How Embarrasment, and some progress

OK, the embarrassing part first. Imagine, if you will, that your car doesn't have any brakes. To stop the car you have to let the revs die down, and put it in reverse. Then turn off the motor before it starts to move you backwards. Further, this imaginary car doesn't haven't an 'Off' position on the ignition, instead it just shuts off the engine if you take your foot off the accelerator. Now imagine trying to park in a place where there is a wall at the end, but you must fit the car neatly and completely inside the space.

Well parking a boat in a pen is bit like that. Mine is a bit more of an accident waiting to happen than most, because someone decided to disconnect the engine 'kill' switch, and allow the throttle to to operate as a shut-down mechanism if you pull it all the way back to the normal 'Idle' position..

So last night after another sail that started with a period of being becalmed and turned into a great sail later, I got back to the pen, lined it up perfectly, and just where I got to the point where I'm supposed to select Reverse to bring it to a stop, I bring the throttle back too far and shut off the engine. The boat, which weighs several tonnes, is still rapidly moving forward towards the end of the pen which is only a few metres away. Then things got much worse. The engine wont start with the throttle in the 'kill' position, so I push it forward. Unfortunately, in my haste, I push it way too far. Then I hit the Start button, forgetting that the boat is still in Forward gear. The motor roars into life at pretty much full throttle, and the boat surges forward into the end of the pen. I don't think I can adequately describe the image as the bow of the boat actually started to slide up onto the footpath area of pen, and then slid off sideways, banging the side of the hull into the side wall of the pen. By this time I had gathered my wits enough to kill the engine, again. And I certainly don't think I should repeat the words that I said. It was something like "Oh dear, that wasn't quite what I intended to do". Perhaps a few other words as well.

Fortunately there was no significant damage to either the pen or the boat, and it was well after dark so there wasn't any one around to witness my misadventure, but I spent most of the night calling myself all kinds of stupid.

So, putting that behind me, a quick list of the things I did today ... spliced the anchor rope onto the anchor chain (so the windlass can pull both up without having to deal with a joining shackle), fitted one cleat and replaced a seized one, and this ...

Before ...

After!

 Well, OK I didn't actually do it, but I organised a sign-writer, so I can claim that 'I got it done'. Being a requirement of Australian ship registration, I'm not allowed to have it in anything than boring old block letters.


And, um, yeah, that's about it. Doesn't seem like much when I put them in a list. No matter, it's progress!

Oh ... I also figured out how to place pictures in this blog. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the 2 large pods of dolphins that came close to the boat during two recent sails. When I say large I mean well over 20. That's a lot of dolphins playing around a boat. Maybe next time.

Bed time here. Later all!

EDIT: PS. I forgot to note that the solar panel has arrived, and is taking up the couch in the cabin while awaiting installation. My 'sparky' says he can't get here till Tuesday.(sad face).