For all of you that are wonding what I've been up to I'm still hanging around in the Whitsundays sailing around on the maxi's. I've now done 3 trips out on the Hammer, and 2 on the Condor (the most famous racing yacht ever built). Basically I'm going out every single day that I can to get as much time on the water as possible. By the looks of it I should have a job in the next 1-2 weeks because 1 person finished this week, another is going next week and another 2 weeks after that so they are going to be in need of people at prosail (the company whos boats I have been going out on) so hopefully I will be offically a crew member in a week or so, not that the money will be all that great but it is better than nothing and since I basically have no expences while working for them it will be good, not to mention every trip is basically a big party with a new group of people.
The last trip I was out on kinda sucked though because the boat had tore its main sailing on the last trip and wasn't fixed in time for this trip so we had to motor almost everwhere even though the hammer was still doing 8 knots with just the heady up. The boat is getting a new heady this week which was cut larger than it was supposed to be and will be getting a new main in a couple weeks time so it will be a absolute weapon when that is ready so I can't wait to get back out on the water on it as soon as the new sails are on.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
The Hammer
I just got off of the water after having spent a week on the racing yacht, Hammer. I was working as volunteer crew on the cruise, I wasn't getting paid but it didn't cost me anything to go out on the boat and my food and accommidations is all covered when I am out on the boat. The weather wasn't the greatest for sailing, there was basically no wind so most of the time we just had the sails up more for show than anything and were forced to motor along. Though the one day when there was wind, we challenged a couple other boats to a "friendly" race and we completely smoked them. Life out on the boats is just amazing fun, everyone on them is basically between 19-25 and just out to have a good time.
I'm back in town for the moment right now but I will most likely be going back out on some boat in the next few days, till then the owner of the sailing company is letting me sleep on one of the yacht that is in harbour. The boat lost its keel so its not going to be going anywhere for a couple months so it is going to be my home for the next little while, and I get to stay there free of charge also. I also talked to him about a job, they don't have any openings right now but he told me that he will hire me as soon as a spot opens up, so hopefully in a couple weeks I will have a job, till then I get to keep going out on the boats to act as volunteer crew.
I'm back in town for the moment right now but I will most likely be going back out on some boat in the next few days, till then the owner of the sailing company is letting me sleep on one of the yacht that is in harbour. The boat lost its keel so its not going to be going anywhere for a couple months so it is going to be my home for the next little while, and I get to stay there free of charge also. I also talked to him about a job, they don't have any openings right now but he told me that he will hire me as soon as a spot opens up, so hopefully in a couple weeks I will have a job, till then I get to keep going out on the boats to act as volunteer crew.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Sailing
I've been in Airlie Beach for almost 2 weeks now sailing around the Whitsundays. My first trip out was on the Enid (http://www.ozsailing.com.au/vessel.php?sailing=Enid), a 2 masted tall ship. My second trip which lasted a week was on the Double O Seven, a 38 foot monohull. The week I spent on the 007 was to get what they call a "Compident Crew" qualification whichs means that I am now recognized by Yachting Australia as being qualified to crew a sailing yacht.
The training was actually extremely intense because we had really bad weather the entire time we were out. We had 30 knot winds on average and were in up to 3 meter swells and it rained extremenly hard at times causing white our conditions. We managed to break 1 of the runners for the rigging, and put minor rips in 2 of the sails and we also had most of our electronics die on us so we really had to learn what we were doing. It was probably actually a good thing it was such bad weather because I learned far more this way. I can put in and take out reefs in bad weather and I can drop the sails easily in emergency conditions. I'm not quite ready to race the Sydney to Hobart but I learned a ton.
I'm going to be going back out on tuesday to work as a crew member on the Hammer (http://www.ozsailing.com.au/vessel.php?sailing=Hammer), which is a racing maxi. I'm not getting paid but my room and board is covered while I'm on the boat and I was actually talking to the owned of the charter company and he told me I could actually just sleep on a couple of the boats while they are back in harbour, I'm hoping if I do a couple runs as volunteer crew and everything goes well I will be able to get on as a deck hand.
The training was actually extremely intense because we had really bad weather the entire time we were out. We had 30 knot winds on average and were in up to 3 meter swells and it rained extremenly hard at times causing white our conditions. We managed to break 1 of the runners for the rigging, and put minor rips in 2 of the sails and we also had most of our electronics die on us so we really had to learn what we were doing. It was probably actually a good thing it was such bad weather because I learned far more this way. I can put in and take out reefs in bad weather and I can drop the sails easily in emergency conditions. I'm not quite ready to race the Sydney to Hobart but I learned a ton.
