Use It Or Loose It

“Ships were not built for the harbour ...” or so a poem begins. The same applies for boats and 10 weeks in Perth, plus a couple of incidental ones on either side getting prepared to leave, amounts to 3 months of inattention. There is nothing sadder than a neglected boat.

Putting Zofia to "bed"

We were glad of our preparations ahead of departure as it set us up for the least possible surprises when we returned. Everything was freshly laundered and bedding stored in vac bags. All surfaces were wiped down with a water and clove oil solution to minimize the possibility of any ‘food’ for mould and mildew to feast on. The fridge was emptied, defrosted, turned off and cleaned. Only the little Engles freezer was left running containing a few basics we could return to (some bread, butter, cheeses and sliced meats). Various below-water through-hull ball valves were closed off - in particular the toilet ‘intake’ hoses. The heads (toilets) were thoroughly flushed with fresh water and vinegar to ensure there would not be any calcification going on in the the ‘out’ hoses. Also to minimize the possibility of ‘smells’. Micro marine organisms and even teeny tiny shrimps and such leave a terrible pong when they die off in an unattended loo. For good measure, I also cling wrapped the bowls so that remaining water didn’t evaporate.


All lockers that hold our provisions were wiped and vacuumed ensuring that all that remained was tinned, tubbed or in Tupperware. If any critters existed or arrived they’d be doomed to a death from starvation! We also set up a dehumidifier on the galley bench with it’s hose draining into a sink and programmed it to run for 1 hour twice daily. My war on mould and mildew was ON! All these internal preparations meant that when we extended our absence from 1 month to more than 2, we would not face chaos and mould-ageddon below decks.

Being allocated a pen next to 'Santa’s Boat' which left minimal space between our vessels, we immediately marched to the chandlery to buy 2 extra fenders plus a couple of new mooring lines. We hoped to avoid any accidental nudges with 44 tonnes of steel.

Zofia squeezed up next to the 'Santa Claus Boat'

When we returned from Perth, the decks and canvas were clean from 3 months of rainfall power-washes which was a miracle. Internally all was clean and sweet smelling. What was not immediately evident was all the things that had seized up or clogged up. Use it or loose it as they say!

  

The transducer or log paddle wheel was an obvious candidate for being clogged up. And it was. It was possibly the worst we'd ever seen it. We actually can't recall ever having it so badly choked up. This time there were even small barnacles that needed to be loosened with a knife. A 15 minute job was a 45 minute one. Yuk.

 

Most zippers needed to be eased open with some encouragement from some WD-40 or Innox.

 

The Bloke thought he'd tested and tried out  e v e r y t h i n g  ahead of our departure from the marina. Just as we were prepared to leave early in the morning before the breeze was forecast to pick up,  we discovered the bow thruster was inoperative. We hardly dared slide out into the marina canal without the very bit of kit that is designed for this operation. Getting to the bow thruster motor is a horrid job as it's under the bunk in the fore cabin and that is the cabin we affectionately call our forward lazerette. 3 plastic storage tubs plus the spinnaker, mattresses, bedding etc were dragged out and replaced not once but twice! I recalled a similar incident in Port Stephens 3 years ago which was caused by a connection coming loose. The battery connections were not loose this time but despite having been coated convincingly with lanolin, knocking them about a bit and breaking whatever corrosion or interference to connectivity that existed, seemed to do the trick. Phew. The prospect of yet another week in the marina was crushing. Zofia had been tied up in there for 3 months - the longest ever time!

  

 Contents of the forward cabin now in the Salon

The barometer was looking a bit sad and needed a polish up too.

As rusty was we were feeling about our own boat handling skills, we did manage to slip out of our pen without drama and in the end without the assistance of the bow thruster.  The next thing for us to discover to be jammed were the thumb screws that hold the outboard motor onto it's stand.  This was once we'd anchored off Stradbroke Island and wanted to get ashore. Yet more grumbling from The Bloke ....."Well you use it or you loose it!" and there's no arguing the point; it's true!