searched under saloon seat where electrical cable came through. Nothing.

Getting rather frustrated and just a little bit desperate, we decided to drop the anchor by hand and search again after we had the boat secure. No easy task that. It was getting dark, and windier, the chain was wrapped tight around the winch and I had visions of Jamie losing a finger or two at the very least !!! We dropped about 50metres of chain - well it kind of dropped itself such was the force - there was no stopping it it seemed ! But at least we had the anchor down!

Time for a drink - and a think.....
Where would you hide the power switch for the anchor winch??

Half an hour later, after searching just about the entire boat - we found it - of course, in a locker, in the cockpit, behind the saloon door......obviously.

The night passed well, the anchor held perfectly, all those strange noises we had heard when in the marina were non existent out here, must be just marina sea critters having parties.

Rocks that reminded me of Canadian Inukshuk on Magnetic Island

Up to another beautiful day, we decided to set off for Rattlesnake Island, about 20 nautical miles away, spend Wednesday night, and Tuesday afternoon we'd swim around, clutching our scrapers, and clean the growth from the bottom which had built up over the last couple of months lying idle in the marina.

However about four nautical miles from Rattlesnake up comes a very fast, official looking, powerboat - manned by two young gentlemen from the Australian Defence Forces, who informed us that we best be heading in the other direction as they were conducting live bombing exercises on Rattlesnake - So could we turn around and leave now!!

Live bombing on Rattlesnake Island

So back to Townsville it was.

Thursday was spent provisioning for our trip south, refuelling, catching up with washing and generally trying to make sure that we were ready to leave at first light Friday.

A  really pleasant BBQ dinner at Ron (boat broker) and his wife, Gillian, as well as George and Corry, the previous owners of SOL rounded off our stay in Townsville.

We were on our way south.

The beginning...

When really was that?

The dream was always to do it, but life, in the form of work and providing for four children delayed that dream until our fifties. Then, we decided - now or never...

So the search began, we were going to have a "real" boat - a monohull, classic, very seaworthy, ocean going, built to stand the test of all that was put in front of her.

What happened?? 

Well after about one or two years of looking, checking out a few actual yachts, sailing with Ian Cooper on his Schionning Cosmos catamaran, "Nicky C" to New Caledonia in June 2015, and after going to the 2015 Sydney Boat Show, Jamie suddenly says - what about a catamaran???

I'd never thought about a cat either, but when we started looking, they were much more liveable - they are more comfortable to be living on long term than a monohull. So we started to look seriously at them. And missed out on a perfect one for sale in Greece, we weren't ready to buy as we hadn't sold our house!!

So kept looking in Europe as we really would like to spend some time in the Med and travel through Europe while we were there. But with the Aussie dollar at the moment it appears to be better to buy in Australia and then sail through to New Zealand and then the Pacific and then maybe up to the Med, but actually with the dramas in Europe with the ISIS and terrorism right now it maybe the further away the better!!

Anyway, we saw a cat we liked the look of, in fact three to look at - So a couple of weeks ago, my birthday weekend, - I said to Jamie - lets go boat looking - so we set off to eliminate some. And decided to eliminate a couple!!

Friday night, July 8th, 2016, we headed north on our boat hunting expedition flying into Cairns on Saturday morning at the ungodly hour of 1.30am.

We had 3 days and 3 yachts to see which included 9 hours of plane travel and about 16 hours driving.

First up was SOL, a Schionning Wilderness 41, she was in Townsville, but we just happened to pick the weekend that the supercars were racing in Townsville, so all flights and accommodation were well booked out.

Hmmmn, only way was to fly to Cairns, about 370km north then hire a car and drive to Townsville and meet Sid, who was looking after the broking business while the broker was away. Sid was super helpful and patient and gave us a good look at SOL.

After that it was back to Cairns to fly to Brisbane, hire another car there to see "Cruis'n Hues" a  Fusion 40, about an hours drive south, on the Sunday, then drive to Mooloolaba, (north of Brisbane, of course - couldn't be in the same area!!) to see "New Tricks" another Fusion 40.

And in the middle of this I just had to get a nasty tooth abscess that required many painkillers and a visit to an emergency dentist late on the Sunday afternoon for it to be drained and to get stronger painkillers and antibiotics. Jamie was really concerned that I was so out of it with the pain and the painkiller meds I was dosing myself up on that I would not remember seeing the boats and the differences between them!!

We were home on Monday night, heads buzzing, but decision made...
We would put in an offer for SOL



SOL

   

More stressful than buying a house - especially when you still have to sell the house! And SOL is two and a half thousand km away. So what with looking, then going back for survey and sea trials has meant a fair few miles covered even before we take possession.

OFFER ACCEPTED !!

Whoop whoop - we nearly own a boat!

Back to Townsville 3 1/2 weeks later, 3rd August, for survey, haul out and sea trials.
This time it was just a flight to Townsville, and we got to stay in the same place for three nights! No hire car and hours of driving either - bliss. Almost holiday-like.

Haul out and out of water survey having been done yesterday, today we were meeting at the office of the broker (Ron) then going to SOL to meet her current owners, George & Corry, and the surveyor, Bligh.

Survey completed and the "thumbs up" from Bligh then off with Ron, Sid, George and Corry for lunch at Townsville Yacht Club. Just the sea trials tomorrow...looking good!

Dinner again from a super fish and chippery, "Simply Tops", on Palmer St. We had grilled garlic Morton Bay bugs and a nice piece of Coral trout - neither of which we had tried before.

