12/22/2014 1 Comment Mooloolaba - Please let us go! It’s been a few weeks since I last posted here – and what a few weeks it has been! Which of course is why I have been quiet!!!!
We set off from Mooloolaba Harbour on a clear and sunny Monday morning, with excellent conditions for a good day’s sail down to Brisbane, to the marina at Scarborough that we were in before heading up to the Whitsundays, Newport Waterways. We had had a fantastic time in Mooloolaba and been treated right royally at the home of Julie and Noel who live in a magnificent house on the canal there and had a jetty not in use that they so kindly allowed us to tie up at. We were happy that we didn’t have to find lots of money to pay for the marina there, but Julie and Noel spoiled us badly – welcoming us not just to their jetty but into their hearts and home as well! Julie and Noel own the BP servo at Wandoan out on the Leichhardt Highway in western Queensland and were home for Christmas for the first time in many years! If you are out traveling out west, do call in to their BP and support this awesome Aussie couple!!!! Our booking at the Newport marina was from the 8 December to the 8 January and it was lovely to get perfect weather for the trip. So we untied and set off, approaching the sometimes-turbulent bar at half tide, hoping for an easy crossing. It looked relatively flat as we approached it but just as the break-wall ended the water was quite messy and waves were rolling in, which wouldn’t have been too bad but the swell was around 2 metres and building so we held our breath a little and popped on our life jackets! We bounced a little as we went through but it was quick and pretty easy and we were about to turn and head around Pt Cartwright when with a splutter the engine hic-cupped. Peter and I exchanged disconcerted glances, and then smiled, and held our breath as the engine settled, and then…..it did it again. And then we had no power at all. We were just idling. And the engine continued spluttering. We immediately checked the fuel was on – but we had motored for an hour up the river and out to the bar so that was not really likely to be the problem – but it felt like we had a blockage in the fuel line and that was the best place to start our checking. Peter hastily slipped down below to check the fuel and came back shaking his head. Nothing was visibly wrong. At that point we were bobbing around in the swell with the beach and the other break wall close by. So we put up a sail and hoped to steady ourselves and maintain some steerage while we figured out what was going on. The wind, which was due to build and allow us a good sailing day had not yet arrived, so with less than 2 knot of wind we didn’t really think we would get very far but we had to try. That’s when the engine cut out completely and would not turn back on. It was perhaps the scariest moment – with the break-wall still so close and the swell wanting to push us closer in to it. We had logged on with Mooloolaba VMR as we came though the bar and out of the harbour. We called them and let them know we were in the entrance and without engine power. We asked them to be on standby in case we could not sail ourselves to safety. The sail began to allow us to make a little headway and with a sigh of relief we began to be able to move away from the perilous rocks and beach. Our plans for the day to sail down to Newport were quickly evaporating in front of us. We could very, very slowly make our way down, but with the wind we had it would take a couple of days and we had yet to even get close to Pt Cartwright! Of course we realised that even if we could sail down to Newport we would not be able to get into the marina without assistance as it is down a long channel. With Mooloolaba harbour still less than 100 mts away we decided to try and turn around and head back in. Peter tried the engine again and it started! Joy! We called VMR and advised them of our decision to do so, and asked them to shepherd us in, in case the engine cut out again. It was a risk we knew to try and negotiate the bar crossing with an engine stopping and starting again, so we waited for the VMR boat to come out. A fellow on a jet ski came over to see what was happening – a lifeguard form the nearby beach – that tells you how close to the beach we were! We advised him of our problem and he kindly remained alongside, talking to Peter, as we waited for the VMR boat. It was surreal, and intense and felt like hours but all took place apparently in about half an hour. The VMR boat had been dispatched quickly as there were plenty of fellas available on site, and sooner than you could imagine we were making our way back into the harbour feeling an odd mix of relief and sadness and anxiety about what was wrong. We decided to accept a tow in case the engine cut out at a critical moment and were very very glad we had as the conditions on the bar for boats entering was decidedly harder than we had had it coming out just a short time earlier and we would definitely have not got in safely with the tiny bit of power we had. We were escorted then to the public jetty and were soon met there by Will from SIVA who we had got to know at Middle Percy Island and spent lots of time with. Guessing that our problem was to do with bio sludge in the fuel tank, he kindly brought us some additive to break it up. Peter set to replacing the fuel filters, cleaned the lines and fuel pump, bled