DAY 12
This time ‘I’ woke up early! Evan still sound asleep I got up and went for a walk around the marina. It is so calm outside. Early morning is lovely and quiet.
On return I found Evan still sound asleep so I got dressed and armed with camera went for a walk through our industrial neighbourhood.
Today is maintenance and domestic goddess day (meaning laundry and food shopping). Frank has organised to borrow the marina car for 2 hours this morning from 8:30.
Frank, Pete, Evan and I in the car and with google maps ready headed for Woolworths. We had breakfast at a little recommended café called Magnolia 73 which used up 1 hour of our precious time. Food shopping and a quick bottle shop easily took up the rest of the time getting us back to the marina 2 hours and 1 minute later.
The Bundeena girls Karen and Michelle are flying in today. The boys have both been very much looking forward to this day. I hope they have a wonderful time.
I did the laundry while Evan installed 3 new clutches for our headsail pole kicker and boom preventer. Afterwards we worked for hours trying to find a leak which is letting water into the cabin on the port side. We think we found it is the headsail sheet block track which is leaking. Now how to fix the bugger. Will need to find out what to use to seal the through holes properly (Sika).
Next Nashira got a good scrub clean on the outside and now its time to make dinner. A nice ravioli with mushrooms, ham and Deal island zucchini and a spicy arrabiata sauce.
It’s starting to RAIN!!!!! YAY!!!
Tucked in our safe and warm Nashira for the night I downloaded a movie before bed time. We watched “First Man” about Neil Armstrong’s life becoming an astronaut and being the first man on the moon. A decent drama depicting the life and costs of this most dangerous mission for himself, his family and everyone involved in it’s ultimate success.
DAY 13th – 7th Thursday
Slow start to the day. Evan got up saying its 7am but my watch says 5:40am. Turned out sadly that my watch was wrong. The little knob on the side must have popped out during the night. How convenient for me!
It rained all night (a wonderful blessing for Hobart and surrounding bush fire areas). It is still raining this morning.
We had to plug Nashira into the mains on the wharf to enable us to heat water, charge up our laptops and phones.
I feel a bit landlocked this morning. Perhaps it is the rain. It would be nice to go exploring around Hobart. Let’s see what the day brings.
A bit later on I called Valerie O. remembering that she is flying in today. She has organised to stay with people in her Servas (hospitality exchange network) group on the weekend but didn’t have any place organised for Thursday and Friday nights so its settled, she will stay with us!!
The afternoon is now partially consumed with Evan moving everything out of the V-Birth and Nashira being tidied for a visitor. (it’s good to have reasons to clean!!)
Early afternoon Evan and I along with Frank, Michelle, Peter and Karen grab a taxi to Salamanca place. We do some looking around at shops
before heading for the Whiskey bar which is a beautiful establishment. Looks and feels like a cozy warm gentlemen’s club, even smells nice. Frank taught us beforehand that you look for the half price cocktail sign to be put out. It is a random occurrence but reduces the price from $20 to $10 a cocktail and they self-profess to be the best cocktails in the area.
We are in luck. Half price cocktails here we come!
Valerie met us there with a Servas friend in tow who met her in town and brought her to the whiskey bar. It was great time with everyone catching up and talking about their adventures.
Tonight is a big night. It is the night that Denis and Lynne have organised at the Shipright Arms Hotel (Shippys) for all of the crew from 24+ vessels that have sailed down from Sydney to meet up.
Shippys is in Battery Point and a walk among the historical buildings is a nice way to burn off a few calories before dinner.
Shipright Arms Hotel
Denis and Lynne of ‘Ariki Tai’ have been organising groups to venture down to Tassie for the last 12 years (6 wooden boat festivals). Each year the group gets bigger. They are amazing. They manage to keep track (loosely) of all of the vessels. (each of us emails when we can on where we are and how we are doing). They have organised weather by Roger Badham (Clouds) to be distributed to all and tonight is the night we all get to meet up and talk sailing, adventures etc… It is a fun night that we very much look forward to.
On leaving Shippys we had too many of us to take one taxi back to the marina so Evan, Valerie and I took one and Frank and Co. took the other. Our driver ran a yellow light just as it was turning red and oopsie police sirens starts. Looking around I am hoping it is not for us but no luck. We all knew the light was yellow as he crossed the intersection before turning red and wondered what the problem was exactly as we discussed this with the taxi driver. A woman police officer came up to the window and explained that everything was being recorded. She then asked the question “why did you knowingly run a red light?” That sure sounds like leading to me! Trying to get him to profess guilt. Our driver being of Indian descent was good. He did not answer the question but kept asking “what?” like he didn’t understand. She repeated the question 2 more times and each time he refused to answer. I’m sitting in the back thinking ‘Well Done!’
She finally gave up asking and proclaimed that in Tassie you must stop on the yellow light unless unsafe and that they were going to book the guy in front of our car until we too went through.
I grabbed my phone and started googling Tasmania road rules and sure enough there it is in print. The yellow light is actually part of the stopping red light phase rather than the end of the green light go phase. Drivers must stop on yellow unless unsafe to do so.
Well there you go!
Finally back at the marina we settle in for sleep. It is lovely having Valerie here as a guest.