A Very Big Blog! - 06 04 09
I've arrived in Hobart, the main jobs have all been completed and it was great to a nice steak and chips in last night at the Bull and Chain steakhouse! I arrived off Tasmania late Friday evening and as the wind kept dropping off my ETA was put back and back.
Sailing along the coast was pretty spectacular as the sun set over the mountains. I was two miles offshore for the whole evening and to say it was a beautiful moment watching the sun set behind the mixed lush and barren mountains would be the understatement of the year. The sky turned a creamy blue/yellow/pink and the water was lit up like I've never seen before. My spirits were really high and as it had been a tough day in trying conditions it was all the more special.
I passed into the Derwent River and with 8 knots of breeze and on a close reach I was happy sailing up in the pitch-blackness on my own when suddenly a floating city took me completely by surprise! I saw a mass of lights moving along slowly away from me, which turned out to be a colossal cruise ship.
Sailing up the flat Derwent at 5-6knots, it was so quiet. I was constantly on deck, loving the peaceful sailing with shore either side and Hobart’s main lights in the distance.
A small boat from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania came out to meet me when I was about halfway up the river, and it turned out they’d come out without filling their fuel tanks and were running on empty! I gave them one of my Jerry tanks of diesel - they thoroughly deserved it for coming out very late at night to meet me!
I arrived at the marina a couple of hours later, took down the sails and waited for a rib to help guide me in. We dodged our way through the moorings and berthed nice and easily.
Customs and quarantine boarded the boat very soon after and all the paperwork was completed quickly; they were really nice guys (and girls!) and the only thing which they showed concern over was my freeze-dried food where the beef was apparently different to their normal regulations. In the end we just agreed that instead of removing it, it would be made ‘temporarily inaccessible’ during my stay and so they put a load of yellow tape on the food bags.
By the time I was officially settled it was 1.30am and I headed off to the hotel for a good steak – but of course the kitchen was closed at this time, so instead I had pizza from a takeaway shop.
I woke up bright and early at 7am after only four hours’ sleep and was set for the day. I came out the shower and said, in typical Mike fashion, having been at sea for a month "That rain was really nice!"
We'd arranged in advance for lots of work to begin bright and early at 8am so was straight back down to Totallymoney.com. We had a mechanic for the engine/ballast pump, an electrician for the chargers and a few extra helping hands for the rudder, which was the most complex job.
Don McIntyre an ex BOC vetrean, Ron the bosun and many others arranged for the rudder to be dropped out. We canted the boat fully over filling all three ballast tanks on the port side, much to amusement of many other sailors as they passed by, and we dropped it out with surprising ease.
I was in the water in my Musto dry suit and guided the rudder out to prevent any stress on the lower bearing. I've never dropped this rudder in the water and was interested to see that it was really very buoyant and we actually had to push it right down to get it out. Once free, it just popped to the surface and was quickly pulled out by a few hands on shore.
The rudder was taken away by Don and the steel sleeve at the top of the shaft was bonded back on in the evening by Maurice Crawford (fantastic and brilliant guy!) a very experienced carbon engineer.
By the end of the day, the charging system was back up and running, the engine pump and ballast pump was fixed and the rudder had been bonded, a very, very productive day for sure!
I've been totally bowled over by the hospitality here and there’s been a constant people walking up to the boat and to say hello and that they've been following me for quite a while. It really fills me with pride when people come up and congratulate me on the project, and now having sailed halfway round the world and across the Southern Ocean, there’s a real sense of achievement.
But this isn't just for me, it's for everyone who's made this trip happen and also everyone who's helped me along the way. Another example of the kindness of everyone is that we've even got our hotel room at The Prince of Wales at a fantastic rate. The food is brilliant here too! Everyone is just so so nice around here!! I'm loving Hobart and the people here for sure.
Today (Sunday) we had another productive day doing some other tiny jobs and also putting the rudder back in which took up most of the afternoon. This morning we washed all my dirty clothes and they're now draped out all over the hotel room drying - it's one colossal mess!
