Sydney, July 2024.
Esprit was lifted out at Quays Marina on the Pittwater on the 8th July. We were quite shocked and embarrassed at the amount of marine growth and barnacles on the hull, keel and rudder after not sailing her for two months. The guys at Q-Service assured us that most of the boats lifted out at present had similar marine growth.
Evidently, an increase in water temperature and the heavy rains we’ve had this year, produced run-off with lots of nutrients for growth. This resulted in additional sanding to clean the surfaces. With the bottom cleaned, it was antifouled, the topsides polished and the engine and saildrive serviced.
Jason the marine mechanic, informed us that the heat exchanger next to the exhaust manifold was cracking and needed immediate repairs. This resulted in additional engineering work, with accompanying expense. I guess that after nine years of hard travel, wear and tear, this was to be expected. She was back in the water at Quays Marina on the 10th, but we are still waiting for the repairs to be done.
Karen and Evan visited us before flying to Alice Springs for a campervan trip in the Outback and a visit to Kings Canyon, the Kata Tjuta Valley, Ellery Creek and Uluru amongst others.
Annie had an appointment on the 12th July with her Sports Medicine Doctor to receive PRP therapy for her damaged hamstring tendons. Platelet Rich Plasma therapy involves taking blood from the patient, putting it through a centrifuge to separate the platelets and plasma, before injecting this into the injured areas to help alleviate painful symptoms and promote healing. We are hoping for a successful outcome, as she has been battling this injury for more than a year. Clearly, her hectic gym routine and the purgatory of the Camino trail in Spain didn’t help.
Australia may not have big game dangers, but there are other small creatures that sometimes make life challenging for suburbanites. At our previous house, I waged war with the possums living in our roof, culminating in me falling off the roof and spending three days in Manly hospital with three cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. Since moving to our new abode and getting serious with gardening, two new pests have appeared to test my sanity.
Long-nosed Bandicoots, often confused with rodents, are small, omnivorous marsupials.They are nocturnal and do a fine job of digging up your gardens, lawns and flower beds looking for grubs and worms. Every morning, I have to fill and repair their substantial holes in the garden, but being a protected species, all I can do is ask them nicely to leave us alone – or as Google informed me, by spreading “Dynamic Lifter” in the garden. The stench of these fertilizer pellets not only keep them away, but also the neighbours and visitors.
As a previously endangered species, but now a proliferating species, Bush or Brush Turkeys, have colonised our suburb. The male of this species builds huge 1-2m high nests from the leave litter and mulch in your garden. Arriving home a week ago, I was confronted by a 1.5m high mountain of what looked like mulch, which I assumed was dropped off by Joe, our arborist friend, for our complex gardens. Two days later I spotted Mr Brush Turkey putting the finishing touches on his new love nest.
Being a protected species, I again consulted with Google, who advised that this will become a bigger problem when the Brush Turkey kiddies arrive. Their advice: destroy the nest and spread it, but this may need to be done a few times to get the message across. So two hours later, after spreading two cubic metres of litter, I had a beer and a lay down for a rest. Over the next week, I had to spread three new nests in the making. The joys of gardening!
In winter, sailing activities slow down and on land activities for the sailors pick up. On Saturday the 13th July, 44 members of the Coastal Cruising Club of Australia gathered at the RMYC for a long lunch. The following Saturday the 20th, we had a similar number attend the Sail Cruising Division’s Spanish Fiesta Paella lunch at PAC. After our absence of two months, it was great to catch up with our sailing friends.
The plan was to sail up to the Whitsunday Islands end of July, to get away to warmer Queensland for the rest of winter. The PRP therapy injections Annie received, knocked that plan on the head. The doctor advised that she had to take it easy for the next six weeks, to let the treatment take effect before another consultation to determine if more injections would be required. The southerly weather window for sailing North, would have passed us by then, possibly resulting in a difficult sail against the northerlies. We will instead, join the CCCA and the SCD on their shorter cruises up to Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens in the coming months.
Our former Allambie Heights neighbours organised their annual Christmas in July dinner and invited us to join them. We were able to get up to date with news from Madison Way and chew the fat with this lovely group of friends.
On the 25th July, our daughter Karen’s obstetrician confirmed that she was 12 weeks pregnant. Her blood tests and scans were good and her due date for delivery is early February 2025. At her age of 36, we thought we may not have grandchildren, so this is good news. Imagine me an “Oupa” at 78, and Annie an “Ouma” at 70! We will just have to hang in there for at least another decade – or more.
On the weekend of the 27/28th July the Northern Beaches council laid on the free “Creative Open Live” concerts at the Corso in Manly. There were twelve acts over the two days, giving new musicians a chance to be heard. Two acts that stood out for us, were Roshani, a multi instrumentalist with a voice that gives you goosebumps and Black Bird Hum, a nine piece band with a blend of roots and big-band reggae.
At the same time, our daughter Michelle was in Hawaii for work, taking the opportunity to indulge in her passion for freediving with a friend. I just don’t understand how they manage to stay underwater for so long, with only huge flippers and no scuba gear. A bit of a worry for us.
On a more positive note, we look forward to spring and say cheers until our next post.
Annie and Dirk