Slow day

The general vibe in Melbourne has been fairly sombre this week. I have been keen to get out on the water, for some restorative PPB time, waiting for a day with some sun and some reasonable wind.  I guess one out of two is not too bad, a sunny day with mostly vanishingly light winds.  It was good just to get out there, no going very far (about 7NM for the day) or fast (average speed 1.7 knots).  A thermos of tea, a book to aid escape, and Oz for company. 

There were lots of gannets gliding, searching, diving, or just bobbing on the water.   I find them hard birds to photograph.

I wasn't the only one escaping.  I heard this guy before I saw him, the music on his boat cranked right up so he could hear it over the noise of his engine.

You have to admire the style -  bare chest, shorts and Alaskan furry hat.  You wouldn't want to get cold ears.

It was surprisingly quiet today down at Altona ramp, so I took advantage of the lack of traffic and the light wind to try out my new Padook, essentially a greenland paddle blade at one end, and a boat hook on the other.  I think I can add about .8 of a knot of boat speed if I really put some energy into the stroke.   As I was Padooking/sailing into the safe harbour, a nice older gentleman in a fishing boat coming out was very concerned for me, and wanted to tow me in.  And when I was pulling the boat up to the trailer, I flipped my key piece of boat infrastructure - my waterproof cushion - over the side, causing me to make a right hash of my approach to the trailer. A nice chap came and held the stern line for me.  And the little girl you can see running down the rock wall to the left of the picture above was totally taken with Ozzie and wanted to know all about him and the boat.  So I came back home feeling a lot more cheerful and well disposed to the world in general.

Sew, stitch, unstitch

Jess wanted to make some masks for us all, and the novelty of hand stitching wore off fairly quickly. I dusted off my mum's trusty Singer sewing machine, 1924 model from the registration plate, so she probably bought it second hand. After a quick lesson,Jess was away. She has been turning out very professional masks for us all. My mother, Eileen, would be very pleased. The machine still sews beautifully.

My grandmother's sideboard continues to yeild up treasures. Anne discovered a white muslin cover, for puttingover food to keep flies away I suspect, picked out with some cute embroidery. I suspect a teenager, perhaps my mum again, did this. 

I have been leathering the sprit booms from the Core Sound. Where they hit the mast was getting a right bashing, so it will be good to protect them. It has been a strangely soothing task, and I am quite pleased with the result. Anne says I am working through the experience  of the stitches in my face, and there could be some truth in that.  I had eight stitches removed on Monday, eight more to come out next week. 

Fog and fame

Anne and I and Ozzie got the Core Sound out yesterday.  It was as cold as charity and foggy to boot, but we had a nice ghost/row/drift/motor.   And the sun eventually came out, but not enough wind to move the boat.  We are drifting backwards from the yellow mark that is just to the left of the mast.

But it was worth getting out.  Do what you can while you are still capable/permitted. Here is some video from the day.

When we got home, the latest edition of the Dinghy Cruising Association magazine was in the letter box, complete with an article by me.  I am almost famous.  Well, I am more famous than I was before.  Which is not very famous at all. But it was nice to see the article in print, Keith the editor did a nice job with it.

It was nice to have some positive experiences.  On the not so positive side, I had to have a chunk taken out of my face this week, to remove a SCC, the legacy I guess of many sunny days on the water without sunscreen.   

Two rivers

Last Sunday was the Wooden Boat Association  cruise up yje Yarra from Williamstown and the up the Maribrynong. Gerard came as crew and Ozzie as chief sea dog. I didnt sleep that well the night before,  and my iq seemed to have been majorly impaired. I can usually back a trailer without issue but made a complete hash of it, perhaps because I had an audience. Hahn, a WBA meber, was there to capture the ignominy.

But we got launched ok,  and enjoyed a nice cruise for a few hours, lunch, and back. It was a good day.