Almost a done deal...

...well, the deal on Lucey Blue was supposed to have been done some time last week, but AQIS decided that she needed to be inspected for termites (which I think a pretty boat like Lucey Blue would find kind of insulting ;-)!

Nick went to Sydney on Friday and met up with Buc and the people from K9 and their cute little beagle/termite detection dog, Mandy. I wish he'd got a picture of her because she sounds cute...but he didn't. Mandy even sat on his lap, in the dinghy, on the way out to Lucey Blue.

We hadn't really been concerned about termites at all. We'd seen Lucey Blue in Fiji...and she didn't look infested with anything but fun! This all changed though, because on Monday night (7th December), as we were quietly sitting at our kitchen table at home, we noticed a swarm of winged insects attracted to our kitchen light. Nick caught a few and went and looked them up online. He came back a short while later and said he thought they were TERMITES...NNNNNOOOOOOoooooooooo!

So we got Rentokil in the next day and the guy confirmed that the winged insects that Nick had caught were termites. We discussed the fact that we had had a termite inspection with them only 4 months ago, and the house had come up clean. This being the case, it was unlikely that a mature colony could have sprung up in the intervening period. We didn't have the gum trees in the front yard tested in August, so we have decided to do that now...they are going to come and drill them the week after next. The man from Rentokil did say though that termites can travel (especially on warm, still nights - as Monday was)...so it is possible that the colony is not on our property...and after chatting with the neighbours (who also had a swarm)...we are hoping that the colony is SOMEWHERE ELSE!

With this disturbing episode fresh in our minds we were wondering if the termite dog would find something on Lucey Blue afterall...but luck was on our side, and the little beagle didn't find any termites (apparently they bark when/if they do)...so the sale should go through this week. FINALLY!

The organisation of this sale has been a task of epic proportions for Nick...and I highly recommend that anyone considering purchasing a boat that has foreign registration, insist that the owners go through a boat broker...I think that whatever they charge...it'll be worth it to you, your sanity and your pocket in the end!

While Nick was in Sydney he bought some of the Navionics Platinum Charts for the East Coast of Australia...so we are all charted up here, with no place to go (yet).

I thought I'd also pop in a picture of where Lucey Blue has been moored while she has been in Sydney Harbour (for the last two weeks):

Hopefully next time I post here...we will be the proud owners of Lucey Blue!

:-)
Sam.

Bundy Day Trip

Yesterday (31st October 2009), Nick got up at stupid o'clock and flew up to  Bundaberg to be there when Lucey Blue came out on the slips for her Marine Survey, and antifouling. It was a long way to go for a day trip, but we decided that it would be a worthwhile exercise...wish I could have gone too!

He managed to get some nice shots of her while she was out:

Lucey Blue - on the slip at Bundaberg Slipways and Midtown Brokerage, Bundaberg 

Lucey Blue - antifouling in progress

 

Lucey Blue - from across the Burnett River

Lucey Blue - port side

Lucey Blue - starboard keel

Lucey Blue - propeller and rudder 

One of the pretty locals!

Ushuaia

He went for a walk around the yard up there and stumbled across the cat Ushuaia (shown above), out of the water. She is also a Lagoon 42 TPI. Apparently there were only 50 of them ever made, so it seems pretty unusual to find two of them at the same place in the world, on the same day!

We have been to Ushuaia too, it is a town in Patagonia on the Beagle Channel at the very southern end of Argentina (el fin del mundo), one of the last places to stock up before you head off to the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a very beautiful area.

BTW...The surveyor said that Lucey Blue is sound...so it is all systems go as far as the purchase is concerned :-).

Ciao ciao,

Sam.

She is here...

Lucey Blue arrived in Australia on Sunday night!

She is currently located somewhere in Port Bundaberg, probably at the Bundaberg Cruising Yacht Club:

We are trying to sort out where she can be lifted out of the water for a Marine Survey...but being 22ft wide, this is not a simple task. She may have to be sailed a bit further south, towards Brisbane, to find a slipway that can handle her.

I'll keep you updated!

Sam.

ETA: The Marine Survey is going to happen on Saturday (31st October) in Bundaberg, and we are going to get her anti-fouled at the same time. She is going to come out of the water by sitting on her keels on a concrete pad as the tide goes out, like this:

Deposit PAID!

It was a bit of a drama, and involved the Man toting large wads of cash through the streets of Canberra in a manilla envelope (wish I had a picture), but on Friday we paid the deposit on Lucey Blue. There is no turning back now...not unless the marine survey finds her unseaworthy/unsound...which it won't!

Lucey Blue is expected into Bundaberg tomorrow...so it is not very much longer until we will be seeing her in Sydney Harbour (around the end of November)...WOOHOO!!!!!

Lucey Blue - from up mast

Lucey Blue from bow

Lucey Blue galley

Have a great weekend,

Sam.

Things are still moving along...

Well, we are finally about to sign the contract for the purchase of Lucey Blue...so things are getting considerably more exciting in this neck of the woods.

Lucey Blue and her owners are currently in New Caledonia, and are joining in the Port2Port Rally....arriving in Bundaberg some time between the 26th and 28th October.

We may be going up to Bundy, to be there while the Marine Survey is carried out, and also to get her anti-fouled (as she will be up on the slips anyway). So if that comes about it will be a fun little jaunt. Fingers crossed!!

In the mean time I thought I'd load some more pictures here...I find it helps keep the excitement going strong :-):

Lucey Blue - Starboard side stern

 Lucey Blue - Port side stern

Lucey Blue - Cockpit

Lucey Blue - Anchor lockers

Lucey Blue - Saloon

(I love this shot...to me it looks like it is from a sales catalogue, with the caption:
'You too could be this happy in the saloon of your new Lagoon!')

Back another time with some more pics...

Sam.

A new blog, an exciting adventure...

Even though this blog isn't live yet, and the deal isn't done...I wanted to start putting down some of the story, because it is very exciting...and I just HAVE to tell someone.

We are going to buy a boat, a catamaran...well, that is the plan at any rate. She is a Lagoon 42 TPI - Jeanneau to be precise, and her name is Lucey Blue. She is currently sailing the crystal clear waters of Fiji, but will be in Australia by the end of the year.

Lucey Blue on the marina at

Musket Cove, Malololailai, Fiji

Lucey Blue was built in 1992 by Tillotson-Pearson Inc. (T.P.I.) - of Warren, Rhode Island, USA subcontracting for Jeanneau-Lagoon Catamarans of France.

She has two queen berths aft, two double berths forward, two heads/showers, a galley in the port hull, a spacious saloon, a covered cockpit with large folding table and two big trampolines at the bow.

Line drawing of Lagoon 42

Layout of Lagoon 42

Lucey Blue's covered cockpit and table

Lucey Blue's saloon and Miss 5

 

Lucey Blue's trampoline and adornments ;-)...

We have just spent a week in Fiji ourselves, including three fun days meeting Lucey Blue and her family of owners (Buc, Ina, Simon and Amanda) at the Musket Cove Resort on idyllic Malololailai.

Lucey Blue is a lovely, comfortable boat and I can hardly wait for the deal to be done. Bring on December!!