Sail Rock

I purchased some tubes from a Sika agent in East Tamaki a few years ago. It’s quite expensive. Google the Sika catalogue to find the specific product.

If using pourable silicone, first check there are no old rivet holes or other gaps in the mast wiring conduit that the silicone can flow into. Otherwise you’ll fill up the conduit and not be able to replace or draw new wires through it!

Just attended Giverny Forbes’ very informative presentation about leopard seals. Her research debunks a lot of myths and misconceptions about these creatures. Basically just leave them alone and they will leave you alone. We are very fortunate to have these mega fauna returning to our shores, after they and their cuzzies, fur seals and sea lions, were wiped out by our forefathers. Although I was a bit pissed when Owha bit a whole in my inflatable dinghy last year, it was my own fault for leaving it in the water in the first place. I have to make the adjustment, not the seal. Might have to

What size (length) boat was this used on?

I experienced a microburst in Devonport a few years ago. It cut swath about 50m wide through the croquet club then several houses which had their roofs ripped off. Fortunately for us we were about 100m from the centre of its track so no damage done but guess the gust was easily 60kn plus through our place.

Pickmere Atlas of Northland’s East Coast. Long out of print but a treasure trove of detailed charts and notes for exploring that part of the coastline.

Current thinking is Polynesians and a number of other Pacific peoples originated from Taiwan. They island hopped across the Pacific in a series of purposeful migrations, eventually discovering NZ. I lived in Taiwan for four years and had the good fortune to stay a night in a small hotel owned by an aboriginal family in the mountains. We managed a basic conversation (in Chinese) discussing their people’s ultimate connection with Maori. More recently I was in Tonga (having sailed there) and had a couple of conversations with locals who were aware of their ancestors’ navigational prowes

I reconditioned head and holding tank on my boat a couple of years ago. Used Barnacle Buster to descale the disassembled parts of the head and to loosen heavy scale from plastic holding tank which then flaked off with a few light taps on the outside. BB is expensive but works a treat. You can reuse the solution several times by decanting to remove the sludge but obviously it’s concentration and hence effectiveness diminishes. Sanitary pipes were so heavily scaled that I had to remove them and replace with a combination of domestic PVC sanitary pipes and elbows and rigid hose bought from Burnsc

Thanks IT. I have just downloaded these GE charts for Fiji and Vavau and imported to OpenCPN - it was a doddle. The overlays look good. Soggypaws also has tips on how to create your own GEs so I will give this a go for the rest of Tonga. Cheers SR

Cool,thanks!

Does anyone know where to download digital charts (RCN) for Fijian waters that are suitable for using with OpenCPN??

Sweet!

Because if you’re being dragged along the side of the boat doing anything more than 2 knots you have about 2 minutes before becoming exhausted and succumbing to secondary drowning (depending on what awkward position you find yourself in). If sailing solo, short handed or other crew off watch then such a scenario is feasible. Having a tether cutter gives you an option, assuming you can reach and use it before you drown. So now you’ve cut yourself free and watching your boat sail over the horizon, then what? Inflate the Lifejacket, if it hasn’t already done so, and set off the PLB that’s at

Love my Spinlock PFD with built in harness, spray hood, pylon light, emergency tether cutter, immersion activated inflator, whistle (but no bells!)

Awesome effort guys!

And judging by their track, Krakatoa II has taken a few side trips to chase some "work ups"!

Try this

How do I post photos to a post???

Hi Sabre. Attached photo of my compressor bracket that fits on side of Yanmar 2GM20. As you can see the base plate that compressor fits on has cracked right through. Does your bracket look like this?

Check old GRP boats for osmosis

Yanmar 2GM20 plus an ancient compressor that still works OK. I’ll try Service Engineers, just not sure whether they will do such a small job Thanks to you all

Can anyone recommend a general engineering firm to fabricate a steel bracket for mounting a freezer compressor onto yacht engine? (The old one has disintegrated). Prefer someone on the North Shore or else close to CBD.

Spare loo rolls!

I fill 2-3 empty milk bottles with water, freeze them at home then put them in boat’s freezer (which never actually freezes). These ice bricks help bring the temperature down and provide some thermal inertia within the compartment. Also place a foam sheet over the contents and eutectic plate to insulate them from the air gap above.

I fill 2-3 empty milk bottles with water, freeze them at home then put them in boat’s freezer (which never actually freezes). These ice bricks help bring the temperature down and provide some thermal inertia within the compartment. Also place a foam sheet over the contents and eutectic plate to insulate them from the air gap above.