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Have Yacht will Sail

Last update= d 16-Nov-08

Coming soon round the world

We are here

Introduction

Note: Changes since last release are reflected in white text<= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;color:white'>=

Facts & T= echno Babble

= What to bring= , Boat rules

Log #	Date	Subject	Position
1= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	10/1/2008	Screensaver= first picture	<= /span> =
2= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	10/2/2008	Screensaver arrives Port Kembla<= /span>	<= /span> =
3= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	29/2/2008	Screensaver reaches Sydney	<= /span> =
4= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	3/4/2008	Handover	<= /span> =
5= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	24/4/2008	Hunter Rend= ezvous	<= /span> =
6= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	16/5/2008	How easy it= is to lose a finger	<= /span> =
7= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	19/6/2008	Michael Jac= kson on the harbor	<= /span> =
8= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	21/6/2008	Mini boat s= how	<= /span> =
9= <= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	12/7/2008	Sail Traini= ng Round 1	<= /span> =
1= 0<= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	19/7/2008	Sail Traini= ng Round 2	<= /span> =
1= 1<= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	27/7/2008	Sydney Boat= Show entry, purchases	<= /span> =
1= 2<= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	5/8/2008	Sydney Boat= Show exit	<= /span> =
1= 3<= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	15/8/2008	= Refuge Bay run	<= /span> =
14=	24/08/2008<= o:p>	Tristan Solo Off Shore=	<= /span> =
15=	30/08/200	Tania Solo Off Shore <= /span>	<= /span> =
16=	12/09/2008<= o:p>	Relax Quarantine Bay	<= /span> =
17<= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	26/09/2008=	Cooking on= the Run 40 Knots Sydney Harbour=	<= /span> =
18<= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	5/10/2008<= o:p>	Departure = Sydney - Whitsundays	<= /span> =
19<= /span><= span class=3DMsoHyperlink>	6/10/2008<= o:p>	- Port Macquarie<= /p>	<= /span> =
20<= /span><= span style=3D'color:white'>	7/10/2008<= o:p>	- Yamba	<= /span> =
21<= /span><= span style=3D'color:white'>	8/10/2008<= o:p>	- Tweed Heads	<= /span> =
22<= /span><= span style=3D'color:white'>	12/10/2008=	- Hervey Bay	<= /span> =
23<= /span>	<= /span> =	<= /span> =	<= /span> =
24<= /span>	<= /span> =	<= /span> =	<= /span> =
25<= /span>	<= /span> =	<= /span> =	<= /span> =
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28<= /span>	<= /span> =	<= /span> =	<= /span> =

Introduction= <= o:p>

Most of those that are liable to read this know at least part of our exploits’, and if you don’t well have a read of Have Bus will Travel that should give you a bit of a laugh, and some i= dea of who we are. I’m told you should get a laugh out my spelling and grammar at the very least. Wh= en we did Have Bus will travel we had no idea we would be doing “Have Yacht will Sail”. But the first few intro lines there certainly set the see= n, and worth the 30 seconds to review in light of where we are today.

The following pages out line the ski= ppers and gipsy’s plans and exploits in our new sailing venture. Oh yes and= the gipsy just might have to get a promotion after she does her sailing course. Incidentally the skipper will do the course too, just to be sure he hasn’t lost his marbles. Initially this will be a bit of diary and hopefully answer some of the typical questions, provide some pictures so you can see for yourself, and not be bored by our babble, pictures or home movi= es. So when you’ve had enough you can just go watch Bay watch or Survivor with all the other moor…. Ops sorry .Gee do we know anyone who likes that, I hear lots of yes’s

Later on it will reflect a planned r= oute and approach to big round the world in 30 days, ….yea right remember it’s a yacht, and in spite of what some may think we don’t have Richard Bramptons cheque book. So it will be ro= und the world for a few years in a few years. In the immediate future we have plenty of sites cursing and things t= o do here.

Technology has moved on since “Have Bus will Travel” and you can see from this WEB site that I haven’t, well at least not the web site here anyway. One day someone who’s got one of those “Round to its” might do something about it but in the mean time if you don’t like it don’t read i= t so you can’t then complain about it. But more to the point if you haven’t clicked the close button, technology has moved on and we expe= ct to have all the IT tools to maintain this to the very high standard, includ= ing the quality controls you are used to. Email will be limited in the middle of the pacific, and rest assured the WEB cam will be turned off when there are huge seas, so we don’t scare ourselves watching it from below on the Laptop or the big screen in 5.1. For those that have the yuppy Sat Nav tools in there BMW’s etc well we have that too so we can give you longitude and latitude,= and there wont be any arguments w= ith the gipsy about bracelet or watch.