It always seems that when I arrive in port the boat catches a cold and things seem to go wrong just sitting on the dock when they were fine coming here! For example one of my laptops which was working perfectly has just now decided to shut down and our expert is saying that something important inside has gone wrong as there's not much that could cause a total system blackout. This means we're going to have to get our hands on another tough laptop tomorrow and re-install all of the email and navigation programs. This is quite hard, as many different things need to be set up with lots of different email options. I'm confident we can complete this tomorrow; it's just a tad annoying as it's died whilst we were at the dock and this will add another day to my stay here.
This evening we took out two hours to take a trip up Mount Wellington, a very welcome break. It was jolly cold at the top and there were tiny bits of snow dusting all the rocks and foliage. When the cloud broke the view was pretty spectacular.
I've come back to the hotel for the late evening and am currently chilling out writing this blog (or should I say book!), a cool drink in hand and a smile on my face, knowing that a local fish Travella followed by my favourite, crème bruleè, is on the way.
Life is definitely very good right now, I've got a big grin on my face and I'm already looking forward to heading out back into the Southern Ocean.
©Sailmike2009
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Hi Mike,
SOunds like fun. Well done and I hope all the other little jobs get sorted. Looking forward to hearing from you in the pacific!
Russ
Comment by russ (cumbria) on April 6th, 2009 at 11:18 amEnjoy!
Comment by Mark on April 6th, 2009 at 11:27 amIt sounds as though everything went well with the repairs Mike. It was just as well the laptop failed when it did rather than when you were at sea.
Enjoy your stay.
Carol
Comment by Carol on April 6th, 2009 at 2:31 pmAs "they" say - so good so far. Glad you took the time to stop to check things out. Might as well enjoy being a "tourist". After all,how many times will you get to see all the places you have ? Since you are no longer on a non-stop run it makes good sense to stop once in awhile to have things gone over for safety's sake and take in a few sites as well. I haven't been able to check your blog for week for I too had computer problems. Total hard drive crash. What a bother! But I am up and running again on a better system. Guess things happen and work out for a reason. Looking forward to your return to the sea and the rest of your adventure.
Comment by Linda Sheffield on April 6th, 2009 at 2:56 pmPhew!!! what a read!!!!Well done.
Comment by Kate and John on April 6th, 2009 at 3:05 pmWhat a shame about the laptop hope you have transferred everything you need, what a pain.
It's always the same as soon as you do something different something has to throw a spanner in the works.
Reminds me of here at home , everything works fine till daughter and family arrive then something always goes pop!!!She is arriving ahead of the others with grandson tomorrow and yep! you guessed!! the electric kettle has given up!!!Doh!!
However as always take care and be safe.
Kate and John
The Devon geriatrics
You weren't joking about it being a big blog were you! Great read though, sounds like a fantastic place. Never had Creme Brulee before sounds nice though. Look forward to reading chapter two of your "book".
Comment by johnboi on April 6th, 2009 at 4:41 pmglad you have been treated to true Ozzie hospitality and able to plant the feet firmly on this unique island. Enjoy the remaining time, eat heartily, stock up on all the important snacks, and hopefully the new laptop is ready to join you back on the waves...keep grinning no matter what tests are sent your way. Enjoy! And thanx again for your lengthy update.
Comment by umm bilal on April 6th, 2009 at 7:07 pmIf the hard disk is ok you might be able to just have them swap it into the new laptop, or at least mount it so you can transfer all the files.
Comment by Sven in MDR on April 6th, 2009 at 7:53 pmHiya Mike,
Thanks for the book, er, I mean blog! It took me three attempts to read all your words inbetween cooking dinner this evening! An enjoyable read.
Glad that all the jobs have been done successfully and as for the laptop, well, I'm a believer in that things happen for a reason. Also, glad that Your batteries are being recharged in preparation for the continuing challenge.
Cheers.
Neil A.
Comment by neil arnott on April 6th, 2009 at 11:07 pmHi Mike
Thanks for the effort you put into your "Big Blog" - as if you had nothing else to do -- must be the result of Kiwi Pizza !
Your decription of approaching and berthing on the Derwent was entrancing , vivid and memorable - you've got a way with words' young man, and don't forget it.
