  Perhaps we should start out the day by
saying:
'Hello class - the lesson for today will be . .
.'
 Because that's been the project lesson Penny
& I have been working on
for a few weeks now - and still we're only half
there.
Where we sit right now with it - is that - we've
collected just about all we need in the way of
giant shackles, chain, and building materials -
we've made the big mould
and now we're just waiting for the concrete to be
poured
so that the block will be made and can then
be brought to the crane in the shipyard
put on a barge and carried out here
and dropped in a new Rodney & Penny
spot.
But we are fast running out of time - and may
soon need to ask for an extension.
 Here are a few photos of what's been happening
along the way.
One day - a long, long, time ago, we headed off -
to get some things we needed
 Then we hopped in the car - and drove out to St
Marys to pick up a few things for the job.
 It usually takes about an hour to get across to
the motorway and then all the way out there.
Keith off the other yacht, came for the run
and reckons he doesn't 'go that far for
holidays'. After we picked up some large ex-Navy chain links and
some other steel I'd left behind at the building site - we went in search of a
few places I thought we might find some useful things.
We eventually ended up at Londonderry on a property
that I had visited long ago - where old Alf Catalano has an amazing
collection of heavy equipment from cranes to bulldozers - and where years before
he had given me free access to some old Railway 'track lifting' rolling
stock - that had Gardner engines fitted - and hydraulics. That very
same hydraulic pump is now the main hydraulic steering pump for the yacht -
and there is a stack of spares down below for the Gardner that came from that
time as well.
Unbelievably, 86 year old Alf was down the back
of his property working barefooted (as always) on the tracks of a bulldozer he
was repairing. He remembered me and was as friendly and helpful as
he could be. He offered me 4 huge steel shackles to use on the
mooring - and absolutely refused to accept any money for them. Just
as he had done years before with the other equipment.
  We chat with Alf and survey the scene of his
property
and the lovely job he has done restoring this old
'red tractor'
  To see this old fellow working away as he has
done his whole life long
amongst the machinery he has accumulated - is
quite amazing - and always barefoot.
'they banned me from Bunnings Hardware last week
- with no shoes'
he told us quite proudly.
 So, after visiting briefly with Alf - and listening
to his horror story of a recent transaction in South Africa - where he sold them
some bulldozers - and went over himself to make sure it all went smoothly
and he got paid. Only to find that the day after the cheque was
handed over - it bounced, and the machinery had been driven over the border
into Nigeria the night before. Small in stature - and 86 years old
Alf went into Nigeria in pursuit of the bulldozers - only to find - in his own
words - 'you don't know what it's like in other places in the world - there are
12 year old boys carrying machine guns on their shoulder - who would kill you
and not give it a thought. I lost $700,000 on that deal - and was
lucky to get out alive.' As I said - he's an amazing
fellow.
We drove over to Penrith - which was on our way
around about, towards home - on the basis of calling in to see John Meyn at
Riverlands Marine - and of course, to show Keith, the 'giant Marlin' I had
caught many years ago - that is on their wall.
 To be expected - Keith's reaction was - 'You call
THAT a Marlin??
(which is usually the sort of thing people say,
who've never even caught a 1/2lb bream)
So there you go - back down the Motorway - and
home on the yacht before 5
with a car boot full of useful - 'mooring
building' items.
And just so that you know what it's all about -
this is what we are actually trying to do.
 I'll carry on with the 'project' report in the
next email.
Which I'll try and get out to you very
soon.
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