March 2009 Manly and Bundy

Hamish, along the coast.....

We expected to just stay a brief time in Manly, near Brisbane, in early March, and visit with Horizon folks, Marilyn and Ray, but this cyclone, Hamish, came down the east coast and trapped us there so we ended up working on the exterior teak. Now this teak job is a huge endeavor and one we can put off for ages but we finally got it done. We will put up photos of CYAN in her finished state after the haul out.

These photos try and capture the fun of those weeks we spend doing maintenance projects to get the boat in good shape so we can go out and live and play safely. I won't try and list all the fun jobs....they do mount up, tho!!!


























We did arrange to take breaks for scotch tastings for Ray and Chuck...a new hobby in off hours!!!


Do these guys look happy or what???

After many harried days of work and errands in Manly, looking for supplies and a new water heater we catch a weather window and we set out for our voyage north to Bundaberg and to be hauled out for a bottom job repainting the hull after 2 1/2 years cruising. This is an especially long time to put off a bottom job and we don't know what to expect.

Lifted out of the water by the travel lift after backing into the slip in raging current and wind!

Hauled over to the dusty, dirty boatyard where we have to crawl up and down a 10' ladder to get off and on the boat!

The paint the had applied in Venezuela in 2006 had held up remarkably well and we had no real problems. We just spent a normal 9 days getting the bottom sanded, primed, sprayed and the new water heater installed. We did that, of course. We had to have some engine work done and we are installing AIS that will allow us to monitor ship traffic while at sea and have them see us, too. We still have provisioning and errands to do in town and a dentist to see.

Soon we will be out there anchored in the islands having fun again!!!