First sail 2026 dry season (Trip 22) launching during a fuel crisis

 Pre-launch - post wet season

It was a good wet season this year. It was hot, extremely humid and muggy, lots of heavy rain and squalls, so Teria was laid-up since October 2025 under her tarp. In december she was moved away from tall trees as cyclones developed and passed nearby. All fabric items and allot of equipment was removed and stored inside the airconditioned house.

Some maintenance on the trailer and boat was carried out.

In Mid April 2026 the season began to change a bit for the better. So cleaned everything inside, a bit of mould had formed but not much, as a small 240v electric fan kept the dank air moving  in the cabin and open hatches under the big tarp allowed for good ventilation. Setup the fan and battery charger on a powersocket timer - it came on daily at 7am and off at 5pm, (while the house's rooftop solar was producing 16-24kw of electrical power each day)

Put everything in dry storage back aboard, tested equipment (eg test tank ran the outboard). Revictualled using a check-list, so as not to forget anything.

Trip 22, Wed 22nd April 2026

Teria wet season storage area

Teria rolled out for provisioning

Final food loading and preps were done in the morning. Got away about 2.30pm, navigated the 10km of roads to the Coast Guard ramp, Ross Creek (near the Ferry Terminals and Port of Townsville ship berths). (Have used this ramp only once previously, on the first sail in 2013, 13 years ago) The small roundabout at the Strand was ok and easier than first imagined.

This ramp in Townsville is usually extremely popular with power-boats, recreational fishermen mostly (which outnumber trailer sailers 99 to 1 up here). On weekends, public holidays and gentle breeze mornings, it is absolutely jam-packed full, there is never a spare trailer park space remaining. (The fishers usually launch early mornings eg 2am-5am and return as the daily seabreeze increases around 8am-1pm) (In Addition, many trailer park spaces are often used by some non-boating Magnetic Island ferry passengers as well..)

So the secret is to use this ramp when the crowds don't want to. Monday-Friday afternoons are best. Usually the seabreeze has piped up by then and any powerboaters have already retreived and gone home.

Rigging up

Positioned Teria head to wind in the open carpark. Had to test raise the mainsail and also run a new, longer, 8mm reefing rope through the reef cringles and boom blocks..Went slowly to make sure every component of the rig looked sound, and to plod through every rig-up procedure after 6 months of seagoing memory fade ashore.

The half tide was ok, and the tilt-trailer helped slide Teria off with a rush at 5pm. There was allot of slippery mud on the ramp post wet/floods etc. Also perhaps not the usual volume of boat launchings since the Iran vs USA + Israel war began on 28th Feburary 2025, which has resulted in a liquid fuel crisis/shortage here in Australia. 

Tied up at Coast guard ramp pontoon

At Coast Guard ramp pontoon - Ross Creek channel

The 2026 fuel crisis in Australia (and the world)

Unleaded Petrol 91 Fuel prices were A$1.65/ litre pre-war, peaked around A$2.50/L then dropped below $2/L after the federal govt stepped in, removed fuel tax and negotiated/underwrote more tanker shipments etc. My ute and many outboards run on ULP91. (The diesel price is worse it peaked at A$3.20/litre, below $3/L recently!)

The fuel shortage is because Iran hasn't surrendered despite an absolute shellacking, blocked all ship traffic in the Straight of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. 700 ships are trapped inside the gulf, and none can enter, so about 20% of the world's crude/fuel/LNG supplies are cut off from global markets. It's the worst crisis since the 1970's (also caused by middle Eastern wars).

SE Asia (oil refineries) has been hardest hit, as most of their crude oil came though the SOHormuz. Australia shut down most of it's refinery's over the last 20years, imports 80% of fuel and relies heavily on SE Asian refineries. 