Could I just say a word or two about your Mum Dad and Sis in relation to your "team" If all of us followiung your travels on the Web get worried , what must it be like for them ? And who suppotrted you in your " crazy" scheme to ever start off with ? Deserve a signifiucant mention in your blogs on team contributs - even though your Sis can't fix your laptop from 12k miles away !!
Sleep tight , rest well and wake hearty !
Comment by PEEJAY on April 7th, 2009 at 12:44 amHello Mike
I have been following your progress since we left you sailing out of Cape Town.
Congratulations for your success and keep fighting down there .
Cheers
Comment by jose Mendes on April 7th, 2009 at 12:49 pmJose mendes (manuel's Brother )
Article from Yaching Monthly:
http://www.yachtingmonthly.com//auto/newsdesk/20090306095520ymnews.html
Comment by Ken Greig on April 7th, 2009 at 2:38 pmHi Mike
Fred here from San Francisco, CA
Thought about a job lead for you when you get back to land.
We have a Sailboat show in the SF area every year in mid April. They have lots of free seminars from guest speakers on sailing...
Perhaps when you finish up your journey, you can be a guest speaker at the sailboat show. Talk about your journey with slides...
Just a thought. You have all that experience on a unique boat, it would be nice if you could share that and get paid for it.
Here's the link for the Strictly Sail folks.
http://www.strictlysail.com/shows/pacific.asp
Comment by Fred on April 7th, 2009 at 8:34 pmHi Mike
Sounds like things are going well in Hobart. Shame about the computer - lucky you found out in port rather than in the middle of the Pacific. I've also had problems with my laptop - well my internet connection and have been offline for the past four days. I have really missed not being able to follow your progress, so it was good to find a very newsy and lengthy blog when I finally did get back online.
Just in case you haven't heard - Minoru Saito has rounded Cape Horn safely.
Make the most of your stay in Hobart. Best wishes.
Comment by Elizabeth (UK) on April 7th, 2009 at 9:22 pmElizabeth
HI Mike
Snug as a bug in Hobart - good on ye ! Enjoy !
If you fancy winmding up the locals about Mt Wellington
. ask them what the highest point on Australian Territory is. Remeber it is on Heard Island - Mt Mawson (near Kerguelen Islands) that you sailed past. But wait till after they have tried to present you with a pair of oars as a tribute to the other mad pommie (Ollie Hick- "orange Carrot" rower extraordinaire) who was in Hobart recently .LOL !
SUERTE
PETER
Comment by PEEJAY on April 8th, 2009 at 1:43 amHi Mike, We are glad the entry into Aussie was really good and friendly, and much better than some have reported on entering Queensland !
How did you get around the 96 hour rule .?. or did they waive that for you as you were not likely to be a risk and perhaps they do read your blog ! Grin
Either way, I am very pleased that the Hobart Customs and locals are a pleasure to meet, no wonder it is a destination for the racing boats, and I may just be keen to take my boat there too !
For them to meet and greet you at such a late hour, and to be friendly at it too, is a real blessing and a great reflection on the people of the land.
I hope that polite and considerate greeting gives the Queenslanders something to strive toward achieving one day, grin !
I hope the trip is smooth and the people you meet are all as good as those you have met so far, I really enjoy reading about your and others' trips, thanks for sharing your journeys with us.
Safe Travels, Michael from NZ.
--
Comment by Michael from NZ on April 8th, 2009 at 2:16 amHi Mike, I just came across your blog while surfing the 'net. Sounds like you're having a really great time. I don't sail, but understand why people do. I wish you every success in your endeavours - you deserve it.
Be lucky
Rob (UK)
Comment by Rob on April 8th, 2009 at 6:37 amHi Mike:
What's happening? I see that you left dock, headed out about 10 miles and then returned to your dock.
Something go wrong?
Comment by Ken Greig on April 8th, 2009 at 1:14 pmMIke, I saw you had the boat out and down the river today, but then turned around and came back to port. I'm anxious to know what was happening!
Alan
Comment by Alan on April 8th, 2009 at 4:57 pmjust wondering whats happening. I saw that you were leaving then apparently turned around and went back to Hobart.
We hope all is going well but still we are concerned.
lance s
Comment by Lance S on April 8th, 2009 at 9:36 pmArizona, USA