Past the autumn equinox

 Now we have moved past the autumn equinox the boating weather is perfect for the sort of pottering round l enjoy most. Lack of second car requires some logistical juggling, but I have managed to get out for some excellent on water activities in the last week or so. 4 days on the water out of 7 ... Now that's a good average.

Sunday was the WBA sailing day at Werribee South, I got down there by train and bus, and Stephen kindly took me on as crew in his SCAMP.  Not much wind, mostly a rowing motoring day. I managed to break the rowlock pin on Stephen's oar but it was a good day, with an excellent turnout of boats.

The weather forecast for the rest of the week looked good. Monday I launched Anjevi from the warmies with Anne and Ozzie as crew. We sailed over to Port Melbourne, admired Princes Pier pylons and the stonking great cruise boats tied up at Station Pier being rebadged, then headed back to Williamstown and tied up at Ferguson St pier. Andrew Campbell was standing at the stern of the Castlemaine to welcome us in. Anne got fish and chips, the tram Ferry and Fearless pulled up and scowled at us a bit, as it is listed as a commercial traffic pick up drop off pier only. Oh well. If another commercial boat has turned up I was ready to move. 

It was a very pleasant spot for lunch.

We did a bit of exploring checking out the piers of Williamstown then headed back to the deserted ramp for an easy retrieval. A good day.

Chris contacted me suggesting an impromptu overnighter to Williamstown. He launched at Werribee South, I launched at Altona with a bit of cafr shuffling.  I radioed Chris to suggest meeting for lunch at the little sheltered indentation just round this side of point cook. I thought I was about a mile away, but my estimation of distance was, as usual, wildly optimistic. But I got there eventually and we enjoyed a peaceful lunch anchored in the shelter of the point.

It's 6 miles across to the breakwater pier at Williamstown, luckily a nice southerly filled in, and we had a fine quartering run, the SCAMP was ticking along round 4.5 knots, up over 5 down some of the waves. Off point Gellibrand we reefed, and pottered round to let the freighter traffic clear before heading in.

It was a bit bumpy till midnight when the wind settled down, and a bit noisy from the dock over the opposite side of the shipping channel which operates 24/7, but a lovely morning. Turner would have loved it. Back at ramp by 10, car shuffle, back home by 11. A great micro adventure !

Well being

 

Today I pushed Derry the Skerry down to the local beach on her folding trolley. Oz and I rowed over to the Dog Beach. On the way we met Andrew in Szotka and had a nice chat bobbing round off the red stick. I could see him tacking back from over towards the pier. It's not a race, of course, but rowing straight I beat the laser tacking back to the red stick. I can keep the Skerry moving about 3 knots into about 10 knots headwind.

We pulled the boat up on the sand just past the safe harbour. As Oz gets older, we have not been walking that far, and he has not been there for a while, though it used to be a regular haunt for him. He was super pleased to be back there. He had a good old bark and run around with some other friendly dogs, and a good old gambol in the warm shallow pools that form there as the tide goes out. It was a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.

L. Francis Herreshoff observed "... for almost nothing gives a person a better feeling of well being than a good long row".

More messing about

 The Autumn equinox is coming up, and as usual there is a burst of hot weather, and with it a burst of boating activity.  Campbell wanted to try a capsize test with his Pathfinder "Antares", Ian wanted a sail in "Westy" before heading off interstate, and a few usual suspects were good for a sail. We had a nice little fleet of six boats, and a good day on the water, real messing about in boats stuff but a bit hot packing up. I find my IQ declines sharply when the temperature gets over 30.

The water is just so nice now tho. I have been swimming a bit and got Derry the Skerry out for a row for an hour or two with Anne and Ozzie. Maggie thinks she might like to try it too.

As well, I have been out last two Saturdays with Peter M in his lovely Pocketship "Kelpie". It was Peter's first outing under sail, and the BOM was predicting light northerlies but we got gusty winds up to 20 knots, probably not ideal for a new sailor in a new boat, but the boat and her new captain handled it all very nicely. For the second outing, Chris came along as well, and we got just about no wind.  We explored some of the nooks and crannies of Port Melbourne, very pleasant, but bloody hot by the time we were putting the boat to bed. My brain got cooked again, and I managed to make a right stuff up of a WBA email later that afternoon. Oh well. What are they going to do, fire me? I wish.

So, plenty of on water and in water time so far for March, and with luck an expedition coming up.