Australia also only had onshore fuel stockpiles of 30 days pre-war. This led to fuel-hoarding, fuel shortages and huge price rises. Most of our freight transport is diesel powered. The prices are being passed on to consumers, food and everything's more expensive. There seems to be plenty of recreational toys (boats, RV's, camping) for sale cheaper than ever. New battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales have grown exponentially since Feb. Foreign-fuelled travel isn't looking so good here right now.

My trip to the ramp was about 10km (so 20km return) still not too bad on budget in the ole ute (13L/100km). It might restrict longer road trips this year though.

Anchored at the Duckpond

Motored a fairly short distance around to the Duckpond, anchoring in the shallows, away from larger boats. The sounder and tide tables allow for precise depth-planning, so she won't bottom out at the lowest predicted tide.

Anchored at Duckpond

Route from ramp to Duckpond

The best thing about the Coast Guard ramp/Duckpond setup (in off-peak periods) is convenience and safety. Trailer sailers can be fully rigged-up on land. The Coast guards VHF room is only about 30m from the ramp, and their rescue boats are moored nearby.

It's also very sheltered and the tidal current flows don't affect the ramp pontoon tie-up area. The ramps gradient is fairly moderate, not steep. In a strong South Easterly, the Townsville Port's breakwall's, large shed's and large ships sides, act as wind-breaks. They also shelter the area just outside the ports entrance.  There are good breakwalls around 3 sides of the Duckpond, which makes for a flat water, non-rolling anchorage. (However the SE trade-wind can still howl through)

Galley setup - boiling water on Trangia 25

After dark, unpacked the galley box, boiled the kettle and re-heated dinner while listening to local FM radio. 

Had the hatch secured as the strong SE'er persisted well into the night. The halyards and rigging wires moaned during strong wind gusts, while the sounds of the brightly lit port rumbled in the background.  The heavy anchor on all chain rode was secure in soft mud below. Watched the fishfinder, a few fish were below (and the keel had a few feet of clearance at low tide later on)

Window seals

A leak in a cabin window (porthole) had developed over the last year.

The windows are original aluminium framed, riveted on with a black rubber wedge sealing strip. These rubber strips are ageing - perishing, some shrinkage and cracking occured. They might be originals.

Rubber wedge strip end cross-section for I563

Pulled the strip out where the leak occured, siliconed the gap and pushed the strip back into the silicone. Put silicone into any gaps appearing around the sealing strips and window frames on all 4 windows. I used grey roof and gutter silicone, it's easily visible , so any excess was wiped off the seal strip/perspex window with a rag immediately after application, but it also indicates where it was repaired.

Hose test 1 - the bad window still leaked. So siliconed the lower frame/cabin join inside the cabin. It held up on the 2nd hose test.

It was a quick fix. The next level fix would be to source new rubber seal strips and replace.

Ideally for a full refurbishment, the entire frame should be removed, siliconed and a new rubber wedge strip inserted. The rivets would need to be drilled out and the frames through bolted (for future maintenance, removal)

(NB Noticed that the starboard front windows rubber seal had been replaced (prior to 2013) by a previous owner.)

Port Awning upgrade

Teria's "Port Awning" (aka "Boom Awning") needed some new battens and guy ropes.

It had three 25mm diam PVC tube "battens" but over the years they bent into horrible curve shapes. This made it hard to roll up and stow it, also reduced headroom at the sides.

The old permanently bent PVC battens

So i made 3  wooden battens from 2"x1" section (50x25mm) ex- house ceiling battens. These were found in the local house demolition/recycling yard at an economical price. They were a moderate hardwood (cedar?) had a nice straght grain and not too heavy. They don't make houses or wood like that anymore, probably 60-100 year old wood (well seasoned too).

Measured their lengths in the pockets, marked holes and cut to length. Drilled 9mm holes for guy ropes, then hand planned rough sawn surfaces down, rounded edges. Fortunately the awning was professionally well made and the pockets were perfect fit for the new battens. Nice to have straight battens again, and easy to roll awning up for stowage below decks.

