A Fresh Start

We're now back in Two Rocks (near Perth, Western Australia) to resume the cruising life full-time. A year ago we were wondering whether we'd be able to ever resume, so, this chance at a fresh start is very welcome and we're looking forward to it. First, though, as usual, before we can go anywhere the boat needs attention. She was only in the water for five weeks in all of 2018, so, in addition to all the outstanding tasks we had before we stopped, there is the inevitable decline from sitting unused. It didn't look too bad on arrival, the only visible sign of damage was a squashed VHF aerial from the large, heavy (and full of poop) cormorants that like to sit on our mast top and a small window leak.

The local beach, steps from the boat, was still just as wonderful.

At first, the weather was also great. Windy, as usual, but, sunny and around 25C. This summer sun is so strong it feels like a laser beam and burns on contact. The prevailing southerly wind comes direct from Antarctica and it was very welcome to cool things off. A change of wind to the east brought *hot* temperatures. As I write this, three days before Christmas, it is 41C! Humidity is low, so, it isn't as bad as, for example, Malaysia, where the heat had been unbearable, but, it still puts a crimp into things. I don't think we'll be wanting to turn the oven on to cook a traditional Christmas dinner. Boat work has also slowed down.

We're planning to leave here early in the New Year, heading for Hobart, Tasmania. Our preparations have gotten off to a good start. We launched five days after arrival and a few major jobs have already been completed. As mentioned in a previous post, we replaced all standing rigging and changed to a cutter rig in August. Now, it's the sails' turn for a fresh start. We had a new mainsail (with new stackpack), staysail and yankee made by Doyle Sails while we were away. It was a treat to bend them on, nothing like that crispy, new sail feel. As we had also changed the sail configuration, it took a bit of experimentation to get the sheet leads to work, but, all is looking good. Now, we just need to get sailing.

We also took the opportunity to improve the boom preventer system and install a Jordan Series Drogue. The drogue is a safety drag device that, in a storm, is a long line trailed off the stern of the boat. It has cones on it (we have 139) that provide resistance. It works to keep the boat stern-to the waves/wind and slow it down enough to prevent pitchpoling (end-over-ending). We used one in the North Atlantic on our previous boat and feel it's the best storm management solution for us. Hopefully, we won't have any storm conditions, but, heading around the bottom of Tasmania, we will be in the Southern Ocean, a place with a fearsome reputation where anything can happen. The drogue is an all-Dyneema model from Ocean Brake, in the UK. Our previous drogue was all polyester, just too heavy to manage dry and even worse when wet. At 18kg, we were able to carry this drogue in our airline checked baggage.

Also in our checked baggage we carried our new 5kg, three-way hydraulic steering valve. Sourcing it was a saga. There was absolutely nothing to identify it. So, we sent the old one to France, thinking it was a Lecomble & Schmitt valve (we'd found an old invoice onboard from that company). It turned out not to be theirs, so, we had it sent back and went on the hunt. With the help of a UK company (Phoenix Hydraulic Solutions), we found one (and only one) in a Twin Disc (formerly BCS) warehouse in Italy. Obsolete, with no documentation, we grabbed it for the princely sum of £1200. Expensive, yes, but it's always easier to replace like-for-like rather than redesign and install a new system. It's now installed, but, still to be tested. To finish off this round of hydraulic work we need to install our new continuous-running hydraulic pump motor which runs our autopilot systems. G is hard at work on that now.

We've been adding more items to keep our engines (main and generator) happy along the way. We'd previously stocked up on spares, oil/fuel filters, impellers and belts etc. Now we needed a stock of consumables. We need to carry a lot of everything. Note that we purchased Yanmar brand items. Their pricing was in line with the third-party brands and at least this way you know what's compatible and don't have to worry about wrecking two nearly new engines. I'd even rather pay extra if I had to, just to avoid having to look again at researching and comparing oil standard specifications, what a confusing mess that is!

To keep ourselves happy along the way, we've also started food provisioning, $800 so far and we'll need probably as much again before departure. We had a rental car for a week after we first arrived, but, now, it will be shopping by bus. So, the push is on as our departure date rapidly approaches. We just had a perfect weather window for leaving, hopefully another one will arrive to align with our projected dates.