Machinima festival wrap up

As part of my weekend of fun, I interviewed Paul Marino for Cameron Reilly's podcast G'day World.

See the video here

Machinima fest this weekend @ ACMI

I'm off to see this pretty much all weekend. Cameron Reilly has me interviewing Paul Marino in a bar somewhere about Machinima and the progress we've seen in the last 12 months.

The Age, Melbourne Magazine today

Page 112...

Regards
thomasr

Quick pix

We're about to set sail and lose our wireless access (sob!).

Here's a pic of last nights feast:

There's a mix of: prawns, oysters (natural, mornay and kilpatrick), Moreton Bay bugs, scallops, salmon, chips and salad.

No we didn't finish it.

It looked like rain this morning. My First Mate dressed for the occasion:

Wednesday...

Yesterday was the most leisurely day of all. We left Turtle Bay at about 8:45 and motor sailed around Hamilton Island. We moored opposite the entrance while I did y regular segment (albeit reduced in time) with Neil Mitchell back in Melbourne. Rachel filmed me while I was on air, so that should make for some intersting viewing.

Car segment done, we radioed Hamilton Harbour for instructions and permission to come in. They gave us our location (booked earlier in the week by Yacht charter people) and we motored on in. We prepped the boat with bumpers and tie up ropes and thanks to my years of sailing Dad's triler sailor, I managed to bring us alongside without a drama. We'd have loved to see the Bloody Mary crew come in, but I think they'd run old BM up the harbour wall before making their grand entrance.
Once tied up, Rachel verily RAN to the "proper shower" I think that a hand held shower on the transom (the little platform at the back) is more than acceptable.

It would seem not.

I had my shower and nodded to a bloke who proceeded to tell me that the shower block "must be floating" as it was moving under him. I indicated that we were most certainly on dry land. He seem unconvinced. Perhaps he was from ol' BM...

We abused facilities on Hamilton like Carl Vickers with a power cord and a flat battery (old in joke). I might add it was our right, but we did spend an inordinate amount of time around the pool, in the pool and at the pool bar.

We followed this with another shower and prepped for dinner. To say dinner was spectacular would be to understate the awesomeness of theis feast. Pics o foolw later...

We're off to brekky now!!!

Day Two

The calm before the storm: RachelR off Saba Bay

We ended up in a slightly different location for the night- Saba Bay- which turned out to be ok, despite a 45 knot 2 hour long storm that swept through at 2am. We had prepared for rain, so when it went rain and wind we were ready.

Before the storm we had some visitors arrive. Big visitors filled with Jimmy Barnes playing folk intent on a good, loud time:




Mercifully, they left before dark...

Rachel was laughing the whole way through the storm. I was less impressed as I knew if we dragged our anchor, we'd be on a lee shore before you could say "Geez I hope we're insured".

Morning brought with it calm weather and blue skies again. We tootled off downwind towards Whirehaven Beach. It was just lovely there. The sand IS aswhite as promised and as fine as talc. Lotsa tourists on big Yachts goofing off and maiing it feel crowded.

We left and sailed down the inlet. I crammed on ever square inch of sail and we fair smoked (for this under sailed vessel) 110 degrees and flat water. We had lunch on Whitehaven South and then went through the much feared channel on a slack tide with no ill effects. We anchored at Turtle bay, had an intersting snorkle and steak n chips for dinner.

..a quick note.
Every day we have to report in twice (known as a "sked")- 8am and 4pm. The 8am is for our plans for the day and 4pm to confirm we made it to our intended location. How hard can that be?

Apparently, if you are on any one of about 30 yachts from 5-6 different companies- it's very tough. They call in late, too early, or not at all (as was the case for two yachts from the same hire company we are using- both were moored next to us...). Either way, it's compulsive listening, especially when the "crew of hilarity" on "Bloody Mary" call in. It seems they are on a cursed ship- cursed to have them aboard. Their bestest moment so far was when they reported that they had "no steering" and were headed for trouble. They couldn't get their emergency tiller out of the bag (Rachel and I were crying laughing at this one, and were tempted to offer sugestions "Bloody Mary- Have you heard of velcro?"). Eventually, the steering problem "resolved itself". The poor buggers back at the yacht hire were determined to have their moment and rub it in:
Yacht Hire: "Was the steering lock on?"
Bloody Mary: "Unsure, unsure... it's fixed, thanks for your time, Bloody Mary OUT!"
YH: "So it was the steering lock"
BM: "..."
YH: "Just keep an eye on it, that steering lock can catch you out..."

We were loving this. This wasn't the end of the problems for BM sadly (luckily for us) and everything- from the toilet to the dinghy went bung. There was one common thread- the crew.

We started making up scenarios for problems they might be having:
BM: "The cockpit appears to be full of water and has expanded quite a bit..."
YH: "What is your location...?"
BM: "In a swimming pool on Hamilton Island..."

BM: "There is a grinding noise coming from the hull"
YH: "Can you confirm your location?"
BM: "Not exactly, we have run aground on a reef if that helps...?"

