Mind the teeth!

Oh dear, the teeth on the cogs of the clockwork have broken. The Bloke's superb planning has struck a delay. In the general scheme of things this is nothing compared with what we can expect mother nature to throw at us. Our micromanaging landlubber ways must be reformed!
Your clue to happenings is the interesting new loop added to our track. You're not mistaken - Zofia went for a walk in a mighty zimmer frame this week - ON LAND!
What should have been a routine lift, reapplication of anti-fouling, engine service and general polishing fest had to be abandoned when the lifters didn't have a cradle to put Zofia in. This was not entirely a surprise for us since we'd already observed 2 other yachts on the hard-stand and cradles are few. In fact, we confirmed not once but twice on the day before the scheduled lift that Zofia could be accommodated. Apparently the lifters knew something we didn't but then it turned out to be the reverse: the lifters didn't know anything at all so Zofia got her derriere power washed, had a suspended trip around the hard stand for a view of what might have been, and then got put back in the pond. Now we wait for a cradle to become available.
Are we grinding our teeth? Well, maybe to begin with. Is this delaying departure? Not at all since we had a couple of light globe moments recently that will no doubt create 'white out' conditions in the bank account but will add a few days to exit date. First of all, attempts at getting another season from the bimini and dodger failed to provided total confidence. The dodger we both agreed was a success story after treating it with Renovo, but somehow the binini seemed a bit thin. Sadly our favourite canvass trimmer Ron is out of action after back surgery so after getting recommendations for other local canvas people a quote was sought. It turns out that the reason for the seemingly thin bimini was that it was made of Sunbrella while the dodger was of Sunbrella plus. The things you learn. So we talked ourselves into believing that only the bimini would need replacement (with the addition of some side flaps) and that the dodger would be OK for one more season. Quote accepted but "we'll only get the bimini done thanks".  I don't recall being on "stupid" pills but obviously they have slipped into the diet.
We had asked "Phillippe the rigger" to visit to create a new furling line for the mainsail and since it was hot and the bimini absent at the trimmers, he had to shelter beneath the Dodger. We unzipped the centre panel for some air flow on a hot day -  ahhhhh so lovely. This even improved our view when Phillippe casually popped up the mast for a quick once-over to confirm the rigging from masthead light to foot. We got a tick BTW; all good - phew! The Bloke was so proud too that Phillippe's aerial work was accomplished using the newly serviced winches. The smooth clicking of the pawls - music to his ears. A few cable ties were attached to our wind instruments by way of a "while you're up there" request. Wretched parrots love to peck at the VHF antenna and bend it when they hang off it. The upturned and un-snipped cable tie ends should be a good deterrent. If we had been up on the hard stand as scheduled, Phillippe could not have made his inspection so this is clearly one bonus from the days earlier hardstand walkabout disappointment.
The 2nd bonus for the day came in the last moment rush to pack up and get back to Perth for our (postponed until Tuesday) 'Mummy Monday'. The attempt to zip down the centre panel in the dodger was met with resistance. I declared this needed a bloke since it seemed jammed. The Bloke declared this needed Innox, and lots of it. Ooops mind the teeth, they seem to have parted! And that is why, pink faced, we took the dodger to the canvass trimmer the next day to be replaced along with it's neighbour - our bimini.
So how is this a bonus, except for to the trimmer who has the joy of more work and some eye rolls? Imagine how annoying this could have been going across The Bight? 
Teeth grinding is banned! We will leave, I'm sure by mid November. This is after all when we originally projected we would leave anyway and we will depart with everything in good service so that the only surprises will be from Mother Nature herself!

Our lucky rainbow

Eva is at the Mandurah Boat Show today. This is the last day and she has worked on the Musto stand for the entire show. Here she is with Trudy, one of the Melbourne Musto Team. We had the crew from Musto over to "Zofia" for dinner last night and I cooked my first meal on the boat. Went alright - no one reported any medical issues this morning except for a desire to drink water and an undertaking to never drink wine again. I just can't imagine what has caused this reversal of preference.