We will be out of our home by around March April 08 so our friends plus the new ones that suddenly materialize w= ill need to call our Mobiles, or email us to find out which part of paradise we= are in today.

Fac= ts & Techno Babble

The yacht is a Hunter 49<= /span>

Length Over All Bloody Big &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 15.21m

LWL&= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; A little less &n= bsp; = ; = 13.36

Beam (width) A bit bigger than me &= nbsp; 4.47m

Draft (depth) = about the same as me = ; 2.13

Fuel &n= bsp; = ; That’s not Bourbon &n= bsp; 568L

Water (Black) Like Bondi was! &nb= sp; = 197L

Water Fresh = Pity that’s not Bourbon &= nbsp; 757L

Engine Yanmar = Big enough &= nbsp; &nbs= p; 100HP=

Ballast = My tummy well nearly &n= bsp; 5690Kg

Displacement Wont= go there &n= bsp; = ; 14262Kg

Mast Height = To bloody high for me &= nbsp; 20.9M

Sale Area = Moor than all your carpet 122 sqm

Cost &n= bsp; = ; None of your business &nb= sp; $xxx,xxx.00

So the bare facts for those serious enthusiasts additional inventory and some of the options can be found here and some pictures

Price & Options: Like many things today, when you buy something of this significance, the on road costs and “options” nearly equate to buying a car where the spare tyre is= an option, and oh you want passenger seats, well those are extra, the car is o= nly $10000 new, but all these extras, its now up to $16000. I exaggerate to some extent, but part of the problem is they don’t know whether you want Satellite Nav or a Sextant, a cheap Dick Smith stereo or a Bose system. Oh = yes we chose the Bose by the way and the Sat Nav. For you girls perhaps its like comparing Kmart to some top line European name brand store, although some m= ay arguable debate just how good it is. But in fairness no matter what options came standard they would not suit every buyer.

Navigatio= n: So we have SAT Nav ( or Chart Plotter ) just think of it exactly the same as what you see (or have) for in car navigation systems, only its on the water, oh and we get it in 3D, that’s extra of course. We can also see under the water to with our S= AT NAV (i.e. see the pot wholes), so we know exactly where we are, and unlike = the car (unless you just bought a new Lexus), it will actually steer you there = as well with the aid of Auto Pilot.. The SAT NAV will also tell you when you d= o a wheely, i.e. the wheels are going around at (70k) fas= ter than the car is going at 10k.Or in our case Speed through the water verse s= peed over the ground (SOG)

Safety: We have another gismo called MOB, its about the si= ze of a wrist watch and you attach this to your wife, son, daughter mother in-= law , just before pushing them over board when your ou= t to sea. What this does then is places an exact position where they went over t= he side on your Navigation system so you can clearly see where they fell off in order to make sure you don’t go back there! to look, plus it also sou= nds an alarm so you know how long to weight before you should start looking.

We also have a VHF Radio, which takes the words MAYDAY or SOS for you old timers right out of your mouth, and it = will happily send your distress call for you. It clearly does this without any emotion and allows you to concentrate on the panic of the moment, and rest assured even if you don’t know where you are it does, so it sends that information out as well, so the rescue boat or plane knows exactly where to find you and pluck you to safety,.

There is Radar as well so we can see those sneaky little blighters creeping up to pinch all our worldly possessi= ons in the dark of night in some backwater.

Necessities. We also have a <= /span>water maker. Just in case the captain gets sick and starts drinking water as he= has recently been known to preach, heaven forbid, or we get inundated by the current set who feel compelled to carry plastic water bottles that will be around long after they have gone, and drink 4- 6 L per day, and I now hear = some fools are paying 3 figures sums and more for it.

Then there is the Ice Maker for the real drinks none of this water <= span class=3DSpellE>shiiiiiii..

Saloon No = this is not another drinking place, it not full of drunk people lose women, although anything is possible. It is what you land lover would call your lounge and combined dinning room. Where when we are not out= side dining under the stars or embracing life we will hide from the huge waves crashing over the foredeck.

DVD, MP3, 5.1, Via Bose System to la= rge LCD panel, Video’s both Movie and Music on demand via Media Centre, Internet, email, TV, oh no cable TV though, oh how I will miss that, Not !!= I will get my Gipsy back again, Yes !. Yes !

