Redwing puts the Theseus Paradox to the test

 I have been making plans for pretty a while to take Redwing north to Boatworks on the Coomera River as I had heard superb reports, it regarded like just the vicinity for an prolonged haulout. My first reserving there have been in early March however thanks to a file flood and a river bar became risky, I had behind schedule. 2 stroke vs 4 stroke

nevertheless, with a boat rotting out of manage I knew I could not delay any longer. except, my companion Kerry was going to join me after the haulout and we have been going to have a vacation afterwards with per week’s sailing on Moreton Bay. Redwing become occurring her first cruise.

Tuesday the twenty seventh June dawned overcast and the discovery of more rot within the beamshelves simply aft of the mast did not anything to embellish my temper; till David and Rosemary Webb became up with coffee and sausage rolls. David changed into crusing as much as Boatworks with me. 

Push off

At 10.25am we crossed the Tweed Bar with handiest a mild swell coming via. once we had been away from the river bar, I shut down the outboard and Redwing was crusing with a mild south-westerly breeze and a route of 335 magnetic. Sticking near inshore to catch the counter cutting-edge, we passed Currumbin at 11.45am and set a direction towards Burleigh Heads for the next leg.

The GPS changed into registering 2.5 knots to 3.5 knots and, after Currumbin, the occasional 3kn to 4kn. This was underneath sail by myself, considering the state of the growth on the hull Redwing changed into doing well.

12.37pm noticed us off Burleigh Heads. The route is now three hundred magnetic for the run up to the Seaway.

We driven in through the Gold Coast Seaway at three.25pm, motorsailing slowly towards a uneven ebb tide. once inside we became north to search for a suitable anchorage for the night.

four.15 pm noticed us losing the hook off Roe’s Camp on South Stradbroke Island amongst several different vessels that regarded decidedly unloved, which include what gave the impression of a metallic Jay Benford Badger rigged as a junkrig schooner. The vessel had a painted-over ornate dragon on each bow.

Redwing had simply finished her first coastal passage. total distance 16.1 nautical miles with a median speed of two.five knots and a maximum of 6.7 knots, but i'm no longer sure I accept as true with it.

subsequent morning I raised anchor and David took the helm. We motorsailed up into the Coomera River, however decreased the rig because the wind became mild and on the nose. further up the river David presented his assist if I wanted it.

i used to be to recall the ones phrases later.

two hours later, we arrived at Boatworks, tied up at an empty berth and were given permission to stay there till I could move into the carry-out bay at four.30pm. That finished and more than one coffees under our belts, I borrowed a courtesy automobile and dropped David at the railway station for his trip returned domestic on Russell Island.

Thursday morning and Redwing is within the slings and at the tough by eight.00am. by 9.00am i was looking at a horror film of rot.

for the duration of the initial walk-around inspection, I controlled to paste my finger thru the nine millimetre plywood planking at the starboard sector. I started out with removing the chainplates as I did not want them with a loose-status mast and there has been a certain quantity of rot round them. a number of the bolts I couldn't undo, however the backing blocks of Flooded Gum were so rotten the bolts simply pulled out even though the wooden. If that changed into no longer terrible enough i found a previous side-deck repair had now not been accomplished with

 exterior grade ply as I had concept and i was confrontated by an expanse of delaminated ply. I then moved to the port quarter of the transom. This fed on the rest of the day as most of the transom framing become rotten. How the outboard stayed bolted on nevertheless puzzles me.

 

At this factor i used to be inside the depths of melancholy. My budget turned into nowhere near good enough to address what I had already determined; it was just too big a job and i only had a week to do it in. Do I try and repair the boat or do I chainsaw her up? i am bordering on tears, something I do is going to fee cash I do not have.2 stroke vs 4 stroke

That night I worked out a plan. i'd borrow a few money from a friend and buy handled ply and use it to laminate up sections of new beamshelf and stringers, then plank the rotten regions. This nation of euphoria lasted till round 4.30am whilst the mind went into what ifs and started thinking about all that needed to be finished.

 

Early morning and a few ‘woe is me’ telephone calls and then a chat with a one-of-a-kind David.

side note: why are such a lot of sailors named David?

He recommended patch her up, do my Moreton Bay trip and then take her domestic to the farm for correct maintenance.

That lifted my spirits and i got started out. I rang David, the other David that sailed up with me, he agreed to come back down and help for a few days.

day after today, whilst the war began

David arrived a great deal to my comfort as his thoughts on restore are better than mine. through the quit of the day huge sections of planking at the starboard facet are lacking. The beamshelfs on each aspects are absolutely shot and want replacing.

A experience to Bunnings saw us return with a sheet of 9mm marine grade ply and several lengths of Merbau timber to update the beamshelfs.

