Happenings and Update

In Diving, Social by James GavshonLeave a Comment

Winter Sucks

Summer is on its way… or at least it better be! As we (hopefully) approach the end of the winter period and start to shake out the dive gear for the coming summer, I would like to take the opportunity to provide you with a bit of an update as to what has been happening behind the scenes while things have been quiet. For those that want the TLDR version:

  • Bought a LandCruiser to launch the boat
  • Sold the truck
  • Chromodoris is being fitted for seats
  • Ran some social events - won a quiz night
  • Knocked off some maintenance but still a few key tasks to go
  • Discussions with UWA Sports with respect to the Sports Park upgrade and our home going forward

Now for those that want a little more detail:

Up until recently we have been relying on club members with vehicles capable of launching/transporting the boat to get Chromodoris in and out of the water. We have now purchased a LandCruiser which should fulfil that role. If you weren’t already aware, we previously had a truck to launch/transport Tantabiddi which meant that someone had to have a Light Rigid class license to tow the boat.

We still have to do a couple of runs to make sure that everything goes together as it should and develop a policy around vehicle usage but hopefully its availability will see the boat going out more often and more short club trips come summer. The vehicle currently resides at one of our committee members place while we try and find a suitable storage solution. The goal is to increase accessibility for all club members and to reduce barriers to becoming a club skipper which hopefully means more diving.

If you have taken a trip out on Chromodoris then you’ll no doubt have admired the luxurious timber seating that was available for you to lounge back and enjoy the ride to and from Rottnest. Alas they have served their purpose and will now be retired as we have settled on a configuration. Chromodoris is currently back at PolyLine getting fitted for new seats and a reconfigured ladder configuration which will not only provide a more stable ride, but also give us a bit more flexibility in terms of configuration and deck space. She should be back in the water soon (if the weather grants us a decent weekend). A BIG thank you to Simon for getting this underway and I can’t wait to see the new layout.

We still have a number of outstanding maintenance tasks to complete on the trailer and the boat and we will be looking for keen volunteers to help out. These often aren’t huge difficult tasks but do require some time and planning to get done. If you are able to assist then it would be very much appreciated, even if you don’t have any prior experience. Chances are you may even pick up a new skill or two. To give you an idea, some of the outstanding tasks off the top of my head include:

  • Move the trailer brake controlled and battery up out of the splash zone on the trailer.
  • Replace wheel hubs and trailer brake lines.
  • Install engine hour meters and bilge pump.
  • Rewire the dash (will probably outsource unless there are some ace marine electricians out there willing to volunteer some time).
  • File down some of the burs on the engine props
  • Install a tablet mount on the boat dash
  • Replace the bearing buddies with normal bearing caps.
  • Repack wheel bearings on the vehicle.

Any assistance with any of the tasks will be much appreciated… keep an eye out on the club facebook page and the club calendar for busy bees or calls for assistance.

If you are involved in any other UWA Sports clubs, you may or may not be aware that UWA is looking to undertake a massive overhaul of the UWA Sports Park facility in Shenton Park. We have been involved in the consultation process (they didn’t seem keen on digging a channel from the park to the ocean) and are in discussions about how this will affect our tenure at the small tine shed we call home. It may be that we get a minor facility upgrade or nothing at all, it has also been suggested that space may be made available at another venue. I appreciate that this doesn’t really provide any solid answers regarding the club facilities going forward, but unfortunately that is where we are at with the whole process. I will endeavour to provide more updates as they unfold.

We've been trying to step up the non-diving social scene lately with a great presentation provided by Joseph on the expedition level or organisation required to get into some of the caves out on the Nullarbor. Big thanks to Callum at Dolphin Scuba for allowing us to use his facilities to host the presentation. UWAUC members also manage to clinch the Albion quiz night just recently which suggests that we may be good at more than just diving. If you have any ideas for social events or would like to give a presentation on anything dive/marine/aquatic related then PLEASE touch base with one of our committee members.

That about wraps it up for this update. We’ve had a bit of a run of bad weather blowing in on the weekends and preventing the boat from going out despite spectacular conditions during the week. Hopefully when we get her back from the fitout we will be blessed with some fair weather! One final point, I would strongly encourage any members who would like to step up and become skippers at the club to touch base with one of the current skippers and discuss requirements and opportunities.

Skippers == boat trips == more diving == more funds == improved equipment == happier members!

Cheers

James

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