The News

The news of my demise has been greatly exaggerated.  The devil has his hands full with the current pandemic and wasn’t up for a second major challenge!

Yes, it has been some time since the last post (and I don’t mean that as the sound of a final departure… I meant the blog!).  Back on 21 March I dug the shed soak pit hole and in doing that managed to pull my back (yet again).  I soldiered on ignoring the pain and wrote a few more posts.  However it eventually reached the point where the only relief was to lie horizontally and that’s how I’ve been for the last fortnight.

Yesterday Jan went to the local chemist and asked for some anti-inflammatory only to be informed it wouldn’t be wise as I’m also on blood pressure medication.  I did attempt to make an appointment with my GP, but remembered him telling me at the last consultation he was away in Vietnam during April eating bats and deep fried grasshoppers.  Well maybe not the last bit! 

Today I decided to get up and walk around.  Some waist height gardening was completed and a few items placed in the rubbish bin. 

I suppose if there is a positive to all of this then it’s the fact it happened during isolation.  Compared with many others, the nation has fared rather well. 

• 6746 confirmed cases
• 5685 recovered
• 90 deaths

In Western Australia the statistics are

• 551 confirmed cases
• 500 recovered
• 8 deaths

Some of the factors contributing to the low national figures are

• Federal and State government response
• Geographical isolation (island with no land borders)
• Low population density

The Federal and State government should be commended for their efforts.  Prompt and enforced social isolation rules were mostly effective.  Here in West Australia the state was divided into regions and only essential travel allowed between those regions.

Obviously the virus had to reach Australia from overseas.  The government reacted by ensuring all arriving personnel were placed into 14 day supervised quarantine on arrival.  It appears many of the cases originated from cruise ships.  It will be interesting to see how and if; the cruise industry recovers.

Because I’ve been on my back I haven’t accessed the pc.  However I wanted to read other blogs and thought “I’ll use my tablet”.   The tablet isn’t configured for blogs (no bookmark) so when I typed in Narrowboat Waiouru the first hit was our old blog address.  It was for sale by auction or for the fixed price of £179.  I was rather surprised.  Was our blog that popular? 

Until next time

Where is the delivery

This self imposed isolation is getting boring.  The hardware delivery hasn’t arrived and I’m looking for things to do.  The problem is this usually results in tinkering with stuff I should leave alone.  Today it was the Canon DSLR camera’s turn.  A firmware update was released in 2016 and I hadn’t applied it to our camera.  Having downloaded the update I was about to upgrade when I read about a program called Magic Lantern.  It’s a piece of public domain software for some Canon cameras which access the camera operating system and improves performance.  That sounded great, so I started tinkering.

Trying to install it proved to be a failure on my part.  The “Help” section suggested I try re-installing the current firmware.  However that version was released in 2009 and I can’t find a copy online.  Eventually I upgraded the Canon firmware to the latest release (successfully) and then tried installing Magic Lantern.  The message on the screen told me I needed the earlier firmware.  End result is the camera has the latest firmware but I was unsuccessful in installing Magic Lantern.

Meanwhile Jan has been looking out the front window and imagining all the changes she would supervise me doing to the gardens!

Yet more boat design thoughts – Part 2

The engine bay is another area I would do differently.  Apart from having this big heavy green noisy thing called an engine it also had two fuel tanks, calorifier, Hurricane heater and large battery bank.  When you add the weight of the toilet tank in the back cabin there was a significant load at the stern.

Photo from 2012

Obviously I’d leave the engine but, as mentioned in the previous post, I would move the diesel and toilet tanks to the middle of the boat.   The propulsion and heating tanks had a combined capacity of 385 litres or 320kg, plus the steel.   Incidentally, the Aldermaston Wharf engineer laughed when I decided to paint the engine bay white telling me “It will show every mark!”  Which was precisely my objective.

The domestic battery bank consisted of four 6 Volt 450ah batteries giving 950ah at 12V.  They were located at the very rear above the stern tube. At 55kg each that was another 220kg. 

Photo from 2012

If I was designing a boat today I would follow Pip & Mick on nb Oleanna and fit a Lithium battery bank.  However the initial cost of a Lithium system is significantly higher than lead-acid and I’d therefore only do this if I planned to live aboard.  The advantages of Lithium when compared to lead-acid are their lower weight, greater usable capacity and quicker recharging.  Another important advantage is they don’t vent so you can place them inside the cabin.  I won’t write much more about a Lithium system at this time as Mick will have far more practical knowledge and experience than me.

My rough calculations indicate by moving the fuel, toilet tank and battery bank would remove approximately 750kg from the stern. I believe it would have made a major different to the fore and aft trim.

Yet more boat design thoughts – Part 1

Sitting in self imposed isolation does provide time to dwell on the past and obviously our thoughts turned to life on board Waiouru. I commented about some of the lessons we had learned back in December 2017. However I don't think I touched on two important subjects. This first is obviously toilet arrangements and the second is increasing the internal dimensions of the boat.

