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Start
of the Great River Murray
Federation boat run - Goolwa
30th
June 2001
Belinda and I travelled to Goolwa
and launched the Putt Putt boat motoring on to the main wharf
where the official celebrations had begun. The Paddle Steamer
Oscar W and other boats of the fleet were ready for the start of
the first leg to Wellington of the 2001 Federation boat run.
We all left at about 11.30 a.m.
heading for Clayton, there where about twenty boats of various
sizes including a small steamer.
At Clayton we all docked and had
Dinner after which the invited dignitaries who travelled on the
Oscar W all departed in a busses back to Goolwa.
While we where tied up at Clayton
Belinda while checking the motor noticed that a bolt in the drive
shaft had snapped its head and was about to fly out, we chummed up
with the crew on the Oscar W and found a replacement in their
spare parts department that, with the help of a hack saw fixed the
problem and we could continue on with them.
When we left Clayton to go across
Lake Alexandrina there where only three boats left the Oscar W, a
water safety boat and us, the day was dead flat calm with not a
ripple on the water.
We were travelling at about 10
kilometres per hour slightly faster than the Oscar W with its
barge in tow.
After we had been travelling for
two hours we looked at our watches and did some calculations
realised that we would never make Wellington by nightfall at the
speed we where travelling.
Later we were told the Oscar W did
not reach Wellington until quite late at night they really left
too late from Goolwa.
We had never been on the lake and
it was a hell of a lot bigger than we had expected although it was
flat calm it is 18 k.m. across we did not realise that we would be
out of sight of land from the middle.
After considering the situation we
decided to leave the Oscar W and head for Milang, after travelling
for an hour we were caught up by the water safety boat who had
been keeping his eye on us and wanted to check us out. He
proceeded to check things like: if we were registered and did we
have all the necessary safety gear?
We did have everything except our
flares, which were out of date, but in good order.
Then to top the lot did we have a
container of fresh water! which I said we are sitting in a bloody
big lake of it and was informed that you could not drink that
water!
We had been doing so all day with
no bad effects up to this stage !!!!
He was going back to Goolwa and I
noticed he had two 155 h.p. outboards on his boat so I asked could
he please take Belinda back to pick up the Ute and trailer so she
could pick me up at Milang.
Before he would do it he asked if I
would be OK on my own, I assured him I would be.
However when they where half way
back to Goolwa he asked Belinda if she thought she should ring me
on the mobile to see how I was going.
She replied it is no good of
ringing him he did not hear a word you said he is as deaf as a
post and lip-reads!
This seamed to make him go faster
back to the boat ramp at Goolwa where he said to Belinda in front
of an audience I bet you are glad to be back on dry land, Belinda
said actually I would still like to be in the boat with Dad.
Belinda arrived at Goolwa just on
dark with the Ute and trailer I had reached the jetty it was a
glorious night so we went out for a final run around the bay in
the dark before loading up to go home.
This was a test run, for me and the
boat, ready for the later runs we are going to do on the
federation river run.
I was really pleased with the boat
and only used 8 litres of fuel for the day.
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