New wood battens, straight, strong and awning rolls up well

Port Awning set up on main boom.

Raised mast and boom to position. Setup the awning, then measured the guy ropes lengths and cut. Used 6mm densely braided white line from Road Tech Marine. It's a good boating store, centrally located in Townsville.

Port awning also shades the furled mainsail.

Port Awning, plenty of headroom. (Bimini furled on deck)

The design and advice for the wooden battens came from Alan Lucas' book "Fitting out above decks" (1982). It's a great reference book for DIYers. He wrote 2"x1" was minimum batten spec's (ok on a small awning like this). His design also has "up-guys" at the corners, tied to stays, which prevent "flapping" (and warping) of battens. It should be good upto 25 knot winds when "in port" (at anchor, mooring or marina). The Port awning is an essential piece of kit in the hot tropical sun, it makes life aboard much more comfortable.

The Awning has made a huge difference to comfort during the day. It's been 32C, 60% humidity,  full overhead sun with UV11+ and a 5-10knot Easterly at home recently (feels like 35C). The shaded cabin and cockpit seats are much cooler and tolerable again. The awnings center batten is longer than the end ones, the awning shape follows the hulls' curve and overhangs outside the cockpit coamings.

The book also has a design concept for a triangular foredeck awning, a "one day.." project (ie. Aussie slang = dreaming about it, may never happen, or happen in the distant future)

Sadly Alan Lucas recently passed away aged 89, he is a legend downunder. His wise know-how is often timeless and will hopefully live on in his writings made over a 60-year sea/cruising life. He owned/built/restored many yachts, and sailed extensively around Australia (with cruising guides for the east coast) and did a 7 year circumnavigation in a yacht called "Tientos" that his family rescued and rebuilt after a cyclone in Darwin. Alan Lucas Cruising Guides Facebook page.

Sail to Magnetic Island (trip 21) Day2

Motored off from the Duckpond anchor at 8am, cleared the yachts, then set sail northbound for West Point, Magnetic Island about 7 nm away. A 10-15 knot easterly drove Teria along at 5 knots on a broad-reach. The tiller-pilot steered most of the way, as the waves were small in the lee side of Magnetic Island, so the bimini was up too.

Magnetic Island to windward

Passed to leeward of middle reef. "Sailfree GPS" app on my Samsung A5 mobile phone was good for boatspeed readout and a simple nav map. (My Garmin GPS had a better more detailed nautical chart, but a smaller screen). Then had to make sure we stayed away from the Islands extensive reef flats. (The sounder also helped with this, it was 22 - 30 feet deep, a rising tide)

West point ahead

Passed West Point, several hundred meters off. 

Not many boats out. Spotted two aluminium fishing dinghys ("Tinnie's") were pulled up at the beach and crossed paths with a 40 ft cruising Catamaran motor/sailing towards Townsville from up north.

Around the headland ahead, it was all whitecaps, a sign of things to come. Suddenly, Teria was half-knocked down by a bullet of wind (heeled over to 45 degrees). Luffed up and spilled wind from the sails, sailed on into it a bit more but it was a bit too rough, so tacked and got back into the calm area near West Point to change the trip plan. (Was Horseshoe Bay)

(At west point in ENE - Easters' seems like the Island bends winds around it on both sides, so its ahead  either way you go. The seaward north coast had 2-3 ft waves but the mainlandward coast is more sheltered with under 1 foot waves to bash into.)

The calm area was a safe place to reef the mainsail down and change the jib down to #2 then furled it. (tillerpilot helped). Also dropped and furled the bimini.  Headed southwards, under motor and reefed main. This allowed Teria to point high at 4 knots and stay in the channel between the fringing reef-edge and to windward of middle reef. Spray was soon flying over the windward gunwales and cabintop.

Sailing route near West Point

Once clear of the reefs, we sailed close-hauled on port tack at 3-4 knots, with spray was still flying but not as much once out in the open water. Down below the windward window was leaking like a sieve, a seawater was pouring onto my bunk. So folded the bunk swab away, and setup a bucket ontop of soaked teatowels to catch the flow.

