A day Off In Iluka

I'm spending the day in Iluka, my favourite NSW coastal village. I arrived here last night about 8 o'clock after a long 14 hours from Coffs Harbour. The first 5 hours were really good and I was sailing at between 5 and 6 knots, then the wind swung around to on the nose and increased to 15-20 knots. I started to use the engine, but the seas increased and I was doing a lot of tossing which made it very heavy going, and slowed me up to about 3 knots. I had been trying to make the Clarence River entrance around high tide, but this slipped dramatically and I arrived at about half ebb tide, luckily the bar was pretty good and the outbound current only about 1 knot. It can get up to 5 knots at times.
I dropped anchor as soon as I was inside the harbour, had a couple of glasses of wine and went straight to my bunk.
The previous day from trial bay to Coffs had been excellent with winds on the beam and 10-15 all the way, so that was done in record time and I spent a comfortable night at anchor in the outer harbour.
Tomorrow I'm heading for Byron Bay where I'll anchor for the night in the bay.

First day at sea.

I didn't leave yesterday, Friday as there was still a gale warnig, but today there was only a strong wind warning, Bit aprehensive as it is my first solo sailing for 2 years.
Good winds for the first half of the trip and I was doing 6-7 knots. Winds died off in the afternoon, but I still did it in record time, (for me). 7 hours 50.

Now at anchor in Trial Bay, watched a lovely sunset over the mountains and it is quite mild compared to Port Macquarie.

Intend an early start tomorrow for my run up to Coffs Harbour

The weather is against me

After all the problems with the engine and the prop shaft, I thought at least the weather would be kind, but today, the day I scheduled to leave, there is a north east gale warning! Its a pre frontal gale and once the front goes through later today, the wind should turn southerly. Tomorrow is forecast to be up to 35 knots from the south, but Friday it will have settled down to a nice 15 - 20 knots. So unless it settles down early, I won't be leaving until early Friday morning, but with a good southerly behind me I should be able to put a few miles behind me fairly quickly.

Panic this morning after spending my first night aboard, I couldn't find any clean undies. I've walked home to see if they inadvertently got left behind, but no. I have spoken to Chez in Sydney and she says they are on the boat somewhere. If I can't find them I'll have to buy a pack.

Spent this morning really getting boat tidied up and everything put away.

Back in the water!

I was expecting to be on the slip at least until tomorrow, but imagine my surprise when I went down to the Marina at about 10:00 and Neil said "Its all finished"
He had been able to free the seized shaft, clean up the bronze bush and get back in. I was back in the water by 11:00.
Spent the day taking bedding and last minute items down, but have decided not to leave until Wednesday morning, early. One last night at home, then Chez will take me to the boat tomorrow morning before heading off to Sydney. I'll be able to get all the rigging done ready for my early start on Wednesday

Finally got Paragon up on to the slip on Friday afternoon; it was too late to get much done, though Neil did pull the prop off and look at the shaft. It hasn't got a bearing as such but a bronze bush to which the shaft has seized. When he gets it out on Monday morning he will try and replace the bush with a proper bearing.
Hopefully I will be put back in water on Monday afternoon or sometime Tuesday. I should be able to get away the next day after going in.
Its just about loaded with all necessary stores etc so I should be able to make a quick getaway, only 3 or 4 days late. Still hope to reach Mackay by 19th August.
Chez is going down to her sister's on Tuesday for Dawn's 75th birthday; she'll be away for about 6 days.

Engine problems

I finally got the engine running yesterday, after Matt Hollis had re-fitted the high pressure fuel pump. Took a lot of time to bleed the system through, but it was good to hear the mighty roar of my 2 cylinder, 15hp Yanmar.

Only problem now is the seized shaft and Paragon has to be lipped to get it fixed. At present there is another boat on the slip; it was supposed to be off late last week, then early this week, now late this week. I can't see me getting up on to the lip before Monday and down on Tuesday, then depart Wednesday, 4 days behind schedule. This should still give me time to get up to Mackay by 19th August to meet Chez.

Update on engine problems

After putting engine all back together, I tried to bleed fuel lines and get it started. Tried on several occasions with no luck. The last time I tried, the engine would not turn over, it was if something was fouling the crank or pistons. I re-took head off to check it out and then found that I had, inadvertently, knocked it into gear. Putting it into neutral freed up the motor and I put it back together again having decided that all my problems may have been as a result of picking up some fishing line and fouling the prop.
Dived down to look at prop, but no line or anything else. Sought assistance from Matt Hollis who diagnosed a seized shaft bearing. It will have to be slipped to fix it.
Meantime Matt also looked at engine and why it would not start. he says it is probably the high pressure fuel pump needs servicing. So that has been taken into Watts and Parsons for servicing.
Hope to be able to get Paragon on to slip early next week, if not the chances of my getting away on time are slight.
My original departure day was 10th July. This gives me just over 5 weeks to get to Mackay by 19th August; Chez has booked flight from Port to Mackay on that date to join me for 3 weeks sailing around the Whitsundays.