1000 hour engine service

Amazingly the 1000 hour service has rolled around for the engines after only 4 years. Although I hate using the engines unless I have to , we wouldn't have gone far in SE Asia without them, that is the joy of being in the zone around the equator. 

I'm still by no means mechanically minded, but can now do the basics. For this service I'm engaging a real qualified Yanmar service person.
Since I've owned the boat, I have been shown how to do bits and pieces by Pete and then Steve,when they have been aboard.In Cairns I had  Yanmar mechanics down to give it a once over, and change the exhaust elbows.They were great, really informative and happy to pass on tips and answer my questions. Now it's time once again to let someone who really knows what they are looking at, to do the service and cast their expert eye over what I have been doing.

There are items listed to be done that I haven't got a clue about, let alone the tools and skills required.  The marina where K'Gari is berthed did in fact have a Yanmar mechanic based there, but alas he has gone now , so my choice is either head south to the big smoke of Brisbane or north to the medium smoke of Gladstone. Gladstone wins, as the Yanmar chaps at GMM  have been very helpful over the years answering my questions,supplying my spare parts when the boat was still in Asia.I would on each occassion I returned to Asia take a selection of spares back with me, as for me it was easier than trying to source them locally in unfamiliar places. Additionally, I know the guys to talk to, as well as the bonus that I would be able to catch up with friends whilst there.

This was literally a quick  trip to get the service done.  Jo came with me.
After the service if weather conditions permitted we planned to  return home via Lady Musgrave or perhaps Lady Elliot Island.

As I have been away for a couple of months, all the usual startup checks needed to be completed and an additional task was removing the swallows nest(s) from the mainsail bag. I thought I had secured it satisfactoraly, but no, the little varmints had found a way in.












We  had a pleasant 50mile run up through the Sandy Straits utilizing as always the tides and currents to best advantage and anchoring off  Moon Bank.Apparently Jo thought it was a bit uncomfortable as an anchorage. I didn't notice a thing , so I guess that means ,I had done 'all' the work, as I slept soundly.

Perfect MPS conditions

We heaved up as the tide started ebbing, to carry it out into Hervey Bay. Managed 5 hours with the MPS and 30miles short of Gladstone we ran out of wind.It just died! So we motored a couple of hours, using the flood tide,finally anchoring  on the NE corner of  Jenny Lind Bank 2miles east of the channel,in glassy calm. We sat (slept) out the ebb and at the  civilized time of 0700 the tide turned and we sailed the final 16 miles to the  Gladstone marina arriving just as the wind faded away before swinging to the predicted Northerly, which we had been trying to beat.

The service was carried out the next day as scheduled, but we chose to wait overnight for a replacement heat exchanger coolant pipe to be freighted in ,after one of mine was declared 'dodgy', still servicable but.....

So I opted to get it replaced. It was also discovered ( when we went through my box of spares with someone who knows) that I have been blissfully sailing aound for the last four years with  incorrect belts! Luckily I hadn't needed to change them in the middle of nowhere. I foolishly had assumed that the correct spares had been supplied in Vietnam, when the boat was new. I had certainly paid for the basic spares relevant to my engines, that I might require whilst sailing offshore. Of course I should have realised by now, that there was every possibility that 'as supplied' might not in fact  be the same as 'as required'!

Mother nature wasn't going to play nicely it appeared,so instead of heading out to the Bunker Group, we opted for Pancake Creek, a handy 'do-able' 30 odd miles from the Gladstone Marina and often used by boats from Gladstone as a destination. To date I haven't been there , so why not have a squizz?
The only two notable events enroute, were seeing a baby crocodile swimmimg on the surface in the vicinity of S10 beacon. It was only about 18" long .It was definately a croc , not a seasnake or an eel or a figment of my imagination. It had legs, a tail and a croc shaped snout! .
I've often pondered what the 'magic barrier' was that meant crocs are known to inhabit waters 25miles north of Gladstone, but aren't supposed to be south of Gladstone. Odd, when the waters are connected by The Narrows, which run between Curtis Island and the mainland. I'm pretty sure that cunning as crocs are, its not the manmade denoted  Tropic of Capricorn which magically keeps them north of Gadstone, especially as one has 100% definately been sighted furher south in the Mary River and signs on Fraser Island also now denote that esturine crocodiles may inhabit the area.

