Skipper has completed the removal, relining & installation of new 4 burner, griller stove which, naturally required adjustments of stove shelf & lowering under top of drawer beneath. I'm currently making a helm cover for a friend. We have had quite a bit of rain in the last few weeks which has kept the temperature down, & have had numerous catch ups with friends. We are now worrying about our rail trip south with all this rain & possibly cancellation due to floods, so here's hoping, Merry Christmas!

Quick update on yet another rainy, drizzly day which is great, in that it's keeping it quite cool (for Townsville) & has been since we first came into the marina. Skippers' been busy refurbishing Portlights & looking into options for a new stove as replacement seals are no longer available! I have been making various items & continuing with culling.

Skipper has been up & down mast & problem was discovered with anchor light cable having weird horizontal markings, haphazardly in a small section of cable approximately 1cm wide, for about 1.5mtr, 3.5mtr down from the top of the mast, & now we have removed Nav light cable only 2 spots less than a cm! All new insulated triple core tinned wire installed & bright shiny lights ablaze, yay! Husband did good! I have continued the cull & sorting down Port side of vessel & we now move onto freshening up paint in lockers etc.

We have settled back into marina life, catching up with friends & have just seen the movie "Lee", highly recommend. I've been busy clearing out lockers & shredding reams of paperwork no longer required whilst Skipper has been busy renewing cabin window inserts (4 of), changing from brown to white. Next job, is to go up the mast & see if it will be an easy fix to get the anchor light repaired, (he has a cunning plan), we just need an overcast day, so as not to fry in the sun & no wind, luckily we have steps up the mast so I'm only really winching bosuns chair up & not his weight!!!

With very few northerly anchorages & skipper out of beer we have decided to come into the marina a few days early. We have had a lovely time just hanging on anchor, trying to take photo's of F18's & chasing Shearwater birds off the boat, constantly, pooping everywhere & weird clacker birds trying to nest in Boom bag, determined little blighters! We ummed & arred about coming back here for cyclone season or to go down to Gladstone, figure we'll take our chances here for a cyclone versus constant storms down south, plus Darwin is the plan for the New Year.

Up early, again, had a nice sail back to Magnetic Island, Bolger Bay for 2 nights before we headi around to Horseshoe Bay, Thusday. Had a lovely day yesterday at Yanks Jetty at Orpheus Island & got a few nice photos & on the way here, got a serious buzz by 2 F18 Hornets flying sideways, straight at us less than 50 metres, the noise was incredible, skipper, in the right spot could see the pilot's helmet, so crazy close, awesome!!!!

We've headed back to Orpheus Island, picking up a mooring & will stay overnight before heading back to Magnetic Island.

We've come 20nm south, down the Hinchinbrook Channel to Haycock Island for an overnight stay prior to our return to Orpheus Island. Skipper made a few hundred litres of water, whilst I turned flat sheets into fitted. Rod spotted a shark & I saw a big sea snake, plenty of turtles but no croc or dugong spotted.

Up at 7am & off to Macushla Bay at the top of Hinchinbrook Island to wait out the next blow & to make some fresh water from the clear blue sea.

Took Bubble over to the service wharf at the Tsv marina yesterday where skipper filled up a few jerry cans, (fuel tanks already full), & put on some water whilst Jeff whizzed me up to get my Coles order etc & then back to Bolger for the night before we departed at 7am to Orpheus Island today arriving at 13:30pm. After skippers been up & down the mast a 1/2 doz times we've determined no power from somewhere a 1/3 of the way up the mast, so we'll need to run new cable. We have enough external light so we have decided to cruise north as is, & fix it when we have to return to the marina for cyclone season, again!!!

30 knot Southerlies have finally stopped, only for a few days however so we have moved around to NE side back to Bolger Bay where it's not so swelly after the blow & I now get to send the skipper up the mast to see whats going on with our Anchor light, hopefully just a loose wire, then we will decide if we're heading North or South pre cyclone season berthing.

Arrived at Horseshoe Bay, Magnetic Island to tuck in for next weeks blow, then head off once that's gone through, still undecided where we will base for cyclone season! Solar panels took a little longer as original concept didn't quite work, ergo a few more design changes & then additional bracing incorporated so we now have 1.4 kilowatts, so we'll see how we go!

We are back in the marina, just in time for skipper to sign for our Solar panel & various other bits & bobs! We copped quite a bit of smoke & ash with a wind change at Young bay & glad to have moved on to begin our re-configuration & installation of new panel, hopefully it all goes well & we're out within the week!

We have up anchored & come to the western side of Magnetic Island to Young Bay for a few days. We've had a few catch ups with various friends for skippers birthday & a surprise meeting with another couple we know from North Haven at the bus stop! There's been quite a display of whales breaching as they head south but didn't see any this morning. Maggie Island race week starts today so we'll have a better view as they all pass by with spinnakers out!

