Hauling Harmonie - Scarborough Marina, Queensland, Australia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Sun 1 Nov 2009 02:44
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27:11.689S 153:06.330E
On Friday (10/23), we motored down
the Brisbane River and sailed the few miles to Scarborough Marina,
which is just north of Brisbane on the Australian coast. Scarborough
Marina is quite large, somewhat flash (fancy) and full of Australian
sailboats and trawlers. We seem to be one of only a few live aboard
boaters here. It's very strange to go from marinas and ports buzzing with
life and full time cruisers to a weekend pleasure boat marina where most of the
boats are smaller, less colorful (no laundry hanging out to dry), and seem to be
used very little. It's a whole different vibe and makes us feel more like
foreigners. Of course it's no different than our home port in Sodus Bay
where most of the boats are smaller, less colorful and seem to be used very
little - mostly because the owners work for a living and don't have time to be
lollygagging about on their boats.
In general we're finding that this part of
Australia reminds us of Florida. Some of the vegetation is similar, the
climate, although drier, is similar (warm), and there are lots of people and a
fair amount of traffic. If it weren't for the cars driving on the wrong
side of the road, the people talking funny and the weird-looking
birds, we might have thought we were in Hobe Sound, Florida. Shortly after
we arrived last week, one of the local boater couples brought us two giant
Kensington Pride mangos as a welcome to Australia gift. This was very much
appreciated since Australian Quarantine cleaned us out of all things remotely
fresh and fruit or vegetable related. It was also unexpected and something
that wouldn't necessarily have happened in Florida. So far we've found
that the Australians are more like Americans than Kiwis - once you get
to know them a little bit they are friendly, but they don't radiate that unique
form of extreme exuberance that the Kiwis do. It's early
yet though, and we've got a lot of Australia to see before we can pass any
further judgment on such things.
As far as the boat is concerned, we spent the past
week doing all the usual things to get it ready to haul. I use the
term 'we' loosely here. Really it was Don who washed the deck, changed
the oil in both the engine and generator, went up the mast to retrieve the
wind instrument, and washed out both holding tanks and the bilge. I did
clean the toilets, but other than that, it was Don who took care of
all other undesirable jobs. This general balance of boat tasks seems
to work well for us.
This past Friday (10/30), Harmonie was hauled
without incident. Not only without incident, but without trepidation,
anxiety, angst or even a touch of nervousness. Ok, so there was
a touch of nervousness, but only on my part and it wasn't the usual stomach
flipping, dry mouth, clenched teeth variety. It was only just that, a
touch of nervousness. And it went away as soon as the boat was securely in
the lifting straps of the travelift and the part we had to play in getting
it there was over and done with. It helped that we had a perfect day -
sunny, not too hot, not too cold and best of all, no wind. Hauling out (or
in) is the one time we wish for no wind.
We've been living two days now on an elevated
Harmonie. If it weren't for the restrictions on dumping water in the hard
stand area, this wouldn't be so bad. We can't let any water from the sinks
(or elsewhere) drain out of the boat, so all dishwater, brushing teeth water,
etc. is captured in buckets and carried down 10 ladder rungs to the ground, then
on to the sink in the laundry room for dumping. For those of you that
are interested in water conservation for the sake of the environment, hand
carrying all of your waste water in a bucket down a ladder and through a
parking lot is an excellent way to cut down on water usage. Highly
recommended. But be careful on the ladder.
It's Sunday now (11/1) and our bags are packed and
most of the boat jobs done (with the exception of those to be left for the very
last minute, like disconnecting all the batteries). Tomorrow,
we plan to take a bus and train back to Rivergate Marina in Brisbane, where John
and Sue and Storyteller should be waiting for us after having just arrived from
New Caledonia. We've been watching their blog as they make what for
them will be a 4 1/2 day trip to Brisbane. So far the casualties
include their espresso machine, John's curry dinner and a load of couscous,
dried beans and rice - all of which flew off the counter in the galley during
particularly violent rolls at one time or another. Stabilizers will most
definitely be a welcome addition to Storyteller in the near
future.
We'll stay two nights on Storyteller and then fly
out of Brisbane to LA on Wednesday morning.
Picture 1 - Hauling Harmonie.
Picture 2 - Champagne celebration. Sitting
high and dry on Harmonie with a bird's eye view of the marina and
surrounding building rooftops, we finally cracked open that
'we-made-it-to-Australia' bottle of champagne.
Anne
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