Litespeed

I think people have seen my views as too left wing or green but I love internal combustion engines for the sound and feel. I am not anti ICE but a realist. I love the sound, get off on the feel of the best ICE, give me an Italian bike or Alfa Romeo and I am in heaven. Its like a drug and very addictive. Sadly it's also poisonous, do not use a exhaust as a breathing apparatus.☠️ Unfortunately we expect the environment to breath it and that needs to change. The idea of rural communities been unable to survive using non petrochemical energy is a common talking point but not a no sum game, it's actually short- medium term very realistic and makes sense. Sure we need to keep burning dinosaur fuel short term in select applications. People complain farmers can't survive but remember good years means you invest for the lean years and lower costs etc. We tend to forget the rural communities gain wealth by harvesting produce or meat or fibre. All these are sun powered and that energy is free, you only need to convert the sun power to electrical , it's still energy farming just a different way. Why should rural Australia have to import it's energy at great cost at a price, political and environmental cost that we can't afford to ignore. We can generate the energy here locally at lower overall cost and the money stays in the local community. Sure it costs but bar renewal it's a highly efficient low maintenance way of drastically reducing costs. If you have fast charging available in every town then the range anxiety is a non issue bar extreme remote destinations. My local Bowling club has fast chargers as does the local marina but we don't have a petrol station. Chargers open 24 hrs, unlike most rural petrol stations. Sure a petrol powered device can be fuelled quick but breaks are needed anyway and waiting for the servo to open in the morning ain't pleasant either. Motorcycle touring means small range and off the major highways, that's range anxiety. I survived and didn't have the option of getting fuel anywhere with even a normal power point to help, slow but still works. Or a small solar setup, recently a solar charged car toured Australia with a thin film roll of printed solar cells kept in the boot to charge it, roll it out and charge. Can't do that with a ICE vehicle bar someone bringing energy to you ie diesel etc, your fu**ed. If someone does something on the other side of the planet or says something, your oil price can rocket. The sun is free and independent, it does not give a damn and still shines. You can't fight a war over the Sun, it's free to everyone and beyond our control. Compare that to oil and the millions of lost lives in the pursuit to control it and profit from it. Even forgetting about the real costs of fossil fuels it's a no brainer sun power is cheaper short,medium and long term.

I actually live onboard a ship originally registered with the American Bureau of Shipping for international waters. These days home is Port Stephens. Funny part is she is not 98 metres but only 9.8 metres 😭. It's only a Clipper pocket sea trawler. I can just imagine my friendly Maritime officer laughing his arse off it I did that.🧐😝

We are indeed a new species as we have the new ability unknown on planet earths history from any species before including homo sapiens sapiens. We can not just succeed in our local environment but dominate it on a global scale. We can literally change the planets ecosphere from the bottom of the sea to the highest mountain and all the atmosphere. We have even modified our atmosphere to the point ice caps melt as we heatup the planet. We can even leave our own planet and get a outside view. We can fly but have no wings. We are the fastest species on the planet and off it. We can dive to the bottom of the Ocean and sometimes return or make a great story about dying with a billionaire fool. We can even destroy any species and change any environment from a distance, never ever leaving the other side of the planet or even thinking about it. We can even talk and see each other from anywhere on the planet like telepathic Aliens. We have even been able to change the planet into a new epoch called the Anthropocene as we have modified the earth so much in less than a lifetime our our new species. 1950 is the start of the Anthropocene and the end of the Holocene. We have "god" like super powers of terraforming a planet, even when we don't notice. We even can kill all life on the planet at will, like a angry god. Just a fool and a red button and the planet burns. We are Homo sapiens perses, which I named after the Greek god of destruction aka the ravager. Or Homo sapiens destructus Or Homo sapiens technics We may think we are just like our ancestors pre the industrial age but we are not, we augment our abilities like a sci-fi human cyborg at will through technologies, in fact I am doing that right now. Our superpowers are actively killing the planet and as a collective hive we seem to accept that knowledge and keep running off the extinction cliff. Maybe we should be called Homo sapiens suicidus Note: no species were imperiled by this post only solar charged electrons moved about.