We were well to windward of the Duckpond and Port entrance, so kept going south past the port and  decided to head back home as it was easy to reach Ross River. The ebb flow vs wind/seas  was happening in the Ross River entrance, so dropped the main while hove-to offshore. (Didn't want a reapeat of the stern to sea rig-up)  Furled the jib and motored back in.   The breaking waves were ok,  did about 2-3 knots over the ground (1-2 knot outflow), stuck close to the seawall (12-15ft deep) where the breaking waves were weaker (bit like a "rip" at a surf beach).

 Anchored off secret beach, in a small bay which was protected by the end of the seawall. (The old protective sand bar was gone,  coastal erosion sometime during the past year. It may have been caused by a combination of a cyclone and the new seawall extension, altering the sea/rivers' currents and sand deposition ?). Anchored in 6 ft depth on a falling half tide, enough time to de-rig quickly and head in.

 It was good to get back into the deeper channel, under the bridge, into estuarine waters and the boat ramp. 

Ross River channel entry

Teria's track on day 2

Sail to Magnetic Island (trip #21) - Day 1

 It was over a year since the last sail, so it was good to get afloat once more, squeezed in before the weather gets too hot/stormy from the tropical build-up and storm season.

It was a 2 day trip from Townsville to Magnetic Island and return. Steady 10-20 knot Easteries and some spring tides to contend with due to a full (harvest) moon. Daytime maximum temperature was 31C, getting hot.

Bit rusty on procedures, so picked a quiet time at the ramp (work week, not a public holiday, school terms on) Wednesday 8th October was the day. 

There  "strong ebb tide against sea" conditions were experienced in the river channel after clearing the low level bridge mast-down. This resulted in Teria pointing stern-first into the wind for mast and sail raising, which was the opposite of ideal. The mast-up was ok, the jib raise and furl ok, but the mainsail raise was a bit tricky and an effort. Also the depth sounder wasn't working..(see later) 

Called QF8 AV Coast guard on the VHF to lodge a trip plan (AVCGA's "Tripwatch"app). Got AVCGA's "Safetrx" App going - set it for 10 minute GPS position plots which coast guard can monitor your progress and route. 

 Put my solo sailors' survival waist belt on as well for its first outing (contains VHF handheld radio and PLB) if Man Overboard while on auto-pilot and no crew to stop boat. The waterproof VHF hh on ch22 should have 10nm range or more, enough to get a call out. If that doesn't work then PLB with gps coords sent)

Emergency belt pouch - PLB and VHF radio

Then headed out with low throttle and boat speed and a 1-2 knot ebb tide current behind. The "steep standing waves zone" in the exposed river channel (next to a very extended port rockwall, was about 1 km long.) Fortunately they were only 1-2 foot standing waves and the boat bobbed about ok among them, while the extra long shaft motors' prop stayed well underwater.

Ross River entrance channel, Port Seawall

Once clear, altered course to get out of the ebb flow and jib/motored downwind under tiller-pilot. This allowed for navigation, rehydration and time to enjoy the view of the Townsville Port facilities and Magnetic Island in the distance.

Motoring with jib assist, near Port of Townsville.

The Duckpond was now full of moored and a few anchored vessels. There were almost no moorings a year ago, so there was much more choice of anchorage then. Managed to anchor in a sheltered shallow corner, next to one of 3 sunken wreck sites. (Coast guards' securite' message on VHF ch22)

Townsville Duckpond sunset

Put the "Port Awning" up over the boom, great shade and allot more comfortable at anchor. It had about crouching headroom to walk on the side deck, and standing headroom in cockpit, making it an "extra room" aboard.

