Our Most Memorable Moment of 2011

Whilst we are looking forward to this year’s cruising opportunities and the chance to explore new and varied waterways we have also been looking back at our most memorable moments of 2011. There were a few to choose from but there could only really be one winner. What a day. It was of course our day spent at anchor in Blakeney Bay. You don’t get many days like this and we feel privileged to have been able to experience this so soon into our boating careers.

The day started bright and early, we had spent the evening moored on the fuel berth at Goodchilds on the Southern Broads ready for an early refuel as soon as the office opened. By 8am we had both boats refuelled and both crews fed and watered and with the tide now low enough we could leave the Norfolk Broads and head for home. We had a fantastic early morning sprint across Breydon Water, no hire boats around at this time, before turning into Great Yarmouth port and heading for the sea. An hour later we emerged from the walls of the harbour onto a brilliant blue sea. The weather and sea state could not have been much better as we hugged the Norfolk coastline cruising north. The boats were both on song, taking the slight chop in their strides and easily eating up the miles. All too soon, about two hours after we set off, we were within sight of Blakeney Harbour entrance and the resident seals. A closer look at the harbour entry revealed we wouldn’t make it past the sand bar, which also meant we were far too early to enter the harbour at Wells next the Sea, so we turned the boats around and headed for the bay just a short hop further up the coast.

With our positions chosen, the anchors were dropped, anchor alarms set, and a tense 15 minutes was spent onboard ensuring that the anchors had set successfully. At this stage the tide was still dropping but didn’t have much further to go, we had chosen a spot tucked right up by the beach in just 6ft of water, so as a precaution we lifted the drive just to be on the safe side and to prevent it nudging the bottom as the boat gently rocked on the anchor with the action of the gentle waves. With nothing left to do but sit back and relax and with the sun beating down, we grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and watched the seals playing between the boats and the sea birds diving for their dinners.

After an hour with the tide now turned and the anchor still holding nicely, we lowered the dinghy and made a bee line for the golden beach. There was not a soul on the beach bar us and our friends, just the four of us on miles of golden unspoilt sand, not a spot of litter to be seen. The resident seals took an instant interest in the four strangers trespassing on their beach and were astonishingly brave and upfront. They were coming within a few feet of the water’s edge, before taking an about turn and disappearing into the surf. As we took the tenders back to the mothership’s the seals swam next to the dinghies, treating us to a real lesson in swimming and diving. There was still an hour to kill but by now the water level was rising and our 6ft of water had now turned into 12ft, we would soon be able to enter Wells on the early afternoon tide. We enjoyed the last hour of our time here basking in the glorious sunshine not a care in the world, with a beer in our hands we could have been anywhere in the world at that moment.
All too soon it was time to lift anchor and set off for the safety of the harbour. With the boats safely moored up for the night, it was time to find lunch, fish and chips of course and a beer or three in one of the pubs. The perfect end to the perfect day.

Unfortunately this was to prove to be the calm before the storm and we spent a horrendous three days being battered by a Force 8 North Easterly storm blowing straight down the harbour entry. This somewhat spoiled our stay in Wells but has not put us off from going again. We plan to head there again sometime this year, most likely at the end of July.

So there you have it, our most memorable moment of 2011.

Let The Work Commence

It’s another weekend and it will be another busy one. We have a whole host of jobs to be cracking on with and as we won’t be at the boat next weekend we have double the work to be going at.

My first job of the weekend will be finishing off the spring clean and declutter of the cabin. Last weekend I tackled the galley and bedroom so this weekend it is the turn of the shower room and the saloon. The shower room shouldn’t take too long it was polished late on last year. It should just need a wipe around and hose down as we keep this room relatively clean and tidy but the saloon is a much bigger prospect. The wardrobe is full of junk that needs sorting and sifting through and the three storage lockers all need emptying, dejunking and cleaning out before making a start on vacuuming the carpets and upholstery. The curtains and shower curtain also need to be to be taken home and washed so that they are fresh and clean for the start of the summer cruising season. With this little lot finished the cabin should be ready for the off and will only need a weekly wipe around and vacuum to keep it looking at its best. This six monthly spring clean helps to keep the amount of unwanted junk and clutter at bay and also helps to shed some unnecessary weight which we have no need to cart around all year.