Oh and the second event, lost another fish and lure- ho hum, thank goodness we always have tins of tuna on board!

Port Stephens to TCB

We stopped only for a day this time in Port Stephens, just long enough to catch up with friends from Gladstone who relocated some years ago to back to NSW.
Three quarters of the family were home and were good enough to drive from Lake Macquarie to Port Stephens on a particularly drizzly day to come visit. The missing man was away at work way over west! It was a great catch up and next time we will fit Lake Macquarie in to the itinerary, weather permitting.

Talking of weather it was beginning to look a little unpromising.

Go now or wait out the next front. We opted for the go now choice and thus departed at 0200 on the run home.
We managed to fly the MPS for about 5 hours before the increasing wind had us stow it away. Sailing conservatively as I always do we struck the mainsail about 2130 that night and continued under jib alone.
Arrived off the Gold Coast seaway 56 hours later after an 'ordinary' but conservative  run up the coast, in rainy conditions and  a relatively unpleasant increasing swell .

Entered the seaway and the very pleasant protection of South Stradbroke Island.As we had the tide with us we decided to sail on until the change of tide. Thus we found ourselves anchored snugly off Raby Bay that evening having averaged a not to shabby (considering the conditions and my conservative sailing technique- 'tis better to arrive slowly and in tact) 5.5kts since departing Port Stephens.

Now we were going to have to juggle times to arrive off the Wide Bay Bar for high water.
There are a couple of options widely used here apparently.Head to Mooloolaba and stop there overnight, and then do the 55-60nm run to coincide with a daylight rising tide at the Bar. Or perhaps when conditions are right, an anchorage in Laguna Bay, off Noosa is possible and then its only a 40nm run to the Bar (I've done that once). I'm not enamoured of the stop at Mooloolaba, not that I've done it yet, but it involves entering a breakwater with a bit of a sand bar- unless the sand bar has  recently been dredged, with the every couple of years dredging that occurs, then anchoring up in the 'duckpond' and then leaving again, a 5nm detour for very little gain as far as I can see.
I hate to use the motors , but will when I need to, so estimating the speed that we would manage without them makes it a bit of a lottery.
However what we can and do use are the tidal currents which we know will be going our way, thus we left the anchorage just after 0400 and had a great run through Moreton Bay,using the most direct courses past Moreton Island and out the NE Channel. We arrived off the Wide Bay Bar  at  2030 having averaged a very useful 6.36 kts for the 105nm. I had allowed 5kts to make the high water in the predaylight hours rather than awaiting the following afternoon high.
We sailed around,off the Bar for 5.5 hours awaiting the maximm water over the Bar.
We anchored off  Carlo Creek  and in daylight entered and berthed back in the marina at 0830.

Three months, 3017nm, one newer and better anchor, two destroyed and replaced  blocks,later.
We have met some amazingly generously spirited Tasmanians, caught up with family and friends  and overall had a great experience, with the wonderful K'Gari carrying us safely there and back.

Sydney once again.

Another week in Sydney, gave us time to let Jo check out the Quarantine Station and some of our old childhood haunts.
We also explored up the Parramatta River , which as kids was 'so far west' that we never recall going there.This time we went as far as we could, the bridge at Ryde being the ultimate bar to further exploration.
A jaunt up the Lane Cove River , again a first for me, we then fueled up at the most reasonably priced fuel in Sydney at Birkenhead Marina, with those incredibly handy supermarkets just nearby and then eventually made our way back to the north side of the harbour.

https://youtu.be/CGtgvZK6e0I

We had a prime viewing position on a Saturday afternoon of the skiffs (16footers) racing in Middle Harbour as we sat on one of the moorings off Balmoral beach. With the NE'ly breeze it meant we were sitting off the downwind marker so we were witness to the carnage and chaos that happens when spinnaker drops are the order of the day.

