by Klara Johanne Braga Jakobsen
#1 Crocodiles at your Doorstep
On land you do not have to worry about your house being surrounded by ginormous reptiles making leaving or returning a rather scary affair.
Wet season in Northern Australia is mating season for the crocodiles, and unlike many species these beasts are doing extremely well infiltrating rivers, storm drains, inland fish farms and even one pond at the gulf club.
The Dickson Inlet at Port Douglas is just one of the places crawling with these giant reptiles. And in the case of Dickson it is the territory of an Alfa male between 4-5 meters.
(The biggest crocodile ever caught in Australia I could find was 8.6m although this is unusually big)
If you shine a torch around the inlet at night, you can see the red shining eyes of the crocodiles lurking in the water around the mangroves. But we preferred to dinghy through them in blindness, pretending that they weren’t there, watching us snail past in our ridiculously slow dinghy less than a foot above the water, sometimes armed with an oar or an old rusty fish knife. If crocodiles can be entertained, I imagine we were there evening sit-com.
We had to make this trip every single night for five months coming home from work to Black Duck which was anchored 2km up the inlet.
Crocodiles are so bizarre it is almost easy to believe they are not real. But then you see one and you realize you really are living amongst dragons.
#2 fISH IN YOUR tOILET
On land you do not go to the toilet and find it blocked by fish or other sea creatures.
The toilet on a boat is called a ‘Head’. It has one inlet to let saltwater in through the hull for flushing and one outlet to let the water and waste back out. And it is through that inlet that you might sometimes get a fish, a crab, a prawn or even phosphorescent which makes your toilet bowl sparkle brightly.
It was only the other day, that a fish a little too big got stuck in the hose before reaching the head. The hose had to be dismantled in order to get it out.
Unlike many of the creatures who pass through our head, this poor fish did not survive the squeeze.
#3 Boat Landing on your Barbeque
On land you do not need to worry about boats landing on your barbeque or bending your garden fence.
It was the 10th of May 2018 and God had decided to act angrily upon the SE coast of Tasmania (at least according to the insurance companies who later declared the event an act of God and repudiated all liability)
It was nighttime and strong winds were pushing a big swell up the D’Entrecasteaux Channel into the little bay at Port Cygnet where over a hundred boats were moored.
Trying to make the best of the stormy night Riley, Abel (my brother who was living on the boat with us at the time) and I were huddled up on the couch watching ‘Water World’ and roasting chestnuts on the fireplace. When suddenly we heard a loud crash.
When we ran outside in the cockpit, we saw that a boat had dragged onto us. The boat reminded me of a rearing horse as it stood on its hind raising its bowsprit high into the air and then coming down on us with unforgivable force at every wave.
Unable to do anything we watched helplessly as our stainless-steel rail and barbeque, which was mounted to the stern, bend like butter under the weight of the 12 tonnes boat.
It started at the bow and hammered its way down the whole side of us, until it finally was past and headed for the next boat.
At this point there was nothing we could do, as trying to get in the way would most certainly result in our fate being the same as that of the barbeque.
This was far from the end of that horrific night, but that is a different story.
#4 Water under your Floorboards
On land you do not need to worry about your house sinking because you opened the wrong valve.
Under the floorboards, (soles in nautical terms) of a boat are the bilges. Usually they are compartments where through-holes are located with sea-cocks and ball-valves, to let water in and out of the boat for things such as engine, toilet and sink.
It is also a good place to store food or drinks as the temperature is a little cooler far below the water.
It was on our first sail on Black Duck by ourselves that we nearly sunk the boat. Without understanding their functions, we opened all the valves which allow water to flow to and from the engine. But we were unaware that one valve was in fact draining the water from the exhaust into the bilge instead of out the side of the boat.
Luckily for us, we caught it just in time, when the water was only cm under the floor and gearbox. But had we continued our trip for just another hour we might really have ruined our new home.
#5 SALTWATER IN YOUR bED
On land you do not ever have to sleep in salty sheets on a salty mattress.
It seems to be a constant battle to keep the sea out of the bed. With the anchor-locker right at our feet and the winch above it, there are several places water can find its way in, especially when big waves crash over the foredeck.
Fresh water is one thing, but there really is nothing worse than climbing into a salty bed after a tiring watch at the helm.
For the whole crossing from Australia to Indonesia (Eight days) we did not sleep in the V-berth as it was soaked in saltwater from a leak through the bolts on a stanchion on the foredeck.
I think we have finally sorted out our leaks above our bed, but as with everything else on the boat, the fix might not last forever. And I am sure that we have not slept in a salty bed for the last time.
#6 Diesel in your Drinking Water
On land you do not suddenly find yourself drinking diesel by accident.
Most modern sailing boats have at least two tanks onboard, one for water and one for diesel. In our case we have three stainless steel tanks placed next to each other, one for water and two for diesel. The water tank holds 200L which makes up most of our water hold on Black Duck.
In October 2020 on our way from Cairns to Lizard Island, we suddenly became aware of a strange taste in our water. Concerned about contamination we decided to do a blind test.
After multiple tests we concluded that we did no doubt have diesel in our drinking water.
There was nothing to do but to change course to Port Douglas to find out the reason for this catastrophe.
We found out that the diesel had spilled out the tank, which was exceptionally full, through the breather which is located in a locker in the cockpit. The spill had most likely been caused by the healing of the boat under windy conditions. Somehow the diesel had then entered through the breather to the water tank, which happens to be located in the same spot.
It might only have been a matter of a tablespoons of diesel. But that is all it takes to spoil 200L of water.
Cleaning them was a big project as we had to take out the tanks completely. We then cut holes in the top to scrub them down with strong detergent to get rid of the diesel grime and taste entirely.
When we installed the tank again, we made sure to move the breather to the opposite side of the diesel.
We have not had to drink diesel since.
#7 Flying Food
On land the food in your pots does not spontaneously fly out and splatter all over your kitchen.
Black beans, hot soups and multiple pots of coffee are only some of the things we have spilled all over the galley.
Imagine cooking while your kitchen is rocking or held on a steep slant by the wind in the sails causing the pots on the stove to slide and the content to slush from side to side.
It was during the rounding of Cape Don in hectic wind and Swell that I dyed the walls and carpet blue from the spill of a massive pot of Black Beans stewing on the stove below.
Over time we have gotten better at clamping the pots to the stove, tying down the lids and placing the freshly brewed coffee pot in the sink.
If you liked what you read you can follow our stories on https://web.facebook.com/blackduckatsea
If you wanna learn more about Black Duck check out her specifications and history on https://blackduckatsea.com/about-black-duck/
