That's right - just relax - everything is just fine.
Although it's blowing a gale here at present - and it seems like Penny and I have been on the go for days - doing mooring chains - going back home - and lot's of running around.
 
So we'll try and bring you closer - up to date - with what we've been up to this last week.
 
 
As you know - we were forced off our mooring by the 'Giant Crane Barge' - which is still in our spot and it has now been tied to our old mooring as well - to try and keep it from moving any further.   And in these strong winds today - it is hanging back towards Clay's ferry - so I'll bet he's keeping a close on things - in case it decides to 'eat his mooring' too.
 
 
This was the scene the other day - with the big crane barge sitting exactly where we should be and now tied to our mooring for extra security.
 
 
You can just make out our mooring drum at the back corner of the barge.
 
We were fortunate to be able to move across to this mooring here - which is owned by Sam the Steel Merchant - who owns the Research Trawler Vessel 'Asama' - moored nearby.    We are now a lot closer to all the other yachts and some of them have been dropping in regularly to check up.
 
 
 
 
This next one is a photo of Machine Gun motoring over to visit
and I have 'plastic painted' it - and also uploaded a larger version.
 
 
 
 
Experimenting again - I 'polared' and 'edge faded' the image - just to see what happened.
 
 
 
 
 
 
However, despite it being a 'commercial mooring' - and therefore quite a good sized block on the bottom - the chains to the buoy - particularly the last few metres were in terrible condition - and pretty well rusted out - certainly not good enough for a yacht of our 75 ton size - and Sam said that if I repaired and replaced the chains with new chain and shackles - that he had at his Steel Factory - tthat he was happy for me to stay here at no other cost for several months if need be.
 
So it became the top priority job of the week - to repair the mooring - so that the yacht would be safe when we left it at the weekend for a few days to go home for the Election and the Reunion.
 
In preparation for the possibility that we may have to scuba dive the mooring to do the repairs - we went over to Asama early in the week and filled some dive bottles on the compressor that is aboard.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is the view of the yachts - including ours - from the top deck of Asama
 
 
 
Keith and I collected the chain and swivels on Wednesday - and we were all ready to start the big job of replacing the mooring chains - on Thursday.
 
I'll tell you all about what we found - and how we did it - in the next big instalment
which I'll try and do as soon as I've sent this one out.
 
 
So stay tuned.
 
from
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                   
Sydney, Australia