Cutting Corners.

Much had been written about Navigational Markers and safety at sea. Navigation is a bit more complicated than driving. Knowing right from left or Port (red) from Starboard (green) is a pretty good start and knowing if you are traveling upstream or down is also important. Of course nothing beats also being alert to your surroundings and paying attention to visual cues. Headlands often have submerged rocks at their base. Unexpected ripples and waves are also visual cues. Port and Starboard navigational markers commonly define a navigational channel or 'safe path' and are the most common of navigational 'signage' you'll find in enclosed waters.

One hundred metres from our mooring, a Starboard (green) marker alerts mariners to the presence of a hazard -  a reef protruding from a headland. from that direction we heard a nasty thud. There is a public boat ramp upstream and a Saturday morning procession of recreational vessels was under way. For one skipper and his passengers, the trip came to an early and abrupt halt.

Was the skipper distracted? Ignorant? Cutting a corner? No matter which,  he is now properly informed of the need to pay attention and to heed the guidance of navigational markers!

   

 More examples of channel markers. At night they flash also.

We've been entertained for 24 hours.

Creating plenty of interest.

Boats that usually would race around the corner all slowed to take a better look .... and some photo's.

Even helicopters came in for a better look!,

 Once hip deep water, now only calf deep as the tide ebbs.

 Police Marine Rescue attend and hang about for a while.

 Now high and dry and abandoned.

 Marine Police return the skipper the next day at high tide. 

The boat had re-floated itself.

?? wasting police resources??

Corner Cutter and trusting crew with the Navigation marker now on the correct side.

Post Script: The crew of the boat were rescued by the Tender service from our marina. The Corner Cutter confirmed himself to be a fool and not merely unlucky. He complained during the entire trip ashore that the reef should have been marked and that Marine Rescue didn't come quickly enough! We are not sure what he had in mind.... a solar strobe-lit sign with a picture of a reef and a permanently stationed rescue team? The Police were probably delayed attending to another idiot just like him. What did he imagine a navigational marker is there for other than to provide guidance of a hazard. A responsible skipper will have looked at a chart and acquainted themselves of all hazards before taking responsibility for the lives of passengers (in this instance his family and dog). Epic fail. He had missed the point but not the reef!

Welcoming 2016 - Quack a Duck

 

The Bloke keen to welcome 2016 with a toast.

Scorpion Bowls are ready! 

Expect the unexpected. That might be the beacon for the coming year. Our 2015 outlook was to have sailed as far north as Brisbane, take a berth in a Marina and to then spend the Christmas school holidays looking after grandchildren; spending the weekdays in town and retreating back to the marina and Zofia for the week-ends -maybe even take the family out for the occasional spin around Moreton Bay. That was Plan A and it was a fine plan but speedily replaced by Plan B when sailing as far a Brisbane by Christmas wasn't an option. Plan B looked like this: Park Zofia in Sydney, fly to Brisbane and stay with our younger son and family before Christmas to help with some babysitting and stay through the Christmas/ New Year period then return to Sydney for medical check-up and commence a slow northward progress. Brisbane by Easter perhaps, then further north as far as Whitsundays for winter. A golden reconnection to Plan A.

It's lucky that the alphabet is long. We have commenced on Plan C, returning to Sydney with intentions of a more rapid transit to the Brisbane area by the end of February. This more recent transition to Plan C is informed by the need to pop home to Perth for a few weeks to help with some post-op care. The Bloke will spend his lonely time usefully by dragging out his smurf outfit and once again taking care of the annual boat lift and maintenance on his own.

Arriving back to Sydney, it is apparent that Plan C might not be easy in the execution. Think East Coast Lows. We left Brisbane in pouring rain and flew along a turbulent weather ridge to arrive in even heavier rain in Sydney and predictions of an East Coast Low forming and centering in the Port Stephens area north of Sydney. What this means for Sydney is prolonged drenching rain.

Here is a perfect example of how rain alone can slow you down. Our luggage was left for a long time on the tarmac at the airport and to the point that the luggage tags were disintegrating. By the time we'd returned to Zofia via a detour to a Pathology lab, our luggage was wetter still and weighing quite a lot more than the check-in weight. The contents....all our clean and dry clothes (including the dirty washing we'd taken to Brisbane and since washed) were now sodden. Plan C didn't begin with 'spend a day re-washing and drying contents of two suitcases' but now it does!

Rain is predicted for a few more days yet. Re-provisioning will be a bit slower too and we can't leave anyway due to gales out to sea.

Oh, and just to complete the damp outlook, we'll spend time sleuthing the source of water in the bilge. We are suspecting the air exhaust muffler box thingy but this time with some variation since we can't easily see where the water is coming from. Normally this problem is very evident. The taste test is inconclusive too as the water is only slightly briney. With the volume of recent rain the sea water in Middle Harbour is not as salty making the early elimination of the source of the leak (from outside or from internal irrigation) less simple.

