Sailing with the family

Last week we took out some of Mikes family - his Sister, Barbara, her husband, Bob and their daughter, Anita. I think they all enjoyed the morning, I know I did !

Three Mermaids.........!

Anita takes the helm

Captain Bob looking very serious!

At Last

We seem to be using Sirocco as she should be used: during the last 4 weeks we have spent time both at Rottnest and at Rockingham, plus spent more time aboard than at home!

We both feel a lot more relaxed now and enjoy getting 'into the groove' of life aboard.

Also, rather excitingly, we have signed up for a 20 day cruise in company with FSC to The Abrolhos Islands in May next year!

Meanwhile - here are a couple of photos of our beautiful girl.

A new season begins

Just to conclude the ‘up North’ saga: September saw me again aboard Eaglehearts, this time crewing from Denham to Geraldton.
Having given up on waiting for ideal weather the realisation that sometimes you just have to go head down, bum up was reached
and we headed out of Steep Point into a confused sea state and battling Southerlies head on. Lots of breaching whales and
some 40 – odd hours later we arrived safely in Geraldton. Eaglehearts is a strong, solid cat, I felt that we didn’t take any unacceptable risks.
The skipper did admit that he was concerned about him breaking, rather than Eaglehearts.
Luckily, neither broke.
And so the new sailing season is upon us, this time we hope will see us adventuring on Sirocco rather than other vessels.
First up is a small shakedown cruise to Fremantle on 24th October.
Stay tuned!

Sirocco is green!

Solar panel

Sirocco now has a 65Watt BP solar panel installed to the cross braces of the davits to run in conjunction with the wind generator. An SBC-7021 solar controller has been fitted to regulate things before going to the battery bank. Interestingly the solar controller has a facility to connect a night light or anchor light to that will come on when panel voltage drops to 3.5V and extinguishes when it reaches 3.5V (night time) it will self adjust as the seasons change, it will also display the panel voltage input for the last 3 days, neat piece of kit.
I bought a NASA BM-1 battery monitor recently and fitted it. This will constantly monitor all input and discharge voltage of the battery bank so we know exactly at what state of charge they are at and how long to go till we run them flat! It is very handy for working out a daily electrical load sheet, as it is capable of showing the amps of every item that is turned on, even one cabin halogen bulb! In an effort to quieten things down, I removed the blades from the wind generator and cleaned them up by removing all the small moulding plastic that was attached to them. The leading and trailing edges were shaped accordingly and 2 coats of marine varnish applied to fill minor blemishes on the surface. In the lighter winds we are now experiencing they do sound quieter, the summer sea breezes will be the true test of any improvement.
The next project is to install and commission the Raymarine S1G Type 1 linear drive ST6002 autopilot system we have just bought, this will be a challenging piece of kit to install, especially the actuator, but once this is done Sirocco will become a real Cruiser.
Till next time, fair winds, Mike.

Battery monitor

Solar regulator

Just when you thought I’d fallen overboard

SKP at Cape Couvier

Hello people, so sorry for the hiatus – obviously I am now back from 'up North', and a trip to Adelaide, and then catching the cold from hell (don't worry not Swine flu)....
The crewing adventure aboard Eaglehearts continued with just Graham and myself cruising in company with another yacht 'Escapee' (SKP). We left Carnarvon and overnighted at Cape Couvier – what a spectacular place, two tug moorings are available for passing boats to use, which is fine except that pulling them up is a Herculean task in itself – be warned! Next morning, we set off for Gnaraloo Bay. I have to say Gnaraloo is now one of my favourite spots. Nothing there particularly, but the water and the beach are pristine and it was there that I snorkelled for the very first time in my life. After a couple of days we headed to Coral Bay. The public moorings are located at Point Maude and are a good 30-40 minute dingy ride away from Coral Bay itself – there is no chance of arriving in Coral Bay dry! Despite its reputation, to be honest it was a little disappointing – just caravan parks, a resort and a couple of shops – unless, of course, you want to go swimming with the whale sharks ($275). Whilst there, we received reports of an expected 6m swell and bad NW weather, so rather than carry on to Tantabiddy, we sadly returned to Carnarvon. Thanks to Graham for making it possible and for being a brilliant skipper, and to Elaine for making sure we ate like Lords and Ladies! Mike and I are completely committed to doing this trip in Sirocco next winter, perhaps in company.