Whilst I am down below cleaning, Liam has a multitude of jobs to be tackling in the cockpit. Firstly this week he has taken the transom gate to work and retapped the threads on the hinge. This will be ready for refitting and should hopefully improve the opening and closing action of the gate. Another job ticked off the list. With the weather not looking great for cruising it might be a good chance to start mocking up the outboard bracket and trying out a few ideas. This has been a thorn in our side for nearly twelve months now, we need to get it sorted before April. We also have a flush fitting water resistant 240V socket to install in the cockpit. This needs a large hole cutting in the GRP bodywork so will need to be right the first time around. We still have not worked out the route for the cabling just yet so this job may wait for another weekend.

At some point during the weekend we need to have a trip to Torksey caravans to pick up a fold flat water hose and a 25m long shore power cable. These are items that we feel would benefit us during the summer months when we are out and about and should hopefully make for a much tidier clutter free boat (See post of 19.01.12 for further detail). Whilst in Torksey we normally call in at the Torksey Tea Rooms for a cup of coffee and a natter with Zan, the owner. We will also call in on the lockie to see what gossip he has for us and to quiz him on the new “improved” tide table that no one can figure out; we have a few questions about the timings of our Easter excursion which we are currently struggling to decipher.

With this little lot finished we should hopefully have some time to sit back and relax. With blustery winds forecast for the weekend, cruising looks likely to be out of the question but that needn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves in the marina. We have some lovely homemade meals planned for the weekend, so good food is definitely on the cards as I’m sure will be a good dose of Budweiser. It should be a productive yet enjoyable weekend if all goes to plan.

Cruising Season Accessories

With the 2012 cruising season fast approaching we are starting to gather together the accessories and items we need and want for this year to add to and improve our existing range of cruising accessories. As you cruise around on your boat you soon start to find items that will be of use to you and also find out that some of your existing accessories may not be the most suitable for the job.

Our list of items to buy for 2012 so far includes:

25m shore power lead. Our existing lead was far too long for daily use on our home berth. It was around 10m long, which was too long for our berth but often too short when we have travelled around, especially in sea ports and harbours where you can be moored three boats abreast. So we have shortened our existing lead to a more manageable length of around 4m for our home berth and will buy a longer 25m lead for occasional use when on holiday. We have found a suitable lead at Torksey caravans for about £28 so will be buying that this coming weekend.

Fold flat water hose. Our existing water hose is far too bulky and ungainly for general use and takes up far too much room on the boat. We plan to buy a 15m fold flat water hose on a small reel that will store away nicely in the cockpit and take up much less room. Our current hose will be left on the pontoon for general tank filling and boat washing whilst on our own berth with the new flat hose used whilst we are away from our berth and out cruising. Again we have found a suitable candidate at Torksey caravans for about £25 so will be buying that as well.

15m mooring ropes. Our existing mooring ropes are about 10m long, which is about the right length for general boat handling and day to day use. However we have found occasions where we have been moored three boats abreast and 10m ropes are just not long enough to reach back to the shore. A pair of 15m long ropes should be more than ample and with a couple of rope tidies will be able to hang under the cockpit table ready for use as and when necessary. We plan to buy the same navy blue Marlow braided rope that we currently use from the Newark Boat Jumble next month and expect to pay around about £25 for 30-40m of rope.

Crew bags. Our current small suitcases have suffered three years of weekly use and abuse and are now showing signs of giving up the ghost. They are starting to become ragged and in places jagged and we are now running the risk of damaging the boat with them. So we are on the lookout for a pair of crew bags which are about the same size and will fit nicely at the foot of the bed. Again we are hoping that Newark Boat Jumble will come up with the goods and we expect to pay in the region of £30 for a pair of bags.

We have already made inroads into buying some items. We bought a nifty little fold up trolley for transporting shopping supplies, mainly beer, whilst we are out on the boat. This has always been a sore subject as we have often carried cases of beer well over a mile to get back to the boat. Now with the trolley it should be child’s play and it folds away neatly under the cockpit seating taking up very little room.

It takes some time to gather together a full cruising package of items and accessories. It has taken us three years to piece together our current one and it is constantly evolving with new items added and some older items removed to make way for new ones. The only way to know what you will need is to get out there cruising and find out for yourself. A few items from our initial guess at what we would need, way back in 2008 when we bought NC, have survived the test of time and come in useful, namely the mooring pins, mallet, BW key and BW services card so we didn’t get it completely wrong the first time around.

The Jobs Keep Coming

With the Christmas and New Year break out of the way we really have to start ticking some jobs off the to do list before we start the 2012 cruising season in earnest. We have managed to do a couple of the jobs but as ever more keep getting added to the list.