  Weather for ducks outside and it's a bit wet inside too!

Happy 2016

Quack, quack, quack!

Sauage Roll Disciples

The Bloke here,

I started the Sausage Roll Table of Fame as a way of describing the places we have visited from a different perspective. Soon I came to realise that these little bundles of joy were not the same. They varied in size, flavour and quality and because of these variations, someone had to make a survey of the best sausage rolls and guide others to were they can find the best of the best.

It began as a solitary quest, however, others have now joined in and are actively seeking, sampling and sending us their discoveries. Three of the latest are:-

Peter and Debbie's discovery from Banjo's Bakery, Sandy Bay, Hobart

Jonathan and Wendy's inland sausage roll hide-away

Mark Cusak's Western Australian possibility

I am not alone and I now feel that together we can raise awareness of these culinary delights and instruct sausage roll creators in the "Art of the sausage roll". I would encourage you all to send in your discoveries, with pictures and comments so we can build a complete picture of the sausage roll landscape.

Pittwater School Sports

It's the end of the school year and it's been apparent over the last few months that the local schools in Pittwater embrace sailing as a sports option. We noticed, 3 small fleets of boats headed our way to provide entertainment while we enjoyed a calm spot in Towlers Bay.

 

Kids are marvellous in the way that they can do things with equipment that you'd never expect and have unbridled fun.

 Some of the older kids were sent for a swim under the watchful eye of their teachers.

 

 A bit of personal instruction will only get you just so far, and then it's time to fend off!

 Ooops... Wind but no crew!

 Now a crew, but no wind!

 It must literally be like herding cats!

 
It was all too much for the littlies to sail back into the wind and they were all tethered together to be towed home in an articulated crocodile.

Beautiful Bermagui - A Memory From 2015

Being from Western Australia we were not familiar with a 'East Coast Low', an appraisal of Meteye and Predictwind however, told us that this was not going to be pleasant. Having left Eden and arrived in Bermagui a couple of days prior to the low intensifying, we decided to stay put. What a good decision. Bermagui provides an excellent safe haven in Southerly weather. But I jump the gun, let's go back to the beginning and how we came to be in Bermagui.

We left Western Australia more than 24 months ago,  sailed across the Great Australian Bight and then the south coast of Australia throughout the winter of 2014.  We arrived in Hobart at the start of summer and looked forward to some warm summer cruising. You know the stuff,  light breezes, sunny days and wondrous happy hours. Well one out of three ain't bad. The friendship in Tasmania was legendary and the happy hours, drinks and dinners were a highlight of our trip. The weather on the other hand was not as expected and often we found ourselves, along with others, hiding from low pressure systems and cold fronts that brought rain and high winds. Being cruising sailors and having time on our side, we were not disappointed and just look forward to better weather which always follows bad weather. Come March, we decided it was time to head north across Bass Strait and find the warm autumn weather talked about by other sailors.

Lakes Entrance provided still waters and a couple of sunny days but we again found ourselves hiding from some intense low pressure systems. More drinks and hanging on ensued, so one out of three ain't bad. Leaving Lakes Entrance, Eden was our aim and it did not disappoint. More sunny days and calm weather followed and we really started to think that we had 'turned the corner' more than just geographically.  Finally! Better weather, clear skies and rising temperatures. Without a reason to rush up the east coast, we made a plan to visit small harbours and anchorages and enjoy some autumn cruising during ,what is typically, a meteorologically 'settled period'.

Bermagui was our next destination and a call to Sue at the Burmagui Co-Op confirmed that we could raft up to the disused fishing vessel Gracy-M. The council had constructed a new marina section but it was not yet in use. A visit to their web-cam assured us that it should not be difficult to enter the harbour. We arrived in mild conditions with a 10 to 12 knot Southerly and a two metre swell. The entry is well marked and the leads provided an excellent guide into this very protected harbour. The Co-Op jetty is immediately ahead of you when you enter and is overlooked by the local VMR office. The enthusiastic and professional operator talked us in and even came down to catch our lines. This was a great introduction to what was to be a very pleasant stay.