Of course the Galley (Kitchen for you girls) has all the mod cons, for= you but no dish washer for him.

Guest Roo= m: For those special friends, you know = the ones that bring the Bourbon, or Scotch, that help clean her up each season, that know when its time to go home, that look after there kids ( or husbands/boyfriends in some cases), that leave their “baggage” behind not in the wine, that can enjoy some good music, and not what you he= ar driving down your road late at night and try to work out if that’s th= under or ya husband (boy friends just wouldn’t yet) There is two guest state rooms, no room service though.

Masters S= tate Room The Masters State room complete with on-suite has everything one might expect. You will note = the bed is specially design for those who are weight loss challenged, and the m= id section is larger to cater for her….. ops his….. well you get t= he picture. It comes with memory foam mattress just so I don’t forget where I left= it, or your favourite position. ( to sleep silly)

With all these items on board one ne= eds a very long extension cord to power it all, and while we will have solar po= wer (not included) this will need to be supplemented. We carry our own little p= ower station capable of providing enough power for your house and probably your neighbour, at 13KVA.

Yep for all those clothes changes girls a washing m= achine is provided on board.

Typically the yacht will cruse at ar= ound 180-210k per 24 hour day, so it’s a very leisurely pace but cost you next to zero in travel costs.

After much debate we finished up with mast furling, only time will tell if this was a wise decision or not. For t= he none sailor think of mast fur= ling as your typical pull down old fashion blind mounted vertically, where the blin= d is sail.

The Great Plan

All great plans of mice and men, or something like that. One of the things that makes yachting work is, not hav= ing a fixed a plan, and to be prepared to change it as the situation changes. W= hen things are against you don’t fight the tide you pick your time, and go with the wind or current which is a lot easier. Not bad advice for other th= ings actually if you think about it.

First up we need establish ourselves= on board, get our sea legs, get the feel of “Screensaver” spend so= me time exploring and enjoying the local scene. We will venture further a fiel= d as we feel comfortable with everything. We have a few things to add, and no do= ubt some to fine tuning, and work out what works best for us. With a range of a= bout 200Miles (321k) max in a weekend there is a lot one can see do and enjoy in that space.

Then because of time constraints its likely that skipper will do some one way trips on his own or with crew memb= ers where the Gipsy can join him later on location then do part of the trip back again. My position is a little more flexible where as the Gypsy has a significant job constraints and obligation to be filled.<= /p>

Christmas & New year on Sydney harbour has to be a must, and to join the Sydney to Hobart fleet as they leave for a bit would also be something.

It has always been an idea of the skippers to leave for Hobart (where we have never been) a day or two before a Sydney to Hobart, and then= the fleet of race boats would catch us up, no doubt some would pass us. But this way everyone is watching, and already out there, so it’s a good safety measure.

Once he have exhausted that, its anyone’s guess, Whitsunday’s, Lord Howe, Tasmania, who knows af= ter that.

There are groups of yachts which do = what is called Blue Water Rally’s, such as this one and you join = these at some point long there journey.

The Chart

This will ideally show where we have been over the course of our travels, and where we intend to go. =

A Quick how to

First find a partner, assuming your = not “relationship challenged” that can deal with the confined living, and not have all those windo= ws to clean, floors to wash, carpets to vacuum, and if you have her (or him) trained ( I don’t) gardens to look after, pool to clean lawns to mow, walls to wash, etc. Check your partner can deal with that, make sure they c= an suffer the clean fresh air, blue water, clean living metaphorically speakin= g, not forgetting the TV, shoppi= ng and internet amputations to some = level, that have been known to cause Big Smoke withdrawal syndrome.

Next be prepared to make some sacrif= ices and take some risks, put all your wealth on the stock market and lose the l= ot, oh sorry its “Black Tuesday 2= 2^nd” I’m still mentally suf= fering Hell-Market- S= inky- Syndrome and looking for someone to throw me a rescue grant. You don’t have to be rich, but its all relative. An acquaintance of mine who quietly implies when prodded (not bragging) probably has twice or three times our wealth but is still convinc= ed he doesn’t have enough, he has no “Living Plan”. In short he can earn at bank interest equal= to the average wage in interest alone and has a freehold home. I doubt there i= s to many friends of ours reading this that are in that positions Conversely the= re are those who have there home paid off or nearly but not much behind them o= ther than bills, or the youngens with fast cars women toys, gadgets and possibly a mixture all in one who simply say they cant af= ford it. So on this end of the scale a 22 year old bought a boat 28 foot in 2002 that had been sunk for $50= 00 and thought this was a better idea than back packing. You pull up at all the be= st beaches, get right in the middle of many coastal towns and big cities for next to nothing, and chances a= re your room is still bigger, than the backpackers hostel, this now 27 year old has been round the world and now has a 40’ yacht. Oh and his address = was Number 1 (as he was the only one there) Opera House bay. Sydney.