Stunning if perhaps possibly smoke affected sunsets, a final early morning victualling visit to the supermarkets on the Corso which conveniently were open at 0700 and we were on our way to  either Lake Macquarie or Nelson Bay,Port Stephens- tba, as we like to say(to be advised) when keeping things boat time flexible.

Escorted out the Heads by the James Craig

A distant Barrenjoey Head- Pittwater will have to be another time.

Bass Strait take two

Some company whilst doing the dishes

Indeed the wind pattern had changed as predicted.
First northerlies  for about 9 hours which we didn't want but then there was going to be a window of opportunity to cross Bass Strait again in great conditions.

last view of Tasmania

We sailed for 24 hours  from Wine Glass Bay up the coast before the wind dropped out when we were  just north of Flinders Island and we resorted to the iron sail- worth every cent of diesel not to get bashed about in Bass Strait.
Glassy calm eventually gave way to the predicted Se'ly and we had two reefs in the mainsail as it arrived.


As you can see a beautiful day and no wind makes for ridiculous entertainment .

Think this is the second time in 3 months
for the shorts! Wonder how this thing works?

More company whilst doing the dishes

                             

Swell just picking up- makes it more fun for our companions

Off Eden we checked the weather forecast again and decided to sail on.
In hindsight  had we stopped in Eden we would have followed the front , instead of 'being the front'.

Thethers just in case

As it progressively got more breezy and uglier , but at least from the starboard quarter, we for the first time so far,deployed lifejackets and tethers when in the cockpit- just in case an inquisitive wave actually made its way on board. Several certainly tried hard but none made it!

Another view from the kitchen sink!
Photos never do justice to the swell.

Note to self- when Windy .ty app shows potentially orange wind 25+ kts, K'Gari is staying put! It certainly wasn't unsafe and we had reduced the sail appropriately, it was just uncomfortable, and that is not what cruising is about.



For those who dont know,picture left is from the Windy.ty app showing forecast winds. Blue means probably motoring, no wind, 0-10kts.Green is good (10-15-20kts). Orange(20-25kts)is not so good in these quantities even when its coming from astern and is absolutely verbotten in my opinion (not to mention a pointlessly uncomfortable pursuit) when coming from ahead.Blurring to brown, forget it (+30kts).The photo on the right is from the Met Bureau,showing rain. Blue is light rain, green is tending a little heavier than light rain , yellow is moderate, and cells which are red and above are really not pleasant. The BOM shot was at 01:52 so it's a really handy oversight of what's out there, without turning on the radar to see the extent of the rain, especially in pitch darkness.

Jervis Bay, somewhere I have never been, was now our destination.We had decided not to try Batemans Bay taking into account  the conditions as they currently were  from the SE, combined with no local knowledge or experience of the area.

Jervis Bay is beautiful. We anchored in the SE corner at 'the hole in the wall'. There is a naval base there, but the rest of the Bay is accessable.
One of the days we were there we had the opportunity to catch up  and spend the day with a retired colleague and his wife who now live just south of Jevis Bay- a bonus indeed.

Jervis Bay to Sydney was the next leg after a few days in Jervis Bay.

The aptly named Point Perpendicular as we leave Jervis Bay 

Passage through the Denison Canal.

Once we arrived in Dover , Peter decided to head home. The circumnavigation hadn't happened and wasn't going to and we had no definite date in mind for heading home, so he took the opportunity to head back home to Queensland.
So now we are three.

It's drier and warmer in here .The view towards Cygnet 

We poked around Cygnet, on the weekend of the Cygnet Regatta ,the Labour Day holiday which wasn't the brightest move as the anchorage was pretty packed. Instead we anchored in Copper Alley Bay- possibly the name might suggest that it may potentially not a good idea to indulge in seafood caught  here! It wasn't an issue as it was rain, rain and a little more rain , so there was no way I was heading out of the cabin after we anchored to try my hand at piscatorial mastery.