Zofia rafted up between the Gracy-M and "Bad Cat" on the Co-Op Wharf

We were not alone as Bad Cat had followed us up from Eden and also choosing a Bumagui stop-over were quickly rafted up against Zofia. This would prove to be fortunate for two reasons. Firstly, they were great company and secondly they provide additional protection for what was to come. What was coming was a 'East Coast Low', in fact one of the most intense systems  of it's type in known history. The storms that centered on Sydney produced widespread damage and tragically loss of life too. Imagine how bad the seas were, that a cruise liner was forced to stand-off out to sea beyond the Sydney Heads due to 15-17m seas! For Bermagui, this was translated into 40+ knot winds from the south and 4 -5 metre swells. Bermagui harbour took all this in it stride. We experienced only a small amount of surge on the jetty and Zofia got a good wash. Due to an accident of geography the Co-Op jetty faces North/South. The Co-Op building, a wide two-story structure on the southern end of this jetty, provided excellent protection from the strong winds.  Bermagui is also in a wind shadow provided by its hinterland, so our position was well protected and safe.

East Coast low approaches and the swell builds to 5 metres and closing out the harbour entrance.

The Bermagui Breakers newest supporter

With our safety assured we were free to explore Beautiful Burmagui and experience the warm friendly welcome provided by the locals. Knowing we would be staying a while, we attended the Saturday football match to barrack for the Bermagui Breakers and cemented our place in the hearts of the locals. A good day at the football was followed by Happy Hour at the Oyster Bar in the company of the Bad Cat crew. Reasonably priced wine and $12 a dozen for delicious oysters was just what ardent Breakers supporters needed. Then came Sunday and what better to do than a roast Sunday lunch. The crew of Bad Cat were willing participants and combined resources culminated in a feast of roast pork and vegetables followed by poached pears in chocolate sauce. Either it was the soporific effect of the meal, or perhaps the several bottles of wine, but for some reason we all forgot about the storm raging outside and hunkered down to pleasant and stimulating conversation; oblivious to the rain and wind.

With ANZAC day approaching we decided to stay, however, our Storm buddies saw a break in the weather as an opportunity to sail further north. We bid farewell to Bad Cat with heavy hearts. Our friendship had been forged in the storm and the delights of Burmagui and we doubt that any of us will forget this particular 'East Coast Low'. Burmagui had welcomed and protected us, its people are friendly and it has all the services that a cruising sailor would require. We doubt that we will come this way again as our course is set to round Australia, but you might wander this way, and if you do we strongly recommend that you visit Beautiful Burmagui.


Bermagui Fact Sheet

Bermagui is a small harbour comprising the Co-op Jetty as well as a new marina with floating pontoons. There is water and power available on both as well as clean and spacious showers at the Co-op building. The town has two supermarkets including the new and reputed to be most-expensive-to-construct Woolworths, several excellent coffee shops (our favourite was a hipsters one called Mr Jones), bakery, laundry, an excellent Italian restaurant in the Co-op building as well as superb clothing store (the Pineapple House) at the harbour.
There is a small Chandler and haul-out facility, large Mitre-10 hardware store, plus garages for fuel and gas. The Country Club is also near the marina and for the sports minded, Bowls, Tennis and Golf are on offer.
Bermagui is the closest port to the edge of the continental shelf along this part of the coast and is therefore a popular departure point for game fishers.

Sausage Roll Table of Fame - December update

The Bloke here,

We'll it has been a while since we conversed on the topic of sausage rolls. I could use medical issues as an excuse, however, the real reason for the prolonged silence is there has been very little to talk about. Sydney and the surrounds have been disappointing in the availability and quality of sausage rolls. There may be many reasons for this lack of commitment by our largest city to the sausage roll. Is it the multi cultural influences diluting the availability of the true Australian cuisine, or could it be that American culture has taken the city tastes in another direction. For what ever reason there simple is no commitment by Sydney to the sausage roll. So in the culinary desert it has become difficult to find an oasis of relief.

Recently, however, two small patches of salvation have been discovered. The first, "The Mews" at spit junction

and the second, "Cottage Point Cafe". At last we discovered someone prepared to honour the sausage roll and proud to put their name to these little bundles of joy.

Now where do they rate? What a difficult question. Both of these sausage rolls show great potential. That is to say we felt neither has yet matured into it's final form. Both are a work-in-progress and both have had a very good birth. Like a good wine, we feel that these sausage rolls could become top 10 or even top 5 offerings, however, at this stage in their evolution, they both need nurturing and encouragement. The sausage roll from "The Mews"  suffered from too little pepper and needed additions like sage or other herbs. As for the " Cottage Point Cafe" sausage roll more salt and some attention to moisture of the meat, it was a little dry, and removal of the carrot is all that is required to make these good sausage rolls VERY good sausage rolls. Both are a good size and both had some of the best pastry we have sampled. So where do they rate? We feel "The Mews" comes in at 13 and "Cottage Point" at 12, however, we know theses sausage rolls will mature with time and when you sample them you may feel we have been a bit harsh. We are excited by their efforts and would encourage both to stay the course. It will be worth it.

