The Rogue Saint

We had a great night last night in Lincoln in a pub we recently discovered, The Rogue Saint. A rock pub playing live music on Fridays and Saturdays. A good find.

Down the Aisle

Up until this morning we had no idea what we were planning to do this weekend. In fact up until we were in the aisles of Tesco stocking up on beer this morning we still didn't know where we were heading. However a quick heads together and we have rustled up a tentative plan. 

Fist of all tonight we have to make a slight detour on our way to the marina as we have to make a fleeting visit to drop off my recently retired phone to a friend. I have just upgraded mine so it made sense to give it away rather then leave it festering in a cupboard like my previous one to that one still is!

With the phone delivered we will then head to the marina have a quick freshen up and then head into Lincoln for a few beers and a bite to eat. This will give us the chance to do a spot of shopping in town tomorrow morning before heading off to Washingborough where we intend to have a meal in the Ferry Boat on Saturday evening. We were very impressed with the last meal we had in there so are keen to give it another go.

Sounds like a nice plan. But will it work out?

A Kings Ransom

With work on the Sierra electrics now completed and Liam having almost got all of the interior back in, he just needs to finish off a few bits tonight. We can start to look ahead to getting Naughty-Cal ready for her up coming bank holiday weekend trip to Kings Lynn.

Due to family commitments next weekend this will be our last weekend to make sure that everything is in order and that she is ready to leave as soon as we get there on the Friday of the bank holiday weekend. 

So we need to make sure that the water tank is left filled, the diesel tank is brimmed, although this will only take 20 litres or so to refill it is best to leave with a full tank, and generally make sure that the boat is left in a clean and tidy manner. 

Of course we will still have time to enjoy a nice and relaxing weekend afloat. We have yet to decide what exactly we will be doing this coming weekend.

A Safety Reminder

Yesterday the MAIB (Marine Accidents Investigation Board) issued a safety notice to all boat owners following the tragic deaths of two boat owners and their dog on the Norfolk Broads in June.

Full details here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a872eeed915d096e000000/MAIBSafetyBulletin2-2016.pdf

The safety notice shows just how quickly levels of carbon monoxide can build up in the unventilated cabin of a boat. A timely reminder to us all to be careful on board. The following extract is taken from the report.

"The motor cruiser’s 5.7 litre petrol-driven inboard engine had been left running at 3000rpm while it was moored alongside, probably to charge the batteries. A slight wind blowing from the stern caused exhaust gas emitting from below the aft transom to enter the canopy covering the aft deck (Figure 1) from where it spread down into the accommodation area forward. During in-situ tests with the engine running the concentration of carbon monoxide from the wet exhaust (Figure 2), reached high levels in the accommodation in less than 3 minutes. The accommodation area was not ventilated and the couple and their dog were overcome. No carbon monoxide alarms were fitted."

The cost of carbon monoxide alarms has come down considerably in recent years, quite why they are not mandatory for the Boat Safety Scheme is questionable given that they could quite easily save many lives.

Hopefully this safety advice will reach a few more boaters and encourage them to fit alarms to their vessels.

An Extended Date

What with being away for a couple of weeks and being busy getting the boat ready the Sierra has been somewhat ignored for a month or so. So it was time to start getting her ready for her holiday to Cornwall in a couple of months.

Since buying the car nearly 15 years ago there have been a few little niggly electrical items that have never worked. On top of that earlier this year the central locking decided to give up the ghost which has meant no access to the boot. Clearly this needed sorting before we go to Cornwall, so yesterday she had her first date with the auto electrician. 

He had a good long hunt for problems yesterday and in the two and a half hours he was there managed to fix the rear wiper and rear screen wash which we have never had working. He is now on with fixing what he believes to be the problem with the central locking and electric wing mirrors. So hopefully her extended date with the auto electrician should be nearly over and we should have a few more items working again.

Productive Days

It has been a very productive weekend onboard Naughty-Cal. We had a little list of jobs to do whilst the weather was fine and for once managed to get them all done.

The most important job of the weekend was scrubbing the canopies inside and out and then reproofing them with a good coat of Fabsil. This not only helps to keep them looking good but it also protects them from the worst of the weather that the British climate can throw at them. Keeping them waterproof means that the water beads and runs off rather them soaking into the fabric and then causing unsightly green mould growth.

We scrubbed the hoods on Saturday morning before the weather got too hot and then in the time we had been to the deli on the marina and had a panini breakfast they were bone dry. So we rolled up the relevant sections and headed to Torksey where we bought the Fabsil from Torksey Caravans and set too applying it on the visitors moorings. If anything the weather was a bit hot for applying the Fabsil as it was drying so fast it made it difficult to see where we had applied it and where we hadn't. In the end some sections ended up being done twice, but it doesn't hurt.

We had decided to bring Henry hoover to the boat this weekend, mainly so that Liam could vacuum the inside of the canopies before scrubbing them. But this also gave me the chance to give the cabin interior a good going over. The little handheld Hoover that we have onboard is great for a quick fettle but it can't do the same job as the much more powerful Henry.

With these few little bits done and dusted Naughty-Cal is starting to get ready for her next holiday at the end of the month when we will once again be visiting Kings Lynn for a few days.

Sealed The Deal

Yesterday afternoon we managed to get the canopies reproofed with a good coat of Fabsil before retiring to the pub whilst the fumes abated.

After a few pints we returned to the boat and had a bbq tea a few more beers before hitting the sack.

This morning we were up bright and early and are now on our way to Lincoln for breakfast.