Friday 27 July 2012

Service Time


It is service time again for Naughty-Cal. This time it is just a minor service consisting of an oil and filter change and checking the belts and tensioners. We like to keep her serviced on a regular basis in the hope that it will keep her running reliably for many years to come yet.

Whilst servicing the engine it is the ideal time to give the engine bay a good clean out as well. That way any leaks can be spotted and located quickly and easily. The engine bay is relatively easy to keep clean and a quick wipe around should be more than ample to do the job.

To help extract the oil easily it is helpful if it is warm so we usually take Naughty-Cal for a run prior to setting about on the engine. This weekend as we plan to spend Friday night in Lincoln after having a few drinks in Lincoln Boat Club the run back to the marina on Saturday morning will provide the ideal trip for warming up the oil.

Whilst extracting the oil we will also check the fuel filters for any signs of contamination, check the supercharger oil is at the correct level and check the tension of the four belts. We are currently suffering with a squealing supercharger belt which is refusing to re tension so we will change this for our spare new one and see if it makes a difference. All of the belts were changed before our first coastal cruise of this year however the supercharger belt has been problematic since then.

With the engine freshly serviced we should hopefully enjoy a trouble free cruise at the end of August, with plenty of time between now and then to rectify any minor niggles or problems which might occur. We should also hopefully enjoy a trouble free end to the cruising season when we will once again change the oil so that Cal is left with fresh oil in the engine over the quieter winter months when cruising opportunities can be few and far between.

Treat your boat and engine well and they will hopefully look after you in return.

Wednesday 25 July 2012

A Sunny Weekend


With the weather at last turning summer like over the weekend we took full advantage and had a great weekend afloat. Starting on Friday night we spent the evening at anchor in Brayford Pool, taking the dinghy across to the boat club for a few drinks before heading back and hitting the sack.

Saturday we spent the day shopping in Lincoln before heading back to the city centre moorings to find we had been joined by some of our friends. A few lively drinks soon followed before we all headed back to the marina.

Sunday saw us head out for a quiet day in Torksey. With the sun shining the miles soon slipped away and we had a pleasant day in the company of good friends.

 Waking up at anchor in Brayford Pool

 Naughty-Cal moored at Torksey

 A busy Lock Cut with boats waiting for the tide.

 A visit from an ex employee of Sealine

 Delivery of lager from Toby Jug

Toby the dog enjoying the sunshine

Tuesday 24 July 2012

New Canopies Ordered


During our latest excursion to Wells next the Sea it became apparent that our current set of canopies on Naughty-Cal have reached the end of their useful life. They are her original set so have lasted almost ten years, not bad considering the conditions they are exposed to and also the use that they are subjected to on a weekly basis. 

Also in all honesty we have not really looked after them as we should have.
The fastenings have started to part company with the canvas, the windows are scratched and stitching is fraying and tearing in various locations. The plan had been to refurbish this canopy over the winter months but weighing up what it would cost to do this work against the cost of a new canopy, the numbers didn’t stack up. Over the years we have already spent a fair amount on repairs and maintenance of these hoods so spending more on them didn’t make financial sense especially as they would still need replacing in a couple of years anyway. We may as well just bite the bullet now.

So the order has been placed for a brand new set of canopies which we have been able to modify from the original design to suit our requirements. Over the years we have made a mental note of modifications to the design which will help us and make life onboard easier, safer and at times much more comfortable.
The canopy company we have chosen to do the job, Marine and Industrial Covers are a very well respected company, making original canopies for a number of boat manufacturers. We have seen plenty of their work and know that they do an excellent job. Also rather handily they are based at our marina so they don’t have to travel to do the job. The minor modifications we have made to the design have been no trouble for them to incorporate into the new covers and they have also suggested further modifications which would be of benefit to us over the original design.

Hopefully the new canopies should be finished in plenty of time for our next week long holiday at the end of August. The estimated completion time for the new hoods was two to three weeks from the placement of the order. We ordered them a week ago so in the next couple of weeks Naughty-Cal should be looking like a different boat and will finally be free of her ragged hoods which age her considerably.

As we are shelling out a fair amount of money for these new canopies we will have to start a regular routine of cleaning and reproofing them to help to prolong their serviceable life span and keep them looking in top condition. The canvas comes ready treated with a water proofing substance; however come next spring we will be thoroughly cleaning the canopies and applying a further dose of Fabsil water proofing agent. This treatment will then be applied once a year each spring after the pre season clean up, to keep the canopies waterproof, easier to clean and less prone to mould and mildew growth.

We will have to be much more careful with the new hoods, taking care about how we take them off, store them and erect them to prevent unnecessary damage and unnecessary scratches on the window sections. We will be more than happy if the new hoods last as long as the original set have done.

Friday 20 July 2012

A Quick Catch Up


It has been a funny old few weeks hence the lack of updates on the blog but hopefully things should be almost back to normal again now, whatever that happens to be.

So what have we been up too? On the boat side of things we were kept busy getting Naughty-Cal ready for her summer break to Wells next the Sea but we still had plenty of time to get out and about and enjoy some lovely, local cruises in company and also alone. We have had good times with friends old and new and have thoroughly enjoyed our weekends afloat as always.

We have made firm friends in Mike and Stella from NB Isobel (blog address) and have enjoyed their company on a couple of occasions in the last few weeks. Most noticeably when we gate crashed their quiet weekend at Fiskerton Fen, see pictures below, but also when we bumped into them again in Boston on our way to Wells. Wherever you are now guys I hope you are having fun and I’m sure we will bump into each other again shortly, not literally next time though.

As you will note from the last bunch of posts we have enjoyed yet another great trip to Wells next the Sea, in the company of friends on Wish You Were Here and Silent P. Not the solo coastal cruise we had intended but great fun all the same. We are now busy planning our next holiday of the year at the end of August, but more on that in the coming weeks.

So here are just a handful of pictures showing what we have been up to over the last few weeks:


 Local cruises in company

 Partying in Brayford Pool

 Shopping cruises to Lincoln

 Gate crashing quiet weekends

But always ending up back home at Burton Waters

Thursday 19 July 2012

Wells next the Sea - Part 7 - Dinghy Day

 Bailing out

 Still loads to go

 A different perspective

 Lincoln City Centre

 Works on the river banks
 Entry to the River Till

 Exploring new waters

 Not a soul to be seen.

Peace and quiet on the Till

Wells next the Sea - Part 6

 Wish You Were Here on the tidal Witham

 Silent P on the tidal Witham

 Bars open

 Naughty-Cal leading the way

 Through Boston docks

 Rotting hiulks litter the banks

 Boston town centre

 Rafted up waiting for the lock

Almost level

Wells next the Sea - Part 5

 Making sure all crew members wear their lifejackets

 Wish You Were Here leaving Wells

 Silent P leaving Wells

 The bar

 Heading for home

Naughty-Cal leading the way home

Wells next the Sea - Part 4

 Wells channel

 Relaxing in Wells Harbour

 Wish You Were Here and Naughty-Cal rafted up in Wells

 Low tide

 Wells dinghies

 Sunshine over the harbour

 Tenders

The outer harbour

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Wells next the Sea - Part 3

 On the tidal Witham

 In wells at last

 Cal moored in Wells

 Ex lifeboats visiting Wells

 Wells fishing fleet

 Crabbing in Wells

Enthusiastic crew members