Living Contentedly

Grit: 1. small loose particles of stone or sand. 2.  the combination of passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. While convalescent I discovered the Travel Grit podcast. On the small list of guests are Sven Yrvind & Hugo Vihlen. One other featured the owner of the Wandered III who has sailed over a hundred thousand miles, many in high latitudes. All gritty sailors.  Meanwhile, I'm feeling like I have grit in my eye! Following a cold day afloat, when I went overboard twice, once to fend off rocks & to check for centreboard problems, I developed a back spasm. A painful condition thats aided by pain relief, gentle movement & warmth. Right now I'm low on pills & the water jacket on my fire has sprung a leak. And my centreboard is frozen & its Monday, booboo!  Ab

Very occasionally Sven leaves my head spinning with his logical revelations. * On his website, he writes, big production boats are not made big because they are safer, they are made big because they make more money. * on a podcast he explains how selling small boats in Sweden was crippled by boating industry lead  regulations. Apparently a flood of small seagoing craft were being bought from France. The Swedish boating industry outlawed the practice by alleging these smaller boats were "unsafe". Sven knew this because he had a friend on the committee.  * When he was building his first boat in his mothers yard a town planner told him he couldn't do it. Sven protested; " I thought this was a free country". The planner asked Sven, " What if everybody built a boat on their yard?". Sven asked: "What if everybody was a town planner?".  * Sailing Bris through The Doldrums Sven was held in place by lack of wind for 35 days. The interviewer asked his ...

Old lifecest, 11' open dinghy, fishing snapper is. In windy cold conditions. Whales "really putting on a show" Pulling anchor_overhead wave_boat swamped x rocks = danger, decided to drift  Oars, bucket, hope wife calls when he doesn't cone in at dark.  Mate knew where hed be fishing. Few hours, helicopter light, boat arrives, <5 hrs. Delirious, at first thinking of FAM, things tet to do, unfinished, but hypothermia took over, not fully conscious.  

Early on I watched a video by Sven Yrvind. In this he described his attitude to building high latitude sail boats as "like a sea kayak". That is, he builds in preparation of being knocked down, or capsized. Some of the key elements are:- short masts sealed hatches ventilation to exclude water everything is securely stowed hatches by the masts, to avoid going on deck seat belt water tight sections everything stored has a secure place and is kept there.  He said that most high latitude sailors fear and avoid capsize, yet many do. His boats are built to capsize.  Well, such obvious design goals made me rethink many things. I am rethinking my thinking!   -----     -----     -----     -----     ----- Triking came to mind overnight. I have been dreaming of rotovelo, so perhaps I realized that I have the next best thing at the foot of my bed. I pumped tires, brushed off dust, and went for a ride on Summer hill Road. I r...

I get in a knot using too much social media. I've already shut down unnecessary apps and deactivated all i can, but phase chook and the red arrow channel are letting me. They say it's an addiction right?  So i get the notion to buy a dumb phone that has no social media ... It said it could hotspot so i assume i can still do the bad things occasionally on my tablet.  I buy it, take it out of the box and at first i find it's primitive style amusing. But after talking through the same long sequences many times to perform a function that the phone doesn't do, you kind of start losing your will to live. And, it doesn't hotspot.

In short its 9pm & just home with a coffee after sailing all day.  The launch was a bit sticky. The centreboard wasn't fully up. I'd been attempting to replace the uplift cord & hadn't reset it properly. No problems, I think.  Just after peak Low tide, I motor out the Lemon Tree Passage & have trouble lowering centreboard. It won't budge!  Light winds forecast are not light. Its blustering 10-12kn SWer. This increased slightly through the day. Going through the channel west of Soldiers Point, there are heaps of dolphins & I get great movie footage of them playing on the bow that I cannot post here.     Here we are exiting the channel, the wind is shoving us along mightily so I put in a reef & worry about centreboard.  Too early for the 2pm sailors, it barely noon. I skim the west shore of Middle Island & sail dead downwind along the north shore. Off the entrance to Myall River, I gybe S in the channel. This puts is ...

As I reflect uneasily on events from yesterday, I am thinking how sailing is like a game of chess. Its also not like chess; you cannot die if you lose a game of chess.  What I take from this analogy are: realise the importance of the game, pay attention to details, a frailty you knowingly carry into the game will be your undoing, errors compound and it matters.  Something to ponder; as I was lashed to the wharf, eating rice, beans and tuna with coffee Port Stephens rescue called all stations to alert, a solo fisherman in a 3.5m dinghy had not logged off and was not in contact with base. (* See below) Lessons:  Your centreboard needs to be deployable at all times.  A wobbly outboard bracket can look unsightly, dump your outboard on the water and cause you to lose your craft.  Always have a deployable anchor ready. If you're going to sail through a narrow passage into difficult conditions, you want to have everything working and be on top of your game.  If th...

