Hi guys

I have just come back on board as the modem has not been working for a week or so. My daughter in law's brother has just visited and informed us that the modem had come loose and was not plugged in. One day I will have to take a bit more notice of how it works. In the meantime thank goodness for family.

talking about snow we have just had the weekend at Kanagra Boyd Wilderness area, 3 hours west of Sydney for those overseas and just near Jenolan Caves for Aussies and it is 1000m above sea level. It's one week to summer here and it was snowing where we camped! For Sydney siders not what we were expecting.

I am working flat out on the boat now, painting and putting on fittings. I hope to go to Goolwa in 2009, if there is water at Goolwa. I will certainly be interested in going in 2011 if I am still vertical.

cheers
Ron

It has been too long since I've managed to post anything here. In fact, a snowy, wet, windy Alberta Saturday has forced me into the house so the time has come.

Very briefly:

To those responsible, thank you for the news about your operations and travels. I helped me feel like I was still "in the loop" even when work had me so busy I hardly had time for sleep.

Thanks to all for updates on their boat's progress. While I may not respond, I certainly have been carefully checking out the photos and things do indeed look very good. Keep up the very nice work. I hope to update my site with a few links over to Richard's site soon.

As far as news from here goes, the big change has been the departure of our older daughter. She has ventured out into the world to take part in a youth program operated by our federal government which sends groups of young Canadians to three different regions of the country over nine months to do volunteer work as part of a community building program.

 Her first stop is Montreal and has been quite the experience. Between coping with being away from home for the first time and the obvious French language issues for an English-only kid she is doing very well. Her next stop is in Newfoundland (as far east as you can go before you're in Europe) and finally back to Manitoba (two provinces east of us) for the last three months.

Goolwa. No promises or anything but if everyone is going to take their Eun Maras (2011) there, it may indeed be a cold wind blowing from the far north that would see me coming too! I'll start putting pennies in my big jar. There are so many "what-ifs" in such an idea, the least of which is what airfares will be like. Here in North America with the US meltdown travel and tourism is suffering already. I want to take the family to Disney World for Christmas 2009, and have been watching fares. In two months they have doubled (over $4000 for four of us) while for those who can drive over the border to an American airport can get their flights for $59 pp each way. Yes, it's a bit farther from where we are, but not four times farther!

Gas prices have finally come down to about 80 cents/L CAN here. We can now fill the Yaris for around $30.

It has stopped snowing now and it may all melt again but the ski trails are ready and the grooming machine is in place for another season when we do get the next of many snow days to come.

Have a great season enjoying your boats and keep well, all.

Dale

   Hi Everyone,
                Thanks for your encouraging comments on my recent pictures, and especially thanks to Richard for providing the opportunity for us to post them, so that anyone interested can see. Must say it all helps with the motivation.
                Talking about motivation it seems that none of us will be going to Goolwa this coming March. No reflection on Goolwa, in fact quite the opposite, because March 2011 may be a time for several EMs to be together on the water at the same time ! The owners of "Skerry" and "Heather Mary" seem confident, and it will just take a bit more vigilance from the skipper of "Morna" to make it three ! I wonder if we can entice any of our northern hemisphere skippers to be present as well ?
Further, I wonder Ron, if there would be any possibility of making it four ? Wouldn't that all be just so great ?

Well done Bob, the photos and the progress looks great.
Alec.

Hello all.

I've just posted a whole lot of Bob's construction photos on the web-site, and an impressive collection they are too.
As usual go to http://www.geoss.com.au/eun_mara and follow the link.

Richard

yes that's right Alec. I 'll try to find yours and send to you. ron

Ron, my e-mails bounced back.
is that "tango"-"papa"-"golf"
Alec.

Ron, would you send me an e-mail( if you no longer have it give me a call). Bob has some interesting commentary regarding his recent visit to Iain O and asked me to pass it on to you. Alec.

Hi Alec I understand about stuffing things in and I did not realise the boom would get so low when the sail is reefed. I'll have to think about this. I am getting the port holes cast and can then afford to get opening ones. I have been looking for opening portholes in second hand boat but shops but have only got the opening bit for one and have made a pattern to match this. I have found a foundry to cast for about $15 dollars a piece. The first foundry I spoke to wanted $150 per piece, the second one was $60 and third time lucky. The further west you go the cheaper it gets! That's the western suburbs of Sydney for those who are not local.

I will probably make patterns for the mast and bowsprit fittings.

I tried to weigh the mainmast today on the grass. It came out at 25 Ks but then I weighed myself in the smae spot and came out 90ks when I am really 70ks. I really should do it on a hard surface.

cheers
Ron

regards Ron

Thanks, Alec. Yes, all the gear could easily come to 100kg.
Ron, having read Alec's comment, I see what you mean about eyes or pulleys for the jib sheets. It should have been obvious. I built eyeplates onto the deck of mine, but will attach pulleys (blocks) to them to reduce the friction and wear. Alec's idea is a good one, of having the blocks on adjustable lines ("barber-haulers"), to vary the angle of the sheets if necessary.
Cheers, Ian

Hi Ron,
Not too keen on roller feefing on the boom, as the roach of the sail has the boom almost in the water when well reefed. I've read of sailing with the device and they used to stuff things into the sail to try to take up the difference with the length of the luff. Hope this makes sense if it dosn't call me. I have an eye for the jib shet leads but I use it as an anchor point to have a short length of rope that I can adjust. The sheets actually reeve through a wooden block that is spliced to the short rope.

Ian, you may like to consider weighing everything you put into the boat from now on. It is amazing how things add up to quite a bit of weight. From memory I think I added 100kg for fuel, oil, water and all safety and personal gear.

Regareds, Alec.

Hi Ron,
Good to hear you're making progress. Not sure where you mean, about an eye for the jib sheets. I have sailed on a boat with a roller-reefing mainsail, but I think it is another mechanical device I would rather be without, personally.
Regards, Ian

hello fellow builders+ etc, been working consistently at it for while now toe rail this week only 1 snap crackle + pop not enough attention to the edge of the rail biting into the deck at the max twist (cnr of cockpit. Richard, it must be nice to have the fittings ready to go ,I have had some cast for me but i am thinking whether an eye as against a pulley is the way to go for the jib sheets. curious about your roller reefer. Looking to order my sails and i am wondering if any body has seen a roller furling gooseneck Reguards Ron

Not sure what happened there! Anyway, the boat and trailer weighed 1460kg. Then we launched the boat, Alison stayed as shipkeeper, and I took the trailer back and weighed it on its own, at 340kg, making 1120kg for the boat, in "day-motoring" mode. Add 51.5kg for the masts and spars (message 802), 12kg for the sails, and whatever you like for supplies and gear for a cruise.
The published literature says the boat has a weight of 1600lbs (725kg) and a displacement of 2300lbs (1043 kg). (I would have thought that the displacement indicated the weight.) This is the info. I gave my trailer-builder last year.
I will be getting rid of that little fizz-boat this weekend. It's been quite fun to do, but has taken up far too much time. I've got almost all the stuff I need to rig my EM now.
Cheers,
Ian