Somehow, when you are boat bound, whether it is because you are waiting for things to get fixed or are hiding from the weather, you have to keep yourself amused and engage in sanity saving activities. In our case Wade has been doing lots of Mr Fix-It jobs. He actually enjoys the maintenance side of boat ownership. Getting involved in investigating faults or repairing things keeps him busy and learning, and it gives him a sense of achievement. For me, I have to use the time differently and focus on creative pursuits to avoid a major dummy spit.

We won’t bore you with more boat maintenance stories. You have probably had enough of them and quite frankly, so have we! So instead, let’s talk photography projects!

Our book “Oases under the Sea” is progressing nicely. I have completed the writing, photo selection and editing, and finalised the layout. There are some image gaps which we hope to fill when we return to the reef in a week or so. I have also drafted a French version for my Dad and sister. It was a challenge to find the French name of species but in the process I discovered some interesting marine sites! Here a few sample pages:

Another project was to learn to create a collage of images displayed as a grid in Photoshop. I have spent a few hours getting familiar with how to do this… a good refresh on layers and masks! It is a great way to bring together a set of photos you like. Here are a couple of my practice runs.

A version of the Sailing grid will eventually be printed on metal to display on board. We have had great success with Print2metal and have a few of our favourite images adorning Anui. This Melbourne based company prints your high resolution images on aluminium. You get large, lightweight, high quality prints which can be affixed to cabin walls on board with just 3M picture hanging strips or mounted on your choice of frames. Follow the link to read more about this.

While we are waiting for the watermaker parts, our friend Phil and less soggy conditions, these absorbing activities are just what we need on a boat to keep cabin fever at bay. How do you manage when you find yourself a little stuck?