Downtime in Surfers Paradise , 1 week,  Monday 6 to 12 August 2012.

We have arrived at the Marina Mirage in Southport, where we will stay for several days , enjoying the local environment and having a couple of niggles on LAST WORD attended to, ie coolant leak fixed, rudder sender unit changed , engine oil sampled and sent for analysis and tender leak investigated.

We are berthed on A arm,  berth A16, and the weekly rate,  including power and water is $525 , not bad at all.
We are bow in,  and this means that the back of the boat looks straight up the broadwater , not only a spectacular view , but private as well.

LAST WORD  tied up in Marina Mirage

the view out the back of LAST WORD, straight up the Broardwater, north

LAST WORD WITH A FEW MATES 

Graeme has spent several days with us, and we have sampled several restaurants , eating  out every second night.

We have even been to Graeme's house for a baked dinner.....a  superb three course meal.

The weather has been superb.

our first cloudy day, and what clouds

not a bad view, ehh

I have contacted the Vetus agent in Australia and had a replacement rudder sender unit delivered , which I have now fitted and tests ok ( with the real test to come during  the next leg to Mooloolaba ).

Whilst changing the rudder sender unit, I moved several plastic storage bins for better access to the job, and discovered that most of the nuts that secure the rudder clamps were loose ( with a couple of the nuts not only loose, but undone and on the boat hull floor), I have tightened these and put spring washers under some of the nuts. Hopefully this is the reason why the tie rod on the rudders is vibrating , and will be the end of that problem / noise.

I have also had the starboard engine coolant leak fixed ( hopefully ). This involved removing 47 liters of coolant, removing and replacing the heater element, with an  appropriate amount of thread sealant this time , and putting back the coolant.

Next I had the engine oil sampled and sent to the lab for testing. I have now had this tested three times with the results suggesting there is a serious ( but unknown ) problem with the starboard engine first being dilated by fuel ( which would suggest a fuel  injector leak ) , then the second sample saying nothing about this issue, but stating that the oil contains  an inordinately high  amount of  magnetic particulates  (eg  from  the cam shaft destroying itself ). I anxiously await the third sample  results , and will get right up caterpillars backside if after three tests they cannot tell me what s going on and what needs to be done sand when. The tests are required as part of the warranty process , and I am again thinking it is somewhat a waste of time and a money spinner. We will see.

While spending some down time , I observed some local fishing techniques.

Darn it, just hold still  and you will soon feel warm all over.

Now that was easy. Gee one throw, catch and more importantly.....only one  mouthful

I am still mystified why the tender ( starboard boob ) is deflating , and contact the Coomera ( Gold Coast City Marina , aka GCCM ) AB Inflatable agent,  and tell them I am in Southport and still have an issue with the tender deflating and organise to deliver the tender to them, the next day,(  if I cannot fix the leak in the meanwhile ).
I then crawled around under the tender, on my back,   (whilst it is on the F/B deck in its cradle ) looking for a telltale for the leak, and I think I have discovered the leak ,( being a damaged area - right on the rear bottom corner where the boob attaches to the fiberglass hull ). I set about preparing this area and glue on a patch , hoping this will be  the end of the tender deflation issues.  However, next morning the boob is again  deflated.

I contacted the RIB Force inflatable crew to confirm I would be delivering the tender to them,  and launched the tender ( by twisting  LAST WORD  in its berth to make room - as the tender launches on the port side which was tied up along side the finger )   and it took an hour travelling up the Broadwater and around Hope Island/Sanctuary Cove to the GCCM / Coomera.
RIB  Force kept the tender for two days, and found the leak ( several fine long, razor like, scratches right at the rear underneath of the boob ) and effected repairs, ie   a patch, and carried out additional work , ie adding a rubbing strip  under the keel and adding additional patches on the underneath of the  rear boobs, as a precautionary measure against future similar damage.

I tried a scenic route back from Coomera, and got lost several times in the canals. However, it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

No wander I got lost coming back from Coomera. It is about 13 NM  (25 KLMS ) and shortcuts can be a problem. Good thing I took the Ipad as well as having a chart plotter. I left where the red pin is (top left ) and Marina Mirage is several NM south of he bottom right hand corner, and there asre several closed bridges where the chart plotter and Ipad say the canal is open.

I thought long and hard about how the fine razor scratches could have occurred in the tender , and compared my notes of when the leak first  appeared ( which I thought was a leaking valve issue ) to my diary of usage of the tender, and it readily became apparent ( as the leak occurred midway through a period when the tender was not used ( as i did no boating for several months whilst recovering from shoulder surgery )  that the damage was done when the tender was lifted out of the water, in late May, for the tender engine service.
I commented at the time, to the fellow who collected the tender by trailer, that the trailer was a poor set up for my tender, and it was not worth risking damage to the boobs of the tender. He assured me it was ok , but I insisted on fitting fenders  between the gal ( rough )  trailer wheel arch covers and the boobs of the tender to protect the tender. Obviously I  missed the underneath of the boobs rubbing on the trailer as it was winched onto the trailer. Any way, the damage was probably done by then ( as the cuts would have occurred when the tender was winched up onto the trailer).

That service to the motor cost me several days chasing the cause of the leak, and approx. $600 in repair dollars and several hours to launch, deliver and retrieve the tender, plus fuel. Not a great bargain.
 I will tell the service fellow, so he knows  next time to use a trailer properly set up for the task.

Repairs to LAST WORD  and the tender are now complete and we are ready to continue our passage north.

However, we await our guests for the next passage, Ray and Maggie Gent, who arrived Sunday 12th August  2012  and we expect to depart Monday or Tuesday ( probably Tuesday as the winds and seas are up at present).

Maggie and Ray Gent arrive, collected by LAST WORD'S driver, Graeme Barker.

Ray and Maggie travel light

Ray and Maggie may travel light , but they understand what is important for a voyage