Sky boat
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Monday, 26 May 08 - 08:17 AM (GMT +12:00) By Marie-Claire Andrews in Boat adventures |
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Just think this picture is awesome
Don't mention the wharf..
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Tuesday, 13 May 08 - 08:21 AM (GMT +12:00) By Marie-Claire Andrews in Boat adventures |
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After a hiatus, we're back into the boat renovations big time now. This week we left our berth and got lifted out onto the hardstand for repairs and maintenance to the hull. Written like that, it sounds so easy. This is what really happened:
We're too fat to fit into the usual place where they get boats out, and too heavy for the travel lift. This meant getting cranes. We had to move too far for a 100 tonne crane to do the job. This meant getting two cranes. This meant six trucks and 8 blokes. This meant the $500 job is so far $4500 and we have to save up to put her back in the water!
We moved to the wharf on Thursday ready for a lift on Friday. Oh no we couldn't because the engine wouldn't start. But that was OK because one of the cranes we booked slipped down Makara hill and it was all off until Monday.
We moved to the wharf on Saturday and learnt to live off a 10amp lead instead of 3 phase power. Tumble dryers and heat pumps seem to cause a problem. Who knew?
If you saw me for meetings on Monday this week, apologies for yawning and looking like crap. At about 2:42am on Monday morning we woke up, well Lee woke up yelling 'GET SOME CLOTHES ON GET UP GET UP GET UP NOW' as the tide had turned, and our boat had caught on the side of the wharft, leaving it tilted and listing badly as the tide went out. We were in danger of rolling over! So got up, in the cold southerly rain, and pushed the 43 ton boat off the wharf. Just like that. Like a toy one, she plopped back into the water and all was well. Except the 4 foot piece of wharf that fell into the water with her.
Cranes arrived Monday morning and lifted out our home, popped her on the hard stand and left us to it. Hurray! If you want to come and visit - and we now have The Best View of Wellington ever - you need to climb a 3 metre ladder. Ask me how I do that in the morning with my office clothes on 
The wierdest thing is that I felt quite sea sick being on her out of the water, I've got so used to the slight movement that being completely still (because we're propped up by half a forest) was odd.
Lots of nailing, sanding, scraping, painting and fixing to do now. All volunteers welcome!
Life on the boat
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Sunday, 02 March 08 - 12:14 PM (GMT +12:00) By Marie-Claire Andrews in Boat adventures |
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Living on a boat was an idea that came to us last Christmas, when we were in Vanuatu. We were looking for a simpler way to live, and some way to accelerate the change in thinking we would need to live the lives we wanted. Living on a boat makes you think about life differently. And because it's a little wierd, I feel like I'm on holiday all the time. Luxury camping.
This is what is so great about living on the boat
1) Appreciating the small things. When we got a piece of plywood and shoved it under the sofa bed to make it less saggy I was on cloud nine. What a difference that made to my life! And to really put icing on the cake, a few weeks ago we built a 'sanity shed' out the back so I no longer have to go outside to get to our shower and toilet, and we put our fridge freezer on board. Now I can have frozen veges!! Ooooooo 
2) Cleaning the 'house' takes ten minutes. Our sofa is our bed, is our dining suite, is our reading space, is our entertaining space. Our galley is a sink and a worktop. We have two windows. We have 12sqm of carpet. The shower is lined with fibreglass. OK so when the renovations are done there'll be 90sqm to clean up but right now..whooo hoo!
3) 360 degree sea views. You'd pay millions for the views I have, the sunsets we get to see every night...
4) Frees up funds. Living on board - as security of course - is a pretty cheap way to live. Now we have our washing machine and tumbler on board (see, its not slumming at all is it!) we don't pay $2 a pop for the laundry even.
So, OK we have to fill up the water each week, and walk down a windy pier to get to the car each morning, but I like it
Share the vision
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Thursday, 08 November 07 - 03:47 PM (GMT +12:00) By Marie-Claire Andrews in Boat adventures |
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I haven't gone all wierd, I just thought it might be a good idea to counterbalance the image on here of our home (our boat) with the first draft of the plan of what she'll ultimately be.
Picture this, over 90 sqft of living space, accessed via a sunny back deck, through to a styley galley flowing into an enormous lounge leading into our king size ensuite quarters, leading to the wheelhouse, downstairs to an office, out the wheelhouse and around the side to the downstairs leading to two more ensuite cabins, a laundry and dive storage room and back up two flights to the top deck.....I'm pleased to say Lee and I share the vision up to that point, but then we disagree. I'd like a spa on the top deck, and he'd like a helipad. Grrrrrr.
When is a home not a home
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Monday, 24 September 07 - 08:41 AM (GMT +12:00) By Marie-Claire Andrews in Boat adventures |
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