A three Mirror Morning.

A lovely warm light wind Sunday morning, so I got up early and schlepped the Mirror down to the launching spot by Altona YC. When I got down there, a chap with a Mirror on a road trailer plus two young sons was already there.  The Mirror had been sitting in a garage for many years, and had arrived from his brother the day before.  The kids were so keen to go sailing they were up at 5.00.  You have to admire that sort of enthusiasm.

I helped get their boat in the water, then managed to get a few photos before they sailed off.

I headed off eastwards, then when I was away from the madding crowds, I dropped the sails and anchored in about two metre deep water.  I have put a stirrup on the back of Peregrina as I remember even twenty years ago I was pretty hopeless at getting back into a Mirror from the water.  Took a bit of adjusting, but if I tie the stirrup so my foot goes against the rudder, I can get back in.  Not elegant, and I would really not like to be doing it in a chop, but I can do it, with a few scrapes and bruises.

I sat in the sun with the boat bobbing at anchor and had early lunch and a thermos of tea while I dried off a bit, then I pulled in the anchor (how did I manage to get the line so tangled so quickly ?) then headed off to explore the shallow waters at the entrance to Koroit Creek.  Tide was falling so I didnt get too far before I was aground, even with the centre board up. Headed back, and as I approached the Altona boat ramp, yet another Mirror bravely sailed and paddled out of the sheltered harbour mouth.  Almost no wind so I rowed while he paddled, then the wind came back and I chased him but could not make any ground on him. We were sailing at pretty much the same speed, about 3.5 knots according to my GPS.  I gave up, headed back home, and as I was putting the boat back on the trolley I saw the sails heading back into the marina.  Another young dad with a young son and daughter.  A crack crew, I sure couldn't catch them.  The sail number was 57 thousand and something - a close relative of Peregrina 57868 - but in much better condition.

I resolved today to simplify things a bit, less sundry stuff in the boat, and take off the bits of string that I don't need. When I took the boat apart, I saw that one of the "P" rings that secure the rudder had bent almost straight - probably when I was reboarding. I small price to pay to get back in the boat, but annoying non the less.

Camino Anniversary ...

This time two years ago I was gearing up to walk the Camino, from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostella.

It was a grand and completely unique experience, and I hope I learned a few things from it.  I often think about it.

Cape Conran Camping March 2017

The week before the Labour Day holiday weekend here, so we thought it would be a good time to get the teardrop back into action, and head off down to one of our favourite places, Cape Conran down in East Gippsland.  We stayed first night in Marlo CP, and had a lovely dinner in the pub, which must have one of the best views of any pub anywhere, looking out over the Snowy River estuary.

Great food and friendly locals as well - we formed a very good opinion of the Marlo pub.

Next day we drove to Bemm River to check it out but somehow it looked a bit cheerless, so we drove back to Cape Conran, checked in for three nights and found a nice camp site, which was pretty easy as the place was almost deserted.

Over the next few days we went for some lovely walks, both along the beach and through the bush, canoeing with our trusty inflatable Tahiti canoe on Yeerung River, swimming (carefully) in the sea, and spent a fair bit of time sitting round reading, as well as cooking, eating and meditatively staring into the camp fire.

The most excitement was the visit from three large goannas, who each investigated the campsite, before settling down for a brief nap.  It was quite companionable really and we were touched by their trust in us, that we were not going to eat them or do them harm.

All in all, a really nice trip and a good encouragement to get the teardrop out more often.

A two hour cruise

This morning, the first day of Autumn here, was clear, warm and just a breath of wind first thing, so I loaded Peregrina up - carefully referring to my check list given my recent predeliction for forgetting key bits - and headed off down to the launch spot.  A beautiful morning, and two people asked wistfully if they could come out with me as I made my way down to the launch spot.  I should be getting fit just from dragging the boat down and back - apparently they have things in gyms that people pay to use that deliver much the same workout.

There was just enough wind to ghost past the marina and off down past the dog beach, much to the amazement of the dogs bounding happily through the shallows.  The water was crystal clear, and gave me a very sharp view the boulders I narrowly missed by leaving a tack a little late.

Here is my course this morning.

 I picked up a few bits of flotsam and jetsam along the way, and managed to score a nice straw hat that was bobbing away far from anyone.

A propitious start to the season - I hope I get a lot of sailing done before it is over.

With a reef to the reef

Today the predicted light airs turned out to be a funny sort of day with gusts up to 20 knots and lulls below 10.  I hadn't taken Peregrina out for a while, so on the basis of the forecast I decided today was a good day.

Its amazing how quickly one gets out of practice.  Or maybe I was just rubbish today.  Seemed like a real slog to pull the boat down to the launch spot - perhaps the fact that the trolley tyres had no discernable pressure in them might have had something to do with that.  When I got down there I discovered that I had left the sails, and the lock for the trolley behind. Anne kindly brought them down to me, while I fiddled around rigging the boat.  Only took three tries to get the mast right and the stays untangled.

Some good gusts were coming through while I was rigging, so I thought today would be a good day to try out the mainsail reefing - a January project in which I was much assisted by the New Mirror Dhinghy Discussion Forum http://forum.mirrordiscussforum.org/node/475 .

