Wee Barkie a pocket cruiser meauring just over 25' will it get me there

[auscruisertom]

[QUOTE=auscruisertom;6075652]Setting sail has always represented more than just the destination, a big part has always been meeting new people combined with exiting experiences such destinations can provide.
Anchoring near SeaWorld at bums bay highlighted that once more meeting up with Mike Smith on Edythe an immaculately kept H28 build in Auckland that Mike has been sailing for 40 years. /Quote/

Here is Mike’s 1967 Kauri built H28 rigged completely with Dyneema riggin including the fore stays and tufnol dead eyes.

. “Edythe” also features a very nicely DIY engineered trim tab Windvane working of the vessels main rudder that Mike built.


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[auscruisertom]

Had a great sail to Southport in light conditions while testing out Wee Barkie’s new gaff rig.

Since our new extended Queensland border closure is coming into effect at midnight I seized the opportunity to be able to use WB rather than sitting on a mooring that I may not be able to get to.

[auscruisertom]

Trying to get a short video up unable to download the video to U tube any suggestions would be welcome.

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[WX]

Trying to get a short video up unable to download the video to U tube any suggestions would be welcome.

4BF39BA1-F7BE-4E02-B2F3-D6AE178E9916.jpg

You mean upload to YouTube?

[Hallam]

The chocolate ones are good.

I like the ones where you can by a beer and spend an hour or two having a yarn to your mates.

[auscruisertom]

Wee Barkie and crew enjoyed another fantastic weekend at the Queensland Cruising YC Vintage Regatta. The first two races proved challenging with very light fickle winds ,while still sorting out the new rig and tensioning dyneema minutes before the start
The third race was more to WB liking with winds gusting to 20 knots and close racing action. Unfortunately the last race was cancelled and we had to settle for a second place finishing just behind a Jubilee 18. In all Wee Barkie managed to collect three trophies including gift certificates some excellent red and an award for best presented small yacht.

[RFNK]

That's excellent Tom! A very fine effort and she looks great in that photo!!

[auscruisertom]

Thanks Rick going back to the gaff rig was the best thing , and it’s hard to believe I briefly used to refer to her as my fat little caravan

[John B]

Looks great , charging along there.
I radically improved Waione's performance by changing from a cruising bermudan to gaff topsail. Sailed as high faster and a lot quicker eased sheets and in lighter conditions. But I added a lot more sail area in the change.

[Larks]

Nicely done Tom.

[Neil C]

Tom, great work , a real transformation, just as Wilf O'Kell would have invisaged.

[Hallam]

Well done Tom. Makes me want to hurry up and finish my conversion of Warana to gaff cutter. It's taken too long as it is.

[auscruisertom]

Looks great , charging along there.
I radically improved Waione's performance by changing from a cruising bermudan to gaff topsail. Sailed as high faster and a lot quicker eased sheets and in lighter conditions. But I added a lot more sail area in the change.

Thanks John that picture was taken as we where getting ready to start and the wind was still building. We finished the race with full sails finishing a couple of minutes behind mostly larger boats including Calypso a Folkboat (Stella) First place went to a Jubilee 18 (an Australian class boat.)

I realise now I could have increased my sail area easily by extending the gaff main by another two or three feet , as WB is balanced very well under full sail in those gusty conditions.

[auscruisertom]

[QUOTE=Larks;6254753]Nicely done Tom.[/QUOTe)

Thanks Greg you will have to come for a sail.

[auscruisertom]

Tom, great work , a real transformation, just as Wilf O'Kell would have invisaged.

So far I’m very happy with the whole transformation and I would like to think both Wilf and her builder Bruce McKay would approve.

[auscruisertom]

Well done Tom. Makes me want to hurry up and finish my conversion of Warana to gaff cutter. It's taken too long as it is.

You will get there. And looks like those blocks arrived so I’ll have a a nice surprise when I get home.

[auscruisertom]

One for Gary at Delpura Bay McKay Is
while there I found how open that Anchorage is to the West with winds gusting to 30.knots I managed to leave later in the afternoon pulling the anchor during lulls without incident with the help of my autopilot.90453D4C-3B04-46E5-934C-6F3572EF663D.jpg

[RFNK]

Thanks Rick going back to the gaff rig was the best thing , and it’s hard to believe I briefly used to refer to her as my fat little caravan

It seems to me that, generally speaking, boats from competent designers go best with the rigs they were designed to carry.

[WX]

One for Gary at Delpura Bay McKay Is
while there I found how open that Anchorage is to the West with winds gusting to 30.knots I managed to leave later in the afternoon pulling the anchor during lulls without incident with the help of my autopilot.90453D4C-3B04-46E5-934C-6F3572EF663D.jpg

That's an overly complex rig on that boat. Fore and aft vangs is something I tried and removed. The amount of sail forward of the mast is odd, unless it's a split rig. That would explain the fore lazyjacks I guess. I am assuming there is another boat behind it because I'm having trouble with the dodger.

[Quest]

I slipped down to the QCYC to check out the new rig. Unfortunately I only got to say a quick hello before the rain drove me off and I had to head home. But I managed to get a photo from the shore Sat afternoon.

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And one at the dock while hiding from the rain.

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Well done on the prizes,


Mal

[auscruisertom]

Thanks for the pictures and stopping by and sorry I didn’t manage to catch up with you properly.

