Tuesday 8 May 2018

Selling and shipping out old Raymarine stuff was worth less and caused more trouble than tossing it in the tip, but maybe new owner can get some use of it. Time spent could have gone to cleaning out old earwax... or finishing boat projects. Anyway, thru-hull valves are operative, anti-foul is refreshed, new awning is up, bimini is off for re-stitching and generator is generating its little heart out. Next is window installation and then back at furler. Getting there.

Should mention that, contrary to the way these things normally go, installation of new chart plotter (they're now referred to as MFDs - multi-function displays, not to be confused with a BMFs) with connections to sailing instruments, AIS, autopilot and new radar went off with minimum sturm und drang and works great. Compared to ancient gear it does a lot of really cool stuff and demands the attention of fewer electrons (perhaps it is a BMF).

Friday

Since return from Oahu, weather in Darwin has not sucked nearly as much. It's dry season again and no rain. Just as hot, but the dew point dropped a few degrees. This has caused comfort level to soar up to sweltering. Haven't had to get up so early (0600) for bike ride to prevent heat castration.. frustration.. something like that. Forecast for today is balmy. We'll just have to see about that.

Fixed window is bedded into frame awaiting sealer cure. Finishing up with butyl for waterproofing should be done today. Furler work requires removal of new awning and mainsail so that may not happen any time soon. Wind, generally absent during the wet except in thunderstorms, has been blowing a hooley. Repair of leak damaged, wood hatch frames is proceeding apace (contrary to any definitions you may have heard, that pace is slow) and varnishing of them and brightwork will commence immediately upon return in June from Vietnam and Cambodia... possibly. Can't express how annoying it is having to perform manual labor, but once all projects are completed nothing can possibly go wrong again and we will be on the way to Cocos Keeling exactly at 0930, 18 July, then on westward to that large continent where Tarzan lives. By the way, if you haven't read any of the Burrough's series, they're surprisingly entertaining.

Monday

Generator required a flushing oil change after 5 running hours. Yanmar had only a few hours since last change, which was however, sixteen months ago. Transmission fluid probably came directly from a dinosaur. All attended to with new filters. Sounds easy, but wasn't of course, as Panda oil was initially replaced with previously used oil that someone had forgotten to pour out (hey, can't tell as it's being poured in), filters purchased in Indonesia didn't fit and getting to trany drain and fill plugs was, in fact, impossible. Normal boat service. If it was easy everyone would be out here scaring fish, polluting the environment and making a nuisance of himself with the natives.

Tuesday

Hate to admit, but weather last few days has been idyllic - warm days, cool nights, low humidity. Only had these conditions last year in June, so maybe with an earlier start, dry season will last more than 3 weeks this time. Anything's possible.

With forty four days (eleven hours, thirty four minutes and twelve seconds, but who's counting) left here after Vietnam/Cambodia visit, all big jobs except mainsail furler are done. The odd inspection, some varnishing and a general dusting and cleaning will make us right. Of course anyone who's done any cruising knows that last statement is complete bull squeeze and not to be countenanced. Besides provisioning, ditching a pant-load of junk accumulated during the previous year and a half of near stasis and estimates for work and time to do final items being grossly underestimated, some serious problem is biding its time, waiting for the critical moment to pounce. It's almost like Easter, we wait with barely contained excitement to see what pretty colored eggs the bunny will bring.

Jack