Technically a day late, but I had a nice soak in the ocean to celebrate winter.  I had a little jog beforehand to warm up a little.  I did seecteo other swimmers a Dicko, and we outnumbered the surfers. 

in 1926, police seeking justice for the stabbing murder of a pastoralist set upon local Balanggarra people. At least two men of European descent, police officers Regan and St Jack and methodically detained, shot and incinerated the bodies of around thirty people from the Forrest River Camp.  Evidence of the massacre was recorded on national newspapers, using the word massacre, children and others from the camp, a white witness, court records and forensic evidence. A recent Royal Commission confirmed this, and a delegation of senior police officers attended the centenary rememberance of the event to acknowledge these facts and to speak the truth and remember.   

My new forrard hatch curing by the fire. Very Jester ;)

Yesterday's sailing has me full of good energy. I wascup at 5 kicking to go but it was still dark.  This am I washed CLANCY down & hosed her off by the dam. I think that long run back from Can Berra in Sooty the Subaru had her all coated in soot. Amazing I know. Well she scrubbed up a treat.  The last metre & a half of mainsail hoist is very tight. A quick investigation revealed a) a too small diameter block & b) a possible squashed track where it settles on its U shaped cradle. A plastic protecting sheath has moved, or been lost, & perhaps a heavier than necessary landing has squashed some track. Easy fix, I just need to unlash the sails so I can check it properly & get a repair done.  On ILONA the gunnel got a touch up from cats walking on damp paint. I think the bin/outboard slot is complete. So she's ever closer to being done. Phew. Then dog CUDDY & I went for a 90 min jog. With rain ahead, today got quite warm & humid. I was disappointed t...

It was nice to see several pods of dolphins welcoming Clancy to Port Stephens. good omen start line. It got canned  afternoon colours  never gets old

After sanding the plug or the old compass hole in the main bulkhead, I anticipated the next step; adding a skim of bog. Just then the opposite side of the bulkhead caught my eye. I'd removed the VHD radio from the main bulkhead to port, its finish was a little underdone do I hit it with the orbital sander.  Just then it occurred to me, this boat was literally built to be a lake boat. Thats why the radio was made accessible to the cockpit. No sailor with offshore experience would seriously consider putting a radio there; if the salt spray or regular dowsings  with water didn't flood or corrode the set, a green wave would knock its teeth out.  Putting the compass on the opposite side was a little off. Yes it could be seen by the helmsman, but it stopped the locker lid from fully opening. I wanted to use that locker for my sea anchor stowage as well as grab bag  & safety gear. Full access is needed. 

I just wanted to get out to watch the sunrise. Mix it up. Burn & stretch a little.  cow! horse cows

Oh what a relief it is to see all the little jobs & hull painting jobs come to a close.  I'm happy because aheos looking super good, better than when I bought her. It makes me proud & happy to realise that my ( if I'm honest) tainted attitude to sailing was due to really poor eyesight. I had clear thoughts, before eye surgery, that sailing on low light conditions in skinny water could easily get me into trouble. But i think also, my inability to carry out fine detailed work, was limiting what I could do on the boat. I was literally a passenger on my own boat.  The other reason im happy with the results of my hard work, is that she can go into the marketplace with her bow held high. Oughtred, & her builder, would be proud.  

On a dawn stroll listening to The Adventure Diaries podcast, I found out about Peter Casey of "Ascent of the Amazon".  Apart from his website, the guy is not at all known. Yes, he has presented at The Explorers Club in New York & London, but his present lifestyle is living on a flat, in debt, his brother's carer. Yet several years ago he sold his house to fund an adventure to ascend the Amazon for a few months. Fast forward 6.5 years & he has 4competed an unsupported transit of South America via the Amazon Basin. I suppose being a youngish, white, straight male without an extraordinary history or social contacts, takes him out of the loop of popular personalities & causes.  

 It is well known among those who study solo Transatlantic small boat sailors, that publicity means death to the mission. In the 1990s Hugo Vihlen, who had made a record crossing about 30 years previously, was making a publicised reattempt. But this drew the attention of the US Coastguard and a dance ensued, authorities trying to thwart the voyage,the boat and Vihlen, and Vihlen himself who fled to the boarder to escape their clutches. In Canadian waters, the wearther was too light.  "Father's Day was originally built at 5 feet 6 inches long. On Vihlen's first attempt out of St. John's, Newfoundland , he met his rival and newfound friend Tom McNally who was also pursuing the record of crossing the North Atlantic from West to East. Tom's boat the, Big C , was 1½ inches smaller than the Father's Day . The first attempt out of Cape Cod was thwarted by the U.S. Coast Guard . Vihlen decided to leave from Canada where the distance was shorter, the currents were c...

