July 2019

The little text query “Have you left yet?” asked with friendly intent, is seriously frustrating.

We haven’t left yet?  The answer is very much No, and Peter and I have really learnt about the value of patience.  I think we have actually gone through all the stages of grieving at various points in our ‘No we haven’t left yet story”.  It is now July.

Ken, a retired school teacher turned blacksmith, has been and installed the 12 copper rivets needed to hold a brass shoe under the rudder shaft – beautiful workmanship.  We are back in the water, heading up to Mindarie looking forward to that ‘Puttering off into the Sunset’.  But…

As the rudder had been moved, the autopilots needed to be recalibrated to it.  This process highlighted an issue with our electronics, that was compounded by our replacing the VHF radio and AIS unit.  It took Greg (a very patient Taylor Marine technician) a week of mapping wires and tutting, to get the electronics system functioning correctly.  In the meantime we needed a new gas compliance certificate so we could use the WA government harbours up north.  I was a bit worried that the new gas cylinders would be problematic, but it turned out they were the only thing in the gas system that was working properly (and safely).  More deep breathing and beach walking while waiting for a new stove to arrive and be fitted.  

Neon is back on the boat, but so are a lot of strangers this month – he may have panicked a bit.