The World has moved on.

[Ozzie]

The world has moved on . I borrowed that expression from Stephen King from the Dark Tower series but currently seems an appropriate description of the times. Just a little semi sailing related post on the current C19 crisis.

Firstly I hope you are all staying well and you and all your families are ok. I’m going haulout as a way to stay sane while stuck at home . The trip we had planned to UK to visit our daughter next month and the added cruise up the coast of Norway is now in the toilet . Like nearly everything anyone has planned for the next year.

I’ve looked it up online but as I anticipated no government agency has thought to address it yet but I figured sailing , fishing, canoeing and anything boats related might be a good safety valve for the social pressure cooker that’s going to start building up. Yes you can’t get far far away from others on a boat but if you’re only with the people you live with anyway there’s no harm done . It’s easy to keep 1.5 m away from another boat. I intend to go kayak early in the morning just to get some fresh air .

You have probably got health warnings coming out of your ears but here’s a simple observation you can translate to other situations. Last week after years of nagging from Mrs Ozzie I went to a very busy Lidcome Costco to pick up my new hearing aids I’d got fitted for the fortnight before. It was really the last place and city I wanted to be in under the current circumstances. Anyway I went straight in conducted my business and got straight out. The hearing clinic naturally was set up for the conditions and conducted itself accordingly.

It was after heading home I had a revelation. Stopping for fuel at a very busy servo I grabbed an iced coffee for myself and a packet of chips for my wife. When I payed for my fuel I gave my goods to the console operator who touched them and scanned them and handed them back to me. It of course hit me that every person of probably a hundred before me buying Freddo Frogs or whatever that day had touched the stuff and then console guy had then touched it . He had then transferred whatever to my coffee.

This is how C19 is going to spread. It’s that simple. Naturally when I returned to the car we wiped the coffee the chips and my keys down with wipes before using it.

We are more aware or this stuff because we are very regular cruisers and although we have never picked up any crepe from cruise ships we have dodged a bullet a few times when the next cruise on our ship came down with the screaming trots.

It’s no surprise, as I’ve watched people go out of their way to dodge the Mr Washy Washy dude dispensing hand sanitizer outside the smorgasbord or dining room. WTF ....how hard is it.

After a life in road design / road safety I can tell you relying on people to do the right thing don’t work. (Reference Bondi Beach last weekend)

I’m in the loser group unfortunately. Mid 60’s with lung deficiency ( not smoking related) so I’m trying to be extra careful . Personally I don’t know anyone with the bug yet but both my daughters do. But both my father and father in law died of asbestos related lung conditions and my grandfather, an ex miner, with pneumonia. Running out of air ain’t a pleasant way to shuffle off the coil.

Rant and gloom over. Look after yourself and let’s all post some great sailing stories after this blows over. If we run into each other on the water...I can hear you great now.


NOTE REPLIES TO MANY OF THESE POSTS WERE DELETED BY OR AT THE REQUEST OF THE ORIGINAL POSTER.

[Ozzie]

Great attitude David. I’m using the time to enjoy things as much as possible too . Hope you remain ok and optimistic.

Hope all members are doing ok. I like tinkering with my boat and usually during haulout I’m just going flat out to get it back on the mooring. But as we’ve got so much time on our hands at the moment I’ve decided to enjoy it and tinker a few nicer bits onto her.

Last night the wife and I set up our camping fire pit in the back yard, BBQed a few snags, nice drop of Shiraz and pretended we were in the National Park in our little motorhome, which was parked next to us in the driveway so it added to the illusion

Isolation, while a PITA is currently our only certain weapon against this buggy little basket. One of my daughters is part of health admin system in the UK. She’s working from home in lockdown in London and going a bit stir crazy in her shared flat. End of the day is to move from her laptop on the table for a TV dinner on the lounge to watch Boris’s broadcast from his lounge.( hardly worth the trip ) but I forwarded her this graphic a mate sent me to help make a bit of sense of it . You all may also find it comforting.

CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE.

keep your head down everybody

[Ozzie]

We went for a walk at Valentine park yesterday to checkout the new jetty at the boat ramp. A few fishing boats were packing up. Lake Mac ramps are not closed unlike Port Stephens. PS is a tourist destination and I think they have done this to stop people coming to the area, bugs in tow as well as boat. LM has very low tourist numbers by comparison and always has. Anyway, swimming, surfing and by association boating is still classed as exercise and providing you keep distance rules has not as yet attracted the need for supervision by plod.

As such, I went for a short kayak this morning to clean and grease up my mooring apparatus and float. I figured it might be vacant longer than usual and it will help deter growth.

I wasn’t arrested.

Actually there were two fishing boats out and one yacht under sail. This time of year is superb on the water. Not much wind for sailing but the water is clearing, still warm enough to swim in and the sun is shining. Providing it’s not totally banned I think we might go fishing to help maintain our sanity. I like my house but I think four walls are gonna get old after a few more weeks.

Happy thought for the day:

If you haven’t seen it yet, yes this is the real deal not an impersonator.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sPLgsV_Ms3Q

[Ozzie]

Ok ...well... this is one of the things wrong with the net . Conflicting info. Bad enough it’s coming from regulators.

The ABC news was saying 10 hours ago that Recreational fishing/boating was banned. And this was a federal decree.

Current search turned this up

CLICK TO ENLARGE

I cannot open this link as it’s protected by a paywall. I have a digital subscription to the Newcastle Herald so I’ll check that in the morning.

I think me, alone in my kayak, 100m from shore of Lake Mac with my mandatory PFD and built in buoyancy is a fair bit safer and more isolated than Coles, but I can understand the issue regarding rescue personnel. I think I will stay at home till a bit more clarity is issued. I’d consider in all such things moderation is the key. Enclosed waters and daylight hours would probably be quite reasonable compromise as I note golf is now no longer banned. As of lunchtime today NSW Maritime were still doing standard patrols. We live in interesting times.

[Ozzie]

Totally agree David. Not to mention the mental health benefits of anything normal in the current environment.

Given this mornings report on the ABC that this situation will absolutely not return to proper normality until a vaccine is issued to the wider population ( minimum about December) we are looking at considerable social unrest and mental health issues if people can’t have some sort of outlet. Being on the water is about as safe social distance wise as I can think of .

Anyway, snip from this mornings herald

[Ozzie]

Government are now asking rather than mandating people not to go fishing/ boating . Currently understandable I suppose. A personal decision and for the moment I will reluctantly stay home.

On a lighter note

Self explanatory

[Geoff]

Ozzie that's gold.

Here in godsown (Qld) it seems recreational boating is not on. Fishing and exercise only. Does working a mainsheet count as exercise?

Anyway I will be playing with my toy in the backyard and apres-sailing.

I have got mast-raising nailed.

Halfway through 14 days of self-imposed self-isolation. Less traffic on the highway.

[Geoff]

Thanks David,

you've pretty much nailed it.

No real burden for me, but looking forward to when this mad caper is all over. Not so much for me, but for those truly suffering.

Tidying up electrics and cosmetic changes on a 563 are more fun than a Meccano set.

[Ozzie]

Actually sitting inside the boat with the sprinkler on is a great way to look for leaks in the hatches and deck fittings .
Don’t use a pressure hose ....it’s not a submarine

[Raya]

This sign appeared yesterday at our local boatramp. Seems that sailing is considered as exercise.