We are still at Fraser Island enjoying regular walks and bird watching, in between frequent downpours, which means… wait for it…. more dribbles!
Birdlife
Might as well start with the good stuff! One of the lovely aspects of being anchored along Fraser Island is the birdlife. During our wanders ashore, we have the delights of seeing Rainbow Bee-eaters, Rainbow Lorikeets and LBBs (one little brown bird might be a Brown Thornbill). I am a bit rusty with bird photography, but here is a gallery.
Leaks!
Our war against water “on the inside” continues. Just when we thought we were done with leaks, we discovered fresh water in our starboard bilge. We initially thought we had a leak in our fresh water tank or pipes, but no, that was not it thank goodness. We then searched around and eventually found that rainwater was dribbling down between the dagger board casing and the hull, originating from a loose pad eye on deck. It has been raining a hell of a lot!
Having found the source of this major dribble, we then had to get to it from the inside to fix it. Nothing is ever easy to get to on a boat, and this was no exception! First we had to remove all the beautiful cedar panels without damaging them to get to the dagger board case and the bottom of the deck. Then it was a matter of reaching the offending bolts behind the dagger board sheath to remove them and reset the fitting. And of course one of the nuts on the bolt had seized, so a copious amount of CRC was needed and in the end we snapped the bolt! It took hours to complete the job with a lot of swearing from the two of us.
The exercise gave us a better understanding of how the linings and panels hang together and what lies behind them. We are in such awe of the construction of this boat. Everything looks beautiful, but can be removed with care.
Before 
Panels removed 
Reaching behind the dagger board 
Reconstructed hull back to normal!
We just have to accept we own a 19 year old boat that requires constant attention. And we already know the three big windows on each side of Anui will need to be resealed at some stage… oh, and the big hatches to the engine compartments!
Sv-Anui 
A. boat is a hole in the water into which one pours money. Shes a beautiful boat! I’m glad that leak was sealed up. 😎
Hi John, yes it is endless but part of ‘the deal’. One leak gets fixed and we move to the next!
It’s a labour of love though isn’t it… 😍😎🌴
It is!
Very relieved it’s not either of you doing the dribbling! 😁
The dribbling from us oldies will eventually start… we’ll just hope it comes much later!
You can get medication to help stop the dribbling🤣I know
Ah ah, talking from experience Henry? But it’s the boat that’s dribbling… for now anyway!
It never ends, does it! At least you are getting to know your boat! Photos and drawings in bird identification books hardly ever match what you have in front of you. We have the usual guides, plus a photographic one, plus one produced by an artist: ‘Birds of Queensland’s Wet Tropics and Great Barrier Reef’ by lloyd Nielson – which is in gizz sections – for example: ‘Birds with black and white facial markings’ or ‘Birds with a prominent eye ring’…. makes looking up species a conversation piece.
That sounds like interesting book! Yes we too have a whole collection of reference books on everything: bird’s, fish, corals, plants!
You have coverage – where have you got to?
Hi Chris,
We are currently anchored in the Tamar River south of Miserable Island…and we are hoping it wont be (there is a Big Blow coming and we are hoping we are far enough south to avoid most of it). The plan is to head to Launceston on Saturday if the wind projections stay the same.
Wow, big passage from Strahan! Good to know you are safe.
Send me some of your rainbow birds, Chris. Seriously, they are spectacular. As for the leaks, I guess it really is something that you have to stay on top of all the time and fortunately you seem to be managing pretty well.
Hi Mike – yes two types of rainbows are colourful. I don’t get to see the bee eaters very often, having lived in the South of Australia, but now that we are spending time in the tropics, this might change.
The leaks… well we have learnt how to fix hatches, having resealed so many, but it is frustrating. You can do a quick fix. But eventually you have to bite the bullet and fix things properly. It is a regular job on any boat every few years.
Chris not sure if it’s a problem my end or yours but the photos are overlaid over the text & I can’t seem to be able to move them . Great to see Anui on the move !
Cheers John
Hi John, not sure. Looks fine at my end. Are you viewing from a phone or from a laptop?
I have the same problem as John on my iPad, but not on another later model in the house!
Hi Doug – I checked the post set up for different device formats and they all look right at my end. Hope you are all good?
It must be very frustrating for you, after all the fixing that you’ve been through for weeks and you found yet more leakage! Good thing that you have Wade that knows what to do.
Your photos of birds are very good, that changes the mood of the post and makes me happy. Take care Chris… 🙂
Hi HJ, yes is frustrating, but as you realise we now know the drill!
The birds were quite beautiful but far away so I had to crop the images a fair bit. They are grainy but still show their gorgeous colours.
I just love the bee eaters. You are really having a great time at Fraser Island. Good walks and back to our wonderful feathered friends. What a mission with the latest leak. Let’s hope it all stops soon. S
Hi Sue – yes the birds are so attractive. It is just lovely to walk along, camera at the ready and enjoy the change of pace, not to mention getting some exercise.
The leaks… an endless process but we have the fixing process down pat! We should have shared in Fix Tech!
Oh well it happens in units also. Dear Greg has just put 3 new taps in here …2 in laundry and one in kitchen……we are so blessed….. He did not have to remove walls though. Loved seeing your bird life……every afternoon around dusk hundreds of greenies come to perch in our gumtrees in front ……lots of « move over » screeches as they finally settle for the night……lovely to hear. Off again early in the morning……where did they go?
You are right Pam, home maintenance is needed, whether for a house or a boat!
Parrots are always a noisy bunch aren’t they, but they bring a smile to your face.