Sunday 31st March 2013
We're back from our holiday in Morocco. What a shock it was to hit the cold that all you people have been enduring.
While away we had been keeping an eye on the weather and were concerned because when we left there was no hint of the temperatures that would be reached, so hadn't left the heating on frost setting.
We managed to get on to son Damon to go and turn it on. Luckily he reported that he couldn't detect any damage up to that point.
When we arrived home last night it was to a lovely toasty boat because once again Damon had turned the heating to normal for us.
Now the work starts, preparing to depart for our summer's cruising. I know, it's late for many who have been out there for a month now, but we're wimps I suppose and need warmer weather. Mind you it doesn't look like we are going to get it any time soon. As long as it isn't tipping it down we will probably set off some time this week.
I was going to ad some pics to this post just to annoy those who have been shivering, but my internet connection is playing up, and may be doing so for a while according to 3.
The tales of our final voyages, no matter how long it takes
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Monday, 11 March 2013
Monday 11th March 2013
I'll just add my tuppence to the comments on our weather *&!!!***<>!! and that's it.
Things are moving slowly towards our holiday departure, and we're also preparing for our summer cruise. We had planned to have our cratch cover patched up where the ravages of time, bad steering and general wear and tear were showing. However, the other day one of the zips failed totally so we decided to have new one. By luck we had been given a business card of someone who did covers just the other day, so a quick phone call and Chris Crowther said he'd come down on the following Sunday for a look.
He showed up as promised, always a good sign, and confirmed that a new cover would probably make more sense. He took the old one away as a pattern. so we had to find room on the boat for some of the stuff we were hiding in the well deck. Where we're moored there's no access from the front of the boat so it becomes a bit of storage area.
I've finally made a start on making up our new mooring lines for this year. I don't seem to be a very good judge of ropes. Last year I saw what I thought was a good value rope on ebay so I bought some. Wrong! it wasn't good stuff at all, it didn't feel nice and didn't make a nice splice either.
This year I thought I'd try double braid rope. I learned how to splice it, and Cath bought me a set of hollow fids to work it. Once again looking on ebay, I saw what was described as top quality nylon double braided rope, 14mm. Sounded dead right, so I bought it. When it arrived it looked really good, nice feel, good size, so as soon as I got my fids I had a go. No joy, I just couldn't get the fid to pass the core into the cover. It was just too tight. After several attempts, and searching the internet I still couldn't manage the job. I called the supplier to find out if I was missing any little tricks or wrinkles. He told me that the rope was a 'special' he had specified, with a 'hard lay' and that I probably wouldn't be able to splice it.
I did some more internet searches and found a different style of double braid splice, which although it isn't as perfectly neat as a normal splice it seems to work. It's darned hard work, I have to keep popping outside to use a bollard as an anchor, and in this blizzard weather it isn't pleasant. I now have 3 of our 5 ropes completed and we'll see how the splices hold up.
The cover came back on Thursday, but wasn't quite a perfect fit in one place, so Chris took it away again and brought it back next day. Lovely job, and we have a bit more room in the saloon again.
On Sunday Liz and Daniel came for lunch while Damon was at work. He had a great time jumping up and down on our bed. It's his favourite pastime here it seems, specially if the weather is too bad to play outside.
We're looking forward to Friday now and the start of our holiday journey to Marrakesh.
I'll just add my tuppence to the comments on our weather *&!!!***<>!! and that's it.
Things are moving slowly towards our holiday departure, and we're also preparing for our summer cruise. We had planned to have our cratch cover patched up where the ravages of time, bad steering and general wear and tear were showing. However, the other day one of the zips failed totally so we decided to have new one. By luck we had been given a business card of someone who did covers just the other day, so a quick phone call and Chris Crowther said he'd come down on the following Sunday for a look.
He showed up as promised, always a good sign, and confirmed that a new cover would probably make more sense. He took the old one away as a pattern. so we had to find room on the boat for some of the stuff we were hiding in the well deck. Where we're moored there's no access from the front of the boat so it becomes a bit of storage area.
I've finally made a start on making up our new mooring lines for this year. I don't seem to be a very good judge of ropes. Last year I saw what I thought was a good value rope on ebay so I bought some. Wrong! it wasn't good stuff at all, it didn't feel nice and didn't make a nice splice either.
This year I thought I'd try double braid rope. I learned how to splice it, and Cath bought me a set of hollow fids to work it. Once again looking on ebay, I saw what was described as top quality nylon double braided rope, 14mm. Sounded dead right, so I bought it. When it arrived it looked really good, nice feel, good size, so as soon as I got my fids I had a go. No joy, I just couldn't get the fid to pass the core into the cover. It was just too tight. After several attempts, and searching the internet I still couldn't manage the job. I called the supplier to find out if I was missing any little tricks or wrinkles. He told me that the rope was a 'special' he had specified, with a 'hard lay' and that I probably wouldn't be able to splice it.
I did some more internet searches and found a different style of double braid splice, which although it isn't as perfectly neat as a normal splice it seems to work. It's darned hard work, I have to keep popping outside to use a bollard as an anchor, and in this blizzard weather it isn't pleasant. I now have 3 of our 5 ropes completed and we'll see how the splices hold up.
The cover came back on Thursday, but wasn't quite a perfect fit in one place, so Chris took it away again and brought it back next day. Lovely job, and we have a bit more room in the saloon again.
On Sunday Liz and Daniel came for lunch while Damon was at work. He had a great time jumping up and down on our bed. It's his favourite pastime here it seems, specially if the weather is too bad to play outside.
We're looking forward to Friday now and the start of our holiday journey to Marrakesh.
Friday, 1 March 2013
I've just gone down with a chest infection and am feeling sorry for myself as any good wimp should. It's Danny's birthday tomorrow so hopefully I'll be OK for that. John and Sarah are coming up from Leicestershire for the occasion and will stop the night with us.
Just to put everyone of their food we had a blockage in our vacuum loo system and I had to do a fair bit of digging to resurrect it. All done now thank goodness.
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