Antipodean Boats Connection

[PeterSibley]

WELL! Summers here....phew!

Yeah ...I noticed !

[Portland]

Funny , yesterdays weather report said that "only a few mm's of rain had fallen" .
We got 1/2 an inch , in the old measure .
And the same overnight , mostly short sharp rain squalls.
And its still falling.
I'm not complaining though.
Regards Rob J.

[Larks]

Funny , yesterdays weather report said that "only a few mm's of rain had fallen" .
We got 1/2 an inch , in the old measure .
And the same overnight , mostly short sharp rain squalls.
And its still falling.
I'm not complaining though.
Regards Rob J.

send some of it up here will you Rob?? It's drying out quickly here at the moment.

[WX]

Huh! Down here it 's 13C and they forecast snow down Tassy way.
Morning, rained all night and a thunderstorm overhead at present. I might have to light the fire! No wednesday paddle today.

Off Topic. Anne wants a Notebook, any recommendations? Gary?

If I was buying a new Notebook I would get either an Asus or a HP. If you want portable and light then a HP Mini Netbook is good value, though they come with Win7 Starter install which I think is rubbish. Another alternative is a Pad but I can't really advise on those.

[Portland]

We can do with it here Greg.
The water was oozing out of the ground for many months , now its drying out , and cracking badly , so this rain was timely.
But really , I'm just thinking of my old horse , I don't think he will make it through the hot dry months.
Regards Rob J.

[rufustr]

Absolute stinker here today, glad I don't have a job on.

Just wet the dog down again to cool him down.

Does the horse live at your place Rob?

[Portland]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/austral...turn-to-perth/ .
Yes Rufus, he does.
He used to belong to an old mate of mine at Mansfield , a purebred Hackney , an awesome driving horse .
From about 1990 , to my mates death in 2000 , we used to drive him every time I visited.
I told him if he ever needed a home for the horse , I'd gladly take him.
He left him to me in his will !.
I used him for teaching driving , up until about 3 years ago .
I drove him last at a students funeral , she had learnt to drive with him.
She was killed by a kick from (another) horse , that I had told her to get rid of.
I took her young children to the cemetery that day with old Mr Cobb , strutting his stuff , and I haven't driven since.
He seemed to know it was a very special day , and put his heart and soul in to trotting the 4km or so , in style.
But he is declining fairly rapidly now .
He is 38 though , quite an innings.
He is a very special horse , and has the "top paddock" to himself , with as much soft clover as I can get to grow.
We will miss him.
The end of an era.
Regards Rob J.

[Larks]

It's a shocker isn't it Rufus. A good excuse for me to work in the shed on the boat instead of on the retaining walls, but my 12 yo 180mm Makita power saw seems to have died on me. Worked fine yesterday but when I picked it up earlier no sparkie.......I've been through four or five sets of brushes on it already (which gives an idea of how it's worked over the last 12 years) so just went out and replaced them again but this time they weren't the answer.

It may be just a loose wire but as far as I've been able to strip it down I can't see one...........so rather than send it for repair at $75.00 an hour, unfortunately my ever dwindling pennies have just been handed over for a new one for not much more than that. Though I've stuck with Makita again.

I might still be able to repair my old one but at least I can take it apart a bit more and still have a saw if I stuff it completely.

[rufustr]

Perhaps it's because my first power tools 30 + years ago were Makita they always seem the best balanced and most comfortable to use.

I"m due a new 160mm saw and bought a new 235mm saw 12 months ago.

The only time I ever have any trouble with my power tools is when I have someone working with me and they use my tools.

Otherwise they seem to last for ever.

[PeterSibley]

It's a shocker isn't it Rufus. A good excuse for me to work in the shed on the boat instead of on the retaining walls, but my 12 yo 180mm Makita power saw seems to have died on me. Worked fine yesterday but when I picked it up earlier no sparkie.......I've been through four or five sets of brushes on it already (which gives an idea of how it's worked over the last 12 years) so just went out and replaced them again but this time they weren't the answer.

It may be just a loose wire but as far as I've been able to strip it down I can't see one...........so rather than send it for repair at $75.00 an hour, unfortunately my ever dwindling pennies have just been handed over for a new one for not much more than that. Though I've stuck with Makita again.

I might still be able to repair my old one but at least I can take it apart a bit more and still have a saw if I stuff it completely.

