Getting Ready in Scarborough: April 21 2008
Holy cow...we feel a bit like one giant list of items...boat projects, boat maintenance, food to buy, supplies needed...all posted on walls around the boat with pens nearby so that items can continue to be added at any time...day or night. Yes, even during sundowners. Not to bore you but below is a sampling...
Boat List: service winches x4, repair gas oven, mend full enclosure, lube bow furler, service windlass, insulate/"shrink" freezer, install diesel tank monitor x2, flush engine coolant x2, inspect/clean/grease rigging, install sails, service bikes, clean/buff enclosure windows, scrub cupboards/clean contents/inventory, service outboard, re-jigger all storage spots, service generator, de-corrode SSB, service scuba compressor, install knot meter, lube blocks, epoxy tie-downs for additional storage, re-fill propane tank, top-up fuel tanks and jerry cans...
Food/Provisioning List: bleach, dehydrated potatoes, big olive oil, beer, wine, mandarin oranges, pasta sauce, cheese, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, cereal, UHT milk, wet naps, steel wool, flour, rice, lotion, mayo, paper towels, dishwashing soap, coffee, vinegar, salsa, snack Snickers and Twix, grain mustard, stuffed gape leaves (in a can), hydrogen peroxide, meat for freezer (lamb, pork and beef vacuum sealed)...
Supplies List: scuba tank "O" rings, timer, gallon ziplocks, epoxy brushes, vacuum seal bags for storage, grommets, boat hook, big DVD holder, wireless router, dinghy anchor bucket, laundry soap, oil (boat and dinghy), desicant, Queensland tide table...
The entire marina is in a similar state of affairs with tools flying from boat to boat and carpools made to the supermarket. Everyone is getting ready to head North...some further than others...but all are eager after several months of sitting still during cyclone season. For us it will be 2400 miles to Darwin before heading on to Indonesia and further West. We have really made a lot of progress but a few projects need specialists. The stove was one of these projects so we called on Ralph (he had helped plumb the propane line to the new grill). Ralph is truly one of the nicest guys on the planet and got the propane stove working better than it has ever worked before. Erin made daily bicycle runs to Kippa Ring for food/tool/supply needs...and a video for an after dinner treat. Cleaning, greasing, oiling, hoisted up the mast, cramped down into the bilges and Barefeet is looking great!! We even did some maintenance for ourselves with a visit to a dentist for some routine cleaning - good news, thumbs up and no issues.
An especially pesky boat problem that really had us scratching our head (no pun intended) was how to unclog the starboard head holding tank. Something was definitely...gulp...stuck. The last time this happened Chris emptied the holding tank one bucket at a time and passed the sloshing bucket to Erin who then emptied it (appropriately, of course)...very unpleasant. Fortunately, Chris stumbled upon a cruiser website with a similar problem and a solution...we closed the outlet hose, pumped in air via dingy foot pump, maintained the seal, opened the hose outlet and ejected the stuck bit. It worked like a dream!
The wind has finally mellowed and it looked to stay that way for a day or two. We decided to really see if our work was successful and leave the marina slip...after five months of stagnation. Off we went to Moreton Island (approx 15 miles from the marina) April 12th and 13th. Moreton Island is nearly 100% a National Park with crystal blue waters and white sand beaches. Ashore are large sand dunes and dense tropical forests. We opted to anchor in Lucinda Bay on the advice of a marina neighbor who has lived in the area for years. The spot was lovely and got us re-energized to start cruising again. Winds stayed light and there was loads of wildlife. We dinghied ashore through shallow sand flats populated with zipping stingrays and the odd, small shark. When it got too shallow for the dinghy motor Erin pulled it forward (with Chris in it)...watching not to step on a buried stingray. We climbed Sand Hill and felt miles away from Brisbane surrounded by nothing but ocean. As we walked from the dinghy to the sand dune hills we were amazed by the thousands of scuttling little crabs. They were everywhere. And quickly parted and divided in large groups to avoid us completely. They were bright blue with bodies resembling gumballs...with loads of skinny, spider-like legs. Really funky...and there were so many that we could actually hear them as they moved. Sunsets back on Barefeet were beautiful and reminded us what we enjoy so much about living on Barefeet.
Back to the marina and again tied up for a final scurry and flurry before heading off for good. One nice break in the work schedule was a great dinner in Brisbane with John (Apr 16)...who really was a superstar by driving us to the supermarket and liquor store before dinner and back to Scarborough after dinner. Immensely helpful. As we continued to work on Barefeet the weather turned bad...heavy winds and rain made it clear that we had a few more days to wait. No worries as there was still plenty of work on the lists for the days and plenty of fresh limes for sundowner margaritas. All eyes remain on Mother Nature and weather forecasts...looks like we are off today (April 21)...out to Moreton Island for one night before Mooloolaba for a few nights...then off to Fraser Island!! Fair winds.