BM: "We seem to be going round in circles..."
YH: "Who's your current skipper"
BM: "I'll check..... OH SHIT MAN, OVERBOARD!"

..and so on.

It goes without saying, we've not missed a sked, nor tuned up late/not at all to an intended destination. I can thank the bride for that.

From the boat...

4:00am after wedding day. We arrive home after OWNING the dancelfoor at Veludo's for hours on end. I threw my credit card behind the bar and bought drinks for anyone and everyone. Great!

---

Honeymoon- Day one
After the stress and time-compressing madness of wedding week, we found ourselves in the same way post-wedding day as we were due at the airport early and were supposed to meet most of our various families at the Beach House in Elwood on Saturday for breakfast.

Thankfully we'd both packed our clothes and items for the trip a few days earlier.

My windsurfing kit was in a sad way- some at Donny's, some still at mine, and packing would take a while. Some of our wedding presents were in Mike and Alison's car, so there was much to sort out in a short time.

I woke Don, Mike and anyone else I needed. All assembled at our house. Donny and I whacked it all together and we went back to the reception place to clean up and clear out. Breakfast had to be done n' dusted in just a few minutes. We then went to load the windsurfing kit onto Rachel's car using wrap racks- these are almost roof rackes, but the gear was going to collapse the roof, so Kat and Carl jumped into Carl's van Morriss (as in Van Morrisson) and they took the kit, we took ourselves.

Mad dash to the airport ensued- complete with stop off for video camera and inverter for 12v-240v (hence I am writing this from the boat using my charged up lap top). My darling wife and mother-in-law felt the best way to spend the trip was to talk about how late we were going to be and with my gear it would be extra stressful.

I am very happy to report that nothing like they predicted occured. No on wanted to fly out of Melbourne on Saturday lunch and we were 45 minutes early checking in.

We flew Melb-Syd, Syd-Proserpine. The Virgin Blue flight attandent asked us about our holidays and I told her it was for our honeymoon. A few minutes later another flight attendant came down and gave the couple behind us a free drink "with the compliments of Virgin Blue". I knew it was for us, but I wasn't about to speak up. Virgin may have the prettiest flight attendants, but perhaps not the smartest.

We arrived in Airlie Beach via the bus (gear in the hallway!) and were shown to our 32' Catlina named "Beach House". Irony? Perhaps. We managed, despite growing exhaustion, to go shopping, run around getting various things, and get fed and watered. I bought some alcohol- (cask red, slab beer, 6 ltrs of Tonic Water, 8 Bacardi Breezers). This added neatly to our bottle of gin, 2 bottles of pinot noir and bottle of chardonnay. It's a fair mix.

Slept fitfully as it was (and is) hot n humid. Up early for our briefing from 8:30, then picked up our diving gear and headed out to sea with Craig from teh chrter company. I kept (for me) quiet) while Rachel learnt 10 years worth of sailing in an hour. She was clearly overwhelemed, but I assured her I'd keep it simple once we got going. Craig wished us well and took off in his rubber duck. We tacked about for a bot of practice and then set all possible sail for Nara Inlet. Rachel got a touch of sea sickness and "did a Rachel"- went to sleep. I sailed the boat to Nara Inlet and we arrived just after 4pm.

Rachel having a steer before the ravages of sea-sickness sent her to sleep. My Dad always told me that giving someone a steer normally prevents seas-sickness. What can I say, my Bride ain't normal...

Once anchored, we jumped in our duck and went to see some Aboriginal caves further up the inlet. It was so hot n' humid that once we'd seen the caves, we sped home for a swim and a rinse off under the shower. Beautiful sunset followed (short twighlight up here). I got carried away and rang about five people to gloat/pass on information and after all of this excitement, we crashed out about 9pm.

The wind looks like it will persist from the North and get stronger today. We are effectively going to circumnavigate Hook Island and hide behind Border Island so I can get a windsurf. We'll then go and hide in the inlet parallel to the one we're in at present...


This is what true happiness looks like. I wish it on everyone.

...and just like that

... my single days are over.

Countdown...

Will we be sucked into a vortex...?

Or is it a whirlpool.... or do whirlpools have a vortex?

Whatever... I have a concern or two when we go here on our honeymoon Whitsunday cruise next week.

Why?

Check this on Google Earth and let me know what you see in comments or via email...

Or open Google earth and paste the BOLD bit in Nara Inlet 20 7'38.47"S 148 54'49.30"E

Note: You'll need to zoom right in and then change your tilt angle. It's worth it.

UPDATE: ok, here it is:

What d you mean?

In today's letters to The Age regarding Geoff Clark's civil case:

A PRESUMPTION of guilt? One does wonder if an Aboriginal jury would have found Mr Clark guilty.
Francis Smith, Caulfield North

One ACTUALLY has to wonder what the hell Francis is on about and how the hell it's relevant?

Yes, we are having this play at the wedding...