Power Struggles

Living on Roobinesque and being self-contained means we rely firstly on solar power, then on wind power and if all else fails we have a diesel generator. Any time our engines are running they also charge our battery bank. The solar panels are true champions, quietly going about their business, never demanding anything but an Continue reading


The Dress Rehearsal is Over!

Roobinesque has been scrubbed, painted, polished, waxed and buffed to within an inch of her life. (Sounds like a long session at the day-spa, doesn’t it?) She’s now making an extra knot and a half of boat speed and I swear she had a sexy little wiggle as we departed Boat Works. The last week Continue reading


Nothing But Blue Skies Do I See!

Progress at last! The sun came out to play and we managed to finish polishing the underside of Roobi’s main deck and paint the first coat of anti-foul. Our props have been turned to gold and we’ve turned into a couple of groaning geriatrics! My Fitbit has awarded me a Penguin March Badge and The Continue reading


Rain, rain go away, come again another day…

We woke to the sound of pitter patter on Roobi’s decks and it wasn’t the footsteps of little elves finishing the painting… July is traditionally a dry month in Brisbane. Nothing like a break with tradition to rain on our parade. Capt G resorted to polishing the underside of the centre deck – I look Continue reading


Haul out the wet-weather gear…

Today was all about patience…The rain showers gifted us more rainbows this morning and just enough sunshine to complete the sanding of the hulls. By midday the sky was leaden and the rain had settled in for the day. We’ve almost run out of small jobs to do so I snuck in a couple of Continue reading


Busy day at Boat Works

It’s been a busy day at Boat Works! Sadly the beautiful rainbows we were treated to all morning slowed down the sanding works. Luckily Roobi came out of the water surprisingly clean despite being last lifted 18 months ago. Weather permitting we’ll start painting the anti-foul on tomorrow afternoon, but we’ve pushed back our lift Continue reading


The rest of our lives starts now.

So here we are, it’s Day 1 of the rest of our lives. Capt G and I sailed out of Manly Marina in the dark, heading south instead of north, to do a couple days quick maintenance down at Boat Works. The wind was a brisk southeasterly that grew stronger as the day progressed. I Continue reading


This Sailing Life

This time the NORTHERN HEAT blog tour is taking me over to the Write Note Reviews site. And I’m talking to Monique about something very dear to my heart – our sailing life. I’d love to hear how you unwind after a busy day. Drop by for a chat and to enter the giveaways! Pick Continue reading


All woman!!

A wonderful thing happened aboard Roobinesque in 2014. I met two women who’ve inspired me in very different ways. In 1979 I watched Deb Wardley (Lawrie) do battle with the aviation giant that was Ansett. She took on the establishment of the old boys’ club to win the right to be Australia’s first female airline Continue reading


Happy New Year!

As many of you know, I’m something of a sunrise, sunset kind of woman. The sense of anticipation as the sun cracks the horizon is tempered by a certain regret as night overruns the day. New Year’s eve has a similar effect on me. Have I made the most of the year that’s been? Have Continue reading