[auscruisertom]

Few places the old saying the stupidity of ones action is generally proportional to the amount of people watching would apply more appropriately than an Island anchorage surrounded with high set affluent homes largely owned by retired yachties.
Yesterday I chose to stay at Delpura bay despite a moderate Westerly wind forecast, with open water fetch only a few miles to Redland exposing the bay. What could possibly go wrong?
I woke up to a magnificent sunrise framed by glassy seas proceeded to have breakfast and set a crab pot as locals where fishing and kayaking.
Mcleay Island has always been of interest to me partially due to its cheap realestate, and it’s history as a place of healing known to the first people ,and later a market garden supplying much of Brisbane .While visiting a cruising friend overlooking the anchorage we watched a rapid deterioration of conditions in the bay as the wind started gusting to 25 knots.
I scraped my plans of exploring the Island and made the decision to look after Wee Barkie. Launching the mighty modified Nutshell dinghy proved interesting as there was now small surf building on the coarse sandy beach . I then managed to get an oar tangled up with one of the select mangrove trees on that part of the beach and my dinghy ended up sideways long enough to ship a litre of two. As I cautiously proceeded at less than quieter speed I became conscious of many eyes watching ,and had to assume many would not even have considered such a perilous voyage.
with eyes in the back of my head I navigated those treacherous 200 m avoiding getting swamped by the regularly close spaced breaking waves. After a 20 minute row I almost made it but now a had to attempt boarding my very lively at pitching WB that looked more like she was going to buck me off rather than let me board.

The oddsmakers ashore almost ending up winning their bets when my first attempt failed and I ended up back in the dink which did a quick half turn causing me to loose my balance. My second attempt succeeded and I proceeded to change after that very wet trip.

[RFNK]

We want video!

[Larks]

I’d like to think the spectators were sympathising with your predicament and the build up of the conditions and were watching with concern, rather than enjoying your discomfort and hoping for entertainment.... but that’s just how I prefer to think.....

[John B]

You have to take the pain to get the gain.
Or be prepared to take it at least.

[Quest]

Thanks for the pictures and stopping by and sorry I didn’t manage to catch up with you properly.

No worries Tom, you had just come back in. And that rain was heavy!

Mal

[auscruisertom]

You have to take the pain to get the gain.
Or be prepared to take it at least.

I prefer to call them challenges and many are self inflicted by my occasional casual contrarian attitude.

Late in the afternoon I managed to pull up the anchor in between lulls taking extra care with “Celeste” a Hereschoff Rozianti moored next to me.
After a restful night on the leeward side of the Island I proceeded ashore for a couple of hours ,which turned into four after returning I felt the pain having to retrieve the dinghy from the mangroves in my undies ,wait it gets better somehow it got lodged under a branch and sunk after retrieving it I then managed to find my diving booties.

After that the day turned into a ripper of a sail with very strong Westerly ‘s motor sailing under staysail with the tide hitting the odd 7.9 to 8 kn near Jumping pin bar. Only saw several other boats on the water and made bums bay in just under 6 hours.F1ED39B3-144D-4026-89C7-7672069EB043.jpg

[auscruisertom]

I’d like to think the spectators were sympathising with your predicament and the build up of the conditions and were watching with concern, rather than enjoying your discomfort and hoping for entertainment.... but that’s just how I prefer to think.....

I hear what your saying Greg but we have to admit I put myself in that predicament knowing full well we where expecting some wind and then there was an already established pattern of increasing Westerly’s from Sunday onwards, which I chose to ignore in favour of a somewhat conservative weather report.
Personally I have gone for a swim several times over the years which I always found hilarious and generally it occurred as a result of a good party.
I still am a strong swimmer and in the worst case scenario the dinghy would have ended up ashore.
My primary reason for heading out in those conditions was the fear of an upwind vessel breaking loose , which I was prepared for by cutting my rode and dumping the 25 m of chain I run on WB.

Rick regarding a video you got to be kidding I’m no octopus ,but I’ll check with Paul owner of the Roziante.

[RFNK]

Well, if you're going to keep, doing this sort of thing, you should invest in one of those helmet-cams and leave it running.

[Larks]

I’ve missed the timeline here Tom - are you in Bums Bay now? How’s the wind down there? We’re seeing 30-40 knots with gusts upward from there up here on the hill.......I can honestly say that of all the weather systems that we see here on the coast I like these the very least......dry strong westerlies......

[auscruisertom]

I’ve missed the timeline here Tom - are you in Bums Bay now? How’s the wind down there? We’re seeing 30-40 knots with gusts upward from there up here on the hill.......I can honestly say that of all the weather systems that we see here on the coast I like these the very least......dry strong westerlies......

I arrived Thursday late afternoon and left the boat Friday morning as shown below.
Bums bay now has an enforced 7 day anchoring period and theoretically I need to move WB past the Coomera river for a day to comply for further anchorage privileges.
This is not a viable situation and I am networking at finding a pontoon,or else I will be forced to take up my mooring again. This is what my Ute load looked like when leaving .

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[Larks]

If this wind hangs around all week I’d say you have a pretty reasonable excuse to stay in Bums Bay until it abates

[auscruisertom]

Well, if you're going to keep, doing this sort of thing, you should invest in one of those helmet-cams and leave it running.

You got that right I would certainly be able to provide some sort of U tube entertainment .Undoubtedly there was material I could easily have used commercially had we had go pros back when I was involved in some of my cruising and related adventures.
Just as well those technologies did not exist back in the early seventies when I was still riding choppers and hanging with a select group of characters causing mayhem, until one day I discovered sailing which enabled me to live a similar lifestyle as I had been but do so in a more socially accepted respectful manner.

[Hallam]

If this wind hangs around all week I’d say you have a pretty reasonable excuse to stay in Bums Bay until it abates

Bum's Bay...suitably named?

[skuthorp]

Blowing a very cold south westerly, gusting to gale force with squalls and hail down here…...