The Steamtug Blog

Have you noticed?

Ever notice how you can be professionally trained in something, but nobody takes you seriously because your just a young “whipper-snapper” but then you get a couple of grey hairs, and can talk with confidence about any subject, and people hang on your every word like you’re an expert? I noticed this just last week when I was asked to do a talk by the Historical Society on the steam shovels of the Geelong Cement works.

I told the story of how I did an apprenticeship as a steam engine driver in the cement works power station, and how my apprentice master and mentor George told me that the old steam shovel from the quarry had been donated to Lake Goldsmith steam rally and we should go up and have a look. When we arrived we saw the old shovel going around with arms and buckets moving in all directions! George said “They don’t have a clue how it works, do they? I used to drive one the same to unload coal years ago”

As he said this, someone from the club heard, and before I knew what was going on, George was the new driver, and me his fireman. After a few rallies, and with lots of work to put the roof on and fix up a few things, George left promoting me to chief steam shovel driver, a position I held until I left to live in Africa for a few years.

I also told a brief history of the cement works and quarry, how the shovels work and where they all ended up.

No. 4 shovel, a Ruston Hornsby #20 (engine 923 built 1923) preserved in operation at Lake Goldsmith

No. 2 Bucyrus shovel is under restoration at Lake Goldsmith

No. 5 Ruston and Hornsby #20 (engine 924, built 1923) recently arrived at Melbourne Traction Engine club and waiting to be re-assembled.

The talk I gave was a hit and I have had lots of positive feedback. Now they want me to condense my talk as an article for their newsletter. There were lots of people there, including some of the boys from the cement museum who helped with my research, my old boss Max who was the Quarry manager, and my old apprentice master George who came to hear me speak, and told me he is now 87 years old, still looking the same as he did all those years ago!

Adaqua comes home

After trying to find a free weekend with calm sea, Adaqua finally made the long journey from French Island in Westernport Bay back to Geelong. I have been planning this since January but either had to work the weekend, or the wind and tides didn’t line up.

So last Saturday, all the ducks were in a row and I slept onboard on Friday night. Nobody wanted to come with me, so did it alone. Although the forecast was for light winds, it got up around midnight and blew 25 knots from the South all night. Then the family of gannets that had been using Adaqua for a toilet for the past 5 months came home and were fighting on the roof. They got the shock of their life when I jumped up from the cabin. But they kept coming back 30 minutes later. So it wasn’t much of a night’s sleep.

At 5am I got up, started the engine and cast off for the journey home. The wind had improved slightly, but the waves were still enough to rock me around and put water over the windscreen as I tried to see in the dark and eat my breakfast as I crossed Coronet Bay towards Phillip Island. The sun came up and the sea calmed as I approached the main town on the island “Cowes” and out into the open sea.

With the tide running out at it’s fastest, I was making a great speed, until the waves coming in met the sea going out and there were mountains of 4 metre high water in front of me. I crossed several to see how it would be, but looking further out I saw white caps on the tops which made me nervous. Then my bottle of scotch broke loose and began to roll around the chart table almost falling onto the floor. Well that was the last straw! I am not risking half a bottle of scotch for this! So I turned back and slowly made my way back to Cowes against the outgoing tide and dropped anchor.

What to do now… I don’t want to be stuck here 24 hours waiting for the next tide… so after a cup of tea and more composure, I checked the weather forecast again which said all should be fine, and headed off again. But now I was 3 hours late to miss slack water at Port Phillip Heads. But this time going out, things had improved greatly. So motoring out into the open sea, still too rough to be walking around, but better than before, I headed out past Flinders and turned towards Cape Schanck. But once I turned the sea was hitting me side on and the television mounted on the chart table broke free, slid across the table, then slid back at great speed in an attempt to jump out the window! The glass broke but held in place, saving the fish from having to watch Neighbours, Biggest Looser, and various cooking shows on the television on the bottom of Bass Strait!

The sea calmed down after Cape Schanck, and I managed to get the auto pilot back on so I could relax and enjoy the remaining trip. Going through the heads I had to take the auto pilot off, as the sea was swirling in all directions as the water flooded into Port Phillip Bay, and I looked at my GPS noticing that I was making 11 knots in a boat that usually only does 7! Must be down hill….

The sea inside the bay was dead calm and a very relaxing trip back to Geelong, arriving at 6.30pm tired but happy. Now just need to scrape off the 2 tons of bird much off the roof and decks! When I got back, the little yacht in Adaqua’s berth refused to start! I tried everything for more than 30 mins before giving up and man handling her out and over to the empty pen where she will reside for a while. Once I got there, attached ropes, and adjusted everything just fine, it was time to leave. But I tried the starter just one more time… and she burst in to life on the second revolution! So now I am frustrated and MAD! So to teach her a lesson, I threw off all the ropes and flogged her sorry arse around Eastern Beach and back. Now she is back, Adaqua home and I can open a beer!

Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeya