Deadlines and Delays

It's now 20 days since our scheduled departure date and we're.....

still in Bundaberg!!!

The delay was caused by a major repair to our boat - painting the topsides. Basically when we bought the boat four years ago we inherited a bad paint job. Apparently the yard previously responsible for painting Brilliant II had neglected to use primer. Consequently the topcoat never quite stuck and had begun flaking off in unsightly chunks.

We hauled out on May 18th and watched as the high pressure hose (usually used to clean below the waterline) decimated what was left of our paint. The easy way out of our dilemma (or so we thought) was to polish up the gelcoat, apply some antifoul, re-launch and we'd be off.

Unfortunately the gelcoat wasn't in great shape. In fact, our boat looked like an old cigarette-stained pub ceiling - yuk!

A complete re-paint was starting to seem inevitable, but re-painting the topsides is usually a time-consuming and expensive job. It typically costs between $10,000 and $20,000 to have a hull re-sprayed. The alternative is to find a user friendly product and be prepared to DIY. Our bank balance dictated going with the latter option.

We chose a system designed by Australian manufacturers Wattyl. In all, we applied 2 coats of epoxy primer, 3 coats of high-build epoxy undercoat and 3 coats of polyurethane topcoat, sanding back between every coat. The primer and undercoats were easy to apply with a roller. They also sanded back beautifully to a smooth finish.

The topcoat was a little trickier - gloss is not so forgiving and we had to employ a technique known as 'roll and tip'. Julian would roller the paint on and I would use a high quality brush to 'tip' it off, getting rid of the air bubbles and (hopefully) leaving few brush strokes. I was pleasantly surprised by the finish.

The final touches were re-painting the boot-top and red groove and re-applying vinyl lettering.

Julian completed some repairs below the waterline and re-antifouled.

The whole process took an entire month and on June 17th we were finally ready to go back in the water, which is where a boat belongs!

Congratulations Ben!

It's official - the island caretaker (Best Job In The World) is Ben Southall from the UK. Well done and congratulations Ben.

The Best Job in the World

Queenslanders are justifiably proud of their 'Sunshine State', complete with its catchphrases like, "Where else but Queensland" and "Beautiful one day, Perfect the next". Snappy though these well-known slogans may be, their usefulness in promoting tourism has now been eclipsed by the mother of all marketing campaigns.

Several months ago Tourism Queensland teamed up with a Brisbane based advertising agency to invent the 'Best Job In The World'. Their plan was nothing short of inspired. 34,500 applicants from around the globe auditioned for the position of 'Island Caretaker'. The job description called for a creative person with the ability to photograph, video and blog about the islands of the Great Barrier Reef to the rest of the world. Ultimately the successful candidate would be responsible for raising public awareness about the islands above the GBR as holiday destinations.

Applications took the form of a 60 second video. In 60 seconds each candidate had to demonstrate why they were the right person for this dream job. The perks (other than being paid to visit some of the most stunning scenery in Australia) would be accommodation in a penthouse apartment on Hamilton Island and a generous salary of $150,000 for the term of the six-month contract.

Yours Truly joined in (with 34,499 other people) and submitted a video. Here is the finished version.

Unfortunately Yours Truly didn't make it to the final selection process, but had plenty of fun trying. For the 16 candidates who did get through (15 selected by TQ and 1 'Wild Card', chosen on the most votes) tomorrow is the last day of what has been an extraordinary interview. The final 16 are currently on Hamilton Island being put through their paces in a 4 day marathon event, where they must prove to TQ and the rest of the world that they can sustain mass media interest.

My personal favourite has been the Australian candidate James Hill whose photography is outstanding. Photography skills aside, the other candidates each have their own assets and in the end it will be a tough decision for TQ to make. I wish them good luck!

Last Day at the Office

I'm actually not hungover today, although that's not through lack of trying! Last night we celebrated my final day of full-time work with Coastline Newspapers. I started work with this newspaper group in February 2008. It's been an interesting year-and-a-bit, full of the highs and lows common to jobs in media and advertising, where there are always deadlines looming and not enough hours in the day.

On Monday morning I won't have to don my smart clothes and totter up the gang-plank in high heels. I won't have to drive at 110km/p/h through the sugarcane fields to make it to my desk by 8.30.

Despite this it's not really goodbye. I will still be writing the odd feature for Coastline's publications, just working from my floating home instead. So if you're heading to Bundaberg pick up a copy of the Bundy Book. If you're on the road in Queensland look out for the Tourist Queensland. Or if you live in one of Queensland's mining towns pick up the next Coalfields Express.

Creating a Blog

So it's finally time to join everyone else in the 21st Century and go digital with a blog. I've been procrastinating for a while; wondering which engine to use, blaming my lack of technical knowledge, etc, etc. Then along came my friend Rob who told me, "Just do it". 

My intention is to document a journey by sea. In 42 days I will set sail from Bundaberg on the East Coast of Australia (with my husband Julian and our two cats), bound for Southeast Asia and all ports in between. I'll be posting regular blogs, photos and short videos, with links to my new photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharonsmallwood/