|
Post by fish on Jan 3, 2024 10:20:30 GMT 12
Have been doing repairs to get boat ready this week but won’t be going out as we both are still sick as . Hadn’t been to boat for a month and turned up on Monday to find Aussie skinks darting around the cockpit . Boat is mid river on piles roughly 150m from shore so I was suspecting foul play . Did a heap of research and found out paracetamol is an active ingredient in snake and lizard bait . Mixed up a brew of two tablets , honey and a few drops of water . Put it on a jar lid in the gas locker and got 4 of the buggers , havent seen anymore touch wood . Fixed a deck leak in one of the aft heads , thought it was the Genoa track so was geared up for a major headliner removal in several parts of the boat to get at the nuts to lift the whole track . Started in the head where the leak was , peeled the vinyl off the side deck underside which had a down light screwed through it ….turns out some muppet screwed through to the deck just cracking the gel coat . It leaked intermittently when water back up far enough in heavy rain above the Genoa track . Got that fixed fairly quickly and deck is solid GRP so no core issues . Glueing the headliner back on was a prick of a job and took a few hours of prep . Other major job was getting the freezer compressor going it stopped a few months back and we haven’t used the boat so it’s been waiting . Turned out to be a very close fire situation . Long story short , supply cable to compressor had a plastic block connector splice with a loose wire that caused resistance heat . Wire on one side was smaller gauge than the other . Installed a blade fuse and correct gauge of wire (there was no fuse in the circuit ! ) . A previous owner upgraded to two new isotherm/danfoss compressors but did the wiring themselves . There is a fuse in the fridge circuit but not the freezer which is a higher draw compressor needing a 15A fuse . Dodged a bullet there and will be scoping out the rest of the electrical system for DIY bombs . Other jobs are intermittent saloon window leak , remove inner forestay so we can tack the Genoa , strip some of the core out of furler driveline so it doesn’t cluster on the drum and get a hoist and water blast so we can stay at opua marina for bay of islands sailing week . Hoping next week sometime we finally use the boat for more than a couple of days ! We've got those plague skinks all around our place. Apparently they are a prime risk for the Gulf Islands. Any sails I store at home are hung from the rafters to stop skinks getting into them, and rats. I have a fear I will hoist a sail one day and find a rats nest and associated holes in it. Good tip on the skink bait. They don't cause a problem at home, but I am warry of anything getting established on the boat (ants, roaches, skinks etc)
|
|
|
Post by em on Jan 3, 2024 10:36:55 GMT 12
Have been doing repairs to get boat ready this week but won’t be going out as we both are still sick as . Hadn’t been to boat for a month and turned up on Monday to find Aussie skinks darting around the cockpit . Boat is mid river on piles roughly 150m from shore so I was suspecting foul play . Did a heap of research and found out paracetamol is an active ingredient in snake and lizard bait . Mixed up a brew of two tablets , honey and a few drops of water . Put it on a jar lid in the gas locker and got 4 of the buggers , havent seen anymore touch wood . Fixed a deck leak in one of the aft heads , thought it was the Genoa track so was geared up for a major headliner removal in several parts of the boat to get at the nuts to lift the whole track . Started in the head where the leak was , peeled the vinyl off the side deck underside which had a down light screwed through it ….turns out some muppet screwed through to the deck just cracking the gel coat . It leaked intermittently when water back up far enough in heavy rain above the Genoa track . Got that fixed fairly quickly and deck is solid GRP so no core issues . Glueing the headliner back on was a prick of a job and took a few hours of prep . Other major job was getting the freezer compressor going it stopped a few months back and we haven’t used the boat so it’s been waiting . Turned out to be a very close fire situation . Long story short , supply cable to compressor had a plastic block connector splice with a loose wire that caused resistance heat . Wire on one side was smaller gauge than the other . Installed a blade fuse and correct gauge of wire (there was no fuse in the circuit ! ) . A previous owner upgraded to two new isotherm/danfoss compressors but did the wiring themselves . There is a fuse in the fridge circuit but not the freezer which is a higher draw compressor needing a 15A fuse . Dodged a bullet there and will be scoping out the rest of the electrical system for DIY bombs . Other jobs are intermittent saloon window leak , remove inner forestay so we can tack the Genoa , strip some of the core out of furler driveline so it doesn’t cluster on the drum and get a hoist and water blast so we can stay at opua marina for bay of islands sailing week . Hoping next week sometime we finally use the boat for more than a couple of days ! We've got those plague skinks all around our place. Apparently they are a prime risk for the Gulf Islands. Any sails I store at home are hung from the rafters to stop skinks getting into them, and rats. I have a fear I will hoist a sail one day and find a rats nest and associated holes in it. Good tip on the skink bait. They don't cause a problem at home, but I am warry of anything getting established on the boat (ants, roaches, skinks etc) Forgot to add that I hoisted the main yesterday to get the water out of the flakes and there was a bird nest at the clew end . It escaped my attention because the Bimini blocks the view of the aft end of the boom . I’m guessing the birds were feeding them to the chicks and those 4 escaped . Bloody lucky they didn’t get to breeding and moved inside the boat , but then maybe they have …
|
|
|
Post by muzled on Jan 3, 2024 16:04:25 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by Fogg on Jan 3, 2024 16:13:41 GMT 12
|
|
|
Post by em on Jan 3, 2024 17:04:08 GMT 12
Lucky buggers ! Good pics too . Awful lot of boats heading north today only a few diehards sailing most are motor sailing
|
|
|
Post by em on Jan 3, 2024 17:19:54 GMT 12
Just took this now from home can’t really see the detail as well as the naked eye . Start of the pan is poor knights area , straight in front is Pataua estuary/taiharuru head then of course bream head area with a glimpse of little barrier then bream bay . It’s very comforting seeing large numbers of boats again it’s been 2 years of heavily reduced traffic . youtu.be/PQKx8KxgJHU?si=EepJWXJwzbMRs13N
|
|
|
Post by fish on Jan 3, 2024 18:26:47 GMT 12
Just took this now from home can’t really see the detail as well as the naked eye . Start of the pan is poor knights area , straight in front is Pataua estuary/taiharuru head then of course bream head area with a glimpse of little barrier then bream bay . It’s very comforting seeing large numbers of boats again it’s been 2 years of heavily reduced traffic . youtu.be/PQKx8KxgJHU?si=EepJWXJwzbMRs13NCracking spot you've got there EM
|
|
|
Post by em on Jan 3, 2024 18:45:33 GMT 12
Just took this now from home can’t really see the detail as well as the naked eye . Start of the pan is poor knights area , straight in front is Pataua estuary/taiharuru head then of course bream head area with a glimpse of little barrier then bream bay . It’s very comforting seeing large numbers of boats again it’s been 2 years of heavily reduced traffic . youtu.be/PQKx8KxgJHU?si=EepJWXJwzbMRs13NCracking spot you've got there EM Cheers thanks , it’s a bit of a cyclone magnet though
|
|
|
Post by Fogg on Jan 3, 2024 19:05:50 GMT 12
Cracking spot you've got there EM Cheers thanks , it’s a bit of a cyclone magnet though Bet you’ve never dragged through.
|
|
|
Post by em on Jan 3, 2024 19:22:18 GMT 12
Cheers thanks , it’s a bit of a cyclone magnet though Bet you’ve never dragged through. No not quite but the clear roofing in the outdoor room has self reefed a couple times now .
|
|
|
Post by Fogg on Jan 3, 2024 19:30:27 GMT 12
I don’t like crowds. Luckily I don’t have to go far to get away. 😊
|
|
|
Post by ComfortZone on Jan 3, 2024 19:56:59 GMT 12
Seems like half of Auckland is taking advantage of the calm weather to explore east side of Gt Barrier, never seen so many boats around here before, all sizes from 30m launches to fizz boats. Had a quick look in The Cove at Arid, "standing room" only, picture does not really demonstrate how busy it was, like Mansion House Bay on a sunny weekend this settled weather looks like staying around until early next week, hope so, this is the summer we have been waiting for.
|
|
|
Post by fish on Jan 3, 2024 21:30:27 GMT 12
Took care of the Missus's administrative tasks today (enrolled at Uni and accepted a very generous scholarship offer, course starting 30th Jan), now we can kick back and relax. Car is loaded with food and water toys for a planned departure tomorrow.
Really excited about this weather. Been waiting several years for this. We don't have to be back until the 13th, so will stay out until we run out of water, food, the weather packs up or we get bored. Very nice situation to be in. Got the kids a new inflatable kayak, so the boy is very excited about trying that out. Managed to acquire 4.5kg of ribeye at $25/kg this evening, so whacked that down into 'carnivore cut' sized steaks and vac-packed it with a view to fulfilling my dream of 'cold beer, steak and a nice bay'. Missus is looking sideways at me though at the thought of steak every night for the next week (what is wrong with that?). Got my fishing gear and eggs and flour, so we could swap it out for fresh snapper.
Will decide where we are going when we leave the river. First stop probably Tiri, but may head in the Motutapu and Waiheke direction. Possibly up to Kawau again but did that last time. I haven't actually been to Waiheke since the kids were born, and since the weather is settled should be able to land at Oneroa and do an icecream or cafe thing with the kids.
Getting excited.
|
|
|
Post by Fogg on Jan 4, 2024 6:12:29 GMT 12
Great! You sound well-prepared. Let us know where you end up - and send pics!
Thought about Waiheke as well - my reservations are aversions to hugely crowded anchorages. I have access to a mooring in Sandy Bay though so I might be tempted.
The only ‘downside’ of these very light & variable winds is the pattern of going SW overnight but swinging NE during the day with quite fresh sea breezes - which might make the northern beaches of Oneroa slightly choppy. Makes a more exciting dinghy landing at the beach though!
Not sure of your kids’ ages but check out the playground and wood-fired pizza wagon at Little Oneroa beach. A great combo to keep the whole family happy especially if you bring a small chilly bag for parental beers whilst you watch the kids eat & play. 😊
Talking of which, anyone know if the pizza place on Rakino is running again this season?
|
|
|
Post by em on Jan 4, 2024 7:28:50 GMT 12
Great! You sound well-prepared. Let us know where you end up - and send pics! Thought about Waiheke as well - my reservations are aversions to hugely crowded anchorages. I have access to a mooring in Sandy Bay though so I might be tempted. The only ‘downside’ of these very light & variable winds is the pattern of going SW overnight but swinging NE during the day with quite fresh sea breezes - which might make the northern beaches of Oneroa slightly choppy. Makes a more exciting dinghy landing at the beach though! Not sure of your kids’ ages but check out the playground and wood-fired pizza wagon at Little Oneroa beach. A great combo to keep the whole family happy especially if you bring a small chilly bag for parental beers whilst you watch the kids eat & play. 😊 Talking of which, anyone know if the pizza place on Rakino is running again this season? Their FB page shows they were making pizzas up til Christmas Eve Eve .
|
|