Port Huon which is located at the navigable (by ships)  head of the inlet into which the Huon River flows,appeared to me to have changed very little since photos taken by  my father some 65 odd  years ago. He had been there when at sea with the British company Port Line, loading apples and other produce destined for the still recovering from rationing and other deprivations, post WW2 Britain.
I guess the only things missing were the ships and the hustle and bustle of the waterfront that would have existed, and my photo is in colour!

Port Huon 

Some of the regatta fleet heading towards Cygnet

As we sailed (drifted) north from the Huon we encountered the regatta fleet drifting south, spinnakers set to catch what little if any breeze was developing.

The weather pattern was changing once again. A weather window was becoming apparent. We headed towards the Denison Canal.

The Denison Canal separates the Forestier Peninsula  from the rest of  Tasmania to the north . It is a man made canal originally envisaged in the 1850's to shorten the passage from the east coast to Hobart. In reality it didn't actually get dug until 1905. The Forestier Peninsula leads to the Tasman Peninsula (probably most famous as the peninsula housing Port Arthur). More recently it came to attention during the bushfires of 2013 when some of the residents of Dunalley took refuge in the water under the jetty and survived.
The canal allows passage between Norfolk Bay (to the west) and Boomer Bay (to the east), saving many, many miles passage to the south and around Tasman Island.
There is a swing bridge which carries the highway across , so a booking is required, for a transit of the canal.

We passed through on a particularly beautiful Tasmanian autumn morning just after 0930, sunshine and the lightest of breezes which eventually gave away to glassy conditions once we cleared east  through the Marion Narrows.

https://youtu.be/QBH7z94716k

Port Davey to Dover

Bye bye Bathurst Harbour  0803 hrs

So we departed under a cold  grey depressed sky. The day would only get colder!

Tasmania in the summer.
K'Gari in the Roaring Forties .

Lets go home to the land of sarongs and shorts .

East Pyramids - 1049hrs getting warmer -not!

The forecast was that 20kts plus of SW'ly was coming, so the sooner we were back east of SE Cape and out of the predicted swell sweeping in from the Southern Ocean the better.

SW Cape 1216hrs- positively sure as its midday the temperature has peaked !
Wonder if we have reached double digits yet?

1853 hrs -so much better! Of course it is, I'm inside!

2000hrs:Love these long evenings, wonder how much colder it will get after sunset?

The forecast  front and associated wind arrived  right on cue as we anchored in Recherche Bay.
As we approached to anchor, the wind and rain picked up and we sat as snug as little bugs with 50m of chain out on our magnificent 55lb Rocna in 32kts plus of wind. That anchor is worth every cent! Yes it got colder but once we were anchored we were inside and warm and dry.

A stroll up Mt Beattie and shift to Moulters Bay

Jo and I decided to climb Mt Beattie, as the day had dawned considerably cooler than yesterday. Cloudy and looking as though rain was coming we set off and true to form a light drizzle set in just before we reached the summit.

The view was worth it despite the increasingly heavy drizzle, tending to rain, and it must be truly spectacular on a fine clear day.

Whilst we were expending energy the boys decided to stay below and check out the cottage of  Wyn and Clyde (Clayton, after whom the bay was named). A library for book swaps lies within, as well as a collection of not for swap reference books - one of which ‘ The Shanks’ would be on my list to purchase if I was ever again to think of exploring Tasmanian waters. 

The cottage would have been so isolated and grim in winter,they were obviously made of sterner stuff than me. The fascinating story of Wyn’s piano is on display in the cottage . The piano which she inherited from her mother survived bushfires, boat transportation and a house fire. In 1968 the piano was moved to Maleluca where it still is. 

We shifted from Clayton’s Corner into Moulters Bay after our stroll up Mt Beattie. It was now decidedly cold and windy,which added to the overall feeling of desolation and isolation that anyone who had ever lived here must have been familiar with. 