What are we? May be three months into Phase 1.0 of the project to convert from Lead Acid to Lithium house batteries. Problems kicked off after weeks of dreary weather and brownouts were occurring. Then we had two blackouts which were initially caused by Joe's carelessness.  Anyway, being winter now the weather was not improving a great deal & there is a need to not damage the batteries by running them at low vlltage. So last week I bought a small Honda generator & battery charger capable for lithium. It works a treat, running the batteries up to full voyage in 30-45 mins.  All good, until tonight. Despite having a low 12 reading last night, a low V alarm wakes me at 4am. No immediate problem, I move Honda off the deck and she's humming away outside and we're already well onto the 12s. But, thats not sustainable, do I've just bought a third battery to run the capacity up to 600AH.  See how we go.

Progress Another amazing day in my life following separation. Starting with the tail end of the day,I refitted Ilona's deck boards. They look fab against a freshly painted bilge & with pollished brass toggles. Adding woodglue to the screws made them easier to install & provided a better seal. Now I just need to dress up the cream and lacquer her off.  Im really proud & believe she should sell quickly for a good price.  Beauty Today I drove to town to buy more lacquer & some bolts & co. for Clancy. After   the chandlery  I went to the beach & I don't know what I was expecting, but it was stunning. As can only happen on winter, the light was soft & the blues & greens of the shallows sparkled like jewellery. The waves were small & there was a hell of a rip, so although I thought a surf was on, I had to calm myself down. I ended up jogging to & from Bar Beach & Merewether Baths, finishing off with a swim. No-one else jogging,...

I'm a bit happy of late because I've showed great maturity and persistence. Rather than run away to swim in the sea, blast cobwebs away on my motorbike or go for a lengthy fitness activity,I have ground away for long hours each day to get Ilona ready to sell.      This is a photo of my motorcycle loaded with hardware, paint and a few groceries.  Anyway, she's getting close to complete. When that happens I will be free to prepare, then sail Clancy. Yesterday his trailer was registered, he was towed along the graded driveway, and we celebrated his first year in my care.   

It was cold early. So after sanding & taping off, the bilge & top planks were painted. A roll & tip off technique was used to reasonable effect, but the International brand paint was a bit thin. A further coat needed. Once done, the lacquer should lift it a lot.  The rudder, bin & varnishing are coming along or complete. The only major element is the hull below waterline.  It got cool later, so Patty was happy to watch the world go by from her new cat door. 

Cat Amenities: today the feeder was reloaded & powered up. Then I fitted the cat flap.  It was tricky, but the cats are familiarising themselves with it & may soon need no assistance.  Ilona painting: the deck boards, complete with nonskid, were fully varnished ready for refitting  The hatch was given a sand & a second coat.  Bilge painting: The old flakey paint was chipped away and given a patchy coat of green. Next, the bilges will be painted out.  There was a setback today, for some reason my near new pot of clear lacquer fell over & spilled itself out. Before I discovered, it had become hard. $80 down.  

My new Honda generator was ready to collect, so I did. This will be a standbys power source for Clancy . I dont like the idea of burning fossil fuels, but the space for solar on board is pretty limited. I'm also expecting the autopilot will draw a lot, especially on heavy weather.I then dropped into Whitworths for some paint & bolts to mount Ilona's bilge pump. Hopefully come Monday she will be up for sale & Clancy will get my undivided attention.  Afterwards the dog & I hit Nobbys Beach for a run. Apart from the strong icey SWer, it was a nice day. Clear of the main beach, we hit the sand, the only ones around & it was beautiful. Around under the lighthouse & onto the break wall. The swell was pretty small, but the seas were looking storm tossed & sailing south would be mighty tough.  Along the walk I started noticing whales all about. One big breach directly off the harbour entrance, but they were well offshore heading to Fingal Island lighthouse...

Up & about predawn to realise the blusterimess persists. I wrap in suitable clothes, feed the hungry cats, but they appear soon after, still hungry. The dog eats appreciably and only wants me to walk. Cats for domestic company, dogs for walking.  Reading about an old mentor Rousseau in  Philosophy of Walking. How   R. discovers himself through walking, an act of shunning society's failings and distractions, to be a quiet, self loving being.  "...when the solitary walker tried to unearth from under layers of culture the inborn truth of human passions, he only discovered a naive and unassuming self-love".  The author cautions, this self-love as being quite different to egotism.  I am barely a fraction of the man Rousseau, but I can agree a) that walking provides for the mind, body and soul, and b) that a respectable goal of self and cultural critique is to discover a simple self love.     

After fettling the cabin back onto shape and firing up the woodheater to ward off the blowy chill, I returned to work on Ilona. I had left the deck boards sanded, but with only one coat of varnish. So today's efforts were to add two more coats of varnish to the deck. I branched out to sand & varnish other exposed timber on deck; centreboard case, outboard well surrounds and fore and aft deck scuppers.  Under lights tonight she's definitely blinging it out!  

Having a coffee fromonkwy on the Wire, Wellington. 100k down in wet & stormy.conditions, its been good to get out here during a weather break & stretch our legs.  It stayed stormy all around, all the way. Frequent heavy showers, miles apart. But the scenery was beautiful.