Spiders Webs

While up in town for a couple of days getting a few more loose ends sorted (sadly not all done yet but 'getting there') my busy bloke declared he'd had enough and headed back to Mandurah by train. "Stuff to do!" was his war cry. Actually it's more like stuff to stow. Where will everything fit? I'm not done bringing stuff and he's VERY afraid - even though he at least knows it's not 50 pairs of shoes. Did he marry a centipede or the sister of Immelda he wonders?
In solitude, the bloke has been busy with a great surprise waiting for my approval. The spare ropes and spare cushion for that extra bunk (that theoretically could be created in the saloon) have been stowed in the stern cubby beneath the gas locker. Great work and a super use of a volume of space that although tricky to get at, is none the less like having a garden shed. All those ropes resting on the hull behind our bunk seem to be slightly muffling the hull slap at night. Now that has got to be a good thing. Yup; it's a Tick.
Better still, are the Spiders Webs. I'll include a photo ASAP but these ingenious installations extend the ledges we can stuff useful items like hats, caps, gloves and stubbie holders. Hard to believe that it's taken 5 years to think of it. Huge Tick from me. Just such a sneaky clever use of a bit of jelly rubber and webbing.
With all this fine work going on while I'm not around, I think I'll pop off to Brisvegas to visit the kids and give the bloke more opportunities to shine.
Speaking of 5 years, we have actually accumulated a bit of junk on board over these years so nothing is off limits now for inspection with a view to culling. Lockers and contents are being rationalised, rearranged, consolidated and inventoried  - only bloke-made spiders webs allowed on this boat!

Zen and the art of Dingy Maintenance. What else would you do on a Sunday afternoon.  All the little jobs just have to be done. With The Mandurah boat show coming this week we are preparing to entertain the "Musto Crew" and all other blow-ins. Eva got a gig on the Musto stand so I will be living with the retail queen next weekend. I am sure lots of stories will follow so stay tuned.

Testing testing!

The shaggy green beard on Zofia's bow got rustled yesterday when we took her out of the marina. The beard and our log book said it all - pen bound since the June long week-end! All our energy and time in the intervening weeks spent preparing for our new episode. Well that's not totally true because we did pop over to Brizvegas for a 30th birthday and grandchild immersion AND there was  Le Tour De France that needed a good looking at! Anyway the end result was a shaggy bum and rusty skills.
On test this week are the new solar panels now doubling the capacity of the old one, more power management systems for the fridge and Engels, the new drogue, anchor buoy plus metal gizmo that will ensure that the anchor snubber does not drop off the chain. Too early to trial the wind catcher seeing as the breeze is piping though from the south west as I write. No need to fiddle with the docking sticks yet either. Listing all this prompts me that this amounts to a lot of shopping and a lot of installing! No wonder the bloke has been busy.
In any event it was great to get out on the ocean and pop up to Becher Pt. Just when I commented how strange not to have seen any dolphins, the Comet Bay mob arrived and escorted us into Warnbro Sound. There were about 8 well fed adults plus a juvenile that played; twisting and lunging through the bow wave for around 30 mins. Fun time was over in an instant however when it was time to jibe and head for the anchorage. The old 'use it or lose it' horror emerged when the port side jib winch was stuck. Manly force saved the day but the winch maintenance, so long muttered about, now emerges as a necessity rather than a nicety! Good to get this sorted when the chandlery is only a short walk away.
Initial fears on arrival from the bloke that the solar panels were not working were followed but much activity down the man cave lazerette. Oh, and did I mention muttering and moaning? It turned out to be an overnight success. 8-9 amps were being fed in by morning making it possible to return all the manuals, which were lying open all over the saloon, to be stored away for the next 'excitement'. No modifications were in fact needed except for the passage of the sun.
A decent sized swell that was making the anchorage rather rolly promoted the bloke to trial the drogue's capacity as a roll arrester (Seabrake). The bloke has given it the thumbs up. Now that it is calming off it does look very handsome being dried dangling from the storms'l halyard. I' m less keen to need to use it in a following sea but reassuring to know its simple to deploy and highly likely to deliver a good outcome.
Verdict on the anchor buoy is positive although my deployment will need fine tuning. The bloke thinks it helpful to know where the anchor is and we were floating right over the top of it this morning in windless conditions. Our location confirmed by the boing, boing of the hull tapping the buoy. Good morning- rise and shine! Some schoolboys in a dinghy thought it warranted some inspection. They were probably hopeful to be able to poach some crabs or similar. Zofia would have been too big a prize to smuggle home!
The metal gizmo that secures the anchor snubber is a winner. Attached easily and has not worked itself loose, unlike its hook predecessor.