I found it quite beautiful- possibly as I knew it was for such a short term, but I’m certainly pleased we made it to the SW corner and the beautiful and remote and still unspoilt Bathurst Harbour.

Before cabin fever set in Peter got the weather fax via HF radio up and running and we weighed up the options available to us . Continuing further north up the west coast was not going to be easy with the prevailing weather pattern. A potential window of opportunity to head back towards Hobart was on the cards, but we couldn’t see anything reliable enough to allow us to go north up the west coast without risking being stuck in Macquarie Harbour (the next anchorage to the north ) for some time whilst  waiting for another window to then progress further north again.

So alas the decision was made to abandon any attempt to circumnavigate Tasmania, by ourselves in the opposite direction to the rally, which we had already had to abandon when the jib car disintegrated.
I guess the opportunity to pass through Hells Gates into Macquarie Harbour will just have to wait for another opportunity, but better safe than sorry.

By now the Rally is a sail too far, however Port Davey is not.

At last twenty days after the fateful bullet of wind  that has somewhat shattered our plans, we are ready to go somewhere in an entirely shipshape fashion.

Prevailing wind patterns and the fact that the rally boats are two thirds of the way around the island already, means that the rally is a non event for us.

Instead we are going to make our way to the remote SW corner and to Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour. It's on the planned rally route, but they aren't due there for another fortnight or so.

Sunrise -looking astern to Maatsuyker Island

A good run around to Port Davey in relatively pleasant sea conditions had us arriving  24hrs after we left the Elizabeth St Pier , where we had stopped to  enable us to procure a National Park Pass from the appropriate office in town . This we required in our own right as we were no longer covered by the rally passes.

A few hours before these photos were taken I was privileged enough to watch the indescribably fascinating antics of seals playing in the wake and the phosphorescence trails they left . Something I have never seen before.Dolphins yes but never before seals. Watching them speeding towards the hull and then rolling away at right angles and missing the hull by inches was mesmerising.Unfortunately the video footage didn't work but it rates right up there with the best of natures displays I have ever witnessed.

and looking ahead to SW Cape

Port Davey is a marine reserve and covers all the waterways and up to 20km inland covering the streams and rivers that empty into Bathurst Harbour. The whole area is part of the SW National Park. The rules are strict as they try to preserve the natural environment.
It is stunningly beautiful and wild. Apart from getting there by boat, you can walk in - carrying everything or it is possible to fly in a light plane on to a dirt strip, but b.y.o everything from that point!

The day we arrived it was sunny,hot even.We anchored in Schooner Anchorage. Had a little explore around in the late afternoon found Ochre cave and a midden of shells.

Next morning we shifted (motored) through the  Bathurst  Channel into Bathurst Bay, anchoring off Claytons Corner.It was hot, 35 degrees at least so not a huge amount of activity , although we did meet the current owner a boat that Steve ( who has sailed with me on K'Gari )used to own.To mis-quote Bogart in Casbalanca, - of all the yachts, in all the world, to anchor in this remote anchorage!

Went for a run in the dinghy up to Melaleuca, which is the location of the airstrip, some basic walker accommodation , and a building which was once a bird hide constructed by Deny Hide (a tin miner and naturalist who lived in the area for 50 odd years). The building is now a small museum and has a telescope as it is still possible to see the endangered orange bellied parrot. The known presence of the  parrot played a great part in having the area declared a national park. We were indeed lucky enough to see one whilst we were there.
Nearby is the Needwonnee Walk - a short 30minute walk created to allow a glimpse of the lifestyle of the local group of aborigines. It would have been so cold and desolate here -it still will be when winter comes again this year.To be honest it’s desolate now, we just happen to be here on a day when it’s 35 degrees plus.

So near and yet so far

Having picked up the footblock about lunchtime it should have been a simple matter to replace it.Note that is, "should have".

