Sevenstar Yacht Transport

At last I have secured a spot for Malua on a ship to transport it from Sydney to the Med. The experience was easy with a very efficient email communication to Amsterdam. This is so unlike the Dockwise rip-off that I had endured earlier in the year. The ship is carrying a number of Sydney to Hobart yacht to Europe for the sailing season so I am sure it will leave on time.
Next week Malua is to go through its annual NSW Maritime commercial survey which should be quite straight forward this year. I then take the vessel to Ulladulla to the slip to replace the propeller shaft bearing and the rudder seal and bearing. Quite a big job if things go wrong but I am not expecting any real trouble.
The Batemans Bay Marina Cooperative is still being very uncooperative in not replying to my requests to slip the vessel and not responding to my telephone calls. I now have a strategy to put some pressure on them and the Department.

Batemans Bay Coastal Patrol Lifeboat

The lifeboat of the Batemans Bay Coastal Patrol.
If I am not on Malua, I am on the crew of the Batemans Bay Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol. We have three vessels: RIB, Shark Cat and the Waverney Lifeboat. We have a great crew and have undertaken a few "rescues" but nothing challenging. It is good to keep my hand in and to see how other organisations do things. It is quite different to the South African NSRI which, when I was a member was a very can-do organisation, with well prepared vessels to tackle the big seas out of Gordons Bay near the Cape of Storms.