Solo Ventures

Hobo Shoestring, as he was known on YouTube until his passing about a month ago. Hobo was a veteran &, from the best of my knowledge, suffered a few missing fingers as well as depression.  He claims, he rode 2,700,000 miles on the rails in mainland USA, Canada & Mexico since 1989. He had a house somewhere, but chose to hit the rails as often as possible. This looked like him carrying his pack, & invariably a "5 gallon bucket". He bivouacked or slept on goods/freight trains. Hobo tagged a bit, but was no burden to anybody. He enjoyed 197,000 followers that he called friends, who often passed on rail movements information, camping equipment & food.  But, although rail employees of old supported him & lbey him ride in comfort, Hobo was as often scorned by rail security & police. He was run out, harrasssed, & I believe, charged for riding the rails. Hobo feared the authorities & others, & often mentioned the need to remain out of si

the ride is arduous. Taking a thermos & boiled eggs helps break up the journey and quells my nerves. fitting the ladder &:sorting out the ground tackle are priorities. 

My windvane is still under construction. A few day's hard labour would have him in going order, but I'm not into hard labour. I've made one vane block, but it didn't work. Its a tricky piece to fashion from hardwood. There are holes drilled at odd angles, the clock is then thinned down to make the holes which house the vane sail, shallower. A metal clamp is then bolted over to hold the vane sail in place. Its complicated. I need to make another. So naming is a bit premature. he's had a working name of "Forest". I found Forest Gump's capacity to continue running across America and back, totally fitting. Having sailed with a Navic (aka Plastimo) windvane previously, I am aware of a windvane's capacity to endure.  This evening the fictional element of FG is bothering me. I need something real, something Scottish and hard. That nation's highland warriors would fit the bill, but I was hoping for an identity with better karma. So The Flying Scotsman

CFG reckons its better to spend money on these things than on marine insurance:- . a manual bilge pump. . a second anchor & rode. . a "big gun" anchor stored. . storm trisail, on dedicated track. . Jordan series drogue. . paratech  drogue. . shark  drogue.  . gale rider  drogue. Lots of anchors & drogues! . 

Old mates bike up top is a Custom. While I'm not sure what that means, I can see the pipes & solo saddle are not stock.  Purple, has 30k on it & comes with  Blue Slip for $9k. What I'm noticing is its lack of storage & the chrome straps either side of the rear guard have been removed (I think?). YouTube tells me that a sissy bar bolts through those straps, & probably backing plates. If they've been removed, we have a storage issue, but otherwise its a plush bike. With a 1450cc twin engine tucked in there, she will move along nicely.  Very nicely indeed. 

Here's Mia early on her first day at work, 350k away.  That photo was taken weeks ago. Since then she has returned home, to collect horses, while here she mentioned a cloud on her left lung which led to getting it checked out, which led to surgery.  A little over a week ago she was strong enough to resume her intention to move back out west with her horses. As she was a little sore, and the horses can be a handful, I went along to help out. I stayed 10 days and we had a wonderful time hanging out together. We worked with the horses, mainly fencing, we went shopping, shared meals and talked a lot. For me it was like a holiday and I got stuck in and helped renovate the house andxtidy the lawn and gardens. Together with regular dog walks and my morning self care routine, I had a whale of a time.  Now I'm home and feel flat, sad and depressed. Some of this will be a natural let down at resuming "normal transmission" after a great time out west. But I think I&#

some months ago i gave myself a deadline to quit work. well perhaps it was a line in the sand. I figured that Anzac day would mark the great reduction in mowing income, & the loss  of my "best customers".  here's how its going. * D day was 21 days ago. * it has rained ever since, I have been unable to work. * those three customers are still active. so apart from a great reduction in income, I still have a responsibility to those customers & feel obliged. but o have more time to get boat work done.  but, I really feel like time is rushing by. to drive the point home, I'm reminded daily that younger people are at risk of lethal diseases & accidents, & people even younger than me are failing on their health. the option to go sailing is something that may be snapped from my grasp. I just have to keep pushing. Keep getting a boat work done, keep visiting more frequently. Keep stoking my dream! Thanks to  Wayne's Diaries on YouTube.

