Thursday, 2 April 2020

Princess Royal Sailing Club

PRSC Clubhouse
We have found ourselves a temporary home at Princess Royal Sailing Club, about two miles from Albany, across Princess Royal Bay. We have an end pen (berth). It is very similar to the arrangements in Denmark. We have a short, fixed walkway on our port side and the main, fixed walkway in front of our bow. There are two piles at the stern for our stern lines and metal rings fixed to the walkway in front for our bow lines. Spring lines are attached from our centre cleats to the piles at the stern. 
 
PRSC pens and walkway


There is no breakwater, so some lines have weights on them or are attached to chains and underwater weights in order to dampen the motion caused by waves. The tidal range is about 1 metre. We are sheltered from W through SW to SE. The other directions have a two mile reach, so it can become choppy in strong winds.
Watch out! There's a car coming!
Ashore, there is a lovely clubhouse which had a bar and Friday evening restaurant until very recently. The corona virus restrictions have meant the clubhouse has had to close along with all organised sailing activities. Fortunately, there is a disabled toilet and hot shower accessed from outside, which we use frequently. Limited electricity is available 40m away on the walkway. A trip to Bunnings (B&Q) for heavy duty cable and a visit to the chandlery in Albany for rope and shackles means we are now secure in our pen and have access to electricity.
Pumpaleaky
Sal Darago started filling up with water. Fortunately, it was fresh water and the leak was traced to the Shurflo pressure water pump. It is a nuisance and happily the local chandlery, Westerberg Marine, has sourced a new pump. 
Married Bliss
After some people saying it would never last, Kathy and I bucked the trend and celebrated our 45th Wedding Anniversary at the weekend. Sadly, no restaurant would have us, so it was sandwiches on board as usual. Smoked salmon of course!
Special sandwich supper
There is some discussion about whether recreational boating has been banned in WA. We believe the Australian Government has recommended it and some states have implemented it. Anyway, we are allowed to use SD to travel to Albany Waterside Marina, where we can tie up for two hours to go food shopping. Like the UK, there must be no gatherings of more than two people, unless they live in the same household, and shops restrict the number of customers, so that social distancing can take place.
Great walks in the area
A few days ago our flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur was cancelled and no alternative suggested. This was the first stage of our flight to London. Added to this, we have no way of travelling to Perth as all regional borders have been closed to try to restrict the spread of Covid-19. The Great Southern Region, which includes Albany, has three confirmed cases of the virus. I have contacted our travel agents and our travel insurance company. We have also registered on the British Travellers in Australia Registry set up by the British High Commission. None of them have been particularly helpful, which is hardly surprising given the huge number of stranded folk (said to be 25,000 Brits in Australia alone).
Autumn is a comin' on
Meanwhile, we are allowed to go for walks and we can work on the boat. There is a general store and garage nearby and we can still go to Albany for supplies. We are both well at present and able to keep in touch with friends and family via email and social media. Keep well and keep safe everyone. 
Sunset from our pen(itentiary)
 
 

3 comments:

Hilary said...

Congratulations 45yrs were only 1 behind! It sounds like ur stuck for a while but if you were in UK you would also be only seeing the family on social media, as we are. Who could have imagined what a strange world we would be living in back at Christmas. We have been social distancing for nearly 10 weeks as we were motorhoming in NZ for 5 weeks self isolated for 2 on our return then lockdown!! It doesn’t look as tho we’ll be able get boat launched or use camper van but we’re very lucky because we can get into countryside within 2/3 minutes from home. Wonder what winter temperatures are like, shouldn’t think too cool. Take care, keep safe, Steve & hilary Morris ‘travelling light’ ramsholt

Chris Case said...

Happy Anniversary!!

Glad to see that you're doing well and keeping yourself safe. Carolyn (Jennings) and I also celebrated our wedding anniversary last weekend, on the 29th March. We celebrated with a home cooked T-bone steak and the company of the kids and dogs, who were happy with the leftovers (dogs, not kids!!)

I thought about you today because we watched 'Kes', and remember reading the book with you at school.

Anyway, we are coping well with the situation here so far. No lockdown for shipping, so I'm still happily piloting ships in and out of the Humber.

Stay safe, take care
Chris and Carolyn Case (ex Priory High pupils)

Unknown said...

Hi both.
What strange times we live in. I've just had a binge read of your blog for the last few months. You seem to be coping ok with the lock down and it seems as good a place as any, and better than many, to have to be in. I hope you manage to get another flight when the time comes without having to pay again.
We are coping ok over here. Geoff has had most of his appointments now and only has to have an injection once every three months. He is very well in himself and is pottering around in the garage etc as usual. He has an appointment with the oncologist on 27th April, but we hope this will be by phone and we don't think it's a good idea to have chemo at the moment with the risk of catching the virus when immunosupressed.
Nick gets our shopping and leaves it on the doorstep to save us having to go into shops which seems to be the weak link to me. I go out for a walk every day. I had been enjoying going along footpaths in the fields behind Burbage but last time notices had appeared asking people not o, so I will have to stick to the roads now. However a friend recommended a video called Walk at Home by Leslie Sansome which I tried yesterday and quite enjoyed.
Keep safe and well.
Stella and Geoff xx