Life on Board
disintegrates into a full blown arctic blizzard with sound effects to match. Who won? Who cares? Yes, TV addicts need not apply.
But overall, positives and negatives aside, I must consider myself lucky to be one of the few fortunates who can’t afford a four hundred grand shack on a block of precious Gold Coast scrub and therefore have to put up with all the delights and limitations of life in a long wooden cave that floats. However, the actual realisation that one day when my ship comes in (and I will probably be waiting at the station waiting for the train) and I finally become rich, I will have the enviable ability to cast myself adrift upon the tide and let the gentle currents float me Northwards to the Mecca of all boaties, the Whitsundays, where I can drink twelve dollar rum and cokes, squashed amongst the thousands of chundering backpackers lazily brushing aside the hordes of mozzies eager to share my alcohol laced blood…heaven on earth will finally be mine.
Till then, dear reader, take heart in the fact that up until that distant dot in time, I will have to trudge daily to the showers (and back) in all weathers, queue endlessly for one of the ancient cold water washing machines (we are privileged to use) and gratefully receive a few coppers discount off my beer, bravely bearing the scorn of members so rich they don’t even own a boat, dreaming of the day I can fling off the ropes that bind me to the present and sail off into a pink tinged future complete with my damp bed and an eager crew of cockies. Life on board?….wouldn’t be dead for quids, shipmates…head due North, me hearties.
If you liked this article there are more in a similar vein to be seen on http://www.dolphinboatplans.com
Terry Buddell is a freelance writer, boat builder and marine surveyor who lives a board his yacht the “Nicky J Miller” in , Queensland Australia. Terry has designed a series of boats that he sells from his website on the net and also built his own 42′ yacht which he refers to as “his filthy old lugger’. Terry writes for several boating magazines and he is is only too happy to help people who wish to build their own boat from a dinghy to a yacht and his contact details can be found on his website http://www.dolphinboatplans.com