Ever since my old man chartered an F-27 in Holland in 2003, I have been lusting after one of these versatile Farrier trimarans. But they're scarce, and expensive. So when the F25A ' Slakatak' came up for sale in Perth, no time was wasted. Saw the boat through a fence on my way back from Vietnam, arranged for a survey and drove the car down then next weekend. Half an hours' test-sail was all that could be squeezed in before I rushed back to my Carnarvon flight. In between patients organised finance with the bank and then took the night-bus back to Perth a weekend later. Then slowly (2.8 diesel) groaned the thousand kilometers back to Pelican Point. The following week I burned the midnight oil getting radios and a solar panel installed, oiling this and altering that, fitting a decent anchor and chain and a multitude of bits and bobs that desperately needed doing. And a week later all the neighbours ( who had been feeding and advising me and lending lots of hands) came out for a subdued launching/ renaming party: TICKLED PURPLE entered the salty waters of the Fascine, her new home. Champagne and good wishes.
Now the plan was to go for a weeks' sail all over the bay. But the forecasts were evil, with storms and fronts and rain and all sorts of metereology that I thought I'd left behind for good in Europe. Danielle and Nathalie were to crew from Monkey Mia onward- but I was a bit iffy about soloing a new boat there in flukey weather. Fortunately beer at the Gassies flowed and Lee offered his help. As did Mike, and Robin offered taxiservice to pick the lot up at the Monkey Mia bar.
We left early and had a great run South. Tickled Purple ( ' Repeat please' asked Carnarvon Sea Rescue on the VHF several time over. ' Like tickled pink, only more so' I explained. 'Pickled Turtle would do fine too' , mumbled Lee. In any case, I was brewing tea down below when the sound of splashing waves changed. ' What was that??' I asked as I stuck my head out of the hatch. ' Fourteen knots', grinned Lee back. After Cape Peron the wind caved in, we spinnakered past Herald Bight in a zephyr and had to motor the last 10 miles. To arrive minutes before the restaurant closed. The waitress sprinted and a world record was set in having thee excellent Scotch fillets with pepper sauce on the table six minutes after ordering.
With Robin added we had a lovely sail to Faure Island the next day, and beat back into a 20, 25 knot headwind to Monkey Mia. Danielle and Nathalie couldn't find the boat in the dark so we met up the next morning, stowed more stuff aboard and set off for Cape Peron once again. We stuck our nose around the corner, but the waves were huge, the time was short and instead we made it a short day by anchoring under the lighthouse. Dolphins played, a speccy sunset, wine and beer and dinner and things were coming together at last. In all sorts of weathers sailed to Tetrodon Loop on Dirk Hartog the next day, ending up in a howling rainstorm to anchor next to Seatrek- Paul & Suzies 45 foot Wharram cat. The whole next day was blown out- which isn't so bad when the only other people in a 20 mile radius have a keyboard, a guitar and a pack of cards aboard. Beautiful bay too, this Tetrodon, green water bordered by big yellow dunes but for some reason I forgot to make pictures. An easy sail back to Denham, followed by a 16-hour run back to Carnarvon. Got stuck too, in the unlit Fascine at 1 a.m.
People have told me that my usual scant conversational scope has shrunk to just one F25A. Then again- for the past six weeks I've done little but work, sleep and work on the boat. There was water in the laminate to be drained, cracks to be polyestered, spectra halyards to be attached and a watertank to be installed. Wiring for an autopilot, a rodholder, some new deckgear and soon a new jib on a furler which involves all sorts of boatmods to work. Boats are a disease! Meanwhile Tickled goes upwind without even a jib or a keel. It does 360's without touching a sheet. It is fast- 14 accidental knots at night with only two jibs up and being really conservative. It carries four people in reasonable comfort with lots of deckspace for all sorts of sunworshiping and snorkeling and fishkilling gear. And it trailers, as well as being reputedly very seaworthy and unsinkable.
It turns on a dime and is very sensitive to the rudder and sailtrim- it will take me years to live up to the potential. So. That was it. I'll try to shut up about the boat. Next week the Islands again, then -Deo volente- either the Montebello's or the Dampier Archipelago later this month. Keep you all posted, the sunrises on Peli Point have been breathtaking lately. Meanwhile I've found an effective strategy to keep the bloody tourists out of Carnarvon and my new mooring system may just make me rich. The boat certainly does not.
