Miss Behaving
| Vessel Name: | Miss Behave |
| Vessel Make/Model: | 2001 Beneteau 50 |
| Hailing Port: | Hebe Haven Yacht Club, Hong Kong |
| Crew: | Kevin and Irina Shanley |
| About: | Retired Australian Airline Pilot and a Russian School teacher. |
10 October 2014 | Brisbane
We're back
Well in my last blog I said that mother nature has the last word and she did it to us again. On Sunday we left Gladstone on the final leg of our journey down the coast to Brisbane. We motored most of the way to Pancake Creek, a lovely inlet West of Bustard Head lighthouse. The Grib forecasts were spot [...]
15 September 2014 | East Diamond Cays
Finally in sight of Australian Land
Well after giving up on Mellish reef and turning right we headed for Lihou Reef intending to heave to till daylight then seek shelter for some R&R. Having found the lee of the very large reef we settled in for a long sleep while hove to and drifting north of Turtle Islet which indicated an anchorage. Daylight shattered our picture of a quaint island full of nesting turtles. The island is no more. On the Eastern most end is an 8M high sand island with a light and SART beacon but not a green shoot. I went to start the genny and it didnt play ball and when I started the engine our cooling problem returned. All sorted with the engine but the genny is a wip so no airconditioners, bugger. We are now due to arrive at East Diamond Islet at 3.30pm today and will stay for at least one night while waiting for the winds to favour a route through the barrier reef. We are both well and looking forward to some terra firma. Love to all. Kev and Irina.
15 September 2014 | Not Mellish reef!!!
In Australian waters.
Hi all. Well the last 48 hours have been as much fun as riding bare arse naked on a bronco. We and Miss Behave are fine but I will admit to a few bruises. All went well till 100 miles north of Mellish reef then in a few minutes all hell broke loose with the arrival of a rainstorm hiding a squall that lasted 24 hours. 40kts and 6 metre seas so no fun. At the 80 mile mark to go to Mellish reef it was obvious we had been blown too far west to make it so I decided to 'make a run' for the coast so to speak. Immediately the downwind sailing gave us a well earned break but also means our arrival will likely be in Mackay now. Anyhow all well aside from the dozen or so flying fish that made bad landings on our deck last night. I will update when I see what the winds deliver for today. Love to all. Kev and Irina.
12 September 2014 | Middle of the Solomon Sea 305 miles from Mellish Reef
Update
Hi everyone. We are both well. The winds are being kind but the sea is confused making things just bearable. The boat is perfoming well. We have motored for 10 hours but I see no need to use the engine from here on. I hope you are all well. Love and best wishes, Kev and Irina.
11 September 2014 | Solomons Sea
We're coming
Hello. After the usual delay due to Immigration/Customs we departed yesterday at 0120Z. Departing Ghizo to the south was easy however all those beacons I was told my outrageous customs charge was to pay for were nowhere to be seen. It seems that every Yachtie visiting Solomons is outraged over the customs fee of 18USD per metre of boat length. Anyhow we made good progress overnight. When possible I am taking the easting as much as I can to cater for a change of wind but we are on track for arrival in Mellish Reef the morning of 16th. It is raining but we are comfortable. Cheers and love to all. Kev.
The Mighty Ozefridge Freezer
After unplugging the shore power we went to bed to wake up to a freezer sitting just below 0C. We hadn't lost the meat thank god. I set the freezer to manual, overriding the control circuit and it kicked into life. I knew I couldn't leave it in manual due to the battery drain so I rang the good people at Ozefridge in, Victoria, Australia. Peter MacKay the sales engineer answered. I described the problem and he was on to it. When I said I was in Cebu, Philippines he said his manager was in Cebu and could help. I thought he was joking but no he wasn't. Within 2 hours Louie MacKay, Peters son was on the boat. Now that is service! Louie helped build the freezer and within minutes had isolated two faults, one with the earth and in no time at all the freezer was purring and giving me the -22C we had been getting for the last 3 years. This was the only problem we had encountered in 3 hard years of service and I can not say a bad word about the Ozefridge system. Well done chaps.