With large chunks of decking and hull planking lacking, we realised it was going to be a chilly night onboard.

by this stage the days were blurring into each different, however what observed turned into several days of David slicing out rot, changing the starboard aspect beamshelf and sections of stringer, then beginning at the port facet. meanwhile I focused on changing the side decks and replanking the hull sections.

at the cease of every day we might limp to the showers, cross and have a beer at the Gallery and then tip some thing out of a tin for dinner and fall asleep. properly, David did, i would lay conscious considering how i used to be going to pay for all this.

I hit up every other buddy for a loan and, with my birthday coming up, I asked my loving grownup kids to present me money in preference to presents. I even had  human beings I slightly recognise donate cash to the cause.

David had to cross domestic for some days to attend to his home constructing challenge. within the intervening time I focused on getting bits glued and screwed returned on. i was because of release on the sixth July, which befell to be my 65th birthday however knew that become no longer possible. After doing my sums I realised I ought to put off until Monday the 10th: breather.

David back on the 7th bearing sparkling food and, surprise of wonders, a strawberry-included chocolate dust cake made through his spouse for my birthday. She even made me a card with junk-rigged boats on it.

Sitting in the cabin that night time, David cautioned a prime amendment. If we ripped out the cockpit, which I had wanted to trade besides and prolonged the cabin returned a bit, I should get  area berths and a great boom in the amount of usable area. now not to say a better cockpit format. I thought approximately it and stated i used to be sport but let’s see how we pass for time.

tomorrow David had completed working at the port side and targeted on rebuilding the transom. discovering but extra rot within the cockpit, we decided to go ahead with the cockpit rebuild.

That night we went to mattress with a very gutted hull aft of the companionway and the following morning it rained. With the boat draped in tarps, work endured and, in spite of the rain, we executed more than we idea we might.

by means of Monday late afternoon, David had the cabin extension and new cockpit installed, then had to leave. With the release date not on time until Tuesday 3.00pm, I nonetheless needed to get the outboard lower back on and installed to gasoline and battery, get the pushpit lower back on and get the hull antifouled, which protected a sealing coat as i used to be changing from Altec5 to Jotun. The stress changed into constructing again.

only a few days’ previous I had commented to someone that despite the fact that i used to be working long, hard hours and each bit of my frame ached, i was clearly playing myself for as soon as.

Made me surprise what were happening in my life that made this seem like a laugh.

day after today, my accomplice Kerry grew to become up and she or he set to cleansing the dirt and sawdust from in the cabin even as I got a coat of antifoul on. I got the outboard taken care of, but time turned into running out; then one of the staff came along and stated I should have some more hours as they were going to put me within the slings overnight and launch me first element Wednesday morning. This gave me time to get a 2d coat of antifoul on.

Then we discovered out they could not go away us inside the slings in a single day and they'd release us at 3pm on Wednesday. I talked about I couldn’t come up with the money for any other night at the difficult, so it become determined we may want to have the night free. thank you, Boatworks. So yet every other respiration area to get just a piece greater executed.

complete engagement 2 stroke vs 4 stroke

when launch hour did come round, Redwing went again into her natural element, with huge areas of naked ply in the cockpit and cabin extension and massive sections of unpainted but epoxied topsides. in reality a vagabond look about her.

Boatworks is an fantastic place and the facilities and personnel are pinnacle grade, but while we sailed off backtrack the river it become with a deep sigh of remedy.

We reached the mouth of the river because the solar turned into setting and, with an awesome southerly blowing, I figured we might sail the 4 miles up to Tipplers Passage for the night. So I raised the rig and away we went. immediately onto a sandbank!

There we were with the keel thumping, I quickly dropped the rig and turned into trying without fulfillment to motor go into reverse the bank.

A observe the chart confirmed we were on a slender finger of shoaling floor with a deep hollow no longer a long way away. Time to strive some thing extraordinary, so I raised the rig and sheeted in to heel her over and it labored.

because it turned into now darkish, I determined we would live positioned for the night however, with a robust breeze and an extended fetch, it turned into some distance from relaxed. We had a chat about it and i decided we’d attempt a night time motor to Tipplers, so up with the anchor and with Navionics lighting up the cellphone I did the 4 nautical miles in the darkish without any problem. other than whilst Kerry knowledgeable me we were sinking.

searching in via the companionway I may want to see a whole lot of water running from somewhere underneath the cockpit to the bilge. A short appearance confirmed it to be the outlet hose from the electrical bilge pump, which because of loss of time had no longer been ducted outboard. It was recycling water from a sluggish keelbolt leak, absolute confidence started out while we ran aground.

okay correct, we aren't sinking.

Arriving at Tipplers, I selected to anchor only a little way in, as I did no longer understand the place thoroughly. next morning dawned sunny but cool, so I told Kerry to stay comfy within the cabin and i'd take us further up and discover a higher anchorage.

I started out the outboard and raised the anchor and placed the outboard in reverse. i was horrified to peer the outboard all at once drop instantly off the outboard bracket and disappear into the water. I yelled out to Kerry what had took place as I got the anchor backpedal.

standing in the cockpit, I had finally reached the give up, I did not want to do this anymore. Kerry took one observe my face and gave me a hug.