Restistance is Useless - Bothersome Batteries

It's not been 6 months since we replaced our batteries, so waking up to discover that the Bloke had been up half the night supervising the battery consumption and eventually switching off the fridge and freezer, was something of a surprise. What the heck was going on? Apart from the fact that the batteries are so young, we'd also been scrupulous in not letting them fully discharge; in fact rarely letting a day pass without some form of charging 'top-up' over and above the solar panel input. We were perplexed. In the previous 36 hours we'd run the 'gennie' for several hours; motored off and on for at least 5 hours; had plenty of sunshine, PLUS, when we called into the marina to top up water, we seized the opportunity to hook into shore-power for at least 6 hours before setting off for the run up the coast from Middle Harbour to Pittwater. To be sure, running all the nav gear while sailing (+autohelm, VHF radio etc) will chew some amps up but this trip was of merely 2-3 hours duration. We thought we were fully charged before we left and somehow overnight we'd gone from seemingly fully charged to not. Only the fridge and freezer were on duty while we slept. Where did the amps go?

The fridge is our own version of the 'canary in the mine' as a tell-tale indicator of low voltages. The compressor won't kick in. Then the situation gets worse because in attempting to kick in, it draws yet more amps and because the fridge is meantime warming up, the thermostat keeps triggering the compressor. More amps are sucked from the batteries and before long the food's getting hot and my 'Amp Nazi' skipper is also in meltdown.

     

The Creeks are no longer empty at this time of year. 

The Bloke made sure we'd have company for 5'ers.

Thoughts of a nice 3 day stay in the gorgeous Smiths Creek were shattered after only a single night. We had to head into a Marina; access some 240v shore-power, get a phone and internet signal and not necessarily in that order. The Bloke, already cranky from sleep deprivation, now had an intellectual problem too and barked instructions to contact a nearby marina; PRONTO!

In recent weeks we've stayed on a swing mooring owned by the D'Albora Spit Marina. When ashore to use the showers, we've been listening to promotional messages piped into the bathrooms. "D'Albora Marina's..... Blah, blah blah". The endless and daily repetition of these messages kicked in.... The Akuna Bay Marina in Coal and Candle Creek, the one adjacent to Smiths Creek and therefore not far from where we were, is also a D'Albora Marina and as such, we were allowed to 'visit' under a reciprocity arrangement. Brilliant. There would be no need to exit the Creeks. A phone call was greeted most welcomingly and enthusiastically. ".. No problem. Come straight in. We have electricians on hand. We'll find you a pen. Just pull up at the fuel wharf and contact me on the courtesy phone. We'll have it all organised by the time you get here". WOW! Our day just got better in an instant! Assisted by not 1, but by 3 Marina staff, we were alongside and connected to shore power in no time.

Step 1: We would need the batteries to be 'fully and deeply recharged' before they could be checked by an electrician. The Bloke called Battery World Caringbah to discuss our issue as it was potentially a warranty matter. They were hugely helpful and reassuring and provided plenty of additional information, but first things first, the batteries would need charging and testing and we'd need to be alongside for a minimum of a day. In the end we stayed 2!

Step 2: The Marina electrician verified that the batteries were in top condition. Great news. So what was the explanation for the apparent fridge failure?

Step 3: Open all the tool boxes and especially the F@€k  box.

Step 4: The usual - tear the boat to bits!

 

Step 4 accomplished.

     

A cabling upgrade in progress.

6mm to 10mm wire from thermostat to compressor and across to bus board.

This story has a happy ending. Still heeding the doctor's directive to "avoid playing golf and tennis", the Bloke contributed to his speedy post-operative recovery (not) by proceeding to do the usual boat-repair-contortions in 40C heat. The loss in voltage needed to be traced and like a water diviner, the Bloke probed every connection in the 'refrigeration' cabling with the 2 prongs of his amp meter. "Resistance is useless!" being his mantra! There was a small voltage drop from one end of the cabling to the compressor junction, so a purchase of some heavier gauge 10mm cable as an upgrade to the existing 6mm one, provided all the occupation a fellow could want for the following 4 hours. this would reduce electrical resistance and potentially maintain the voltage across the electrical run from the bus to the compressor.

Inevitably, what was his job also became my job since I was required to shine the torch, pass tools and 'not' pass comment!  Eventually my smaller hands and thinner fingers were more useful in some instances that brute force and the entire contents of the F*@K box. The job was completed and the Bloke's reward was some end of day drinkies aboard a neighbouring boat.

 Just back from Noumea, the owners of MV Karajas hosted us on their gorgeous Nordhavn.

Moonrise signalling the conclusion of a VERY long day.

Post script: So far, so good. The new cabling has made a BIG difference and Battery World Caringbah provided fabulous back-up and a new table for assessing residual battery capacity. Golden!