She is out! It’s that time of the year when we are in purgatory after months of exploring and put Anui on the hard stand for annual maintenance.
This year it is not too bad. The task list is relatively short, and being here in spring, the heat is not as suffocating so we might get off lightly. We have been hauled out for five days and hoping we will only spend another five out of action. Well, out of watery action, but plenty of action going on while she is high and dry at the Boat Works!
Here is the task list:
- Install more powerful solar panels. We are upgrading from 1000kw to 1880kw, using a bit more than the existing footprint on the cabin roof.
- As a result of the exchange of panels, we are having to plug a few holes; this means sanding, epoxying, sanding again, undercoating and painting, which is what will keep us on the hard more than a week.
- Wipe the slime off the waterline
- Scrub the hulls and antifoul
- Grind back the PropSpeed on the two legs and replace with International Trilux 33 as we have not been happy with the performance of the previous prop antifoul… too many barnacles too quickly!
- Clean up the toilet pipes… Shitty job that one, no wonder it was on the nose and the flush did not work so well!
- Scrub the gunk off the BBQ – here is a little hint for you: clean up your barbie as you use it, instead of saving it all for a once-a-year event!
- Launder the lounge upholstery, bed quilts, cockpit cushions
- De salt and de-mould all inside surfaces
- End to end the chain
- Service the Yanmar engines
- Polish the topsides
- Get our new prodder pole anodised
- Service all the running winches
- Service the life jackets
- Clean the gunk off the dinghy (still cursing those boobies) and get a new cover for the outboard
We are using our trusted shipwright team at 143 Boat Building for prepping the hulls and legs, antifouling and the repairs to the cabin roof. Odyssey Marine Electricals are handling the upgrades to the solar panels and Marine Mechanical Solutions are taking care of the engines servicing. The rest is on our task list.
Although we had planned to, we did not proceed with getting new clears made as our Marine Trimmer did not think he could deliver the cockpit shelter we were fantasizing about. Not his fault, it’s the flying saucer shape of Anui which makes it too hard! If we had a big square box, it would be easy to make the cockpit waterproof.
As usual, there are advantages with being at the Boat Works: apart from knowing the trade teams well, we are able to catch up with other cruising friends also hauled out, we are wallies with the water during our well-earned showers and we make endless use of the “free” laundry facilities. Even Bengie knows her way around the yard, enjoying her early morning escapes up and down the big ladder to the closest patch of greenery.
Apart from the cleaning frenzy, we have multiple medicals appointments: health, dental, vet checks, breast and prostate cancer follow ups, as well as an MRI and treatment plan for Chris’s worsening arthritic back. Ah the joys of getting old and decrepit! That too will keep us at the Gold Coast for a little longer. We are very grateful to our Southport friends Linda and Peter for lending us their car. It makes life a lot easier!
Talk to you next Friday, hopefully from the water!
Sv-Anui 
So good to see all three of you in the flesh!
Yes, it had been ages!
Hi C&W,Sounds like just a routine list this year. Re the PropSpeed: is it working on the props but not working on the sail legs? I’ve been very happy with it on the prop, but use Trilux on the sail leg. Maybe the base metal affects its performance – bronze vs Al alloy, or maybe just the high speed of the prop surfaces clears the barnacles? Love the photo of the Bengal tiger!C&S – DII
Hi Chris, we used PropSpeed on the keg and prop but ended up with barnacles quite quickly after application, so we’ll see how Trilux performs!
Oh the joys of the haul out! Sounds like you’ve managed to source the larger solar panels and that amount of power will be life changing!
Bummer about the clears though…
Hope it all goes smoothly, including the human and cat health checks.
Thanks Helene, going through the process for both boat and bodies. Bengie all good, Wade all good, just me being recalcitrant!
Two out of three is a great start! Let’s hope they can find some strategies to help with your arthritis. I’m off to the physio today to see if we can find answers to my shoulder issues – this boat life does make health checks more tricky…
Yes, especially when on-going treatment is needed. Hope you get some relief too.
Wow guys, that’s a hefty to-do list! Add to it the all-important health checkups. I’m 63 and have a few aches in new places! The hulls look pretty clean in the photos, but maybe they have already been scrubbed. I’ll bet walking on solid ground feels odd after weeks at sea.
All straight forward on the boat front, John… just a process!
Right, an old joke says that a boat is a hole in the water into which one pours money… 🤭
Yap, don’t we know about that!
😂👍🏻☺️
Good morning Anui. I used Trilux on the legs when we first launched our boat. Found it very unsatisfactory. Now use Propspeed on leg & props. Last haulout I used 3 coats (instead of 2) of Propspeed & I’m finding this to be the best result so far. All about trying different ways when things don’t perform I suppose. Neville
Thanks Neville. Your boat is a bit different as it sits for half the year. We’ll see how it goes this time for Anui!
Wow, that’s still a sizable jobs list. Fingers crossed there are no unexpected hiccups on boat or medical fronts
Short task list for us, Graham! And yes, hopefully we can be on our way soon.
Comment received from Sue Marlin
Thanks for this post and information about all the jobs you have in front of you. All the best with the tests you are both going to endure during this time as well. Oh I forgot Bengie is also under the pumps well.
Have a good time
Love Sue
Hi Sue, yes it’s all go for a week and a bit, then we are ready to escape again and will soon be able to catch up with you in person!
Like home away from home 😉 I’m exhausted just looking at your joblist and schedule. Hoping all your medicals are good. Happy landlubbering!
We’re entering a new era, another house to renovate top to bottom …. two more weeks and we should be at it. We’re looking forward to a decent size garden and 3 garages!
We’ll know more next week… just hoping we don’t have any surprises that put a spanner in the works for Tassie again!
New home for you two or doing up your current one?
Current house was fully gutted and rebuilt 4 years ago. We’re moving 2 streets away, bush and creek at the back, south facing for sunshine and it’s the classic worst house in the best street 😊
Sounds like a massive project!
It’ll keep me going for the next two years, 4br 3 bath and the garden is a blank canvas! We can’t wait!
Hi Chris, what is “End to end the chain”?
It means switching which end of the chain is attached to the anchor. On a 100m chain, the first 50m are used the most, the rest stays in the locker and thus gets less wear. Swapping the chain around – end to end – makes use of the less warned section.
With chain maintenance you end to end one year, re-galvanise the next, end to end again the following year, then if it is too rusty it’s time for a new chain after that.
Thanks for the explanation Chris, now I’m a little bit less ignorant!