Poor old thing

I called to the boat today to insert new licence doo hickeys and she is so besplattered she looks dreadful.  I have left her like that as there is no point whatsoever in removing it as the next car to drive past will just cover her again.  I appear to be the only boat moored next to potholes!  Ho hum.

Will definitely be giving up that mooring come springtime let me tell you.  Will not be wanting that to happen to my new paint job next winter.

We have obviously been having some sunshine in October as the smartgauge was again showing the E03 error which it only does when supposed input into the batteries exceeds 15v  We know as we have tested it that it isn't really 15v and it also only does this once the batteries are showing at 100%.

Getting the hang of it now.

We rushed out the door this after and skedaddled down to the resevoir.  Quick change and out to the boat.  Rigging up was the hardest we have ever had to do as whoever put the boat away last time must have been a right numpty.  Still we were up and away clean as a whistle.  I attempted to do a triangular course around the bouys but they weren't in quite the right place for the wind direction.  Did an imaginary course instead trying to use the safety boat but he went and moved!  I included gybing and feel that I have got my confidence back a bit.  Rob mainly wanted to crew to rest his leg so he only had a go right at the end of day and brought the boat back in perfick.  We done two hove to 's one each and think we have got it sussed.

So I may yet put a sail on Bobcat!!!

sailing and wind

I know I know you can't sail without the damn stuff but I think you can have too much of a good thing.

On the plus side we have got capsizing out of the way.

Wimp alert - I chickened out of helming in the really nasty stuff but I did at least stay on as crew.

I think I redeemed myself in the afternoon by taking over again and completing the alongside manouvre ok.

I have practised my reef knot so I can do it with my eyes closed.  Hopefully granny will never rear her ugly head again.

Yeah right I hear you cry.

Sailing

A change of pace.  On Saturday we had the first of our learning to sail days on the resevoir.  Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Dearly beloved thinks that we should go down one afternoon this week (he will take time off work) so we can practice on our own.  Hmmm we can do beam reaches and tacking.  Not sure we can do the leaving and returning to shore.  Could be interesting.

Second almost solo engine service

Slight hiccup in the procedings when the oil sump pump gave up the ghost after only removing half of the oil.  I called RCR and they took it away with them and tried to fix it at home last night but ended up having to get me a brand new one.  Looks much better made than the old one, to check all was okay he finished off emptying the oil but I did everything else so almost counts as a solo effort.  The RCR man had a lady with him in his van today -  turned out he had forgotten it was his day off hope he didn't get too much of a hard time for finishing off the job he had started yesterday.

Toss her of the day

goes to the specimen steering the ex "fully restored probably not much left of the original" working boat Stafford through Atherstone Locks on 22 9 11.

I should have known from the way he let the paddles drop with a clang.

But I still offered to close his gates for him and he just looked up shrugged and carried on.

He had one of those kerchiefs around his neck that symbolises "real boater".

I walked back up the locks and sure enough he had left lock 5 open as well.  I sincerely hope that other boaters going through all the locks after him all closed their gates as on Tuesday someone had left a paddle up and emptied the long pound.  There are restrictions on these locks for a reason.

Even if he doesn't ever close the gates behind him he could still have said thank you.

gripe over.

Bread of heaven ?

View the other night at 'ducks corner' on the Ashby.

No sniggering in the back there !