Marina Life

As we were about to spend the next month or so in the Moreton Bay Trailer Boat Club in Manly, we tried to embrace all the advantages that staying in one place allowed. I found a walking/talking buddy in Wendy (from Temptress), together enjoying the scenery along the Wynnum Waterfront.

Tony, Nathan and I also joined the gym and got into a routine of mid-morning gym sessions at Fitness@Manly followed by a coffee from the Manly Cafe. There were many trips to chandleries, Bunnings and many more boat dollars spent. Nathan became Tony's very capable apprentice / trades assistant and helped enormously with several new installations on Windana. One of the big projects was the construction of a framework and the fitting of our new solar panel array.

Once that was complete, Dave Elliot from Dave's Trimming, was able to design the layout of our new clears. Having the traveler sheet running from the boom to the deck has meant that we have lived with our cockpit seating partially exposed to the weather. Having to scramble to rescue our seat cushions whenever it rained was the bane of my life. Then there was the problem of stowing them somewhere, as well as making much of the cockpit temporarily unusable. I was determined that we would find a way to fully enclose the area when at anchor. We found it difficult to visualise a solution, but Dave was amazing and nailed it. Very happy with the outcome! We have since enjoyed the added bonus of the cockpit being nice and cozy for sundowners and in the early morning in this cooler winter weather.

We also finally put out to pasture, the mozzie / sandfly screen that we used to clip onto the main doorway. We now have a fancy magnetic retractable screen door made and fitted by Mike from Phantom Screens.

It wasn't all hard work and no play. Sarah and Hayden came out for a day on the Bay and we enjoyed many beautiful sunsets, albeit from the same vantage point. Even the marina itself had its pretty moments.

Just when we had completed everything on Windana, attended to all our appointments, medical and otherwise, caught up with many friends, farewelled Sarah, refueled and reprovisioned, the weather decided to misbehave. We thought it was best not to depart with a gale warning forecast (E-NE winds up to 30 knots). So here we are -ready and waiting.......