banaari

Looking _very_ slick

Took the love object to Russell and back yesterday. A complete and utter mind trip, to the point where I've been more or less useless for any productive task today and have instead spent a lot of time watching the video. Mostly sunny with at worst a hazy overcast and light easterlies. High point was heading north from Russell across the bay on a close reach, light swell producing a gentle rolling action and the tillerpilot doing all the work... could have very happily dozed off... although I did sit up and take notice when the R Tucker Thompson hove into view... Didn't quite manage to lay

*May* have watched some dodgy telly this morning. Then out to boat to fix battery tray to hull in new location. Nothing like getting down and dirty with the epoxy to refocus.

Love it

Sunday was red-letter day - actually went sailing. Having got the stanchions and lifelines reinstated, I decided to bite the bullet and use the craft as god intended... regardless of the internal mess from the ongoing DIY and a whole heap of stuff still to be done. First time single-handing anything bigger than a Laser, but then again at only 6.5 there's not a lot to handle Very long chug down the Kerikeri Inlet exercising the tiller pilot, before getting sails up, moseying past Doves Bay, and turning the corner for an absolutely glorious downwind blast up the Te Puna Inlet. Decided to par

Went snorkelling... was reinstalling a lifeline, and managed to drop the clevis pin out of a swageless fork, overboard. The thought of a $25 fitting rendered useless by something sitting less than two metres from the boat (OK, vertically) was rather galling, so back at low tide. Bloody cold in the Basin, 2 foot vis (once the murk had cleared) and I had to stream a line from the mooring to stay in position. Thirty hypothermic minutes later found the bastard item, mostly buried in the silt, just as I was about to give up.

Sailed to France. (First X hours of Day Skipper course out of Brighton...)

Got the tiller off the boat and set about drilling it to take the tiller pilot adapter bracket. Somehow managed to balls up the second hole, in which the filler is now curing overnight before attempt #2 on the morrow.

So far: Atrocious weather so visited the boat this morning to check the duct tape over the stanchion mounting holes. Discovered the runoff from the deck pooling over said duct tape and leaking, albeit slowly, into the boat getting the presumed balsa deck core wet. Not a good look. Duct tape removed and replaced with plywood patches and sealant, the kind that claims to stick in the wet. While there, finally sorted out the switch panel so each switch fed from the correct fuse, and streamed the feeds to the galley pump and tiller pilot. Galley pump is non self-priming so the highlight (lo

Sanded back the fairing compound over the patches where the old galley pump was, and where a radio has sometime existed. Completed the mounting and plumbing side of the new electric pump; electrics still pending. Installed a plywood reinforcement patch to take the tiller pilot mounting socket. Lot of fun sanding and epoxying overhead, stuffed head-first in a narrow tube.

Having had more to do than I ever would have believed with the RYA... comparing and contrasting, am wondering what YNZ actually does for the average yottie. (Yes I know the demographics and funding are of a completely different order).

Some idiot project manager told our client in Perth that I'm working on Western Australia time. Friday night decided had better get away from the phone, and given the impending delivery trip, maybe eyeball the mooring. So rowed gently up a glassy inlet to find mooring in use, this time by an absolutely delightful couple enroute home to Tassie from the US. Yesterday, managed to flip the Laser while trying to launch out of a way too shallow mangrove obstructed cove... wet arse and no fish.

FINALLY managed to coordinate a week's leave, and that of the crew, to get the love object the hell out of Westhaven and home to Kerikeri. Roll on December. Then the real work begins.

Well done & outstanding! Photos, please!

Outstanding! Will there be a write up?

Had the ignominious experience of returning to the ramp via taxi. Launched the Radial from Skudder's Beach very early Saturday morning expecting the wind to fill in. It didn't, and it slowly dawned on me as we drifted downstream on the ebb (occasionally tormented by an intermittent and ultimately useless puff) that the single digits' worth of metres under the centreboard would become mudflat before we ever made it back. Extensive tiller waggling propelled us into Rangitane; making the necessary calls en-route to arrange transport back to the trailer. A learning experience, but one carried ou

Actually LAST weekend's achievement, but finally got clear of work long just enough to get the Laser back in commission.

One travel-free, jet-lag-free weekend to work with. Not being able to do anything about the love object (still lurking in Westhaven), I decided to turn my attention to the Laser, neglected since we moved house. Cut away the slimy rigging and its attached ecosystem and removed the spars from the boat. Quick side-trip to Opua to replace said rigging. Drilled out the rivet fastening the lower mast plug, and finally separated two mast halves using a discreetly and repetitively inserted length of wood. Left to dry out before applying sandpaper. Cleared the rotting leaves from the cockpit; scrubbed

Actually set foot on board the love object this evening... rented a car just long enough to scuttle out to Westhaven from the airport. Now back sniffing jet fuel at 21:30 with another two and a half hours to wait. Gaaargh.

Agree 100% - any decision, even the wrong one, is better than no decision.

Did the Okiato-Russell coastal walkway on Saturday, having done Paihia-Opua on Anzac Day. Reccy'd all sorts of fascinating watery terrain to nose the love object into when finally get her up here.

Ditto

Affirm on both counts

Red-letter day: After weekend upon weekend of crap weather and other issues (outboard, sail track, mussel bed...) frustrating all attempts to get the beast home (or even halfway), and fed up with tidal restrictions - Saturday morning we successfully sailed Emjay from Milford round to Westhaven, where we are happily lowering the tone on H-pier. A number of critical boxes ticked - she *will* actually tack quite happily without the encumbrance of a 4-inch growth; hell, she will actually *move* without the growth(!); notwithstanding the first-time nerves we managed to park in the marina withou

This morning I was saved from renting scuba gear by a kind well-equipped friend complete with scraper... whose only comment as he resurfaced briefly was "F***ing hell".