Month: July 2022

This Man’s Work is Never Done – 2022

A new Renogy 300W solar array and a haul-out and anti-foul topped the list of jobs completed in early 2022.

Haul out at CleanLift Marine – Prince of Wales Bay

CleanLift Marine, opposite the Prince of Wales Bay Marina, provided an excellent and affordable haul-out service. Trent and his mate did great work and applied four coats of International Micron Extra 2 antifoul plus PropSpeed in two days.

Back at the marina they replaced a leaking hatch and relocated the wooden safety rails on the coach house on the third day ready for me to install the new Renogy solar array.

New Renogy Solar Panel Array

I ordered 300W (2x 100W and 2 x 50W) of Renogy solar panels plus2 x charge controllers, fuses, wires and fittings online. They arrived a week later and have performed as per specifications. On sunny days at noon with no shade they have delivered 300W of power. I couldn’t be happier and recommend Renogy to any boat owner considering a new solar system.

After the failure of my seven year old Lion batteries I replaced all my batteries with new Bosche Marine batteries.

New 12v TV in saloon

Some things in life are free! I picked up this free Daewoo 12v TV and CD combo at the POWB Marina.

Bilge Alarm

With Freebooter now on a swing mooring I though it advisable to install a very loud bilge alarm just in case the newly installed Water Witch automatic bilge pump fails.

Franklin

In 2022 I relocated Freebooter to her new home on a swing mooring 120m upstream from the Wooden Boat Centre and Living Boat Trust in Franklin, Tasmania.

The Wooden Boat Centre as seen from Freebooter on her swing mooring at Franklin

I had thought about Franklin as a suitable base for Freebooter since arriving in Tasmania but nothing had prepared me for its beauty and the friendliness of its locals.

Franklin is situated a leisurely four hour sail up the Huon River from where it flows into the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. The oldest town in the Huon Valley, Franklin is only ten kilometres downstream from Huonville which offers excellent opportunities for provisions and services and is a 40 minute drive from Hobart.

Before finding my current swing mooring I based Freebooter at the small and welcoming Franklin Marina, right next to the Living Boat Trust.

Franklin Marina, Tasmania recorded with my Spry+ in 2022.

The water in Franklin is brackish meaning it’s great to help the barnacles fall off the bottom of Freebooter’s hull.

The Living Boat Trust

The Living Boat Trust is a boating community “dedicated to keeping Tasmania’s marine heritage alive and maintaining traditional boat building, repairing, rowing and sailing skills”. Its hub is the shed with a kitchen, bathroom, toilet and changing room. “It has an extensive collection of tools, sailing and rowing gear” and is “the home of good work, good company, good talk, and good food – the last being especially true every Monday evening when [they] host [their] dinners”.

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