Lovely to be back hanging on an anchor, and we've had some absolute pearler conditions! We've had 2 boats come into the bay from our marina in North Haven SA, and had a couple of catch ups with them as well as 2 neighbours from Breakwater marina! Skipper's been busy monitoring new Lithium Phosphate Lifepod 4 batteries & as suspected we're right on the edge, so we have decided to get another 415amp Solar Panel taking us up to 1.4kw. As a consequence (& whilst keeping in touch with Pa 93yrs who's a bit dodgy) we have decided to assist Anapa going on the slip & go back to the marina (hopefully for only a week) to use marina car to get parts & fit panel etc, order everything now and go in 2nd Sept!

We have moved around to Horsehoe bay, eastern side of Magnetic Island to catch up with friends on Anapa, stretch our legs onshore, & see how I go with my knee getting in the tender!

Well, woo hoo & ye ha, we have finally escaped the shackles that have bound us to the marina & we can get back to cruising. We have anchored back at Bolger Bay west side of Magnetic Island, we will hang here for a few days just to check that all systems are go & whilst we monitor new batteries.

Another Antifoul completed, Rods 36th time, my 26th! Luckily wind & rain abated & we got back to our berth with the help of Anapa's, Jen & Tony. Bubble painted, polished, legs serviced & new anodes, job done. Now it's clean up time & get vessel ready to leave Townsville sometime next week, weather dependent.

I've returned to Townsville, back onboard, on the hard at Rosshaven Marine, the less said about that the better! Skipper has done a great job on his own with the boat fully sanded, legs & props cleaned & he has nearly finished polishing the starboard side. We getting the ice chill factor all the way up here, Brisbane airport was freezing & not much better here! The car has been sold so thanks to Jeff for picking me up. The wind is going to continue to blow next week which is going to make it tricky for us to get back in the water as well as to the marina, so time will tell. Big thank you to Michelle once again for looking after me, at least I was there to celebrate her Birthday, cheers!

Update on the "Bubble", skipper has been doing everything whilst I continue to recover from sugeries, I've had stitches removed & been given "gold stars" for both operations in terms of recovery, so we are effectively good to go, however with the slip it's too much for me going up & down stairs etc so I'm back in Brisbane (COLD) & Rod took boat around for the slip today & with 25kn winds the lift was cancelled until Tuesday! Everyday we get closer to leaving the marina & we now have the car up for sale with a possible buyer, not long to go!!

Sorry, been a problem, but thanks to Mike at "YIT" I think we're sorted! So skipper has finalised the completion of the installation of Lithium Lifepo4, woo hoo, nothing blown up, all systems good, minimal drama, yay! I went ahead with hand surgery last Wednesday & with that & knee surgery "I'm living the dream" (pain) & skippers been doing 12-14hr days climbing in & out of engine rooms a zillion times. Here's the the good news though we have another 4 weeks to go before we finally get to leave Townsville marina & get back out on the water, down side, we have to slip Bubble again, blà! Stay tuned!

Current update, after my flight back on a Fokker 100 straight out of the 1970's complete with ashtrays in armrests I am back onboard, & getting around albeit still gingerly with my new knee! Skipper has progressed with Lithium batteries & almost ready to shut down boat for change over, having to get new cables, lugs, fuses etc & make them all up & then we'll have to plug 240v freezer into marina & jury rig fridge for maybe a couple of days. Here's hoping not too many drama's.

We made a split decision last weekend to go back up to Cairns & join Tessa & birthday boy Ziggy & also to attend a Cruising Qld group of yachties at Zorkies knob. We got to catch up with old friends & meet knew ones, good times. Onto more important things, I now have a new knee WOO HOO! Apparently sugery went very well, I had a lovely private room with own ensuite, great meals & nurses very nice, bar 1 "nurse Ratchet"! Left hospital straight to the airport & Brissy, where I had 3 seats for my leg to rest upon & now being nursed by my friend Shell. Meanwhile Skipper is having a wonderful time drawing up electrical configuration diagrams as we make the change over to Lithium batteries!

So for a fortnightly update we're still keeping busy as we wait for new knee, 9 days to go. Skippers been putting LED lights under the cockpit & saloon tables & also the undersides of our cabin beds, complete with dimmer switches, super cool. He's also serviced engines & genny. I've had a lovely time cutting up old sheets & dyed with food colouring & making some funky overalls for the slip, also made a new dress.

Quick update, unfortunately I managed to pick up skippers lurgy & got a cold!! Yep, so surgery was cancelled....fill in the blanks, the alternative was I could have gotten a case of pneumonia, so bum, bugger & poo however, I do now have another date for 11th May, so stuck here a bit longer. On the upside we got our sliding doors back, which look fabulous, super happy, with clever husband (after getting his 2nd ever cold & giving it to me)!