Meanwhile, here are some photos.

Sunset

Cape Couvier

Captain Graham

Eaglehearts at Gnaraloo

Another not race event

'Tis with great pride that I can report Sirocco won TWO more pennants on Anzac Day, participating in the Diggers Cup....
We won 'Fastest' division 3 and 'Second' division 3 - actually if you think about that it doesn't make sense, how can one be fastest in division and come second - well, we were handicapped after the event, hence the second place pennant.
Between you and I, dear reader, what gives me the greatest pleasure is knowing that the racing keel boats really don't think cruisers can go fast - let's put this into perspective: from a field of 27 yachts, Sirocco finished in the top ten overall....not that we were racing in any way shape or form of course ;-)

Many thanks to Chris (bilge boy) Paul (trimmer) and Sue (most enthusiastic crew member) for their participation.

I am off on my adventures aboard Eaglehearts again in early May. Not sure if I'll get a sail in before then, but check back now and then for any news and/or posts from the Nor'west cape!

An insight

Sitting on the bow, just watching the waves and the sky I was thinking to myself how nice it all was. Suddenly, out of nowhere, emotion swept over me like a blast from a furnace and I found myself shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. Inside my head I screamed to myself “what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” and when I listened, my heart told me the answer.
At that moment, I knew with absolute certainty that I was exactly where I was destined to be, and felt an overwhelming sense of oneness with where I was and what I was doing. I think it was one of the happiest moments of my whole life.
Sailing isn’t just about fun, or sport, or challenge. Sailing nourishes your soul.

Back from Carnarvon

What an adventure!

It all began at Two Rocks Marina, leaving at first light heading for Dongara, an all day – all night – half of the next day sail, by far the longest we'd ever done, and our first all-night watch.

I was mesmerised by the blackness of it all, although there was some moonlight, it seemed velvety and inky, and the stars! I knew they'd be bright, but I didn't expect to be able to actually see the galaxy.

We recuperated for a couple of days in Port Denison, then headed to Geraldton, a short day hop away. The yacht club there provided us with an overnight pen, and it was a pleasant place to be, apart from the abundance of seagull crap!

Next day, again at first light, we headed out for Steep Point, some 180 nautical miles away. Another night watch. I was so excited to see the depth instrument reading "DEEP" for the first time!
The entry into Steep Point is interesting with choppy seas and I was glad we did it during daylight hours. We anchored at Sunday Bay (Dirk Hartog Island) overnight: well, that was the plan – somehow we managed to drag anchor in the middle of the night and got well and truly stuck on a sandbar, and spent the rest of the darkness hours rocking backwards and forwards from hull to hull.....not a fun time, but we all banded together to make Graham feel better about it and managed to make the best of the situation.

At first light we moved to Shelter Bay and anchored for the night to catch up on our sleep and gather our thoughts.

Then it was onwards to Denham: a great sail, and a lovely mooring when we got there. We spent a couple of days there exploring the area and having a little retail therapy – not that there was terribly much to buy!

After Denham, we set off for Big Lagoon, but when we reached the approach, we found it far too shallow, even for our 1.1m draft, so it was decided to head for Herald Bight, overnight there, then set off for Monkey Mia the next morning.

Low water prevented us from going ashore at Herald, but from what I could see it looked pretty desolate and not terribly inviting.

Monkey Mia was an absolute delight, we picked up a mooring quite near to the beach, and we could sit on deck and watch the dolphin feeding . We hadn't been there for almost 20 years, and we both agreed it had changed for the better: the development has been done in a very environmentally conscious way, and we spent some very happy hours ashore there.

Next, we headed off to Carnarvon. What an amazing approach – so shallow and so tight! Graham has a mooring in The Facine, so we hooked up there for our first night. As we had sustained some damage to the rudder at Sunday Bay, Eaglehearts was lifted out of the water the next day, which resulted in us spending the last few hours of our trip on the hard in Fishingboat Harbour. It was fascinating to watch her being taken from the water, we floated her onto an awesome trailer-like thing called a Jinka, which was then pulled out of the water by a tractor.
Repairs were arranged, and it was time for Mike and I to head back to Perth. All the flights were booked out, the cost of a hire car prohibitive due to the one way levy, so we bit the bullet and travelled back on the Greyhound bus......all 14 hours of it.....leaving at 4am and arriving in Perth at 17.00 hours.....YUK!