So with money now no object we = said how big a boat do we need and can we manage, if you looked at the money lin= k, that’s just trading one home for another and why would we move… Also we had to consider the MOB s we needed to be able to manage it on our = own if we had too. So the top end was deemed to be around 53 feet, no bigger at= the other end of scale around 43 feet, any smaller and the Gipsy wouldn’t= get her clothes or DVD’s on board. So how much is that, well from around $100k to around $1m you can cover most of that space. Somewhere in there wi= ll be a point that could work for you, perhaps at the lower end of scale requi= ring more TLC or the upper end requiring more capital.

As for the boat itself. Well a yacht moves around all be it slowly ( 200Miles Per day) but for next to nothing, a Greg Norman yacht moves around = from one bay to the next at the cost of our yearly salary and then some. So for = us this was one reason for real yacht rather than a stink boat. After that basic safety, and seaworthiness just in = case we do go round the world, no big glass windows, or really high cabin struct= ures for sea’s to destroy or break though. Then came layout, do we really = need three toilets, or 4 cabins. Living space and Galley functionality (Kitchen = for you land lovers) Saloon room (no not the bar, the lounge), and the outside Cockpit and entertainment area, followed by safety equipment and creature comforts. Oh and if your wondering why safety equipment was down the list, quite simply because this can be added later to your own personal level, but it’s not so easy to change the internal structure. =

After that every sailor has their own version and idea’s so its all up to availability and after that budge= t.

Test Sail

A low resolution Video (180x144, 48 = Min @ 64k 4:3) can be viewed = here of a test sail I completed and trip on Mike Harkers yacht Wanderlust along with a quick tour thro= ugh the factory at the end. (The Video is for personal information and viewing, not commercial gain or marketing)=

What to bring – Boat rules

What do I bring: <= /p>

Is a fairly common question now days= for the newbie’s or those staying overnight. If you’re a seasoned sailor then for the most part= it comes natural with exception to the particular owners or captain(s) quirks.=

If you’re going to stay on boa= rd for probably more than one night consider that one of your nights & days could set a new tempera= ture record for that time of year whether it be winter or summer. The sea can change quickly as can the temperature. If your vitamin ‘D’ challenged, remember on the wa= ter Vitamin “D” comes at you from all directions, and finds its way= to the strangest of places which have never before seen the sun. Many boats don’t allow shoes= to be worn, unless they are boat shoes or equivalent, so leave ya high heels behind guys, and girls you will need to survive without the hob = nail boots. Electricity is not something made available to guest, so those toys = you might have in ya bed room , better run on batte= ries. On the water one must keep their fluids up any doctor will tell you this, w= hile we do have a water maker history and indeed a study will tell you a be= er is better, and because I’m not mad about beer I substitute scotch the= se days. Aren’t stats great.

Boat Rules:

Boats and the water can be very dangerous, most incidents on boats are people underestimating or not taking the environment seriously, so one hand for you and one for the boat, and never place your hand between any part of the boa= t or rope and another part of the boat.

No excess “baggage” literally and figuratively, you’re invited to enjoy.

1 Bottle of sprits, or 2 bottles of = wine and not the wine that you leave behind and don’t drink when you go to visit, or 1 dozen beer, per person per 2 nights, unless you’re still going to AA, and planning not to follow the above study.<= /p>

No shoes on deck, other than boat ty= pe shoes

Nothing down the toilet you haven’t eaten first with exception to the loo paper.

Thow= shall not be scared or sea sick without telling t= he captain, there is no shame in either, and he can help.

Electricity and fresh water are of finite supply, and hence when it’s not being used turn it off and conserve it.

No smoking below decks (By order the Gipsy !!)

If conditions are not good or consid= ered dangerous we will not go anywhere for any reason and the captain’s wo= rd is final likewise should any serious issue arise time is probably of the essence so follow the advice and you will be able to bitch about it later.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

Ropes (sometimes called sheets or ro= ds) can carry tones of load.

Never rap a rope around you hand.

Never put your hand or foot in a rope loop.

Always assume the rope could get taught at the worst time and consid= er the implications.

Never release a rope without checking the end is not tangled or arou= nd someone or something.