Getting Ready For The Off

With just a few weeks and two weekends to go until our next holiday aboard Naughty-Cal it is time to start getting here ready for the off. We only have weekends aboard Cal so we have to plan what needs doing and when to get her ready in time.

Now Naughty-Cal is only a small boat at 25ft, however the planning involved is unbelievable. First of all there is the planning of fuel stops. This time it isn’t as critical as we are only going to York, but we still intend to set off from the marina with a full fuel tank. We take our own diesel to the boat as it is cheaper than buying from the marina, so we have to gauge how much she will take at a time. She has a 225 litre fuel tank so we have been taking 60 litres as a time to top her up. We estimate that the 60 litres we intend to take on friday evening, will fill her to the brim, but then we have to factor in that we will be using her this weekend and next. We will have to estimate how much we should take next weekend to top her back up again.

The next thing is food provisions. We generally, where possible, cook meals using fresh ingredients aboard, however there are times where shopping stops are scarce or times where you can be stranded for a couple of days in the middle of nowhere. So, on this basis we carry a stash of emergency rations which consist of canned food, pasta, rice, jars of cooking sauces and flat breads etc. So that we can rustle up a quick meal should the need arise. We shall have to inspect the emergency cupboard and see what rations we need to buy. We also need to stock up the beer cellar. It is often more cost effective to stock up when the supermarkets have good offers on the beer then drink to your hearts content whilst away.

Then we get onto items such as gas cylinders. Are they full? We have two cylinders aboard which are 2.75kg Camping Gaz cylinders. These are not always readily available waterside so we always check we have at least one full cylinder. The only thing we have aboard that uses gas is the cooker, so the cylinders last quite a while. Through the summer we get longer per cylinder as we tend to cook a lot of meals on the BBQ. During the winter months we cook many more meals aboard so the cylinders don’t last as long, only about two months per cylinder. We also set off with a full water tank but this will be sorted on the Monday morning that we leave her before we set off on the Friday evening.

We like to set off with Naughty-Cal looking spick and span both inside and out. On Monday morning, before we left the boat for work, we stripped down the bed and took down all of the curtains and shower curtain to take them home for washing. The washing machine has been working none stop since we got home yesterday evening and the majority of the items are now hanging in the spare bedroom at home to dry. This weekends task is to clean out the inside of the boat removing everything that can move for a good scrub down. Then we will move onto the outside. The exterior of the boat is easy to clean with just a boat cleaner (EVM) and fresh water. The cockpit can all be jet washed out then allowed to air dry.

The final and probably most important thing is a thorough engine check. The engine had a major service in June before our first coastal trip to Wells next the Sea, so will just require the levels checking, water trap on the fuel tank emptying and general visual inspection of the engine. It is important, when travelling in extremely tidal waters to ensure that your engine is in fine working order. In the two years we have owned Naughty-Cal, we have built up great trust in the Volvo lump stuffed under the cockpit floor. It is also important to carry spare parts for the engine should the worst happen and also to know what to do with them. The other essential piece of kit that must be working is the anchor and winch. The anchor locker should be checked to ensure nothing will snag the anchor or chain should it have to be deployed and also the operation of the winch should be checked. It needs to be in working order.

So there you have it. We have a busy couple of weekends ahead of us with plenty to keep us out of trouble and this is before we start planning the journey ahead and where we will be stopping. There are three boats to date heading off on this adventure so planning will be paramount. We will still though, I am sure, find some time to wind down and enjoy being afloat.