The major jobs on the list which must be finished before we go away are:

· The outboard bracket. It has been nearly a year since we bought Asbo and whilst the dinghy now sits nicely on the davits, the outboard is still being problematic and at this rate will spend the summer in the cockpit again. In all honesty a 6hp outboard is far too big to mount on the transom on Naughty-Cal but we think that we have a solution which will work so we need to mock it up in mild steel and try it out before we send the bracket away for fabricating in marine grade stainless steel.

· We need to rewire the radar arch. For some unknown reason since we replaced the anchor light the steaming or masthead all round white light has given up the ghost. It is getting power to the connector and wires running through the arch so the problem lies somewhere in the hoop wiring. It should not be a massive job to rewire it all but it needs doing quickly as our first few trips of the year will involve an element of night time and evening cruising.

· Install another 240V socket in the cabin and another in the cockpit. Since buying the slow cooker we have come across the need to install another 240V socket. The slow cooker sits perfectly on top of the gas stove lid, however there is no suitable socket near this area. The socket over the galley sink is used for the kettle and toaster so is no good for this reason. Installing another socket shouldn’t be a major issue and will put an end to trailing an extension lead across the boat from the socket next to the TV. We plan to install a socket which matches the current ones so that it doesn’t look out of place and will mirror the one adjacent the galley sink. We also need a socket in the cockpit area for the laptop and a coffee machine.

· Re tap the threads on the transom gate. The stainless steel transom gate we purchased last year has proven to be a bit of a sticking point of late. When we fitted it one of the threads on the fastening bolts was dodgy so we tried it with just three bolts tightened up. It worked fine for a while but has got progressively worse, to the point the gate is often impossible to open. The fix is fairly simple, Liam will take it to work and re tap the threads, the issue will be getting the gate back off. It was a nightmare to install so will be a nightmare to take off again.

· Various works to the dinghy. As if the jobs on the main boat were not enough to undertake before Easter, we also have various jobs to start and finish in the dinghy. We need to service the outboard motor and give it a good check over to keep it in good running order and reliable. With the motor serviced our attention can turn to the dinghy. We need to remove the lime scale from the hull, sand down and repaint the floor boards and install the bow bag. On top of this once the outboard motor bracket is on the transom of Naughty-Cal we also need to add some extra attachments to the dinghy for the stand off arm supports.

· With the dinghy ready to go it will be time to give Cal a good scrub up. The topsides are ready for a good polish, as is the cockpit and the whole boat needs a proper spring clean, declutter and wash down.

· Finally, and possibly most importantly, we need to give Naughty-Cals’s engine its major service. To keep the engine singing sweetly she has a full service in the Spring and oil and filter changes on a regular basis throughout the cruising season at approximately 100 hour intervals. The spring service is the major one with every service part and filter replaced. It takes a few hours to give the engine a thorough going over but it is worth the time to check that everything is as it should be. It is also a good chance to give the engine and bay a good scrub and clean, so that any leaks can be easily identified. This job is best done about a month before we head out on our first holiday of the year, so that the new belts have time to bed in and any adjustments can be made as necessary in plenty of time.

As you can see we have a busy few months ahead of us and time will be tight to get this little lot finished in time as no doubt we will have plenty of cruising still to do as well.

Early Spring Cleaning

Even though the weather has been less than spring like over the weekend, with winter reminding us that it is still here for now, I have made a start on the thankless task of spring cleaning, decluttering and valeting the cabin of the boat. Not a task I enjoy doing but it needs doing thoroughly at least once every six months or so, so why not make a start on it now and get it done in plenty of time?

To break up this arduous task I take the cabin one area at a time. This weekend I tackled the midships bedroom cabin and the galley area. Next weekend it will be the turn of the shower room and the saloon area. The midships cabin always catches me out. It is a small room so you assume that it won’t take long, however extracting the mattress through a small entrance hole and then cleaning in a confined area with a low ceiling height makes for hard work. On the plus side with bed base, walls and ceiling wiped down and cleaned, the mattress vacuumed and aired and the hatches cleaned, it only leaves the shelf and cubby hole to clear of unwanted junk before remaking the bed. The shelf in the midships houses the book, DVD and CD collection. Over the last few years this collection seems to have out grown its home so it was time for a thin out of the unwanted and unwatched items which were thrown in the car and brought back home, leaving much more room on the shelf and a much tidier, fresher look to the room.

With the midships finished my attention turned to the galley. Another seemingly small area of the boat but one that actually takes quite a while to get the better of. Again I cleared an amazing amount of junk from the cupboards and lockers, where does it all come from? At this rate Naughty-Cal will be loads lighter by the time we have finished this spring clear out. The galley took quite a while to sort out but the effort was well worth it and the effects instantly noticeable with a cleaner, fresher look and clutter free cupboards, lockers and surfaces. We actually have free storage space again in the cupboards.

