| Islander I | The Beginning The return trip (in brief) |
 Islander as she arrived at Long Island Marina in Murray Bridge  And as she left 5 months later When we bought her! Wooden Boats  Home Page |
Anyway.....after
we had pulled her apart with the tireless help of Duck Flat Wooden Boats, it was time to
bring her back across the lake for her to take up her place in Goolwa. So in November it was time to bring our freshly renovated 32 ' cruiser and her two new 200hp Yamaha motors from Murray Bridge in South Australia back to Goolwa at the Murray Mouth. It was a pleasant enough day, except for a 20 knot southerly blowing across Lake Alexandrina. But this didn't phase the old girl too much. All had gone well, the wife had
survived the lake crossing, the kids thought it was hilarious and I was ready for a quiet
Scotch at the Tavern. As we passed Point Sturt we had to slow up for a fishing net, (bless their cotton
pickin' little floats!) but as I pulled back on the throttle the boat handled quite
differently. The Bow leapt into the air and the stern went deep into the water. I figured
that my trim couldn't be that badly set, so I handed the helm over to Michelle (Wife) and
in a mild panic rushed to the back of the boat and tore open a floor panel. Unfortunately when my wife brought the boat to a halt (with 9 tonne of water onboard) the motors hit a rocky outcrop and cracked the transom wide open. Disappointment was the underlying feeling. |
 An old invisible patch from the previous owners had come loose (2cm wide by 20cm long) and tore out of the boat on the lake crossing.  To rub salt in when we brought the boat to a halt (with 9 tonne of water onboard) the motors hit a rocky outcrop and cracked the transom wide open. |
4 Hours later......after some
help from a kind Yachtie (thanks Geoff), a courageous Sea Rescue crew and the police, we went home to bed. The next morning not knowing where to start the salvage
operation, I rang Andrew Chapman, at the Marina Hindmarsh Island and to Andrew Chapman's
credit within 6 hours he had patched the boat, floated it, towed it back and slipped it. In case your wondering, an old invisible patch from the previous owners had come loose
(2cm wide by 20cm long) and tore out of the boat on the lake crossing.
See & Order photographs from the Wooden Boat Festivals |
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 We persevered, and today she sits at Goolwa! "Experience is something
you have to endure" |
