Getaway... on land or water By Barry Tyler Is it a bird? is a plane? no it is a reflection. A reflection which invariably raises the eye-brows of people who are not sure what it is or what it does. But the closer you look the more the Reflection XXVIII (28) appeals, the more the concept makes very good sense. Yes it is undeniably different but it is also most ingenious and in reality the plausible solution to a good many prayers! I have to be brutally honest, when my intrepid lead... Read More >>
The Trailer... in Trailerboats - Suspensions. By Barry TylerThe link between boat and road. By and large repairing and maintaining trailers is a relatively inexpensive exercise. The one exception to that realisation is your trailer suspension – which can be very costly when problems occur. Costly not so much from a parts-replacement perspective but certainly costly when this suspension failure leaves your rig incapacitated and on the side of the road – miles from constructive help! While this particular subject is ai... Read More >>
Capricorn Coast Cruising By Rosemary Jilderts - Sokari Sailing the Queensland coast has always been a great enjoyment for John and me in all our yachts. Scylla, a 37ft O’Kell Mairangi, was our first venture into the world of cruising in the early 80s. Mai Tai, a 43ft Hartley Fijian whose name we changed from CB, was our second in the late 80s; and Sokari, which was conceived as a 12m Simpson catamaran and later extended to 13.5m, was purposely built by us and launched in 1993 to explore Cape York Pe... Read More >>
Cruisecat - change your life By Andrew Stevens The Cruisecat has been designed to suit a broad range of applications. Satisfied owners range from families, retirees, charter companies and now serious fishermen with the new large rear cockpit version. It also caters to those who don’t wish to pour huge dollars into the fuel tank each time they go out. Cruisecat Marine, winner of several major business awards for excellence has been based at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast for the last four and a h... Read More >>
Building, refitting or upgrading a boat - Part 6 Anchor winches, anchor and anchoring by Martin Burling from Keogh’s Marine ElectricsTechnical, graphs and photos courtesy of Maxwell Winches Australia There is nothing like sitting at anchor, the sun is shining, there is a light 10kt breeze, the beer is cold and you are half way through a kilo of Queensland’s finest king prawns when all of a sudden you realise that your anchor has pulled and you’re drifting towards the next boat – or even worse – rocks... Read More >>
Las Balsas By David Jones - Queensland Maritime Museum As a young man, Spaniard Vital Alsar was captivated by Thor Heyerdahl’s epic voyage half way across the Pacific in the balsa raft Kon-Tiki. Heyerdahl believed that South American Indians used these rafts to colonise remote Pacific islands. Many thought a single, experimental voyage did not prove this theory, but not Alsar. He believed, and wanted to sail a balsa raft of his own – not just to the Polynesian islands, but... Read More >>
Charming Endings By Jo Djubal An Airlie Beach shipwright revives the traditional art of ships’ sternboards In this age of raging hi tech hedonism it’s refreshing to see a traditional shipscraft being revisited. After building and living aboard his steel yacht, Rhiannon, and cruising from Brisbane to Airlie Beach, Tony Warfe turned his hand to shipwrighting and is now honing his considerable wood working ability to handcraft beautiful ships’ sternboards. As a... Read More >>
Dangerous Marine Critters - Pt.2 By Rosemary Jilderts Queensland waters are unarguably the most widely visited in all of Australia. With our Great Barrier Reef and its myriad islands, cays and reefs it is no wonder that visitors flock to the area. Its popularity results in a great influx of international visitors as well as locals who enjoy boating, swimming, snorkelling and diving in our State’s enticing tropical waters. However, along with the great beauty can lurk a few nasties of which the visitor s... Read More >>
Don't panic about cyclones By Rosemary JildertsTourists often imagine Queensland’s summer season as being constantly savaged by destructive cyclones. Many boaties admit they run south to escape cyclones so with summer almost upon us it is probably worthwhile visiting this subject. You will then know what actions to take if one should appear while visiting our state’s north. After experiencing electrical storms down south, I prefer the occasional cyclone. Having sat through many cyclones of v... Read More >>
Mackeral mayhem attacks tactics By Gordon Macdonal With the summer months upon us, many keen anglers have mackerel on the mind. These succulent silver speedsters enter bays and other inshore waters along the eastern seaboard of Queensland during the warmer months, as they follow the prominent bait schools that thrive in the warm currents. Whilst several mackerel species can be encountered in various locales, my home waters of Moreton Bay predominately hold school and spotted mackerel. Let’s explore a... Read More >>
