Big Day Tomorrow....

By all accounts tomorrow will be a big day, and will probably determine whether we will get away as planned on the 21st of May.

The first issue is the generator. The mechanics now have another new control card as there was apparently some doubt as to the provenance of the previous "new" card. If that doesn't fix it, we will escalate the problem to a more senior engineer, though who knows how long that will take....

Next, we need to sort out the issue with the gauges, and understand whether the installation of the Murphy gauges has somehow caused the issue with the port engine audible alarm. At one level it is tempting to dismiss the connection because whilst the relevant units are physically close, they are separate units. On the other hand, classic problem solving theory would dictate that if an unexpected occurrence follows exactly a known event, then it is quite likely that the two are linked. Hopefully we shall find this out tomorrow.

The third problem, the port engine gearbox oil pressure gauge, also originates under the dashboard at the helm.  The mechanics are bringing a new sender unit tomorrow, and fingers crossed, it will be sorted. Fingers crossed????? It's not the way that I like to be planning a voyage such as this, and the mechanics success rate hasn't filled anyone with confidence. If we aren't completely successful tomorrow,  I will be suggesting to Sea-Dog that we need to move to a different service supplier.

A local boat heads to sea on a perfect pre-dawn morning - Photo by Navman

These problems are causing a bit of stress to all concerned, though nothing too serious. We can see boats heading north almost every day now, and we are all getting anxious to join them in the pilgrimage north.

Admittedly most of them are sailing yachts,  or "rag and stick boats" as my friend Captain Paul in Marine Rescue likes to call them. (Captain Bligh, being an experienced yachtie, would of course disagree with the use of such a pejorative term). Anyway, with a bit of luck we shall overtake them all before they get very far into Queensland.

Speaking of departure, the seven day weather and wave forecasts are looking good for our planned departure date. If we get away on time, it looks like we will be ahead of the next big weather system down in the Southern Ocean. (see below).

Seven day wave prediction - Courtesy of Bureau of Meteorology

We will be watching this predictive model closely from now on, and right through the passage. It is wonderful to have such information at our fingertips, and the BOM  are to be congratulated not only for developing models as good as this, but also for disseminating them freely. In my view this undoubtedly adds to marine safety, especially for recreational boaties.

That's all for tonight. I'll be back tomorrow for the all-important review of progress.

Here's hoping,

Navman