A Rainy Weekend

With the weather none too clever this weekend we made the most of the time carrying out running repairs, maintenance and general cleaning duties.

On Saturday the OH was drafted in to help a fellow boater service his sterndrives, so I made the most of the quiet time and set about putting Naughty-Cal on a diet. Over the years we have collected a huge amount of cruising clutter but none of this is doing Cal’s weight issue much good and it is starting to show with a drop in top speed and an ever lengthening time to get her onto the plane. Drastic action was needed.

Every cupboard, cubby hole and drawer was stripped of its contents, thoroughly cleaned and then only the essential items repacked in a neat and tidy manner. Anything no longer needed onboard has been rehomed, taken home or as a last resort thrown away. Considering we only carried out this task at the beginning of this year there was still an alarming amount of junk and excess weight taken off the boat. The end result should be a more sprightly performance the next time we are able to let Naughty-Cal stretch her legs in a couple of weeks time.

With the boat interior cleaned, tidied and decluttered and the OH back from his servicing duties it was time to relax and enjoy a quiet weekend afloat. With the unrelenting heavy rain, the water levels in the Fossdyke were reaching high levels so eventually the EA came and shut the flood gates to the marina, effectively penning us in but at the same time keeping us safe and sound on our berths. The boats out on the river had no such luck and were scrambling to find safe moorings.

With the gates shut we seeked out some entertainment which eventually came in the form of a kind offer of drinks and nibbles at a friend’s house in the nearby village of Fenton, so we all bundled ourselves into cars and hit them hard. It was at 3am Sunday morning that we finally climbed back into the cab and head back to the boats!!

Sunday was a day for recovering. There were plenty of poorly looking people on the pontoons on Sunday morning, or afternoon in some cases. With the flood gates still firmly shut there was little to do other than kick back and relax.

With lamb hotpot in the slow cooker, there was not much left to do other than open a beer and watch the world and the weather go by.

The weather may not have been great for boating this weekend but it has given us the chance to start to get Cal ready for her next big adventure. The rain should also go some way to topping up the rivers, reservoirs and streams which so many of us depend upon to keep our waterways navigable.