Sorry, issues again with site, so, catch up... we've just spent 4 days in Cairns with our Pelargic friends, & drove through Palm Cove up to the markets in Port Douglas & have just returned to the boat in preparation for surgery Wednesday. Skipper's been up the mast & repaired the wind/speed meter, legend that he is & sails are back on, of course, nothing goes smoothly on a boat so whilst dragging main up on to the boom it snapped the bracket base on the AIS, awesome, so new base & re-run wires...woo hoo, eassy peassy!!!

So back here in Tsv, & hope everyone had a Happy Easter. Skipper has been very busy making framework for sliding doors either side at midships, just have to wait for the doors to be cut now, whilst I've been re-making hatch covers that have turned turtle with the heat here, pre knee op! We now need to sort wind meter at top of mast, put main & headsail back on & start getting vessel ready for movement without me!

Woo hoo, it's back working! Took a bit of clever investigation, (well I thought I was clever) & I located the domain host for the YIT website & rang NZ & we're back in business! Well I guess following on, floor is all done & skirtings throughout back on, & boat looks quite good. Ultimate news is I've been upgraded & moved over to a private hospital & I'm getting a new knee, 17th April! So whilst we've been waiting, Skippers just landed back at Maroochydore after a week in Adelaide & will be driving down to Brissy where I'm staying at Michelle's, eta 12pm whilst we have Col Quinrig give mainsail a birthday & make a new front cover.

Well, thankfully TC Kirrily didn't double back, got some great sky shots following though! We have quite a bit going on with both hull floorings cut & laid (not glued & not the shed floor), we are now working on entrance & saloon, pretty tricky trying to cut & lay, when nowhere to cut, but we'll get there. The replacement unit for Aft, stbd A/C has arrived & skipper is starting on that, supposedly straight fit replacement (but of course not)! We have had to buy a replacement 96 led light for our cockpit, which carked it (weird flashing white & blue) & then our awesome ceiling fan died 4yrs old, luckily got a new one half price, woo hoo $20! Also Sirroco nav room fan died on special $180, along with boat hook finally ceased after going for a swim, I think in the Hawkesbury!! We had a marina cyclone debrief which is helpful for all & caught up with friends.

So here's an update on Cyclone Kirrily here in Townsville. After mandatory evacuation at 2pm, we left the boat & promptly got hit by a heavy rain shower prior to reaching the car! Arrived at the Lodge & got safely tucked into the 2nd last end unit, there wasn't masses of rain & wind due to locality, but come midnight she whirly gigged her way through, with evac sirens sounding, I sat happily on the balcony, very protected, as was the car, skipper & Phil both asleep (both exhausted). Not huge carnage here, winds 175km, power was turned off at the marina, lost tv signal at the lodge when upgraded to Cat 3, (ergo watching storm). We returned to the marina 8.30am, ran up generator having used 7amps an hr overnight, fridge & freezer on 240v hanging on invertor (wind genny tied off), prior to power being turned back on. Have proceeded to put everything back on, boat dry, no damage & all good! Thankfully it was nowhere near as bad as predicted. Hopefully it doesn't double back!

I thought I'd do a quick update pre our Cat 2 cyclone!! So Bubble has been stripped as best we can, mainsail rolled into boom furler, headsail off, bagged & downstairs, tender & solar panel ratchet tied, top panels & portico strapped down (only just got them, store empty). All covers, cushions etc removed, all hatches locked down & she has been double roped in her pen. The full moon was bringing a king tide but that is no longer an issue (we hope). Evacuation is happening between 12 -3 pm & we will be heading off to stay at Yongala Lodge with neighbour Phil. On other matters, we laid (not glued) our cabin with new flooring & we both hate it, so are waiting on our next choice to arrive & also our port aft A/C condenser has a crack in it, so waiting on a new one of those, hopefully we'll still have a boat to come back too! Oh and skipper did an interview with a reporter onboard for The Bulletin!

Happy New Year, apologies for the delay, we have had quite a bit on & it's only going to get worse with our latest lot of madness! Firstly I must say I am loving my new collapsible silicone container drawer Shell bought for me, yay! I've made some more glasses coasters & a new dress, & restitching covers with the good cotton. Skippers been busy with various jobs, mainly the overhaul of the stbd engine water pump & currently putting on a bigger water trap for the A/C, too much floating debris from the rain (currently some choice words abound). We've had the sad passing of our Townsville friend Crumpy, who Rod has known for some 42 years, so catching up with other long not seen mates. So now for the madness, we have decided to renew our floors throughout Bubble with 2mm Vinyl floorboards, argh (I can already hear the swearing) so I am merrily drawing up the floor plan to get a sense of our requirements. I have only 3 days to go before seeing the specialist about my new knee & info as to how much longer we have to wait!