I'm sure it's just a loose wire or a dodgy switch I'd say Greg... or maybe the plug ? Makita seems to last forever with me except for angle grinders. The 100mm ones wear out pretty fast so I've bought a Martec 130mm. I'm pretty impressed with that brand, the cheap style Makita makes. It seems just as good as the blue ones and about half the price.

[Larks]

I'm the same with power tools Rufus, I hate loaning them out as they usually come back much the worse for wear and abuse whereas I do tend to look after my tools (other than dropping a $35.00 "emergency buy" Super Cheap autos drill off the top level of the scaffolding a couple of times - which it survived and lasted well until I let the plumber borrow it). And now that I come to think of it the last person to use my 180mm saw before I used it yesterday was my neighbour!!???

I'm sure it's just a loose wire or a dodgy switch I'd say Greg... or maybe the plug ? Makita seems to last forever with me except for angle grinders. The 100mm ones wear out pretty fast so I've bought a Martec 130mm. I'm pretty impressed with that brand, the cheap style Makita makes. It seems just as good as the blue ones and about half the price.

The new Makita (185mm 1050w) was $125.00 and the same Martec was $99.00, but whenever I've chosen not to buy the Makita on a long term tool like this I've been disappointed so stuck with the Mak'. I really want to get this splining done before we go to NZ on Friday so it was a bit of a rushed buy, but I figure that's about how much I'm going to save on not buying fuel here over the next 10 days.

Here's something that I should have known better though: I swapped the new blade out for the one off my old saw as I'm cutting through the nails in the strip planking and didn't want to stuff up a new blade.......wrong move. After one complete balls up jamming the dulled blade and a (repairable) gouge in the plank I should have known even better still, but after a second "jam" and similar gouge, I swapped back to the new blade.........what a difference.......I shouldn't be so bloody tight for the cost of a blade over the repair of the hull......doh!!

[Portland]

The weather you Sthn Queenslanders have now is what we had a week ago , it got to 43 C here.
Today , bloody cool , and windy , St.Kilda beach got to 122 kmh !.
Friday is starting to look doubtful for sailing , maybe Sat and Sunday now.
Rob J.

[RFNK]

Quite nice here in the middle!
Rick

[PeterSibley]

I'm the same with power tools Rufus, I hate loaning them out as they usually come back much the worse for wear and abuse whereas I do tend to look after my tools (other than dropping a $35.00 "emergency buy" Super Cheap autos drill off the top level of the scaffolding a couple of times - which it survived and lasted well until I let the plumber borrow it). And now that I come to think of it the last person to use my 180mm saw before I used it yesterday was my neighbour!!???



The new Makita (185mm 1050w) was $125.00 and the same Martec was $99.00, but whenever I've chosen not to buy the Makita on a long term tool like this I've been disappointed so stuck with the Mak'. I really want to get this splining done before we go to NZ on Friday so it was a bit of a rushed buy, but I figure that's about how much I'm going to save on not buying fuel here over the next 10 days.

Here's something that I should have known better though: I swapped the new blade out for the one off my old saw as I'm cutting through the nails in the strip planking and didn't want to stuff up a new blade.......wrong move. After one complete balls up jamming the dulled blade and a (repairable) gouge in the plank I should have known even better still, but after a second "jam" and similar gouge, I swapped back to the new blade.........what a difference.......I shouldn't be so bloody tight for the cost of a blade over the repair of the hull......doh!!

The Martek 125mm angle grinder was about $115 IIRC while the Makita was $340 .I don't think I have enough use to test the difference .The Martek seems to be just old Makita designs in a different colour .

Slow and steady with a carbide blade Greg and you can cut steel nails as long as you do it slowly and square on. I've had to run a brand new blade through 18 nail gun nails in one go. It came out the other end perfect !

[PeterSibley]

The weather you Sthn Queenslanders have now is what we had a week ago , it got to 43 C here.
Today , bloody cool , and windy , St.Kilda beach got to 122 kmh !.
Friday is starting to look doubtful for sailing , maybe Sat and Sunday now.
Rob J.

Gawd !!!

[skuthorp]

The weather you Sthn Queenslanders have now is what we had a week ago , it got to 43 C here.
Today , bloody cool , and windy , St.Kilda beach got to 122 kmh !.
Friday is starting to look doubtful for sailing , maybe Sat and Sunday now.
Rob J.

Blown a gale most of the day, trees down on our road, and just after we walked past too! Squalls with hail and heavy rain. I didn't light the fire but it was close. Looking at the map I recon high 30's next week again as the inland is very hot this year. http://weather.ninemsn.com.au/synoptic.jsp

[rufustr]

Just watched Charlie Borman's new trip Sydney to Tokyo on SBS.

Very good.

You can catch it again on the net.

The KTM didn't do well, much to Charlie's amusement.

[Portland]

We lit the fire in the shed this morning , and worked there today.
A cupper , and scones in the armchairs in front of the fire , very pleasant.
It got sunnier as the day got on , that for you tomorrow Jeff.
Regards Rob J.

[skuthorp]

"The KTM didn't do well,.."
Yes I grinned at that too.

[rufustr]

When Ewan and Charlie were planning the first trip KTM didn't want to supply bikes even though KTM was Charlie's first choice.

They ended up on BMWs.

I think BMW must be pretty chuffed about that decision.

[Portland]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/...pilbara-coast/ .
It looks as though we will finish up with some of the rain here.
Rob J.

[The Bigfella]

Just watched Charlie Borman's new trip Sydney to Tokyo on SBS.

Very good.

You can catch it again on the net.

The KTM didn't do well, much to Charlie's amusement.

I only caught a couple of minutes of the show. Missed that bit. Guess his BMW sponsorship is paying off eh?

[The Bigfella]

Been looking for it on the SBS site.... can't find it.

[rufustr]

Funny, neither can I.

They advertised it as being available on demand, perhaps it's not up yet.

I'll keep looking.

[The Bigfella]

What was his dislike of the KTM? I take it he'd have been on a 990 Adventure.

[rufustr]

I don't know anything about KTMs.

Charley had hired a couple of Yamahas from a supplier in Cairns to head up the cape .

The owner of the business came along on his personal KTM that then proceeded to proceed no further.

The guy tried mightily to fix the bike to no avail and eventually they towed it to a servo and the shop delivered another Yamaha to replace it.

Charley chuckled and giggled all the while obviously enjoying the situation immensely.

The programme doesn't seem to be available on demand.

Probably copyright issues.

Make a note to watch it next week, interesting, although obviously only skims through all there is to see.

[The Bigfella]

Ahh....

I can assure you that the KTM I took to the Cape, which also failed to proceed at one stage, was mightily preferable to a big BMW up there. Mine was made to proceed again far more easily than the BMW I saw get trailered out of Cameron's Corner. Incidentally, I gave the Yamaha rider in our group a couple of rides on mine.... and he was smitten (as in, in love).

The bit I saw showed Charlie flying from Weipa to Bamaga. Did he manage to get off the Development Road at all? Incidentally, for those thinking of "doing" the Cape before they spoil it with tar.... try and stay off the Development Road if you want to see the "real" Cape.

[rufustr]

He didn't ride to the cape at all.

That's what I mean about skipping big sections.

He flew over the cape stopping at Weipa and Thursday Island and then on to New Guinea.

[The Bigfella]

So where did he ride on the Yammies?

[rufustr]

If I recall correctly he rode from Cairns to Cooktown, and the breakdown occurred on a back road in fairly easy going.

He flew from Cooktown to Weipa.

The programme is nothing like the biker epics he did with Ewan McGregor.

More a travelogue where he skips from one means of transport to another with stops on the way.

[The Bigfella]

Sounds like the Bloomfield Track. We came back into Cairns that way on our last day. Fairly relaxed sort of track..... apart from the guy who glassed his brother in the pub while we were there. Entirely "do-able" in a basic hire car

[rufustr]

"apart from the guy who glassed his brother in the pub"

You can pick your friends etc.

[The Bigfella]

I missed the action.... I'd retired to my tent, but the younger guys were trying to get a certain barmaid's interest, so they stayed up late. They intervened when the glassing happened, grabbed the guy who did it - and the guy spurting blood from his face demanded that they let his brother go. Amazing eh?

[rufustr]

The Sydney to Tokyo trip by Charley Boorman is up on SBS now.

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video...-Ep1-Australia

[Portland]

Something of interest to those who are not in to farming with chemicals.
La Trobe Uni at Bendigo are doing research on water infiltration rates on Chemical using farms , and biodynamic farms.
The results don't surprise those who have farmed biodynamically , we have all known the difference , but it surprised me , when they started to quantify the difference.
It surprised me the amount of water held on the BD farms , which is then used by the plants , but also "the propensity for flooding is exacerbated by conventional farming practise particularly once the network of farm dams is full to capacity".
The results so far are in the "Biodynamic Growing" No 17 December 2011 .
Regards Rob J.

[WX]

Soil with a high biomass will hold more water. I could have told them that 30+ years ago.

[rufustr]

The Mawson Voyage is getting interesting.

http://blogs.abc.net.au/news/in-mawsons-footsteps/

[WX]

The Mawson Voyage is getting interesting.

http://blogs.abc.net.au/news/in-mawsons-footsteps/

I'd love to be on board.

[Portland]

Well , we know that , but now the scientists are involved , and blow me down , its true !.
If you get a chance to read it , do , or maybe I could copy the 3 pages and send it to you.
I remember though there being an experiment on a dairy farm in the area where La Trobe are working.
It was flood irrigated , and in the heat of summer the water would just sit on top of the ground and boil .
Converted to BD farming , and within a couple of years there was friable soil to a foot deep.
But that was a farmers documented experiments , this is a Uni experiment.
My BD mentor farmed some dry country near Maldon . He was doing better off the track leading to an old railway siding , than a neighbour was doing in his best paddocks.
For me , seeing is believing.
My paddocks always did better than my neighbours , no matter how much super he threw around , but more importantly my stock were healthier , and better tempered.
Important when you are driving them.
Regards Rob J.

[The Bigfella]

The Sydney to Tokyo trip by Charley Boorman is up on SBS now.

http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video...-Ep1-Australia

Just finished watching it. Interesting to see what he thought was worth showing on his way north. Yes... that was the Bloomfield Track, a nice ride but not typical of the Cape and not very long. I'd have loved to see him try Frenchman's Track. The real fun on the Cape is getting across the deep rivers and tracks. He stayed at the same pub as us - The Lion's Den. I was a bit disappointed with that episode... too much sitting in small aeroplanes... but most of it was good.

The KTM that broke down was an old 640 Adventure... made 1997-2007 and if I'm not mistaken, the vacuum pump he was talking about is an aftermarket modification (to replace a Mitsubishi electric fuel pump). My Mitsubishi fuel pump failed 20km short of the tip of the Cape... we simply re-routed the fuel line around it and kept going (with the tank topped up as much as possible).

The other bikes were DRZ400E Suzukis... the same bike as Bernadette's - and a pretty good bike for those conditions. We had one guy on one with us, but he wouldn't go over 80kph on it, so we got plenty of rest stops in, waiting for him to catch up.

Thanks again for the link

[rufustr]

There you go.

Not paying enough attention to tell a Suzuki from a Yamaha.

[The Bigfella]

There you go.

Not paying enough attention to tell a Suzuki from a Yamaha.

No worries mate. Bit slack of Boorman to heap it on a bike that at the very minimum is 5 years old and more likely 10-15 years old though. If you ever meet him ask him how many BM's he's been through.

[Bernadette]

speaking of bikes: im taking tomorrow off for some well earned fun. im off for a ride up to the tablelands out the back of tinaroo some place. theres some sort of storm brewing in the west so it may bring bad weather. the kuranda range is a real danger in the wet as trucks drop a lot of oil etc on the road surface. makes for a slippery mess with a bit of rain on it.
keeping my fingers crossed though

[RFNK]

I'd love to be on board.

Me too, I'd really love to go to Antarctica and Macquarie Is. Photographic heaven.
Rick

[The Bigfella]

I "had" Antarctica in my territory when I was working in NZ... but my boss wouldn't wear it. I told him that we had heaps of product going down there (polynitrile insulation) and that I really should make sure it was all being installed correctly. Nah... couldn't swing it.

[rufustr]

My management came out waving the Newspaper the other day suggesting I should apply for a 12 month + stint with the Antarctic Division.

I'd love to but the chances of being selected after 35 years as a self employed Contractor and at the age of 62 are less than 0.

I think she just wants me away for another 12 months.

[The Bigfella]

My management came out waving the Newspaper the other day suggesting I should apply for a 12 month + stint with the Antarctic Division.

I'd love to but the chances of being selected after 35 years as a self employed Contractor and at the age of 62 are less than 0.

I think she just wants me away for another 12 months.

Tell her that you're off to Asia with Ian. You'll be back in 4 months.

[RFNK]

Also photographic heaven and the clothes are cheaper.
Rick

[purri]

Me too, I'd really love to go to Antarctica and Macquarie Is. Photographic heaven.
Rick

And on that note did you know that Ricko went to Heard Island to do some hut restoration work abt 2 yrs back. Character building to say the least!

[RFNK]

I knew he'd gone but I haven't heard anything about how he went (so to speak). I was and remain completely envious! Shouldn't I be?
Rick