Anui is out of the water for a little while with a manageable task list. How long for? Possibly two weeks but we often underestimate the time it takes to get everything completed, so our answer is “till it is all done”!

Bright and early on Monday morning, Ellie the Sea Lift got us out of the water, ready for the onslaught!

There are a few chunky tasks on the work list. Neither of us is feeling very fit and strong so we have outsourced most of the jobs. But despite delegating the hard work, we both still feel exhausted and ready for a nap by 2pm – wishful thinking though, Most days start at dawn after a poor night’s sleep and we collapse like little oldies by 8.00pm!. Wade is still feeling the aftereffects of shingles and Chris’s back is bitterly complaining!

As usual we lined up the trades well in advance to minimize our time out of the water. And we are lucky, our friend Bill has lent us his car while he is on a dive trip in Papua New Guinea, so we won’t feel like we are prisoners in the shipyard.

Jobs for Ryan, our trusted shipwright at 143 Boat Building

Ryan’s job list started small but as usual gets bigger as we go:

• Repair to the port hull paid for by the insurers of the people who hit us – Done
• Re-affixing of a timber panel in the galley which was coming undone – Done
• Re-varnishing of piano hinged door under TV which was looking a bit rough compared to the surrounding highly polished timber on the boat
• A check of a possible area of delamination along the hatch to the port engine – which will need to be fixed next week when the rain stops!
• Antifoul also for next week when the wrap has been done.

Print Image Signs

After the insurance assessors opted for the full boat wrap rather than the hull repaint to deal with the damage to our port side, we worked with Print Image Signs on the design for Anui. Here are some examples of wraps they have done in the past.

This is the exciting part of our time in the shipyard but also the most nerve-racking because we are changing the looks of the boat. It is also hard working from a small image on a computer screen and trying to visualise what 16 meters of pattern will look like. And that job fell squarely in Chris’s lap!

We did not want a solid colour for the vinyl as if down the track damage occurs and a patch needs to be applied, it is very obvious, whereas with a random custom design it is easier to disguise. Plus, we might as well have something distinctive and fun. We provided a sample of what we liked, and graphic designer Troy Enoka went about producing the artwork. This is our wrap getting printed!

It has been fascinating seeing Rona and Seth preparing the hulls and getting the wrap on. They will have finished tonight. Here is a sneak preview of what has been going on: a light sand, removal of the sign writing, thorough hose down, ready for the wrap application, which is just starting in the third image. Our boat has been looking rather dull, but it won’t be for long!

We will keep the full reveal of Anui‘s new appearance for the next post when it is all done. But let’s just say she will look bright and unique in her reef inspired colours.

We are also using Print Image to replace the One Way Vision film on our windows and hatches. The perforated film is designed to allow vision through from the inside of the boat out, while providing an obscured appearance from the outside in. It cuts down sun and heat in the cabin and gives us privacy. However after 5 years in the tropics, the original film is peeling off and looking ratty. It also is hard to keep clean as the perforations catch dirt and salt and you know what Wade is like with using fresh water to rinse the boat at sea! The new film will have a laminate applied on the outside to avoid encrustations.

Autopilot Repair

Our NKE autopilot stopped working on our way to the Gold Coast which is a major drama for us. The autopilot is probably the most important instrument on board. It gets a lot of use… pretty much as soon as we are underway we turn it on and leave it on till we come to anchor. Without a working autopilot we are stuck at the wheel and our concentration is not known to be good after half an hour! We do have a spare for exactly those unfortunate occasions.

We enlisted the help of Steve Cody from Melbourne Electronics who is our guru with the NKE navigation gear, to help us diagnose the problem remotely. It turns out there were two problems, the brushes on the electric motor that drives the hydraulic pump needed to be changed. The repair for this is being handled by electrical engineer on the Gold Coast, Les Fitzpatrick. The second problem was more concerning as we could not figure out exactly why the backup autopilot was turning the wheel from lock to lock when we were switching it on!  Under Steve’s guidance, we have reinitialized the Giro pilot, reset the rudder angle and it now appears to be working properly. We are hoping this will do the trick, but we won’t know until we get back in the water!

Other Outsourced jobs

• Tohatsu dinghy engine service by Slades Marine in Paradise Point – Done
• 100m of chain and main anchor re-galvanizing by PDM Galvanizing and Transport – Picked up and underway, but it will be what holds us up as they take 12 working days to get it back to us!
• Yanmar 1000 hours service by MMS on both diesel engines… ouch! Done
• Davits straightening and strengthening – one arm was bent after we lifted the dinghy up with water in it. This is going back to Chris at Shine Stainless Steel.
• Gas fittings check by Reece Wooley from Gastec as we have been concerned about a possible leak. He found the culprit straight away: a regulator valve had blown and needed to be changed – Done
• Canon Camera service by Anderson Camera Repairs. It gets a beating in our marine environment and needed some serious TLC. With our upcoming trip to Tasmania, we suspect it will get a fair bit of use, more than the Olympus or the drone, so the professionals are servicing it, doing a sensor clean and replacing a perished mode dial.
• Kitchen knives sharpening by Adrian at Beyond Sharp… such a good name for that business! We get this done every year, well worth it – Done

Jobs for us

• Clean the rust off all the stainless steel deck fittings – Done
• Pressure wash the decks and cockpit – Done
• Purchase and install new ICOM VHS radio – the original died – Done
• Purchase and install a small caravan fridge in the back cabin for more cold storage – Done
• Launder all upholstery in saloon and cockpit – Done
• Remove the old One Way Vision film and clean all hatches and windows thoroughly, ready for the application of the new film
• Polish the top sides
• Clean the grubby dinghy
• Reseal a leaky hatch at mast step

While all of this is happening, Bengie is having little morning wanders, something she has not had enough of this year with all our offshore voyaging. But she is a little hesitant… dogs, frogs, rain… it’s safer on board!

We have made a great start and have most jobs underway. We can’t wait to be out of the dock but might have to be patient. Not only will the chain hold us up, but the rain might also slow us down! Heavy downpours and storms have been descending on us daily. Would you believe we have been listening to an army of frogs croaking loudly… in a shipyard!?