We had an amazing couple of weeks, learned heaps and boosted our log books by 566 nautical miles. Many thanks to Graham for making it all possible!

Exciting News!

New posts may be a little scarce for the new few weeks.
Mike and I have the wonderful opportunity of joining Graham aboard Eaglehearts for a REAL adventure, North to Carnarvon, via Dongara, Geraldton, The Abrolhos Islands and Shark Bay.
We will be leaving either today or tomorrow (Wednesday or Thursday) and will be away for the rest of March.
Graham will be home for the whole of April, leaving Eaglehearts in Carnarvon, after which, he and I will again join Eaglehearts in May and set off to explore the Montebello Islands - unfortunately Mike must return to work, so won't be with us in the Monte's.
I will, whenever possible, post reports and photos to the blog.
What an opportunity and what an adventure - I am blessed!
Take care everyone, and forgive me if I don't email much :-)
Fair Winds

Longreach, Rottnest Island

Here's the gang at the Geordie Bay Cafe on Saturday night. We had a great day, starting off with a kite flying competition on the beach, followed by a sundowner aboard Eaglehearts, then dinner ashore.

It was quite an experience being aboard a catamaran: coming home on Sunday we had 30+ knot 'breezes' and hit 34 at one point - whilst it did seem a little odd to be 'straight and level' so to speak, I did enjoy it very much, and will look forward to being aboard again over the coming weekend, cruising to Rockingham.

Thanks to all who participated in the cruise to Longreach, but thanks especially to Graham and Elaine for being such gracious hosts and for putting up with my endless questions !

Getting knotted and other gems

Yesterday I made a turks head knot on the wheel of Hollandaise to mark the center. So what? I hear you ask...which leads me nicely onto the subject of knots.
I GET knots - there is a logic and a symmetry to them which I find not only pleasing but quite beautiful also.
Whilst sailing last Sunday with the HYC course people onboard Sirocco I came up with a (what I think is great) way to remember how to trim the jib by observing the tell-tails.
WINdward tell-tail flapping, wind it IN
therefore, by process of elimination, if the leeward one is flapping, it must obviously be the opposite, ie: let it out. Now I know all you seasoned old salty dogs out there will be collectively going "well, duh...." but I was never taught anything about sail trim, and whilst I worked out a long time ago exactly how to trim , the easy way to remember (and to explain to new sailors) only came to me last week. What can I say, sometimes I'm slow :-)
Cruising in company is going to Longreach, Rottnest Island next weekend, followed by yet another cruise to Rockingham the weekend after.
For both of these cruises I have been invited aboard Eaglehearts, and I am looking forward to that. Much as I love and adore Sirocco, it will be a good learning experience to be aboard another vessel, plus it will give me a small indication of what it will be like in May/June, when I will be (hopefully, weather permitting) crewing for Graham when he goes to the Montebello Islands.
Tomorrow (Sunday) I will again be aboard Sirocco whilst the new sailors are put through their paces.
Happy Valentines day!

Small update

Since my last posting I have participated in two more twilight sails, plus spent the Australia Day long weekend aboard Sirocco in Rockingham, which is fast becoming a favourite cruising destination for me. This time, Steve and Miriam (Hollandaise) came along and a wonderful time was had by all. Perfect cruise-mates!
The following week I was treated to a twilight sail aboard Hollandaise - jib only as the SW's were blowing hard, but I was reminded of what a lovely yacht she is.
The trend this summer seems, unfortunately, to be howling SW's all day, increasing in late afternoon/early evening, so this Friday twilighting was cancelled (28 knots). Whilst I quite enjoy a couple of reefs and a small amount of headsail, it can't really be called relaxing, which is the whole point of twilights.
This week I saw that a photo of Sirocco had made it onto the competition pages of The Bavaria Owners website, so "Vote Sirocco"!!! This Sunday sees Sirocco being used for training purposes at HYC, it gives me a great deal of pleasure seeing the reaction of people who have never sailed before as they finally realise how wonderful sailing is (and occasionally seeing so many white knuckles when we heel over!)
Fair winds everyone - may your splices never unravel :-)

Twilight sails begin

Yesterday afternoon/evening, we participated in the first Twilight Sail for the year. It seemed almost everyone with a yacht was on the water, and it was a wonderful sight to see so many sails up. We were joined by Claire and Darryl again, plus Jane and Gail (also from a sail course) and Sue and Den, our old neighbours.

