At long last

Finally after six weeks of being trapped on our mooring, the ice gave way and we could leave the berth for the first time this year. It was a little blowy to say the least but even that couldnt put us off in the end.

First stop the slipway. We had to beach Naughty-Cal so that Liam could fix the broken trim tab mountings, but after a steady half hours work they were refitted and ready for the maiden voyage of 2011.

The weather and the fishermen dictated we didnt get far, but a steady run towards Saxilby followed by an bout turn and a few swift ales in the Pyewipe with friends to celebrate the first of many happy hours afloat during 2011. Lets hope for some better weather along the way though.

Making a break for it.....Hopefully

Well the weather has been mild all week, with temperatures well above freezing for the whole of the period. Hopefully the marina and canal should be thawed enough for us to make a break for it.

Naughty-Cal has been berth bound for six whole weeks now. She needs to stretch her legs a little and hit the open waters once more.

I dont expect we will get too far, but it will be the first outing of the new year and wherever it may be will no dount involve a trip to the pub. We do have the small job of reattaching the trim tabs before we can venture too far, but that should only be an hours work if we can get the boat to the slipwayand beach her. I say should only be an hours work, because im sure you all know how the seemingly simple tasks often take the longest to complete.

Hidden Gems

On our many travels aboard Naughty-Cal we have often stumbled across some interesting and often well hidden places to visit.

One such place high on our list of places to revisit is Fiskerton Fen Nature Reserve. A place we have often sailed past without giving a second thought to stopping.

On one of our return journeys from Boston, we along with our friends on their boat, decided to have an overnight stay on the pontoon at Fiskerton so that we could have a peaceful night away from the hustle and bustle of the towns and cities. Fiskerton Fen is just outside Lincoln and for the wildlife fans out there is a fantastic stop over. The place is teaming with wildlife, from Barn Owls, to water fowl and ta fantastic dyke full to the brim with fish, including huge Pike stalking their prey. We spent a very peaceful day, walking the reserve, watching the wildlife and enjoying the best that the Lincolnshire countryside has to offer.

There is a pub within walking distance but the walk there at night can be dangerous as it follows the route of a busy main road with no lighting or footpath to protect pedestrians. So be careful. The moorings are in good order and due to the remote nature of the spot are quite safe and rarely occupied by fellow boaters.

A real hidden gem of a spot.

Top Five Places Visited So Far....

Due to the continued big freeze and the subsequent lack of new adventures we have been looking back over the last two years of owning Naughty-Cal and compiling a list of our favourite places she has taken us.

Number 1 - Wells next the Sea
First place is no great suprise. Wells next the sea was our first outing to sea and as such will always be a special place for us.

Number 2 - York

York is a city we have visited many times prior to owning a boat. Entering the city by water brings a whole new dimesion to the experience. A great place to visit by boat if you dare take on the mighty River Ouse. The tidal sections are some of the worst waters we have navigated, littered with debris ranging from whole trees to dead livestock.

Number 3 - Hull

A suprise entry at number 3. Our visit to Hull certainly proved to us that Hull is a city on the up. We thoroughly enjoyed our few days there in excellent surroundings and the trip under the Humber bridge isnt to be missed.

Number 4 - Newark

At number 4 a more local trip for us, but the place still draws us back time and again. Excellent summer moorings opposite the castle with safer floating moorings for winter visits outside the British Waterways local offices.

Number 5 - Ripon

We discovered Ripon almost by accident during some spare time on our first holiday to York. The place is truely stunning and the last couple of miles on the canal into Ripon are simply stunning. Sadly the lack of depth means we most probably wont visit again with Naughty-Cal but even so Ripon is worthy of making the list.

Ice, Ice and More Ice

It just refuses to go away, the ice that is. Despite a weekend of gradual thaw a very sharp frost this morning has set us back to square one.

We have, however, at long last freed Naughty-Cal from her icy prison. She now has a larger pool of water to float in after a couple of hours of ice breaking with a spade and some help from the engine. It is quite pleasant to spend time on a boat that is now moving and floating as normal. We almost had to gain our sea legs again. We had forgotten just how much she moves when free to do so.

The weather forecast looks hopeful for this week though with no sub zero temperatures forecast for the short term. So with a little bit of luck and a hope and a prayer we may have enough of a thaw to enable us to cast off and get in a small run out somewhere, anywhere but our berth.

The one good thing to come out of this big freeze is the amount of small odd jobs around the boat that we have finally completed. Some of which we have put off for over two years now. This weekend has continued the trend of completing odd jobs with a few minor running repairs and cleaning tasks finished. At this rate the boat wil be ready to use come spring with no jobs to finish, which will make a change.

One larger job on the list is getting the canopy repaired and modified, but as usual the chap we use is run off his feet. We hope that the repairs will be completed before our first major trip of the year at Easter. Fingers crossed.

Another frozen weekend

Well despite the promise of warmer weather it looks likely to be another frozen weekend at the marina. Im sure we can find a few odd jobs to keep us occupied whilst we are there.

The trim tab issue isnt going to be as expensive a fix as we had feared. The replacement parts costing just £9 plus VAT each. So now we await the thaw so that we can drag Naughty-Cal up the slipway and repair her whist wading in the water.

The snow has started to fall here in Sheffield as i sit and type this page. Hopefully it is a short spell as the weather man promised as we really want to escape to the boat this weekend. The first couple of days back at work are always hard, this year they seem doubly hard for some unknown reason.

So heres to a good weekend ahead.

A Whole New Year

Well happy new year to you all. Its a new year and a fresh start but still the same old ice.

We have stayed aboard Naughty-Cal for the duration of our time off work, hence the lack of new postings on the blog, and the ice has not once showed any real signs of ebbing away. Naughty-Cal did eventually break free from her icy prison but only into her own private pool of water a couple of inches larger than her hull. No real release.

The melting ice has revealed on little problem though. The ice has pulled the trim tabs from the rear of the hull. Not a big job but one which will require Naughty-Cal to be beached in the slipway again for the repairs to be carried out. The ice is taking its toll on many local boats with a few sinkages in the locallity plus some urgent repairs.

A couple of days of work and then we can go back to our ice locked boat and seek some sanctuary from our noisy land based neighbours. I cant wait.