Change in plan....

The mechanics were due to come today, but we have had a change in plan. It seems that the problem we are having with unstable operation of the generator at low-load is probably caused by a faulty regulator card. A new one is coming from Adelaide, but we won't have it till Thursday.

This is good because we have hopefully diagnosed the generator problem, but also bad because we still don't have a raw water pump on the starboard motor. Therefore we haven't been able to give Endless Summer a decent run since she came of the slip and had the motor service and alignment.  Our planned departure date is Monday 21st May, which is less than three weeks away, so things are getting a bit tight. Let's hope it all gets sorted out on Thursday.

Speaking of the departure date, yesterday I received the long-range rain distribution forecast for May. These are generated by Ken Ring, an amazing guy "across the ditch" in New Zealand. Ken believe that weather cycles follow a lunar pattern and that therefore weather can be predicted well in advance. His web site is http://www.predictweather.co.nz. Check it out. It is sure to challenge your thinking on the twin subjects of weather and earthquakes. For the record, Ken's chart is predicting rain on the NSW South Coast on the day of our departure. This is probably good news, because it should also mean that the wind will be behind us rather than "on the nose". We'll see how right he is....

Captain Bligh rang today to talk through some details about the voyage. One of the things we spoke about  was the new regulation in QLD relating to the stowage of lifejackets. These requirements, which came into force on the 1st January 2012 are quite specific. To quote the Maritime Safety Queensland site:

"The owner or master must give each person on board information about where the safety equipment is kept. Information may be given orally, in a demonstration or printed on a sign. Persons on board must know where the safety equipment is kept. Life jackets or PFDs must be clearly visible while a person is on board; or kept in a place readily accessible and indicated by a clearly visible sign with a white background marked with the word 'life jackets' in red letters or a red background with white letters. "

For more details see this link: http://www.msq.qld.gov.au/Safety/Life-jackets.aspx

Whilst I am all for good safety regulations, it seems silly to me that every state has different regulations for even basic items such as safety equipment. Surely the time has come for some simplification and rationalisation between States. It's just as well Captain Bligh can bring the regulation signage down with him for the trip, otherwise we wouldn't have been legal when we crossed into QLD waters.

That's enough, I'll leave you with a picture of Endless Summer at play....

Happy boating,

Photo by Marina

Navman