Ever thought something was a really good idea until you tried it? I am studying for the VHF radio ops exam: in my creative but not technical mind, I imagined it would be all about phonetics (at which I'm really good), correct and courteous radio proceedure (at which I'm really good) and channel selection (of which I have a good working knowledge).
How wrong can you be!?! Now I have to remember things like the specific gravity of battery acid, on-load terminal voltage and all sorts of stuff that I have no clue about....
At least I can define the word Megahertz: it's a description of the headache you get when you realise you're probably too thick to even attempt the exam!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Safety First
Latest EBay win - a Raymarine LifeTag system, complete and unused - thanks to EBay-er Ashley from Tasmania :) Yay, now I can fall off the boat safely......!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Stand by
OK, stand by for the latest:
Sirocco is moving pens!
You'll find us on P Jetty! :-)
*Jan is busy splicing ropes in readiness*
Sirocco is moving pens!
You'll find us on P Jetty! :-)
*Jan is busy splicing ropes in readiness*
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Progressive dinner
In July, Cruising in Company held a progressive dinner - which, for some reason, I volunteered to organise....in a nutshell, 12 yachts participated, divided into three groups: entree, main and dessert....so, each boat hosted two other couples for a course. The theme was 'Heroes and Villains'.....I have to say, despite losing a shoe and spilling half a glass of a rather nice red because I was barefoot by the end of the night, it was GREAT fun!
Here are some photos that Phil and Tina (our esteemed Cruise Captains) took.......hmmmmm.....Just to explain - Mike was Mr Incredible - I was Cruella DeVille.....
Here are some photos that Phil and Tina (our esteemed Cruise Captains) took.......hmmmmm.....Just to explain - Mike was Mr Incredible - I was Cruella DeVille.....
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Why winter is wonderful (sometimes)
Just love winter days like today. Blue sky, bit of a breeze, not too cold, perfect.
One of the things about sailing is that it's ok not to have a destination - just head on out and have a sail, which is exactly what we did today! Was shown that it is in fact perfectly ok to head North inside the reef - not only is it ok, but it's also deeper and therefore WAY less frought. Always a good thing, not being frought....
And, guess what - nothing broke or leaked - again, always a good thing!
One of the things about sailing is that it's ok not to have a destination - just head on out and have a sail, which is exactly what we did today! Was shown that it is in fact perfectly ok to head North inside the reef - not only is it ok, but it's also deeper and therefore WAY less frought. Always a good thing, not being frought....
And, guess what - nothing broke or leaked - again, always a good thing!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Poor Sirocco
Mikes technical bit update....
It is said “Buy a second hand yacht and you inherit other people’s problems, buy new and get peace of mind”.....Do you??
On our return from Mindarie with Phil & Tina, we noticed that one of the clips from the main sail to the mast had come off the slide. Investigation showed that the mast slider had split and allowed the sail attach clip to come out. Once we were safely tied up in the pen I checked the others to find that 2 more had split and several more were about to!! The implication of this failure happening out at sea in our fresh Easterly winds could have resulted in a shredded sail and big dollars!! This problem has now been partly fixed under warranty by the replacement of the 3 broken ones. As our confidence is not high with the plastic sliders holding, we aim to upgrade to metal sliders before the summer season starts.
The hatch water leak has been investigated. It looks like it has been there for some time as the headlining backing ply is rotten and has the consistency of paper from where the water was coming in! I have tried in vain to seal it with silicon sealant, this problem is also in the hands of the brokers for fixing as a warranty job.
I have noticed that the swim steps cover off the stern has cracked. I feel it is a design fault as the cover is only supported at its side, thus standing on it to get in or out bends and flexed it and caused it to crack the gel coat, this will be a warranty claim and will be done when the window is fixed.
After 7 months of waiting, we at last have the correctly ordered blue salon covers to replace the striped covers she came with, they look much better now.
The wire loom, Ammeter and stop switch for the wind generator are all fitted. With all the rain & winds we are having right now, I have decided to fit the mast and supports when things improve. We also have a small 300 Watt 12 Volt heater for those cooler evenings we will spend on Sirocco away from the Marinas mains power.
It is said “Buy a second hand yacht and you inherit other people’s problems, buy new and get peace of mind”.....Do you??
On our return from Mindarie with Phil & Tina, we noticed that one of the clips from the main sail to the mast had come off the slide. Investigation showed that the mast slider had split and allowed the sail attach clip to come out. Once we were safely tied up in the pen I checked the others to find that 2 more had split and several more were about to!! The implication of this failure happening out at sea in our fresh Easterly winds could have resulted in a shredded sail and big dollars!! This problem has now been partly fixed under warranty by the replacement of the 3 broken ones. As our confidence is not high with the plastic sliders holding, we aim to upgrade to metal sliders before the summer season starts.
The hatch water leak has been investigated. It looks like it has been there for some time as the headlining backing ply is rotten and has the consistency of paper from where the water was coming in! I have tried in vain to seal it with silicon sealant, this problem is also in the hands of the brokers for fixing as a warranty job.
I have noticed that the swim steps cover off the stern has cracked. I feel it is a design fault as the cover is only supported at its side, thus standing on it to get in or out bends and flexed it and caused it to crack the gel coat, this will be a warranty claim and will be done when the window is fixed.
After 7 months of waiting, we at last have the correctly ordered blue salon covers to replace the striped covers she came with, they look much better now.
The wire loom, Ammeter and stop switch for the wind generator are all fitted. With all the rain & winds we are having right now, I have decided to fit the mast and supports when things improve. We also have a small 300 Watt 12 Volt heater for those cooler evenings we will spend on Sirocco away from the Marinas mains power.
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