I looked over the stern and became amazed when I realised I could see the outboard. My preliminary thought became “oh, it isn't that deep”, however then I realised it turned into hanging off the battery lead. I speedy got a line and placed a loop in it. My thought turned into, if i will get a loop over the powerhead i'm able to get it again onboard. So i am looking to get this loop to sink down a ways sufficient whilst Kerry says why don’t you operate that hooky component on a stick? Oh, you imply the boathook!

It labored, but I did no longer pretty have the energy to lift it again onto the bracket. happily I knew that David, the other David, become now not a long way away on his yacht and that i just befell to have his cell number. with his assist I were given it re-attached.

It grew to become out that for some purpose I had glued a section of ply onto one cease of the ply pad on the bracket and i had bolted the bracket lower back on the wrong way up and then clamped the outboard to the glued-on bit. Which parted at the glue line.

I took the quilt off and poured sparkling water over the motor, then pulled out the sparkplugs and, by using cranking the motor over, was capable of clean the water out of the cylinders. It still might now not start, so I knew become going to need to strip down the carburettor, for that I wanted a sheltered anchorage.

yet again the anchor got here up and that i raised three panels and slowly sailed further up the passage and determined a higher spot. Pulling the carby off turned into a challenge as I had in no way performed it earlier than. fortunately I had the manual saved on my telephone, which helped but did now not preserve my hand through it all. I needed to workout some of the process by using trial and error.

I did it although and once I pressed the starter it commenced. A big alleviation.

Sitting returned inside the cockpit at sundown, Kerry with a pitcher of red and me with a properly-earned beer, Kerry suggested we stay some other day and just relax. correct idea.

the following day we did simply that: placed Beetle, the dink, over the aspect and rowed ashore for a coffee and a snack at the eating place and just took it smooth. For the primary time in over  weeks I cozy.

Retreat

The plan were to keep up into Moreton Bay and capture up with pals at Horseshoe Bay on Peel Island but with a keelbolt still leaking and big quantities of naked and epoxy covered plywood, it turned into determined we'd head for domestic and get it completed.

the subsequent morning, with simplest a mild breeze we motorsailed again to Boatworks in order that Kerry may want to collect our vehicle and drive returned home. I had a chew to devour and a bath before hopping back aboard for the long run backpedal the river and from there to Bumm’s Bay at Southport.

I had been motoring for a while when I realised I did no longer remember any of the scenery i used to be passing. A alternate of scale at the Navionics screen confirmed that I had taken a wrong turn and turned into now heading up the north arm of the river and back in the direction of Tipplers. So what to do, flip around and go returned?

Bugger it, allow’s cross exploring as an alternative.

It turned into at this point I had a headspace shift and i started to revel in myself. coming out the pinnacle quit of the river again into the Broadwater, i was offered with a high-quality northerly which gave me a mind-blowing run all the manner down to Bumms Bay. where i found all of the excellent sheltered spots have been taken and so had to drop the choose in pretty exposed waters off Southport VMR.

That night i was treated to pretty a great thunderstorm however i used to be cosy, in spite of being subjected to the wash of passing vessels. tomorrow become Sunday and with rain expected and a southerly exchange expected early within the day, I selected to sit tight and do nothing however examine and sleep: an afternoon of properly-earned sloth.

Monday dawned sunny with a mild 5 knot SW breeze and a northerly change anticipated, not what I wanted however I hoped with good fortune the northerly could kick in and deliver me an excellent run lower back to Tweed Heads.

once out through the Seaway I close down the outboard and sat again to experience the peace and quiet of mild air crusing. We had been averaging around 2.4kn to windward in a breeze that become most effective about 5kn if it was fortunate.

After an hour I figured it become going to be sluggish experience returned although I did have whales to observe, so returned to the noise of the outboard. As we moved down the coast I stored our direction at around a hundred and fifty magnetic which placed us about 2nm to 3nm out, hoping to select up the East Coast modern-day, as the breeze was turning into increasingly lighter.

by the point we had been off Currumbin the breeze had long gone and an oily swell had taken its place. The remaining leg to the Tweed Bar regarded to take all the time and the reality that the fuel tank changed into beginning to get a piece mild-on did now not relax me.

The Tweed Bar grew to become out to be nearly flat with the tide simply beginning to flood, which gave an easy run in.

genuine to shape, the northerly kicked in as quickly as i used to be again in the river, the upside being it gave me an delivered thrust back up the river. i used to be setting out to much less than five litres of gasoline in the tank, so any breeze turned into properly. The northerly stayed fairly mild, so it turned into motorsail round into Boyds Bay and the motor best for the ultimate short stretch returned to the wharf.

The stop of three very exciting weeks. ≈ 2 stroke vs 4 stroke