Bearded Mutterings
Day Four of that crazy Haulout thing us boat owners do
Hauling out at the DSS, we have had quite a number of old salts wander past, admiring ERIK and giving us the benefit of their experience… Albeit while we are swaddled up with breathing masks, eye protection, gloves, toxic chemicals all over the place… What better time to have a chat? That aside, there have … Continue reading
‘Twas the day before Christmas
Twas the the day before Christmas And all across the bay There wasn’t another boat seen At the breaking of day The boys are all excited And running around Guessing at presents While the dawn chorus sounds The birds sing their song The sea eagle takes flight The cabin fills with reflections Of the sun’s … Continue reading
Getting a Guernsey
Bet you didn’t know “Getting a guernsey” was an Aussie phrase, did you? I didn’t, especially as no one calls them guernseys anyway, we call them jumpers… But it turns out that on the other side if the planet there are two islands, one named Guernsey and the other Jersey. Both were famous for their … Continue reading
Winter is here..
I’m so glad I have a boat that doesn’t leak. First two boats we lived aboard leaked when it rained, and made life quite miserable down below. ERIK, on the other hand, is cosy warm. Last night we got soaked through to the skin getting onboard and everyone got changed into dry clothes. Hanging up … Continue reading
Regrowth
We went down the Peninsula on the weekend. It’s not the first time since the fires, but it’s impact hasn’t faded. People living in tents or sheds next to the burnt out rubble of their houses, the pervasive smell of burnt things in the air, the alien autumn-like browns and golds in the foliage; these … Continue reading
Keeping an eye out for someone
Don’t get orbital cellulitis… And if you do, don’t look it up on the web and scare yourself silly with it relevant Wikipedia entry. Don’t worry, a week in hospital and I was fine!
Fire and ashes
Christmas was great. New Years Eve was even better… The Dunalley bushfires weren’t. That smoke plume in the photo below was the Forcett fire raging down on the Peninsula. We were ok, we sailed out the day before fire swept through but our car and shipping container were at Dad’s place, and Dads place and … Continue reading
What’s Cruising?
So the better half asked me this morning, “What cruising are we expecting to do?” The question was in context of all these boats I keep sender her links to… Like this one, and this one, not to mention my current ideal boat, if we could ever afford it. What cruising was I expecting do … Continue reading
The Ballistic Brick
We took the plunge, bit the bullet, broke the ice, took the first step… We bought a car! She’s a bit tatty, is neither comfortable nor fast, and manages to be square hipped, shouldered and jawed. Without further ado, let me introduce Beryl… Yes, she’s a Volvo. I did say once that I’d never own … Continue reading
Boats a rockin’
It’s been four straight days with winds gusting over 30kts, and it’s getting old. See that 976 millibar low over toward New Zealand? It was 982 when passed over us a few days ago, and it’s been kicking our arse ever since. We had a 43kt gust (30 second average) measured onboard come through on … Continue reading