the engine again and then when he tried it, the engine came back to life. We had of course missed the tide by then, and had to delay our journey by a day but the weather conditions deteriorated so much during the course of the day that we felt we had really been spared a yukky day and maybe all had turned out for the best anyway. Fuel in boats can be subject to a problem with sediment. We treat our fuel regularly and perform all the appropriate maintenance, but still some sludge is unavoidable. On reflection we believe that it was the swell in the bar that caused our problem, violently rocking us from side to side and dislodging enough sludge to completely block the lines. We had only recently refueled at Burnett Heads and so our fuel was new and clean. The only answer to this bio sludge issue is to always have a cleaning product on hand. If only our fuel tanks were visible or accessible but like most boats they are not and this is not an option! Eventually we may have to take them out but this is not something an old boat like ours allows access for! We cannot thank Mooloolaba VMR enough for their speedy and very capable assistance and we very happily made a donation to cover the cost of fuel used in our assistance. When we left the following day the bar was quite flat – no rolling to cause any concern, and our day’s sail was perfect. We happily arrived without incident at Newport by mid-afternoon and were tied up at our ‘Christmas’ home before afternoon tea time! It was a definite relief! Since being here we have been busy little bees getting ready for Christmas, visiting family and generally having a good time! We are currently on land – for the first time in close to 4 years – staying with my sister and her family – and adjusting to a little moment of life without movement! After Christmas we are heading to the Gold Coast for New Year’s Eve and then our plan is to stay there a while, enjoying a place we only briefly visited on our way up in our haste to get to Brisbane! Merry Christmas from all of us here! We look forward to sharing more of our adventures in the new year as we begin to make our way north again – staying this next year through the cyclone season in Airlie Beach or Magnetic Island – and hoping to get as far as Thursday Island and possibly up into the Pacific over the next two years. And in case you were wondering…..no we haven’t had enough of sailing yet!
1 Comment
12/22/2014 0 Comments Mooloolaba - Please let us go! It’s been a few weeks since I last posted here – and what a few weeks it has been! Which of course is why I have been quiet!!!!
We set off from Mooloolaba Harbour on a clear and sunny Monday morning, with excellent conditions for a good day’s sail down to Brisbane, to the marina at Scarborough that we were in before heading up to the Whitsundays, Newport Waterways. We had had a fantastic time in Mooloolaba and been treated right royally at the home of Julie and Noel who live in a magnificent house on the canal there and had a jetty not in use that they so kindly allowed us to tie up at. We were happy that we didn’t have to find lots of money to pay for the marina there, but Julie and Noel spoiled us badly – welcoming us not just to their jetty but into their hearts and home as well! Julie and Noel own the BP servo at Wandoan out on the Leichhardt Highway in western Queensland and were home for Christmas for the first time in many years! If you are out traveling out west, do call in to their BP and support this awesome Aussie couple!!!! Our booking at the Newport marina was from the 8 December to the 8 January and it was lovely to get perfect weather for the trip. So we untied and set off, approaching the sometimes-turbulent bar at half tide, hoping for an easy crossing. It looked relatively flat as we approached it but just as the break-wall ended the water was quite messy and waves were rolling in, which wouldn’t have been too bad but the swell was around 2 metres and building so we held our breath a little and popped on our life jackets! We bounced a little as we went through but it was quick and pretty easy and we were about to turn and head around Pt Cartwright when with a splutter the engine hic-cupped. Peter and I exchanged disconcerted glances, and then smiled, and held our breath as the engine settled, and then…..it did it again. And then we had no power at all. We were just idling. And the engine continued spluttering. We immediately checked the fuel was on – but we had motored for an hour up the river and out to the bar so that was not really likely to be the problem – but it felt like we had a blockage in the fuel line and that was the best place to start our checking. Peter hastily slipped down below to check the fuel and came back shaking his head. Nothing was visibly wrong. At that point we were bobbing around in the swell with the beach and the other break wall close by. So we put up a sail and hoped to steady ourselves and maintain some steerage while we figured out what was going on. The wind, which was due to build and allow us a good sailing day had not yet arrived, so with less than 2 knot of wind we didn’t really think we would get very far but we had to try. That’s when the engine cut out completely and would not turn back on. It was perhaps the scariest moment – with the break-wall still so close and the swell wanting to push us closer in to it. We had logged on with Mooloolaba VMR as we came though the bar