Would you change seacock valve 65cm below the water line whilst afloat?! It might not be as scary as you think. This valve body seized up (despite only being 3-4 years old) so I unscrewed it, popped in a wooden bung, bought a new one and screwed it on. The trick is to be prepared. I had all my wooden bungs on hand, covered any electrical equipment and was ready for the worst case scenario. Fortunately, because it was a fairly new fitting, it came undone relatively easily and the job was pretty straight forward 😊💦 And what’s the worst case scenario I was prepared for? The worst case scenario is the thru hull fitting itself breaking off when I attempt to unscrew the valve. What would I do about it? Just tap in one of my many wooden bungs and then arrange to get the boat lifted out! That scenario was quite unlikely but it helps to think through what could happen. What also helped me is that, from previous experimentation on another boat, we have pumps that I know could easily outrun the water coming in through that hole. An uncontrolled inflow through that fitting wouldn’t be good as it would spray seawater everywhere but it’s good to know that the pumps could cope. It’s always counter intuitive and panic inducing to see water flooding in to the boat and I know many people don’t like to pull out their paddle wheel log transducers for that very reason however staying calm and knowing that it would actually take quite a long time to sink through a 3/4” hole means it may not be as bad as you think. Always worth thinking what else could help. Whilst away, shopping for parts, I left Kate armed with cushions as well as wooden bungs as a cushion pushed hard over a hole will slow the flow enough that most bilge pumps would cope. Despite my previous experiments I was even surprised how little water we took on but the point is that, with a little thought and prep, changing a valve or pulling that paddle wheel so it doesn’t foul up needn’t be that stressful or require an expensive lift out. Luckily for me everything went super smoothly this time so no need for backup plans! It does get the heart pumping a bit when you haven’t done it for a while though! 😊💦 #followintrepidbear #sailinglife #sailing #sailor #liveaboard #sailboat #boatlife

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Everyone dreams of sailing into the sunset, exploring islands on Monday mornings instead of going to the office, kiteboarding in paradise... But nobody talks about the toilet clogging at 2 AM, living with a fridge smaller than a shoebox, or storms appearing out of nowhere with zero time to react. I'm planning to live full-time on a sailboat, and here's what no one tells you until it's too late. Yes, the dream is real - the freedom, exploration, living places that cost thousands to visit. But there's a reality side that sailing influencers don't show you. Before you sell everything for boat life, watch this honest breakdown of what full-time sailing actually looks like. #sailboat #liveaboard #sailing #reality #boatlife #honest #truth #storms #maintenance #freedom #exploration #dreams #fulltime #sailinglife #realitycheck" This balances the dream with the harsh realities while maintaining intrigue about what challenges he'll reveal.

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Tune In. Learn. Be Rewarded. More than 30 different webinar topics will be covered throughout the year ahead, presented by individual CLIA Cruise Lines and CLIA Executive Partners. For more information, please visit cruising.org.au Artist: AudioPanda Title: Motivational Vibes https://www.hooksounds.com

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