El Gato The Cat
  • Home
  • Blog
  • The Boat and her Crew
  • Sketchbook
  • Other times, other journeys
  • "Endurance Of The South"....memories.

Seasons....

23/1/2016

2 Comments

 
With our little expedition to the Palm group over, it was time to break out the mothballs and prepare "El Gato" for the cyclone season in Nelly Bay.
Graham Symonds helped me strip sails off and stash them away before he flew back to Fremantle, and then I doggedly worked through my "to-do" list as every day seemed to grow a little hotter, a little sweatier, and more tropical than the one before it.
I soon adopted a routine of working in the mornings and swimming in the pool in the afternoons. With, of course, the odd cocktail or cold beer for sundowners.
PictureJust another of the endless "to-do" lists. Boats!
There was probably a lot more swimming in the pool than working, but then, I am retired after all.
It feels dreadful leaving a boat to just sit in the blistering tropical heat over summer, but there's nothing much else to be done and Summer back home is calling.
It's a different world back in Torquay, and there will be a whole new "to-do" list when I'm back on the boat again too. The plan is to make a few trips North over the summer to keep an eye on the Big Cat, before setting off again next year. Having grandkids now based in Far North Queensland gives me one more reason to keep commuting up there, so I don't mind at all. 
Meanwhile in Torquay I've been working through new mapping, navigation and weather-forecasting software for next year, and tossing around lots of options. SEAiq, VentureFurther, iSailor, OpenCPN, MacENC, Google Earth, PredictWind Offshore, WeatherTrack, HF WeatherFax and XGate are all getting a look-in, as well as upgrades to our existing Navionics package. The advances in technology are amazing and the potential uses for our iPads, mobile phones and laptops are boundless. Now, where were those paper charts....

Torquay's all about surfing, too, so I've been gradually getting back in wave riding trim after suffering a cruel back injury soon after my return...

Picture2015 voyage, from Southport on the Gold Coast and north to Townsville.
So "Surfing" and "Pain" are synonymous at the moment. It's possibly a coincidence that when I'm on the boat, in tropical weather, back problems disappear.

On the menu for April is a surfing trip (without the boat) to The Maldives, so I'm hoping the tropical weather theory will stand up.

And in May, we'll be back on "El Gato" and heading for Cairns, and a whole new adventure. 

​

Picture
Townsville, the view from Magnetic Island.
Picture
The Spot.
2 Comments
Paul Rogers link
28/6/2016 01:53:51 pm

Just wondering did you managed to fit in any surfing while away from the boat.

Reply
Grant
28/6/2016 03:23:26 pm

Funny you should ask, I did happen to surf a bit. Want to see a photo?

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Grant the
    bloggist.

    I'm writing this blog primarily so that I can remember what we've done....it doesn't take long for all of these experiences to melt together and become confused in memory.
     It's also a great way of keeping in touch with others, and if I can entertain, and/or enlighten someone else, it's a bonus.
    ​The archives go back to the beginning of our adventures since sailing out of Geelong.

    Archives

    February 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.