Before departure the sounders' transducer was moved into the forepeak for an experiment. To see if it could be mounted in "modellers clay" in the boats stem, and thus see things ahead of time (some kayakers did this and it worked for thin 2mm plastic hull) but Teria's stem was 1-3 cm solid fiberglass and the transducers echo signal couldn't penetrate the thick fibreglass stem and m-clay (aka plasticine). 

So pulled the transducer out of there and jury rigged it back in it's transom mounted position. It worked again!! I was relieved that the anchoring spot would be deep enough during the spring low tide later during the night. The sea-temperature function also returned, water was 25.7 degrees C, not bad for a swim or snorkel. (Sea water cooling should also prevent overheating, help it last longer)

Raised the pop-top for standing cabin headroom, and folded the bimini over it to act as a wind-dodger. It was still blowing about 10-15 knots. Also set-up the 40w solar panel on pulshpit to catch a few Amps and put the 2nm LED anchor light up.

The Galley Box inside cabin was good, a nice dry spot out of the elements to boil water and reheat dinner with a Trangia 25 on spirit burner. It was located next to the ice-box/esky and near other food-pantry boxes in the forepeak. First sea use of two LED dome cabin lights went with flying colors. They can be switched to white light for cooking/reading and red light for night-vision.

Galley area, inflatable kayak stowage (black bag) and Ryobi FM Radio 

Galley Box with Trangia 25

The Boom Awning, blocked moonlight so easier to sleep 

Red LED cabin light for night vision outside

A "harvest moon" rose an hour later, it's full disc silhouetting the ports gantry's.

Super-Moonrise Port of Townsville

C/- BOM, good photo

 Tested my new 7x50 binoculars out.  They improved/enhanced night vision allot, mooring bouys and unlit vessels that were invisible by naked eye could now be seen. My first ever set of sea-going bino's for navigation.

Waterproof Binoculars MNC011 from RTM

Picked them up from Road Tech Marine for $150. They are waterproof, nitrogen filled with o-rings, fog proof, 3 year warranty and fitted with BAK-4 Porro prisms.  

A small green tree frog was an accidental stowaway from our garden. Suspect he had hidden in a cockpit drain pipe, then crawled up the transom (inside or outside?) onto the tiller.  Put him in the cabin and gave him a fresh water bath to wash deadly (for a frog) salt off, and made a small freshwater pond. He disappeared for a few hours, then  appeared on the esky strap for awhile, then hid again. Woke me up at 3am by hopping on me, so put him on the other bunk, then hid again. Reckon his survival skills got him back home.

On the tiller

Better after a fresh water bath.

Non-skid paint - foredecks

 Painted the epoxy injected deck areas with Non-skid paint. This hid all the "key hole surgery" holes drilled on deck for the epoxy injection core repair.

Preparation involved some sanding and a dremmel. The later had a small carving fitting which removed some epoxy overflow, and restored the original non-skid texture in the original gelcoat. The surfaced was cleaned with sougarsoap and scrub brush. Then non-skid areas taped up. The blue tape was the best edging type, it's strong with sharp edges, the glue wont deteriorate after days in the sun and it peels off easily. Cheaper cream tape was used for less critical areas.

Used Norglass marine paints. A litre of primer and a litre of cream coloured non-skid was 2x enough. Brushing on was ok. Moved the boat into an afternoon shady area next to the house, as hot dry season was on ("Spring" for temperate zone Sydney /Melbourne), tropical sunny with daily 28C highs. The humidity is lowest from midday to 4pm, about 50%.

The white primer was a 2 part epoxy paint, 3 resin:1 hardener mix. Put 2 coats on by brush.

The non-skid was single pack and had it's anti-skid grains pre-mixed in. 2 coats as well.

Very pleased with the result. Should last for a few years.

Deck core repair - engineering tests

 This video by "Living for Sail" utube channel, was very informative. He did engineering tests to see how strong each core repair method was. 

It covered vaccum injecting method as well (which is out of my league at present) might be worth considering for the practically gifted.

Living for Sail - deck core tests