When I designed the interior of Waiouru I considered the trim. However with no practical experience I was more concerned about the lateral trim (level) (port & starboard) rather than the longitudinal (bow and stern). All the boats we previously hired had a passageway down one side, which meant the majority of the static weight was on the opposite side. To counter this ballast has to be added to correctly trim the boat. I think I solved the lateral problem by designing a layout with a central corridor. This meant the weight was evenly distributed between port and starboard. When a boat has a pump out toilet the tank is sometimes located under the bed. This means as the tank fills the weight increases on one side affecting the trim. My solution was to have the tank under the floor in the back cabin. This solved the trim problem. Coincidentally the tank had a huge capacity and we never filled it.

However there were two problems with this arrangement which I had not realised. The first was the distance between the toilet and the tank. It meant a long flexible pipe had to be installed. The second was the pipe had to be run at floor level before rising 10 inches through two 90deg bends to the top of the tank. This meant the pipe was always full of effluent.

If we were to build another boat (in the hands of Lotto) I would still have a pump out toilet but the tank would go in the bilge under the toilet floor.  This would mean only a very short pipe between the toilet and the tank.  a little like an up market dump through toilet The bilge is also where the diesel tank would be situated.

I had read a boat needs a bilge because that is where the condensation will accumulate.  Hence it is sometimes being named a ‘wet bilge’.  The insulation on Waiouru was so well done the boat only ever had a ‘dry bilge’.  This was achieved by ensuring the spray foam insulation was thick and correctly applied.  The insulation also extended under the floor and finally I sealed between the wall and floor insulation to form a cocoon. This prevented the cold (and heat) from getting into the cabin.  As a consequence any condensation came from us or our cooking.  Actually we slept all year round under a lightweight 4.5 Tog duvet.

Original insulation.  Note the 4x2 timber capping on the baseplate cross members.  also note the thickness of the timber framing on the sides of the cabin.

How would I fit a toilet and diesel tank under the floor.  Waiouru actually had quite high headroom.  I could raise the floor by 6 inches.  My 20mm thick baseplate would allow me to have fewer baseplate  cross members.  Even if that wasn’t possible I could cut horizontal holes through them. 

More Interior Space

The original boat builder had fitted 4x2 timber capping to the bilge cross members.  These were removed and replaced with four 6x1 longitudinal planks.  This provided an additional one inch of headroom.

As you can see in the photo below the planks formed a grid with insulation panels in between.    Additional spray insulation has been added to the walls and ceiling to the point where in places it extended beyond the surface of the timber framing.  I cut the foam back flush using a 26” cross-cut saw.

The final step in the insulation was to apply more spray foam to all the seams to create the cocoon.

Finished insulation

Note the black strips in the cabin wall in the above photo.  This is where I create more internal space in the boat.

The above area is the bedroom and we were fitting a crossover bed.  The problem was that this part of the boat was starting to narrow to form the bow.  If I had left the timber framing then the bed would only be 5’10” long.  To resolve this I removed the timber framing replacing it with dense foam tape (the black strips).  By doing this I recovered 2” making the bed 6ft.  The oak plywood wall panels were screwed through the foam into the steel frame.  If we ever built another boat (unlikely) I would discuss the idea of using thinner steel side framing with the shell builder.  I think I could increase the interior volume without changing the exterior dimensions.

My final thought for this post is about the position of the Lockgate diesel stove fuel tank.  The stove fuel is gravity fed and the tank was located in Waiouru’s cratch where it took all of the port storage space.  Obviously you can’t gravity feed from a bilge fuel tank.  However the Lockgate used very little fuel (probably because of the excellent boat insulation) so I’d probably fit a small header tank for the stove connected to the large bilge tank.

Statistics

Some COVID 19 statistical data is now available.  I noted the fact that in one month one infected person on average infects another 400 people.  I sat at the desk with pen and paper to do the maths.

One person

1 month later    400

2 months later  160,000

3 months later   25.6 million

4 months later   10,245 million

5 months later   4.096 billion

6 months later   1638.4 billion

The estimated total world population is 8 billion

There is currently no vaccine

As of today Australia has 6314 COVID 19 cases.  3141 people have recovered and 59 have died.

The graph below shows the identified new cases.

The first case was identified in late January.  On 1 February the Federal Government blocked all arrivals from China.  Further restrictions followed in quick succession.  The two spikes in the above graph are likely a consequence of the initial exposure whilst the subsequent decline in new cases is a result of the prompt actions by the Federal and State governments. 

To date there has been only one serious error when the NSW authorities allowed passengers to disembark from the Ruby Princess cruise ship in Sydney without testing.  This has resulted in a number of ‘hot spots’ both in Australia and overseas.

