Anima Ready for Anything

Things were quite hectic as we prepared Anima for the cyclone season. As we are flying home to spend Christmas with friends and family, we needed to get the boat ready for anything. This meant all of the sails came inside, all of the awnings were put inside and anything loose was either securely tied down or put inside. Inside became very cramped which was made more so by my brother and his girlfriend visiting too! 


Rene spent an entire day tying over a dozen ropes from us to the surrounding marina. We look a little like a big boat spider sitting in a web of ropes. 

Taking down the jib.

Just some of the ropes we are tied down with!

Dinghy lashed on deck.

Me amongst the mess!

Tracing the official details onto the hull.

Centre-punching the numbers = PAIN!

Another milestone was that we are almost totally official in the eyes of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. I got busy in the engine room again (groan!) by firstly tracing the new official number and official length and then painstakingly marking these letters and numbers in what seems to be an out-dated method. The requirements for a steel vessel are that the official details are to be permanently fixed to the hull through centre-punching or using a cold chisel. Rene and I both took turns banging out the numbers with a centre punch which was a devil of a job. Rene figures that if the boat is stolen, the pirates would be too lazy to mark the ship in such a time-consuming way and so, the ship would still be identifiable. I just think it's yet another hoop that I seem to have to jump through in this world of rules and regulations. 


Anyway. 
Merry Christmas everyone! May the new year bring more travel, friends and fun!