The first of the three fixing bolts came out easily. The second two were simply turning in place. Having no idea how they were installed made the task a little trickier.What exactly was under the deck - nuts and a backing plate one presumed,but couldn't be sure? The remaining two bolts just turned in place , were they stripped perhaps? After three years of "discovery", nothing is beyond the realms of possibility.

To hopefully resolve the question I 'phoned a friend'  who I hoped might know or be able to find out the answer,
Clearly this simple replacement of like for like wasn't going to be easily achieved and we were probably going to need bits and pieces we didn't have.
As most of the industrial area is the north of Hobart we decided that the easiest place to head for was the Prince of Wales Marina, so we would be able to access whatever we needed to do the job.Unfortunately it was Friday afternoon and not much was going to happen now until Monday.

The silver lining to this unfolding scenario was that we were now alongside and so over the weekend Jo and I caught up with one of our cousins and his family. Bonus!

Monday morning and back on the phone to enquire about  the simplest way to remove the deck liner in the cabin below the deck section in question, without damaging anything. Progressed up to a point - following instructions, I  disassembled the Ocean air hatch fitting , turns out it wasn't actually necessary to the task at hand , but I know how to do it now ! We proceeded to the point where I didn't feel at all comfortable about going any further in case we damaged the deckhead liner, so called a local shipwright to assist. He removed the liner and assessed the job.

https://youtu.be/Hdje7jho9fY

The precise problem that we had,was that the only bolt extracted up to this point didn't actually fit the new block, so it appeared that new holes in the deck were going to be required. That in turn meant first the existing holes would need to be filled and new ones drilled. It all seemed very odd as it is an exact replacement block


Whilst waiting for the shipwright to return, Peter fiddling around with the new block and the old bolt,had a breakthrough moment when it became apparent that the fixing point sleeves in the block had been drilled out during installation in Vietnam to take a larger imperial fixing bolt than the 6mm size that the block manufacturer has designed! This was confirmed by email later on from the boat builder. Sure would be handy to know these things before wasting a week and blowing all possible chance of making the rally!
Conundrum resolved and another item for the ever increasing 'how should this logically work/why is it so' memory bank. By the time I finish my sailing days I reckon I will probably have witnessed the majority of the boat in pieces for one reason or another . Wish I knew more about the actual construction of the boat as it would make life so much easier!

So how does a replacement part arrive from the UK faster than from Melbourne?

Well I could theorise,but it still won't make me feel better!

Jo flew in Saturday afternoon, Peter (from previous adventures) arrived on Sunday. Both of them got to attend the Wooden Boats Festival as well. Dave returned to Launceston on the Sunday.

Monday rolled around and there was no clear answer  on the status of  the order, it was a work in progress apparently.What was clear, was that it was an entire new footblock that was required and not just a replacement sheave - the footblock was apparently readily obtainable in Australia, however the car/s were more of a problem, but were apparently being tracked down.

We attended the pre rally briefing, met a couple of the other participants and I did tell the organizers that we were going to be  tad delayed leaving Hobart due to the jibcar failure incurred during the Parade of Sail.

Wednesday and we still aren't any further ahead- the rally fleet however was!

Then I had a light bulb moment. I remembered  an incredibly helpful contact I knew in Brisbane, Matt from BLA, who should be able to help and at the very least give me a straight answer about the possibility of replacing the jib car and the time frame for doing so. We had actually begun tossing around the idea of  totally changing out the existing system and switching to another brand. Something I didn't really want to do because of course different brands use different tracks and it would be a major undertaking.

Matt in Brisbane was magic. A few photos of the track , some measurements of the track as he specified, photo of the broken part and he was able to find and order the replacement part required. The catch was it had to come from the manufacturer in  the UK. The order was paid for and confirmed on Friday exactly a week after the damage had been done.

All dressed up (rally logo in place), but still can't go,so we
will share the Hobart waterfront with the Queen Elizabeth. 