Whilst I was busy in the cabin, Liam was at work in the cockpit. Another thankless task as the cockpit is the most used area of the boat so the one that suffers from the most general dirt and grime. The dashboard and cabin door needed a good wipe down and polish, the seating had a quick wipe but really needs a good scrub with EVM and a good hose down when the weather is warmer and the floor was vacuumed, mopped and dried out. The results again were instant and a marked improvement. Liam also removed the transom gate to take to work so that he can retap the dodgy hinge threads and make the gate much easier to operate. He also topped up the diesel tank and the water tank so that we don’t have to mess around next weekend.

With this little lot completed it was time to start enjoying our hard work with a quick run out. It was by now mid afternoon but the weather was crisp and clear so it would be a shame not to make the most of it. We didn’t get very far, just a quick nip to the Pyewipe for a couple of pints, before heading back to the marina to listen to some music with a few more drinks to hand.

Sunday was another quiet day. With dinner in the slow cooker we went about our morning’s business, lazing around, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee, before pottering around, tidying up a little more and planning our schedule of attack on the remaining jobs to finish on Naughty-Cal before Easter. As the morning gave way to afternoon, we decided to head out and enjoy the winter sunshine with a quick run into Lincoln. We didn’t get very far, as soon as we left the marina entrance we hit the iced up canal. Ordinarily we would have just ploughed on through breaking up the ice but we didn’t feel like it on this occasion, so we reversed back though our broken path and swung around back into the marina and the safety of our berth.

Next weekend we are in for more hard work getting Naughty-Cal ready for a long season of cruising ahead. The cabin needs the spring clean finishing off, the transom gate is to be reinstalled; we are going to hopefully mock up the outboard bracket, rewire the radar arch, head to Torksey caravans to buy a few items ready for the cruising season and hopefully enjoy a cruise out somewhere. Who said boating was relaxing?

Grow Your Own

With the days starting to gradually stretch out again and the dark nights starting to ease slowly, we are starting to think about getting ready to begin messing around in the garden at home again. We don’t have a huge plot, just a standard suburban corner plot, but since buying our house five years ago we have made inroads into making the plot earn its keep by growing our own. We don’t know much about gardening but we learn as we go along.

We have a small orchard in the front garden, currently stocked with two apple trees, a plum tree and two cherry trees. You don’t need a huge garden to grow fruit trees, these days there are a wealth of nurseries stocking plants grafted onto dwarfing stock. The apple and plum trees act as a natural boundary line between ours and our neighbours land and have just about reached their full height of around 3m tall. This year they will be topped and cut back to encourage them to spread out a little forming more of a bushy hedge line. These three trees have been planted for some four or so years now and are becoming fully established and reliable croppers. They were purchased as yearling stock from a local DIY store for the bargain price of £10, for all three.

Our two cherry trees are relatively recent additions to the garden being planted some eighteen months ago; they are not yet at their full height nor are they producing anything of a crop. Planting fruit trees doesn’t give instant results but with time and some care they will provide you with year’s worth of fruit for not a lot of effort. Fruit trees also provide some colour to the garden with their spring blossom, green leaves throughout the summer and then a burst of reds and gold during the autumn months. It is always a relief come spring when the first signs of life start to appear on the trees after their winter slumber. The locations where these two trees are planted dictate that they need to be pruned to keep them small and manageable and at a suitable height for their positions close to the house, but this doesn’t take much time or effort and keeps them under control and healthy.

To compliment the orchard fruits we also have a small green house in the back garden. Each year we attempt to grow a variety of fruit and vegetables with varying rates of success. We are fairly reliable with the tomato crop, often producing far too many for our own consumption and having to give the majority away to friends and family. However in previous years we have struggled with peppers and chilli peppers. We will give them a go again this year and hopefully manage to produce a reasonable crop for our own consumption.

As we are away most weekends and during our holidays we invested in an auto pot, automatic watering system for the greenhouse. This is a simple gravity fed float switch operated system that provides the water, and nutrients that each plant needs individually. It has taken all of the stress out of monitoring the green house and the only thing we need to do is ensure that the water butt is full of water and feed and that the greenhouse is left well ventilated. The plants then pretty much look after themselves. We do of course still need to monitor the plants for sucker growth and insect infestations, but this is a very quick task taking just a few minutes each morning during the week.