In what can only be described as delightful conditions, we sailed into the sunset, covering just over 5 nautical miles. Sheer Bliss – can't wait until next Friday for the next one!

Fremantle

Once again, Cruising in Company sailed en masse to Fremantle Sailing Club. This time, Mike and I were joined by Claire and Darryl, who had previously completed a HYC Sailing course aboard Sirocco. Six HYC yachts tied up at FSC Collector jetty. Much eating and drinking ensued, and I have to admit I suffered a slight mishap whilst trying to get off one of the other boats (after way too much wine, followed by Baileys). Bruised ego, backside and ribs – thank God no-one was sober enough to operate a camera by then - here's a photo of the bunch taken earlier in the day :-)

Technical talk from Mike

I have now added 2 more 120 Amp Hr deep cycle batteries to the house bank to give us 360 Amp Hour plus the standard start battery. The batteries are correctly connected in Parallel (there are 3 different ways in case you were wondering!) to get the best results. I constructed a bus bar arrangement to allow me to connect the wind generator, alternator and external 12 Volt power socket to and still allow space for further additions as required.

As previously mentioned by Jan the davits are on. The design has been very well thought out and executed. They incorporate a removable extension for the wind generator as well as 2 cross braces between the lifting arms for future solar panels if needed. The wind generator works like a dream. In 15-20 Kts of wind I see 5-6 amps and 18 Amps in 24 Kts of wind on the ammeter.

Sirocco has just been on the hard stand for her yearly antifouling. During this time I replaced the hull and sail drive anodes as well as changing engine oil & filters as well as both fuel filters. Bavaria had a recall on the rudders fitted to some yachts and ours was one, so this was replaced free of charge during this time.

I have replaced the inverter with a 3000 Watt unit now that we have a decent set of house batteries, this will allow Jan her toast in the mornings when we are over at Rotto !

We were thinking of having the dining table in the saloon cut to give us another drop leaf, this would have cost quite a lot to do, so instead we have moved it over to Starboard 3 ½ inches, not a great distance but it does make a difference walking thru to the front cabin, no more sore & bruised legs now.

Mike.

Rockingham

The day after Boxing Day, Mike and I sailed Sirocco south to Rockingham. By the time we got to Fremantle, the waves were breaking over our bow and reaching the cockpit - we had planned on following another yacht, who had left before us, but they called to say conditions were too rough for them, and headed off to Rottnest instead: we decided that there is nothing to fear but fear itself and carried on.....and were rewarded by seeing the tallship "Leuwin" under sail.

The shipping channel out of/into Freo is great - really well marked and deep, we followed it down no problems at at, motor sailing. Here's an artistic photo of one of the markers (just because I can)

Apart from the fact that this was new territory for us, what freaked us out most was looking for the mussel beds marked on the chart and making sure we were well clear of them - which is fine if you actually know what a mussel bed looks like (which we didn't!)

We picked up a mooring in the bay and chilled out for an hour or so.

Then it was into the dinghy, down to the old clubhouse to join Graham and Elaine (Eaglehearts) for a drink to celebrate Grahams birthday!

Next day, Eaglehearts reversed up to us, collected Mike and I and together we sailed to Pig Trough Bay, Garden Island. Our first time on a catamaran, and a generous (or mad!) Graham let us both have a go helming. Oh, I DO like autopilot....! Here's Mike on the wheel.

Once there, Elaine once again astounded us by producing a fabulous lunch, spare bathers, towels and liquid refreshments - she's so organised! We came completely unprepared, as we thought we'd just be going for a quick joy-ride to empty the dunny. Definately hosts with the most.

Tuesday morning, Mike and I left for the sail back to HYC and had one of the most perfect sails we've had on Sirocco to date - we were averaging 6-7 knots in 12-15 knot ESE winds, didn't have to tack once and made it back to Hillarys in just under 5 hours. Perfect.

A great way to celebrate a new year.