Advised the rally organizers that it was extremely  unlikely we would be joining them as by the time the replacement parts arrived they would be at best a good week and a half ahead of us. It would still not be absolutely impossible though, as the rally is organised so that a group of boats sets off from Hobart but two weeks later they join up with another group who have sailed across from Victoria, meeting somewhere on the NW corner of Tasmania.The entire fleet then proceeds down the west coast and back to Hobart.  The Victorian contingent  then proceed up the east coast and home to Victoria- thus also completing their circumnavigation of Tasmania. So it was unlikely but still not impossible that we would participate.

We decided we would visit the Salamanca  Markets on the Saturday morning and then push off to the D'Entrecasteaux Channel for a few days if the wind was ok for making our way there and back  with just the mainsail whilst awaiting the replacement parts.

What can I say? Its not possible to have better facilities in the heart of a capital city.

We had moored for the night at  Elizabeth St Pier facility- please tell me another capital city in Australia who have such prime positioned facilities for yachties- I can't think of any. The facility is available for limited time period stays,(signs specify the limit in hours not days, which need to be honoured by all to ensure equitable and  fair use ) but enables such wonderful ease of access to restauraunts ,shops,and  the markets. Thank you MAST, your facility and commitment to boaters is superb and much appreciated.

Uphaul splice so 'sad' and fat that it would no longer smoothly
run through the eye-rings and would not therefore hoist fully  

Departing after we had visited the markets and stocked up with fresh vegies, we hoisted the mainsail, but it just didn't look right. Closer inspection revealed that the splice on the uphaul  was looking "sad" indeed. So plan change number one for the day had us instead anchoring back over near Sandy Bay and waiting for Monday morning when Rod from Qantum Sails, in an hour or so had spliced a new one and we had it back on board and were on our way again.

Barnes Bay moonrise a little different to the last time

Jo used the time at anchor to go to the  site of the  Female Factory on the Saturday afternoon  and then climbed Mt Nelson on the Sunday morning.

Spent Monday evening back in Barnes Bay, now clear of smoke.
Imagine how astounded I was to receive a call at Tuesday midday telling me the jib car had arrived from the UK and was actually sitting on the counter in Hobart at the chandlery! Four days including a weekend since confirming the order. Paying the express delivery charge was worth it.
Or not......because there was no sign of the footblock as yet.

Yes the footblock that was coming all the way from the 'big island' had not appeared in a time period greater than the transit from the UK!

We returned to Hobart the following morning- still no footblock. Thursday the mystery is solved- it hasn't actually been ordered here in Hobart! Taking up space in the chandlery until I actually heard the order being placed, we returned once again to 'our' mooring at Bellerive.

Friday dawns , hallelujah, the footblock arrives. All we need to do is pick it up and fit it by undoing the three screws holding it in place, replace it  and we are on our way..........

Australian Wooden Boat Festival

The AWBF was just brilliant.

Boats, boats and more boats and things maritime.

Constitution Dock is filled with craft of all description. The public floating pontoons at Elizabeth St Pier I have mentioned previously (closed to visiting boats over the weekend) are filled  to capacity with more floating exhibits.King Pier Marina has all its usual vessels evacuated and is full of wooden vessels. The Princes Wharf sheds are full of static displays and nautical merchants. A shipwrights work shop was established in the vicinity of the Murray St Pier,showing that many skills of yesteryear weren't completely lost yet. Lectures on a variety of topics ran throughout the weekend in the Dechaineaux Theatre over near Victoria Dock.  The tall ships were open for tours and inspection.Some of the smaller vessels ,Lady Nelson, Windeward Bound did daily sailings. Hours of endless entertainment.


One vessel we were definately on the lookout for was the dinghy that had been built in the sunroom of  Sarah's house (Sarah from Live Louder), by her father back in the '60s. Whilst we had been testing the borrowed anchor,Dean and brother in laws had been rowing the dinghy across the Derwent to go on display.

Apart from the rubber tender- it could be a scene from two centuries past

HMB Endeavour and deckboy

The sky indeed may have been overcast above Kings Pier Marina 
when this was taken but the previous days had been sunny.
The crowds were still out in force.