Last month, I had an impetus to buy a roomier boat to retire onto. During my hunt, I sailed aboard a Clansman 30 with "Deb", its owner. Deb was close to my age, or quite unfit and unkempt. Perhaps I am being too judgey, maybe she had had a tough life? But I think not, she spoke of wealth and "guarded" her asset like a person of money. Unfortunately for her, she lied and stretched the truth a lot and that turned me against her and her boat. Turning against the boat was not hard for it was very poorly kept. I couldn't believe Deb actually joked about her curtains. They were ancient, dirty and tattered and I knew could easily have been replaced or even removed. She evidently spent lots of time aboard and was aware of their unsightliness, but had still chosen to do nothing. This sentiment echoed through the boat, the paint flaked, messy "storage" areas abounded and ultimately the mainsail couldn't be raised.  However, when talking about one topic (othe

After a big evening on the xpt from orange to Sydney & then onto Newcastle, I'm now aboard for my final train ride to my home station. Its a beautiful autumn day here now, but Newy has been hammered with storms for two weeks. Walking to my parents' last night the surf could be heard for over a kilometer from the coast. Today feels like a significant upstep in my quest. At home, Mia has left in good health, taking her horses with her. That means my responsibilities to do twice daily feeds, rig changes and pumping water, will have evaporated. At home of will just be my son, two cats and two dogs. Joe can feed himself, get groceries and tend to the pets, so I feel much more free to begin a higher sailing workload. 

Sparrows chattering or arguing in the oleander bush near the back verandah.  The Currajong bird's haunting call. The Hill with its views, history and rusty debris along the red dirt trails. The presence of gold. Bohinia trees, large and plentiful. People own dogs that are cranky and barky. Large spacious house blocks. An array of Abandoned homes,  crumbling away in yards overgrown with peppercorn and bohinia trees.   Ponoes in back yards. Aboriginal people living & working alongside whites.   The owner of an abandoned Holden dealership refuses to sell any of the old vehicles still sat in the showroom.  This old gold town is healing from the ravages of greedy miners. Walkers are rarely seen on the streets.  Trucks and road trains roll through the main street at all hours.  That real estate is not a thing. There are more closed shops, than open shops. . That each street block is bisected by seedy back lanes. 

St Stephen's Anglican church. Rectory next door. Regular services are being held. Bathurst Diocese. St James catholic church on the Newell Hwy. Rather imposing structure, so probably once a thriving parish.  Lovely abandoned house on Euchie St. Abandoned ambulance station.    Old Peak Hill  firestation building on Newell Highway. 

Ideas from this image:-      * wind gauges & co. are mounted on a board that slides onto the main hatch.      *  a "box" is set in to the left of the hatch. This solid storage for coffee cup, small items.      * spray dodger is narrow enough to just over the hatch and retracts forwards.       * not seen here, there is a small shelf fixed under the coachroof to the stbd side just in the hatch as radio mount. I picked up this utoober (Pearson Vanguard Sailing) last night. Looks like he's sailing deep water, is modest in his presentation & shares a plain reality. 

Peak Hill birds :- Sulphur Crested Cockatoo Magpie Lark Australian Wood Duck Galah Magpie Currajong Sulphur Crested Cockatoo Chough Sparrow Zebra Finch Apostle Bird Willywagtail    ".  " variegated Sparrows! Yet to See ; Whistling Kite

2 may 24: story reads that ppl on low incomes unable to pay fines (which are more likely issued to those on low incomes), routinely have their incomes reduced by government order. What's been happening is that NSW government has been taking too much; over reaching & continuing  withdrawals for too long. Literally robbing the poor!  In other Loud Political News, in the wake of the murder of a beautiful young woman on the state's west, & 48 domestic deaths so far this year, the federal government is to pump $1billion  into relief. A $5000 payment, it is proposed, will be provided to women to help escape violence. On the surface, that's a good thing right? Well, no its another income stream for landlords of grubby rentals & cheaper hotels. The rich get richer!