Here is a report in 2022. Ev fires are remarkably safe from fire. Unfortunately they are magnets for hack journalism and scare campaigns from vested interests. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.mynrma.com.au/electric-vehicles/basics/understanding-electric-vehicle-fires%23:~:text%3DA%202022%20analysis%20by%20insurance,defines%20plug%2Din%20hybrids.)&ved=2ahUKEwihyMW2ze2CAxVUamwGHXuJCPYQFnoECAkQBQ&usg=AOvVaw1KOlb5q88Nyx1ehjb6kEb- ICE cars are 60 times more likely to have a 🔥 and hybrids are 138times more likely to burn. For a new tech to be so safe is really amazing given the 135 years combustion cars have existed and been continuously developed.

Careful, if she finds out it might be the doghouse for a while. I know, it's a tough life on the water, but someone has to suffer it.

Yep, no BFR infact no licence needed at all. Funny you need a licence for a dingy with more than 5 HP but a big yacht or my brother's 12 tonne Walrus and 12 passengers- even outside in the ocean and none needed. Not that I am complaining. Mine has soft decks but not critical at the moment. Sails fine and motors on a 15 HP outboard. Has a 3 way fridge so cold 🍺. That many fish around, you just hang a line out the side and they jump on the hook. Funny having a $1 boat surrounded by mega dollar wedding cakes and marlin murderers. Will have a beer for you poor buggers. ⛵🍻

Still living the life Aquatic and loving it. Still in Port Stephens and it's a awesome place for the virus isolation. The Walrus has had a scrape and paint on the slip and is feeling slick and much happier on the cruise. Still yet to repaint the top sides but as the slip is fully booked for a while. Sadly the crabs are either migrating or not as hungry with buggerall in the pots. But the big news is I bought a 23ft yacht as a stop gap to buying a live aboard. It is a old 40-50 year old racing class cum weekender. With styling like a flat top wooden sloop. But with a huge sail area for its size and weight. Fast and single handed is the idea. It's a Hood 23 which was a top racing boat in the 60-80s and was replaced by the 29ers as a class. Ugly by modern standards but simple and easy to sail in all conditions. Originally a open racing yacht enclosed and it shows with the low flat deck, great for pygmies. But you don't mind when it's easy to move forward. Delicate eyes should be wary this beasty cost a whole $1 but it sails great and is cozy. This is not a show pony but something only it's designer or a yachts can love. It might be ugly but it is the fastest mono hull here in lemon tree passage and all the old blokes oh and ah at her, with tales of racing and touring at speed past. They still race them against modern yachts locally at soldiers point. The prospect of flogging very expensive new boats and Pitt St captain's holds a special challenge in a ancient $1 boat.

There is a bit about the investigation and has some very forthright comments from those leading the enquiry. Plainly obvious not just smoke but a lot a real fire. Sorry can't get link working but see Smh or Age etc. Re the trial by media- that is a byproduct of the media actually getting this to our attention and ensuring it does not stay buried. Remember they raided the ABC and others to silence the story. It appears a lot will be found accountable and those that colluded or turned a blind eye will be out and charges will follow. The SAS deserve to be accountable, be able to root out the rotten, punish them and those above who are proven guilty and return to being the elite of our service. Returning confidence is vital to our national interest.

The problem is we keep giving the morons oxygen. Deoxymoron the buggers

Raymond Reddington gets the gong for me. Or Chris Hemsworth but that will get very bloody.

I do not know the soldier but do know war crimes happen and to think a Aussie is is incapable of such things ignores human nature. A aweful lot of national security laws and secrecy has been invoked in this case including current and former soldiers been muffled, threats made and journalists raided. Seems like a lot of smoke if no fire exists. I have a open mind, yes in a instant we make flash decisions but take the right path. The allegations however are not about mistakes but intentional murder. The standard is ours not what the enemy do.

Ah the torture of been on a boat. The view is bloody aweful. And the shopping just to get some protein is a arduous task. Just take gloves, wear shoes and count you fingers. Yesterday 15 blue swimmers and a awesome chilli jam cookup. Who would guess I could have way too many big crabs to eat, so I am forced to give them away to those less fortunate ie landsmen. Would post photos but the view is too big and might be overun by pirates. Had to stop fishing, not enough cold storage. Also found a new Octopussy for walrus's head but at two feet the bugger was a bit angry and strong like you would not believe. The smart bugger was a Houdini grade escapologist and can open a bucket. So returned to the blue to attack another day. No way could you remove him if he grabbed your arm bar cutting him in pieces. Oh also got squid a plenty but yet to catch a King fish. Life is tough