I'm going to be going back out on tuesday to work as a crew member on the Hammer (http://www.ozsailing.com.au/vessel.php?sailing=Hammer), which is a racing maxi. I'm not getting paid but my room and board is covered while I'm on the boat and I was actually talking to the owned of the charter company and he told me I could actually just sleep on a couple of the boats while they are back in harbour, I'm hoping if I do a couple runs as volunteer crew and everything goes well I will be able to get on as a deck hand.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Learning to sail
I had so much fun out on the boat this last weekend I've signed up to take a sailing course here in Airlie Beach, I'm going to be going back out on a boat tomorrow for 3 more days to learn how to crew a sailing yacht.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Frazer and Whitsundays
So much to talk about and so little time.
I litteraly just got off a sailing ship after spending 3 days sailing through the Whitsundays.
When I last posted I was just heading out to go to Frazer Island. Frazer Island is the worlds largest sand island. The island itself is made of nothing but sand, inland there are freshwater lakes that are absolutely crystal clear, and the island is amazingly contrasted, on one side of a like there will be rain forests and on the other side will be a 40 foot high sand dune sloping down into the lake. The waters around Frazer and completely shark infested and I actually watched a couple of British fishermen one morning pull in a 3ft reef shark around dawn. You can't swim around the Island either because it is a breeding ground for tiger sharks which are one of the types of sharks that will attack people.
The trip across Frazer was pretty crazy, we were loaded up into big 4x4 jeeps and drove around the island, each vehicle having between 8-11 people in it. And its not norming driving around on roads I'm talking about it's crashing along sand roads that you sink 2 feet down into the sand and crusing along the beach. We did however get rained on one night while on Frazer and the rain continued through the second day on the island, all together though it was a great time.
I caught the over night bus up from Hervey Bay after leaving Frazer Island to Airlie Beach. I was originally supposed to go out on a sailing ship called "The Card," it was a ship that had come in 4th in the around the world race and its sister ship was actually the only ship to have won ever leg of the around the world race, unfortunately my cruse was cancled due to a lack of bookings, I was then transfered onto another Maxi racing boat but that cruise was also cancled, I was finally transfered onto the Enid a 3 masted sailing ship that managed to go out on time. The Enid isn't a Maxi sailing boat but it does actually make pretty good speed. The Skipper actually allowed me to pilot the ship back in from the Islands today, so I was piloting the ship for a little over 2 hours myself, I was also the only passenger that he allowed to take the wheel. It was a little uncomfortable when I started to steer the ship and we got out into some bigger wind and the sails catch the wind and the ship starts to pitch over on its side as the boat accelerates. Though once you get used to being on an angle all the time its really amazing.
The sailing trip was absolutely amazing, we spend most of the time either sailing or snorkeling. While snorkeling I saw everything from sea turtles, which I was actually able to swim up and pat their shells, to giant clams, and millions of tropical fish, and even a dolphin and some squids.
I litteraly just got off a sailing ship after spending 3 days sailing through the Whitsundays.
When I last posted I was just heading out to go to Frazer Island. Frazer Island is the worlds largest sand island. The island itself is made of nothing but sand, inland there are freshwater lakes that are absolutely crystal clear, and the island is amazingly contrasted, on one side of a like there will be rain forests and on the other side will be a 40 foot high sand dune sloping down into the lake. The waters around Frazer and completely shark infested and I actually watched a couple of British fishermen one morning pull in a 3ft reef shark around dawn. You can't swim around the Island either because it is a breeding ground for tiger sharks which are one of the types of sharks that will attack people.
The trip across Frazer was pretty crazy, we were loaded up into big 4x4 jeeps and drove around the island, each vehicle having between 8-11 people in it. And its not norming driving around on roads I'm talking about it's crashing along sand roads that you sink 2 feet down into the sand and crusing along the beach. We did however get rained on one night while on Frazer and the rain continued through the second day on the island, all together though it was a great time.
I caught the over night bus up from Hervey Bay after leaving Frazer Island to Airlie Beach. I was originally supposed to go out on a sailing ship called "The Card," it was a ship that had come in 4th in the around the world race and its sister ship was actually the only ship to have won ever leg of the around the world race, unfortunately my cruse was cancled due to a lack of bookings, I was then transfered onto another Maxi racing boat but that cruise was also cancled, I was finally transfered onto the Enid a 3 masted sailing ship that managed to go out on time. The Enid isn't a Maxi sailing boat but it does actually make pretty good speed. The Skipper actually allowed me to pilot the ship back in from the Islands today, so I was piloting the ship for a little over 2 hours myself, I was also the only passenger that he allowed to take the wheel. It was a little uncomfortable when I started to steer the ship and we got out into some bigger wind and the sails catch the wind and the ship starts to pitch over on its side as the boat accelerates. Though once you get used to being on an angle all the time its really amazing.
The sailing trip was absolutely amazing, we spend most of the time either sailing or snorkeling. While snorkeling I saw everything from sea turtles, which I was actually able to swim up and pat their shells, to giant clams, and millions of tropical fish, and even a dolphin and some squids.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