Thursday 1pm Ron picked us up for our sea trial. Rather nervously we boarded SOL and sailed out into Cleveland Bay, we hoisted all the various sails, tried out the auto-pilot, checked the chartplotter and other instruments. Everything seemed to work just as George and Corry had said. It was a perfect afternoon out, and two hours later we were back in the marina sharing a bottle of wine with George and Corry.

WE WERE SOLD !!!

Sea Trial Track

So with settlement down for the 19th August all we had to do was to organize insurance, marina, and transfer of the money.

Then the logistical exercises begin. We will have to leave SOL in a marina about 4 hours flight north of where we live and still work until the house sells. Then, pack up the house and store all our "stuff" in preparation for life aboard. We aim to move SOL down to a marina or mooring that's closer to home - but will probably have to leave her where she is for a month or two as the prevailing winds are not good for the trip south until possibly October.

The Boat ...

SOL

SOL is a 41ft Schionning Wilderness catamaran, built in Townsville, Australia, over a period of about seven years by George and Corry Brinks. She was launched in 2013 and we were lucky to find such a beautifully made and maintained boat to call our own. We bought her on 19th August 2016 and will sail around parts of Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and further all going well.

SOL is short for "Spice of Life"  - she was named this before we bought her, and we probably would not have named her this, however it's not a bad name for a boat or a lifestyle.

Entering the saloon the galley is on the right and nav table on the left.

There are four steps down into each hull - on the port side is the separate shower and toilet aft and forward is our cabin. As you go up and down the stairs you can see through the escape hatch a great view of the water below.

Stairs down to cabins

Above each of the beds are a couple of natty vents that go direct through to the anchor hatch so there is always fresh airflow no matter what the weather. Each side of the bed is space - no you can't quite walk around the bed but there is easy access to make it and certainly no climbing over another body when you get up. In our cabin we even have a walk-in robe - never had one before!!!

The shower has a full length mirror - luxuries that you don't expect really in a small space, and in a corner of the bathroom there is even a laundry basket.

Back through the saloon and down on the starboard side there is again a double berth and storage forward and aft is a single cabin.

In the passageway between the starboard cabins is my pantry storage, cupboards with numerous wire baskets and so much room I have yet to fill it all.

The fridge has both a top and a side opening, frequently used things are easily accessible from the galley through the top opening, the side door being down in the pantry passage. The freezer is beside the fridge, with a top door. Both are fairly large - certainly big enough for our needs.

In two years I have not managed to fill even half the storage areas on SOL - and I'm actually not sure that I ever will.

Powered by two 30hp Yanmar engines with shaft drives, SOL moves along pretty well at about 6knots running both engines and 5.5knots when only using one - so, as often as possible we only have one going and therefore only burn about 2litres of diesel an hour - something we have to be aware of as we only have two small (40 litre) fuel tanks.

With 470watts of solar power and a wind generator unless we get an extended period of windless, overcast days (hardly ever) we have enough power in the 600amp hour batteries. But also we have a cheap Chinese generator for those very infrequent times.

SOL has a watermaker, making 30litres/hour, we run it about once a week or so, and it runs well from just the solar power which is great. 

We have been really happy with her - although the engine bays are so tight that even routine maintenance is not easy due to the restricted space, and the four extra jerry cans for fuel fit into the locker like tetris blocks!!

She is a great boat to sail, and to live in.

 Good enough for an adult but a perfect cabin for a grandchild!!

About Us ...

Jamie and Linda are giving up the life on the land for now and starting in Townsville, Queensland, Australia at Easter 2017, will spend the next months getting used to living aboard SOL, then plans are to head offshore to New Zealand around October/November, spend the summer sailing around the beautiful coast there, then off again April/May 2018 to places further afield - all this can and will change depending on the weather and the mood of the day.

Jamie was born in Sydney,  the family moved to London when he was 10yrs old. He attended the London Nautical School where his interest in sailing began. He learned to sail on the Thames and reservoirs around Southern England in small sailing dinghy's, successfully racing a Cherub for a number of years. Then after leaving school he sailed around the English Channel between England and France on a 38ft Ketch owned by the uncle of his dinghy sailing mate, Peter.

He and Linda met in Sydney then moved to Western Australia (at the same time as the America's Cup was sailed off Fremantle) where he crewed on a keeler racing out of the Swan River (not one of the America's Cup yachts!!). He continued to sail whenever he had the chance over the next few years both in Australia and in New Zealand, where they lived for 7 years. He did his Yachtmasters Certificate in New Zealand and has completed many other courses over the last 10 years including Marine Radio and Diesel Engine maintenance in preparation for this new life.

Linda is a Kiwi - what more can I say!! All New Zealanders grow up with salt water in their veins!

Born in Auckland - the City of Sails - in the suburb of Castor Bay, just a stones throw from the beach. The family had a holiday bach on Kawau Island and all their childhood summers were spent over at the island messing around in boats, first P class then cherubs then lasers.

Over the years, they have bareboat chartered, first in the Whitsundays, Australia, and then in Thailand, off Koh Chang - down by the Cambodia border, spending two weeks in those magical waters.

Preparation for this life and to build up sea miles was helped with a trip from Brisbane to Auckland on a 46ft Halberg Rassey in 2012, then from Brisbane to New Caledonia in 2015 on a 46ft Schionning Cosmos Catamaran.

They have been encouraged all the way by their four children (Phil, Marnie, Amy and Grace) who along with their spouses/partners have many sailing holiday adventures planned on mum and dads boat - we hope!