The public has been informed the ‘peak’ has yet to occur.  However if the public continues to observe social distancing and other restrictions, the peak may actually be quite small.  The major issue will likely be with elements of the general population who may prematurely believe the crisis has passed and return to previous behaviour.

In my opinion the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison didn’t perform well during the very recent ‘bushfire crisis’.  However he learned very quickly and to date has provided excellent direction and leadership.  Credit must also go the State and Territory leaders who have put aside their political beliefs and aspirations to work for the common good. 

It is possible COVID 19 may be eliminated in Australia within the next 3-4 months.  But with a vaccine some 12 months away it’s also likely overseas arrivals will be severely restricted until that occurs.  Moreover arrivals will probably have to go into 14 day quarantine when they set foot on Australian soil.  Once a vaccine has been developed then overseas arrivals will likely have to prove they have been vaccinated before landing.

Once the pandemic crisis has passed there will be an even longer period of recovery for the economic crisis.

Easter–Day 1

Well that looked like a gigantic failure. “Stay at Home!” was the instruction from the government.  “Maintain Social Distancing”; only go out for essentials like shopping, pharmacy, doctor, etc.

The TV news last night showed beaches and parks full of people.  Police were patrolling the suburbs looking for homes with an unusual number of vehicles.  No fines were issued!

This morning I visited the state government website.  Going to the beach or park is allowed provided 1.5 metre social distancing is maintained.  Up to two family member can visit you in your home.

From a compliance perspective yesterday was not a failure.  From a pandemic minimization perspective my opinion is it was a failure.  Going to the beach or socially visiting family is not essential. 

Meanwhile people from cruise ships who were placed in enforced quarantine for 14 days have been released from their free 5 Star hotel confinement.  Some complained about their inhuman treatment whilst others accepted it was necessary.  The two vegans complained bitterly about being fed salmon!

According to the weather forecast it’s going to be another scorcher today.  Yesterday it was 36 and today it’s predicted to be 38.  The 4x4 will be relieved it’s not getting another bath and the lawns get a reprieve.  The solar panels are producing plenty of electricity and the house air conditioners are already on.  The only thing left for me to do is grizzle on the blog.   No doubt the beaches will be crowded.

As anyone else noticed this……. My body has absorbed so much soap over the last eight weeks that every time I pee the toilet gets cleaned! 

No!   Everyone else in this family has already walked me today

Big Easter Test

During the next four days we should be able to identify the selfish and stupid in our community.  The government repeated instructions are to “Stay at Home over Easter”.  It’s times like this one realises just how many stupid and selfish people live among us. 

Since we joined Costco Jan follows their Facebook page and reads aloud some of the questions.  I provide replies (which Jan is never going to type).

Question  “What are Costco opening hours?”

Tom’s answer “If you are capable of writing this on the internet then you are capable of using Google”  

Question  “Is it free to go into Costco?”

Tom’s answer  “Yes, the annual $60 membership fee is optional!”

And on the Isuzu 4x4 forum

Question  “What transfer case oil?”

Answer.  Try providing the vehicle model and year.   Then look in your owners manual under Fluids, Oils and Lubricants”

Of course I only bother answering because I’m bored!  <time to mow the lawns….. AGAIN>

Only 3½ months to go……… I can do this!

No Worries

Apparently the Prime Minister agrees with me

SBS News Reports

Scott Morrison 'bewildered and frustrated' 16,000 Australians defied coronavirus travel advice

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he's frustrated with the 16,000 Australians who decided to travel abroad despite strong advice not to, saying they were unlikely to "find themselves high on the list" to return to the country.

Current events do not worry me as they are very similar to my time as a young soldier

