It is good to be back home with Wade, although with the jetlag, a cold and an aching body, I am not convinced I am good company! It is also back to a rather soggy Anui, as the weather in Australia is very wet! We will just say two words: monsoon and leaks… get the picture?
At least the first dawn back on board was beautiful.
It’s raining on my heart
It was sad to leave my Dad, but the three weeks at his side went well. I know I did the right thing by spending precious time with him. I found him better than I expected and left him in a positive frame of mind, so all in all it was a worthwhile trip. But having family overseas is always difficult: heart wrenching to leave them, yet you have to live your life. We all make our choices and have to manage the consequences.
It’s raining on and in Anui
Remember those leaky hatches? Well they still leak big time, especially with the heavy storms we are weathering. So inside our beautiful boat, things are a bit soggy: towels to mop up the drips, pots to catch big dribbles.
No points for guessing what is happening as soon as the rain stops. Yap, rebedding every single hatch on board and some of the side windows! Wade tackled one hatch just before I left and was hoping the silicon bead we put around the others would suffice, but it does not in a big downpour. They say you should reseal your hatches every 8 to 10 years and the time has well and truly come for this job! Fortunately we can do this task at anchor, we just need the rain to stop.
But wait there’s more! You’d think we’d know by now that boat maintenance always takes longer than you’d like and multiplies as you go. Well guess what, the A frame for Anui is not back yet! We are currently in the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron marina in Manly waiting for it! It might happen some time mid week, or it may be longer. So we can’t sail anywhere. We are actually in a Lord Howe Island resident’s pen: that of Bill Shead, owner of Cut Loose, a 56ft Grainger cat. It is one of only two berths
we can fit into easily which are available for short term rent in Manly.
And talking about Lord Howe Island
We are not sure when we can leave for our big adventure to the Island. It is not only dependent on us getting the work done, but also on the northerly winds allowing us to make the 350nm crossing. And right now, the northerlies are few and far between: we have had weeks of southerlies not to mention also having to keep an eye on threatening tropical cyclones! Oh the joys of living on a boat!
So how are we both feeling? Frustrated would be an understatement! There is always a period of transition as you move from one boat to another and even more so when you purchase an 18 year old boat. Stay tuned for the on-going saga…
Sv-Anui 
Glad you are back, even with all the leaks. Talk soon
Hi Leanne. Thanks for visiting. Will call you soon.
I’m sorry that you are going through this frustration, Chris. Like everything in life there are up and downs and you have to take both with the same seriousness. Take care my friend… 🙂
Thanks HJ- all part of the course as you say!
Deck leaks are such a pain, aren’t they !
Send us some rain to Gippsland !
Way too much rain here and more to come by the look of things! At least we know how to fix the hatches – it’s just another thing on the list!
Maybe the purchase of indoor flippers would be in order. Good luck with the hatches. Glad you are back safely after a successful trip. Good news
Yes that could come in handy especially for the ones in the bathroom and kitchen! 😜
Welcome home! In Brisbane this week visiting my son & we had a very wet weekend.
Yes, I got back on Saturday morning so got the worst of the weather! Enjoy Brisbane and the time with your son, Barbara. Thanks for visiting!
Hey Chis ‘n Wade, we’re off to Lord Howe next week (flying not sailing). It would have been amazing had you guys been there at the same time! May your silicone beads be true and straight ……
Hopefully we’ll get there soon after you! Have fun you two!
Dear Chris and Dear Wade Welcome home dear Chris……hope your Dad is feeling better Yes we have had a most unusual summer so far. And now we are having lots of storms. I have thought of you Wade in the storms and what our Mum – your Nana used to say as we went out the door to school “ He over thee His wings shall spread and cover thy unguarded head.” Thankfully it maybe that we have missed the storm tonight….but how lovely to have the rain…..the park is green again.
Anita and Greg arrived in Japan last evening….for 2 weeks. They just felt they needed a break…..since the new babies arrived they have been busy helping out …. Well you know where we are and if you need our car at any time to get away from the soggy one….please come ….as long as it is not a Wednesday or Sunday while A&G are away. All well here. Lots of love…..it will dry out eventually dear Chris. From us both Pam
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Hello Pam, thanks for the visit. We are coping with the rain as best we can and are together again which is really nice. Talk to you soon.
Sorry hear about your leaks. Teething problems are to be expected I suppose.
I hope they will be fixed by the time I come and stay in the presidential suite cabin with ocean views in May. 🙂
Most definitely Phil! Your suite is ready complete with newly installed 12 volt charger plug! Can’t wait to see you – be ready for some serious sailing and snorkeling!
I think Sue’s comment is cute but a tad cheeky! 🙂 Sounds crazy but wishing Tassie weather for you soon. We have beautiful blue skies at the moment and light winds – unfortunately we are back in Strahan dealing with our anchor winch instead of enjoying the isolation (now that the 47 rally boats going south and 25 others going north have gone!).
Sue is cheeky, but she got us laughing instead of lamenting at the sogginess so it’s good!
We are making progress: clear day today so we have removed, cleaned and rebedded three of the worst offenders: one was particularly tricky in the side of one hull. The other hatches will only require the glass to be removed and reset.
At your end of things, avoiding the rally sounds like a good thing. Can’t think of anything worse than crowds in a wilderness area. We purposely chose to go to Tassie last year to avoid the rally!