Hauled out

Well, at last this morning at 0930 we were lifted out at Norship Marine, Cairns. The weather is atrocious right now with rain and 50 knot winds forecast! Last night we were moored on a friend's mooring in the Trinity Inlet just above the Coconut Slipway and the highest winds we noticed were around midnight when it hit 29 knots. We were then on deck removing our foredeck awning before it got shredded but then as the night went on the wind eased a bit - down to an average of 15 knots. However, we didn't get a lot of sleep and then it was up early to get ready for hauling out. We had around 2 miles to go to the slipway and after the catamaran "Sails on Blue" was launched we motored into the slip where we were picked up most professionally by the travelift, the bottom was waterblasted and we were then transported to our home for the next 7 days.
It doesn't feel right when you feel the lifting straps taking hold of the hull and removing the normal freedom of floating in the marine environment. Still, it's all in a good cause - normal annual maintenance as well as getting a strainer fitted over our engine water intake to guard against plastic bags in Indonesia and engine maintenance.
Lots to do over the next 7 days - scraping loose layers of antifouling, then priming bare areas and finally applying 3 coats of new antifouling by roller and brush. The old girl looks good - no obvious damage after our encounter with the sandbar down near Bowen on our way north. Noel's sacrificial wormshoe has held up well.
Before we hauled out we were very lucky to have the use of our friends' 4WD to use while they were home in Perth. Jim and Liz were very generous and it was their mooring we were on last night too. One day we went to Kuranda again and then south to Atherton before returning to Cairns via Gordonvale. So, at last we can claim to have seen the Atherton Tablelands which is a major fruit and vege growing area. Reminded us very much of a tropical version of Pukekohe and we even saw a small version of the Pukekohe Hill. Apart from that we went into Cairns a few times and shopped at the local Smithfield Mall for enough provisions, not only to cover our time on the hard, but also our 2 month sojourn north to Darwin coming up real soon. So. thank you once again, Jim and Liz.
The weather forecast is looking good for Saturday on so we should get everything done before we are re-launched. The system that has been hammering us over the last 24 hours looks like heading NZ's way so hopefully will give much needed respite from the drought. Strange how we don't want the rain and yet the same system has given us plenty (and wind) and then should be a blessing further south - as long as it doesn't become too much of a storm which some long range weather forecasts are indicating is possible around Wednesday next week.
We'll regale you with all the gory details of our sojourn out of the water before we leave later this month for Darwin.
Lotsaluv from us...............
Jim and Gina (Jean) xoxoxoxoxox

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