· Never any toilet paper

· Lots of tinned food

· Being told what to do all the time

· Ordered into groups or defined size of groups

· Watching others panic

· Constant instructions which are always changing

· Information which is out of date by the time you receive it

· Being told what to do in your free time

· Standing in long queues to get food

· Carrying a mask all the time

· Weekend plans all buggered up

· Favourite bars and pubs off limits

· Living under a permanent curfew

· Constant travel restrictions

· Hurry up and wait

Stuck……

There are 96 Australians stuck on the MV Greg Mortimer in Uruguay with at least one passenger infected with COVID-19. The vessel is operated by Aurora Expeditions Australia.
Passengers departed Australia for the three week cruise on 11 March. Some are now demanding the government repatriated them and point out the Federal Government only banned overseas travel for citizens on 24 March, some two weeks after their departure.
Look at the Timeline
25 January. First case of COVID-19 detected in Australia
27 January. Fifth case reported
31 January. Government requires all foreign nationals returning from China to self-isolate for 14 days in another country prior to arrival.
1 February. 10th case reported
6 February. Total of 15 cases
7 February. Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama with numerous COVID-19 infected passengers.
27 February. Federal Government activates the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan
1 March. 1st death
2 March. First community spread cases reported
4 March. 2nd death
6 March. Man in his 20's returns from Nepal with flu like symptoms and told to self isolate for 14 days. Ignores instructions and goes to work in hotel. Test results come back positive.
8 March. 3rd death
9 March. School teacher infected by partner who was on same retuning overseas flight as infected Melbourne doctor.
11 March. MV Greg Mortimer cruise passengers head overseas.
One month after the outbreak on the Diamond Princess and deaths in Australia these people head overseas on a cruise ship holiday. One assumes these passengers felt that as the government hadn't banned travelling overseas there was nothing preventing them from going. Now they are at risk of infection in a high risk environment and the Uruguayan authorities won't allow them to disembark.
Sometimes people take risks and sometimes they have dire consequences! Yes, they probably would have lost the money they paid for the holiday had they cancelled. However they would have significantly reduced the risk of losing their lives.
I’m taking this self-isolation philosophically.

In a crisis some see adversity whilst others see opportunity
 

Slow Progress

We’ve completed our second week of self imposed isolation venturing out only once to shop for essentials at the supermarket.  This isolation is dragging and so I pinned a map of the world up on the wall and told Jan to throw a dart at it.  Wherever it hit I would take her there for a fortnight’s holiday after the virus has abated.   Apparently we are spending two weeks behind the fridge!

Slow progress is being made on the new cabinet.  Mostly because of a shortage of materials.  I managed to rip a length of timber off a piece of Jarrah that had previously been biscuit joined together.  The cut length was then passed through the Thicknesser to provide two parallel surfaces.

The cut length is only 5mm thick and flops around like a Rolf Harris Wobble Board (should I mention his name?).  To give the kickboard (that’s what it’s going to be) some strength I’ve glued some scrap Jarrah to the reverse side.

The gaps between the pieces of scrap are to allow the kickboard to butt against the black plastic feet.  The feet have removable plastic clips which secure the kickboard to the feet.  The problem is the clips aren’t sufficiently long, which meant I needed to make some packers.

Now the clip has sufficient clearance

The kickboard will then be glued to the four packers

Not glued at the moment as I don’t want to damage the kickboard.  Actually it will be one of the last pieces fitted to the cabinet.

Jenny you don’t fool me with these ‘sisterhood’ comments.  Jan knows how lucky she is to have me

Chicken

This lockdown is getting to be lonely and tedious. Only this morning I was talking to the microwave and toaster about the situation. The fridge was cold and distant whilst the hotplate saw the whole thing as a gas. Fortunately the iron indicated there was nothing pressing, whilst the vacuum cleaner told me to suck it up.

Click <here> for Coronavirus Rhapsody.

I’ve never paid too much attention to food.  It gets put in front of me and I eat everything on the plate.  On the rare occasions I have to cook for myself I choose the easy options and will sometimes take the top off the can and eat it cold.  Fortunately I’m married to an excellent cook with a great imagination (when it comes to food).  When we lived on Waiouru Jan would often use the slow cooker producing stews, roasts, bread and cakes.  The advantage of the cooker was it used very little power and everything would cook whilst we were on the move. 

Being cooped up at home means I’ve more time to watch what Jan is doing.  Yesterday she cooked a roast chicken in the slow cooker.  We each had a leg for dinner whilst all the juices were drained into a bowl and placed in the fridge.  This morning these had formed a jelly which Jan placed in the freezer telling me they would go into a stew at some later date.  Jan stripped the meat from the remains of the chicken and it will be going into a chicken and pasta curry we are having tonight.  The bones and remains of the carcass were placed back into the slow cooker with some water and vegetables.  They will become a soup.  I was actually rather impressed with the comprehensive use of the chicken.  Probably because in the past all I do is eat!

   

The cabinet project is making slow progress. I’m attempting to make it last whilst we are in social isolation.

The media must try hard to find whingers.  Today there were two articles about people who have been placed in 14 day enforced quarantine in one of the 5 Star hotels.  One woman was complaining her two year old was a fussy eater and was refusing the supplied food.  They wanted special food.  I can assure the parents that their two year old won’t be nearly as fussy tomorrow on an empty stomach.  Another woman was complaining the hotel wouldn’t supply her with sanitary pads and tampons.  I didn’t realise hotels had them on the menu?  Perhaps she could order them online and have them delivered using the supplied FREE wifi.  If the supplied food is such poor quality perhaps the government could supply them with army 24 hour ration packs.  I remember the meat in the tin of Irish Stew was mostly grizzle and fat. The grains of rice had an impervious water resistant coating and the biscuits were so hard our dog could chew on one for a day.   The American ration packs we had in Iran were labelled MRE (Meals Ready to Eat).  We quickly realised it actually meant Meals Rejected by Ethiopia!