and out of the harbour. We called them and let them know we were in the entrance and without engine power. We asked them to be on standby in case we could not sail ourselves to safety. The sail began to allow us to make a little headway and with a sigh of relief we began to be able to move away from the perilous rocks and beach. Our plans for the day to sail down to Newport were quickly evaporating in front of us. We could very, very slowly make our way down, but with the wind we had it would take a couple of days and we had yet to even get close to Pt Cartwright! Of course we realised that even if we could sail down to Newport we would not be able to get into the marina without assistance as it is down a long channel. With Mooloolaba harbour still less than 100 mts away we decided to try and turn around and head back in. Peter tried the engine again and it started! Joy! We called VMR and advised them of our decision to do so, and asked them to shepherd us in, in case the engine cut out again. It was a risk we knew to try and negotiate the bar crossing with an engine stopping and starting again, so we waited for the VMR boat to come out. A fellow on a jet ski came over to see what was happening – a lifeguard form the nearby beach – that tells you how close to the beach we were! We advised him of our problem and he kindly remained alongside, talking to Peter, as we waited for the VMR boat. It was surreal, and intense and felt like hours but all took place apparently in about half an hour. The VMR boat had been dispatched quickly as there were plenty of fellas available on site, and sooner than you could imagine we were making our way back into the harbour feeling an odd mix of relief and sadness and anxiety about what was wrong. We decided to accept a tow in case the engine cut out at a critical moment and were very very glad we had as the conditions on the bar for boats entering was decidedly harder than we had had it coming out just a short time earlier and we would definitely have not got in safely with the tiny bit of power we had. We were escorted then to the public jetty and were soon met there by Will from SIVA who we had got to know at Middle Percy Island and spent lots of time with. Guessing that our problem was to do with bio sludge in the fuel tank, he kindly brought us some additive to break it up. Peter set to replacing the fuel filters, cleaned the lines and fuel pump, bled the engine again and then when he tried it, the engine came back to life. We had of course missed the tide by then, and had to delay our journey by a day but the weather conditions deteriorated so much during the course of the day that we felt we had really been spared a yukky day and maybe all had turned out for the best anyway. Fuel in boats can be subject to a problem with sediment. We treat our fuel regularly and perform all the appropriate maintenance, but still some sludge is unavoidable. On reflection we believe that it was the swell in the bar that caused our problem, violently rocking us from side to side and dislodging enough sludge to completely block the lines. We had only recently refueled at Burnett Heads and so our fuel was new and clean. The only answer to this bio sludge issue is to always have a cleaning product on hand. If only our fuel tanks were visible or accessible but like most boats they are not and this is not an option! Eventually we may have to take them out but this is not something an old boat like ours allows access for! We cannot thank Mooloolaba VMR enough for their speedy and very capable assistance and we very happily made a donation to cover the cost of fuel used in our assistance. When we left the following day the bar was quite flat – no rolling to cause any concern, and our day’s sail was perfect. We happily arrived without incident at Newport by mid-afternoon and were tied up at our ‘Christmas’ home before afternoon tea time! It was a definite relief! Since being here we have been busy little bees getting ready for Christmas, visiting family and generally having a good time! We are currently on land – for the first time in close to 4 years – staying with my sister and her family – and adjusting to a little moment of life without movement! After Christmas we are heading to the Gold Coast for New Year’s Eve and then our plan is to stay there a while, enjoying a place we only briefly visited on our way up in our haste to get to Brisbane! Merry Christmas from all of us here! We look forward to sharing more of our adventures in the new year as we begin to make our way north again – staying this next year through the cyclone season in Airlie Beach or Magnetic Island – and hoping to get as far as Thursday Island and possibly up into the Pacific over the next two years. And in case you were wondering…..no we haven’t had enough of sailing yet! |
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September 2017
Our life aboard Argos has been seriously challenged this year with the surprise departure of our skipper. As a writer, diesel mechanics and the complexities of many aspects of Argos’ on-going maintenance are way beyond me! We would like to see Argos continue to sail and eventually hope to use her to offer support, encouragement and a break to people who are struggling in their lives. Any on-going help towards maintaining Argos would be greatly appreciated and enable us to achieve this goal.
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