I have suggested a Hookah for cleaning but a dive compressor has advantages as well. Ideally a dive but they are more maintenance for safety. However we expect diving to become a regular thing, much better than hiring a tank when needed and that assumes a dive shop nearby. I would like both but dollars and space will decide, its my doppelgangers boat so he pays the piper. A modern electric two hose hookah is small and light enough to be even in a little inflatable or blow up ring, so not limited to the wild expanses of Walrus- unlike a petrol compressor. More of a tropical water issue though. Electric will be solar with lots of space on the 14 x 7 ft cabin roof for flexible panels and Lithium Iron Phosphate battery cells down aft as well- for sea keeping, no Flybridge weight is wanted, so a small station will be on its back wall above the aft cabin. Combined with the 12 ft wide Lazzerette, the space exists for both if needed and huge amount of ultra long life battery. Expect 10,000 cycles minimum- no crap life lead, with bugger all current draw ability. Currently she has two starter battery making 90 amp/hr @24v and three 90 amp/hr @ 12v for ship systems. Bugger all since two of the ships died and the eff wit that wired it, ensured the two independant systems were not. So drained the starters bank as well. Bugger- the Perkins 120hp has no crank starting!. I managed to re wire the system to get enough to just run the starter. Lucky we were at anchor, a happy lesson rather than a major problem. The Walrus was built in 1983 as a Southern Prawn trawler with single mast for a steady sail, but was never used under survey then converted to a cruiser two years from launch. The Gyro compass driven auto pilot was ancient even then and more 60's style. The electrics are a archaeological dig in the engine room and given the batteries all sit alongside the huge motor and are exposed- It aint no fun in a 4 foot high space crawling round doing stuff. I nor batteries appreciate the heat. This will change and all batteries will leave the engine room for safety and longevity. Complete separate battery buses and such, so no power screw ups, last thing you need at sea is a dead power system and no way to start the engine. No generator is on board and one might get installed if its the right price and size. This is more for running power tools on 240v and emergency power only. No to be run daily when the solar set up is done. A wind generator is also on the cards as is a wave generator- which I will build. Essentially just a small electric outboard dc trolling motor on a smart generation circuit, when at anchor its free power and silent, a three phase brushless would be even better. The idea being complete power self sufficiency and ability to sit in place a week and not start the engine, currently that is daily at least for just lights, radios, Gps etc and little drain. A system of 10kw/hr would be nice battery set up- like a Tesla power wall but for boats. The pillaging a Tesla for batteries idea is a sound one, even a Toyota as long as it was not a cab. They do not have LiFePh cells though, which are much easier too manage- not 100's of laptop cells. Just the same package as a 12 volt battery, but 1/3 rd the weight and double the actual power ability with 10 times the life. The role of lead acid battery and a classic wooden vessel is as ballast after been melted not for power. The ingots will be on ply to ensure they can't punch the hull planks and also will be secured with straps of bronze or stainless. 500 kg in chunks of lead shifting in a big sea is not appealing. Such a electric system can easily also be recruited as a electric hybrid drive for times a start and warm up, fumes , noise etc are not warranted. The engine is loud and a side wet exhaust, which may change to a dry stack that is insulated for sound and gets the fumes up high. The engine and shaft coupling are solid mounted and these will change to suitable flex mounts in time, plus some proper sound insulation and comfort will be improved, under power. Silent running on electric in bays, harbors would be cool. Leaving dock at 2 am and not stirring the bilge rats is handy. time will tell.

Never fear the bugger has not worked in years and will not until a full service and rewire. A 50 lb anchor, 35 m of chain and 100m of road ( heavy Rope) gives a good workout to retrieve. Walrus will be going south maybe this winter as thats when the sea currents suit for a nice ride and speed. The boat festival is a possibility and we accept booby dazzlers in Tupperware as seadogs. Amazing what can be bought in wood for so little money- too many scared of a little work. Not a issue when living aboard. NO great skills or tools needed just a bit of elbow grease and a ability to copy whats is there. Tassie is a wonderland for wooden boats and all at affordable prices. Discovered a secret stash of Huon held by a hobbit in the forests that will provide to wood lovers only for boats- all ancient and cut last century. And not a millionaire prices. Meanwhile- Walrus will be getting slipped and painted below, with a 500kg min lead added as ingots to the stern for better sea keeping. She was designed to carry a huge fish load so extra weight is a good thing. And a rewire is needed as in the engine room is a mess and looks wired by a blind man. Old lead acid batts will go and LIfepho battery banks installed, solar and new fridge freezer. The engine driven one at 500 litres is crap, so a modern efficient one is coming. New camping fridges are super efficient and cold beer is a must. A fish holding tank also on the list to keep bait alive, the King Fish like live squid. King Fish fresh is awesome and very hard to beat. Later a dive compressor will join the toys as I find it difficult breathing in water- strange huh?

