A lot has happened since my last post here, and I have gone on to update the situation, but then everything has changed and I have waited to update when things have become clearer!

So here the thing…..we were a day or two away from leaving Sydney Harbour, we had thoroughly enjoyed participating in Australia Day and were planning our shopping trip to restock the boat ahead of a wind change that would give us a bit of southerly to head up to our next stop, Pittwater, north of Sydney. It was a warm day and the children fancied a swim but the bay we were anchored in had pretty murky water and signs saying ‘no swimming’ so we decided to cross the harbour to Balls Head Bay for them. We were just coming into the bay when ‘clunck’ something happened and the engine began to shudder violently. Peter immediately shut it off and we drifted (against the wind) across to where we could anchor and set it. Then we looked at what might have happened.
Our first assessment was that we had hit something below the water and bent the prop shaft. We priced new prop shafts and called a few slip ways to work out what we were up for. Then we remembered we had insurance and contacted our provider. They replied immediately with a claim form we had to complete and asked us to get two quotes for the work.
The next day we got two marine engineers to come see us, still safely anchored in Balls Head Bay, and then, after paling at the size of the quotes, dutifully sent them off, along with the claim form. One of the places was certain we had snapped the engine mounts and possibly bent the prop shaft, the other that we had done both things. Both quotes were for in excess of $12,000.

After a couple of days of waiting and wondering, the insurance company contacted us with an email advising us we had authority to proceed with stage one of the work and get the engine mounts replaced. This would cost around $6000. The slip way they had approved asked me for the authority paperwork and I contacted the insurer….and that’s when everything changed. The insurance company then clarified that while they had given us authority to proceed, approved stage one of the work and chosen which repairer we could use, they would not be paying for the work. In fact we would pay for the work and then they would assess if they would cover it. We were, to put it mildly, stumped.
We had put in the claim because we didn’t have the funds to cover the cost. If we went ahead and the insurance company refused the claim we had no resources to get the repair done in this way. We felt we could not even borrow money in the hope that the insurer would pay, lest they wouldn’t and we were left with a huge loan. The thing is, this is Sydney Harbour – there are, as many have told us, a lot of sharks here! So we were reluctant to go ahead if there was a less costly way to do the work, and so we contacted a highly recommended marine mechanic who we hoped would give us an honest and not-inflated quote.

Olly has been a God-send. He came a few days later. He looked at the boat and suggested that engine mounts and alignment were our primary issues and he and Peter talked about the work we could do and the work he could help with. So far we have been able to get and are part way through replacing the engine mounts, and the cost is hugely different to the quotes we started out with. Peter has added to the cost with the need for me to completely replace his wardrobe as he has a habit of doing just a little job that turns out to be somewhat more and there goes another pair of shorts and tee shirt! But that aside he has done an amazing job, got into the most incredible positions and loosed nuts and bolts that were corroded and rusted shut. He has done this work that will see us with a major engine overhaul before we leave, at a fraction of the cost.
Luckily for us too because as we got more and more into it we found more and more that needed replacing. The original quotes would have got way higher if we had gone that route, and by now they would have probably exceeded $20,000 at least. We have had to repair the bell housing that was cracked, replace couplings, machine and refit the new engine mounts that of course are no longer available in a simple swap form, flanges to the gearbox have to be re-engineered and modified to take the new coupling and new flexible couplings coming from overseas. When we finish all this work Olly will do the alignment of the prop shaft and at that point we will know if the prop shaft is okay or was in fact bent all along. His view is that it isn’t, but only time will tell!

Meanwhile we have sat here snug in Balls Head Bay and carried on with life. It has been a good spot to get stranded in – we can get off easily, get into town or northern shipping areas, friends have visited and we have had days off the boat exploring Sydney. Our anchor is set very well and we even sat quite comfortably in a big southerly last weekend, that was forecast to be around 15 – 20 knot but actually, when it hit, was somewhat more ferocious at 35 – 40 knot!

We have, in the time we have been here also attended to some other necessities on board. As many of you may know, our marine toilet has been a frustration to us since the very beginning, when in Princess Royal Marina in Albany we had our first experiences of blocked toilets and holding tank outlets. We have replaced it, replaced different bits of it, fixed it and fixed it again and finally we decided, just after Christmas that it was time to launch out and experiment with a whole new system. So we took the plunge and ordered an Airhead Marine Composting Toilet system. We have had it nearly a month and so far we are absolutely thrilled! It works! It’s not messy or smelly and there is nothing in it that can break! At last we feel we have found something that takes the pain out of marine toilets!

Taking out the old toilet has meant one less sea-cock, and no need for the black water holding tank. Our next plan in this area is to remove the old holding tank and purchase a new water tank that can go where the old holding tank was, which is in the wall behind the shower, and then buy an instant hot water system to attach to this for making instant hot showers. Until, we do this we have come across a much better temporary shower than we have had before and now have hot, near mains pressure showers and the only thing we have to be aware of is our water consumption. This is a 12 volt camping shower and we are very happy with it.
We have now been at anchor for around 3 months and have missed nothing about being in a marina or tied to a wharf. Actually it is very peaceful and pleasant and a life we have adapted to very well.
Finally, after nearly three years on board we figured out a way I could have a little ‘office’ space and Peter was able to create a small ‘desk’ for me – a place I can sit and write no matter what else is going on around me. It’s awesome and I feel very blessed!
If all goes well we hope to complete the engine repairs by the end of next week. If there is no further problem we may then be ready to be on our way north again. If there is, we may still make our way north under sail, to places where we can take the boat out of the water for lower costs as Sydney Harbour slip ways charge around $500 per day before anything is even done and if the prop shaft needs replacement we are looking at around a week on the slips.

We will keep you posted, but remember too that we have the Facebook page which we update more frequently - https://www.facebook.com/argos.schooner?ref=hl