I headed off with the full jib and the reef in, and once I was out there I was glad I had done so.  I am very pleased with the reef - it sets very nicely, ties up neatly, and makes everything a bit more relaxing.  Without the reef I would have been hiking out on the gunwale with white knuckles a fair bit today.  Instead I was able to sit in comfortably.  The helm with full jib and reefed main doesn't seem that different to normal rig.

I didn't go that far - out past the Altona reef and back. For an experiment I dropped the jib as well.   Looking at the gps, I see I was scooting along around 3.5 to 4 knots most of the time, which is plenty for me.

All in all, a good experiment and a good learning experience. A check list might be in order, as well as pumping the tyres on the cart more often.

Day sail to Point Cook 1st February 2017

Today's forecast was for relatively light winds, so I took Peregrina my Mirror Dinghy out.   She lives on a fairly basic wooden dolly, and I pull her along down to the Altona Yacht Club ramp which is now the closest launching spot.  This causes much amusement and sometimes consternation to passers by.  A chap this afternoon pulled over in his large 4wd, towing an even larger boat, to tell me: "You should save up and buy a car" . The boat weighs in around 60 kilograms so it is not a huge load, but some people - perhaps concerned by my grey hair and advancing years - offer to help me pull her along. Anyway, it is a good work out getting the boat down there, and I feel a bit like Alaistair Humphreys and Leon McCarron dragging their cart Into the  Empty Quarter ( a short movie well worth a look if you haven't seen it.)

I was on the water about 10, and the winds were indeed light, and as usual, coming predominantly from the direction that I wanted to head in.

It took me till around 3 to get past the point, by which time the wind was filling in, and I was moving at about 3.5 knots. Werribee river would have taken about 2 hours more from the turn around point.

The breeze started to pick up as I turned for home.  I was setting the GPS to point me back to the launch spot, when the breeze shifted and I got a good whack on the head in an accidental gybe, plus a near capsize, about 50 metres off the reef at Point Cook.  That will teach me. It certainly made me pay attention.

The trip home on a broad reach took about  an hour.  I probably should have reefed but it was a rollocking good ride home.  A grand day out, and a good preparation for an expedition to Werribee River.

Ballarat to Brisbane Ranges to Little River micro adventure

Last week my daughter Jess had a couple of days off work and very kindly agreed to come along with me on a #microadventure, a ride from Ballarat to Little River, camping overnight in the Brisbane Ranges.  I was aiming to get some training kilometres in, in preparation for the Ballarat 2.5 hour relay event. After looking at the gradients involved and the wind forecasts for the two days, Jess rightly and wisely suggested we start from Ballarat and ride towards Little River, as we would have more downhill, and the strongest wind behind us on day 2.

We waited till the peak commuter rush was off the trains, then caught a train to Ballarat, getting in just before lunch.  I had a gps track and cue sheet, and we were soon out of the town and into lovely rolling country side, which seemed to be super fragrant thanks to rain the night before.

Tuesday was a good day for riding, and the 56 k from the train station to the camping ground at Boar Gully had plenty of variety.  A couple of good ups and downs, and mostly quiet country roads except for a few kilometers on the Geelong- Ballan road where there were B-double trucks and logging trucks whizzing past uncomfortably close.  But we survived, and made it to the camp site by 4.

There was a group of young lads camping there, which can be a worry.  I've had a wide experience with groups of young lads, and in my experience they are a thoroughly bad lot - to misquote Jaggers, the lawyer from Great Expectations.  But this lot were very civilized, turned the music off at 10, and kept hooting and hollering to the absolute minimum.  We had a good dinner, nice desert (dried apples and custard goes down well after a day of cycling) and a good fire for some caveman tv.

It was chilly overnight - right at the limits of comfort for our sleeping bags - but we slept well.  A bit slow in the morning, and we didn't get on the road till about 9.30.  The GPS track sent us off down Murphy's road, a dirt track which runs across the ranges then drops sharply down to the plain beneath.  Coming down, I was glad I wasn't going the other way.  I actually did the ride in the opposite direction many years ago, and the not happy memory of pushing a loaded bike up that grade came flooding back.

Down on the plain, the wind was kicking up, and with it the heat.  We blasted along mostly flat rolling roads and got to Little River by a bit after 12, just in time to miss one train.  So we visited the general store there with its very friendly ladies, who welcomed us despite our hot and sweaty appearance, bought some cold drinks, pottered into the headwind back to the train station - a little reminder of how nasty the headwind would have been - then caught the train back to Footscray, arriving just in time to miss our train.  Despite that we were home by 2.30.

There are no shops or good water points once you leave Ballarat until you get to Little River.  I took 5 litres of extra water, as well as each of us having two 750 ml bottles, but we used all that by morning. I filled up from the water tank at Boar Gully, and added Micropur iodine tablets.  You can never be sure where or how you pick up a bug, but I sure got one, and I was mighty sick the day after we got back.  I think I will take the water filter next time as well as the iodine tablets, and be extra careful boiling everything and washing it.  But it was a great little trip, amazing how remote and rugged it can feel so close to Melbourne