I am back on land for a while. Back in the big smoke-damn. Had great time, lots of Bavarian beer drunk, seafood daily and sun, sand and waves. Some storms but they are fun. Met lots of characters including a bloke who was the first to do the lap of Australia solo as a Deaf person. Lots of Dolphins, some Whales. Pleased to see most rich wankers spending 20,000 a day chasing Marlin missed out. Did have a great laugh when one boat came in and weighed its 76.5kg Marlin, had eyes removed for research and blood, stomach tests done. Then the poor beast was slid on the blood soaked dock into the boat. That's when it was slid across the deck by the head scientist with strength and punched a hole in the side of the boat with the huge spike. He walked off with a smirk and I laughed my ass off. He had a job but was happy to show his distaste at rich wankers killing the top predators for a photo shot. Justice well done. But a sinking would have been better.

The Octopussy is not crocheted but 3 d printed in one run and articulated. My son made it. We might be seadogs but high tech for toys. Walrus is old school timber no fibreglass and metals are bronze bar ss rails. The engine a Perkins 120 hp. At 35 ft she is a solid seaboat. 15 tonnes plus fuel and 1500 litres at 5 litres hr for 8 knts. So in theory 2400 nm range. Across the ditch is no issue, even Fiji is in range. A solid bugger worthy of the name Walrus. Beware the tusks.

It is irrespective that the flag and welcome to country are new, they fought and died. We just refused to acknowledge them till recently. They are owed their due respect.

Nah, Rivian is in the box seat and should gets good deal. Just look at the big deals Hyundai and others have done. The huge success of Tesla means Rivian is in the box seat.

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Your intrepid agent reports from his adventures afloat. My mission to survey the Port of Stephen for misscreants and agent provocateurs continues. Our cunning plan to enter enemy waters at Nelsons bay has succeeded. We conviently "ran aground at the public wharf in the marina due to steering failure" the hydraulic line choose that exact moment to give up the ghost. Amazing what careful planning and help from the "Sirens can acheive.". Thus three days free at the wharf conviently blocking easy access to the game fishing weigh bridge. This last weekend and again this one is a mad procession of murderers looking to kill giants of the sea like Marlin. Rich pricks in million dollar plus boats wanting to kill stuff for a photo. Today was at least $100 million in big boats full of self entitled pricks out for bragging rights on who owns the biggest boat, the smallest dick and can kill as much as possible for a photo. Sadly today we were visited by a lovely lass and seargant on a police launch and asked to leave pronto for the tournament. I guess you can only block the bastards for so long.. Some mention of pissing off the side of the boat during daytime was made and excessive merriment at night. It was the damn cats fault, and the bloody Walrus was no help either. But having left port and stationed just outside we may " find a serious problem in our little ship" and make merry mayhem with the murderers plans. Is it our fault the public wharf with the weigh station is the only one available for emergency repairs? Sea trials and sampling of german beer continue with haste. The only drowning has been my micro enigma machine to ensure it not fall into the enemy hands. Our mission continues, weather has been good , some pussy complained of storms and gales but they are soft. Walrus has made a new friend- Octopussy.

Your joking. Mate they sell shit box Toyota utes with glitz for that and they are crap. The Rivian would be a big seller and toymotor should be very scared.

They fought and died just like the rest but got shafted after returning. The first people deserve their moment as well. We stole their land and they were good enough to overcome that and fight. The RSL are once again proven to be arseholes.

It is a bit hard too look long enough, take in details and keep your eyesight. Some things can never be unseen. But at a painful guess......it's a UJM.. Universal Japanese motorbike. It's also a Yamaha four size unknown.

Cook was not perfect guy, he actually shoot some men to get their ceremonial shield and hunting tools. Straight out murder, but the victor takes the spoils.

Strange the windlass panel is a Jolly Roger.