We also have a raised bed which we have constructed in the back garden that we use for growing vegetables. This year we are going to have a go at growing a small crop of sweet corn. In previous years we have had success in this bed with onions, garlic, broccoli and broad beans. We also have a number of large containers that we use to grow other vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and peas.

Perhaps the most used of our home grown produce is the herb garden, stocked with mint, lemon thyme, rosemary, sage, chives and parsley, it is used pretty much every time we cook a meal at home. We have saved a small fortune by growing our own herbs and it isn’t difficult; once established herbs will pretty much look after themselves needing just the occasional watering during the summer months. Herbs also like to be used; they will grow much better, once well established, if you pick them and use them on a regular basis.

You don’t need a massive garden, as we have proven, to make an effort and grow at least some of your own fruit and vegetables. We still have a wide variety of ornamental shrubs and plants within our gardens, however it is nice to be able to provide at least a little of our own produce for the table. The fruit and vegetables blend into the garden and add extra colour and texture to the gardenscape as a whole. Home grown produce tastes so much better and is much fresher than shop bought alternatives; it is just a shame that more people don’t make the most of their gardens and at least attempt to grow a little of their own.

Me Again

It’s me again. I have heard the crew talking about this year’s adventures, they sound so exciting I just had to let you all know about them.

The crew like to give me an easy trip for our first holiday of the year, to give me a chance to settle into the cruising routine again after the long winter break. I have heard them talking about going to Leeds at Easter. The cruise to Leeds they say will give them a chance to check that everything is in good working order with a sprint to Trent Falls to stretch my legs and blow away the winter cobwebs, before they drop my anchor for a few hours and have some lunch. Trent Falls isn’t as pretty as the last place we spent some time at anchor, we have only ever cruised straight through here, but if the weather is nice it should be pleasant enough and a quiet spot to waste away some time and wait for the tide. When the tide has turned and run in for an hour or so then we will head into Goole Docks. I have not been there before, but one of my friends, Chrisnico has, she says it is full of much bigger boats and we have to be careful not to get in their way. It sounds like fun to me. The cruise from Goole to Leeds is along a big canal with river sections along the way. We have been on part of this navigation before, I like it on there with the wide open spaces and deep water.

The second trip of the year will be the main one and the one that sounds the most exciting. The crew say that we are going the other way on the sea this year to Whitby and Scarborough. We have to go down the big, muddy Humber and then turn North onto the Yorkshire coast. I have not been that way on the coast before and neither have my crew. We only made it to Hull the last time we went that way due to the horrible weather and rough conditions on the river. I don’t know what to expect, but I do hope that the water isn’t so muddy and brown all the way there. I hate the muddy, brown splatters of the Humber on my shiny white hull. The crew say that they have been where we are going before, in their land boat, and that they liked it, so it can’t be that bad, I’m sure that I will enjoy it if they do and my buddies Devocean and Chrisnico are going as well so we should have great fun together again.

The crew say that we are going to Wells next the Sea again later in the year, I do hope we can. I like Wells with the clean air, salty water and pretty surroundings. I hope we can go and anchor up in the bay again. I like to sit at anchor with my nose to the wind, waves lapping against my hull and the crew having a great time with my mate Asbo and the seals on the beach. I always dream of that day last July when the weather is bad here at home. I want to go there again and spend the afternoon relaxing in the sunshine in the bay. We might be going to Wells on our own this year, this will be the first time me or the crew have been on the salty stuff on our own. I will have to look after us all and make sure we get there and back safely. The crew don’t seem worried though, they obviously trust me and I trust them as well.

They also say that we are going back to York this year. This will be the third time we have been there together. They must like it there and I do when we get there, but I don’t like the horrible muddy brown tidal River Ouse with its swirling water full of debris that we have to navigate through to get there. I have to pick my way carefully through the rubbish so that it doesn’t hit my bow or wrap around my fragile propellers. York is nice though and I like it when we moor in the city centre and people admire my shining white gel coat and my gleaming blue dashboard. I think the crew are posers really, they like the attention I seem to gather where ever we go and they enjoy sitting on my bow with a beer talking to the passersby. Hopefully the sun will shine again so that they can take my canopies off and I will look at my very best for them. There is also talk of beaching me at Nun Monkton Pool this year, beaching me on purpose, what ever next?

I have to go now, before the galley slave and second in command come back for their weekend break, the heating will be turning on soon to warm me through ready for their arrival. The temperature has certainly dropped for them. I hope that they will let me loose on here again sometime soon, I’m sure I will have some more news for you soon. Bye for now,

Naughty-Cal