OOoooooooo YES been very busy cruising and luvin life for a change
We have had to come home due to post op on my elbow tomorrow and T has one Wednesday. Lots to do when we get back.
What a cracking few days it has been. Launched on th Lancaster canal Friday afternoon which went ok, It did get a few battle scares just from the straps on the lower chines and gunnel and cabin top, but hey ho, he should of protected them but i will get over it with a quick touch up.
All ended up a bit later than planned, a mate came to give me a hand with it all which was a great help. Slight panic as when we got to the launch site at Ashton Basin Preston there was nowhere to get the boat in. So we moved aNB over a tads and squeezed it between it and scaff poles sticking up out the water lol. bottom twitching moment but the crane driver did a top job.
We spent the night at the basin with take out and copious amounts of Asti love the tarty drink Had a right laugh with Iain and the rest of the loons from the yard till 1am.
Then up at 6am for prep work like add 125kg of ballast to the bow locker to sit it better. and shopping for supplies around Preston, forgot a hose pipe for water. Not that i needed more onboard as it has a leak at the back end , I fitted a sealed cabin bulkhead so i know it is leaking under the rear deck some where, not a bloody clue where but the bilge pump kicks in every 4-5 hrs and pumps out maybe 3-4 gallon.
But for that its great. We set off Saturday about 2pm to get to Billsboro for tea time which we did around 5:30pm, i was well waiting for a Strawberry cider but they didnt have it know, hey ho Thatchers will do and a fish mix platter. The next day we met up with my Bro and took hi and his girl friend for a cruise, they are coming back done next weekend and stopping on the caravan park near the home mooring, BBQ time i hope.
Well rest was plane sailing to the mooring, oh Barton is amazing, driven past many a time but never knew there was so much to do there and see, the garden centre is the best yet.
When we arrived at the mooring it was a wee bit over grown, a friend cut it back but that was back in February i think and now its this. T stated but then got a bush cutter on it in time for next week, i have ordered some new decking for it and a storage shed for this week when we get back up to it. Oh need a petrol mower aswell.
So there you go a boring few days on the cut NOT. i was lying there a few time pinching myself to think its been so long i have been afloat and the boat is done but for cosmetics, which you will see in the video when i manage to download them all.
I did attempt a walk around video but failed due to dropping the phone and pausing it etc etc, will try again Thursday when we go back for a few days
Sorry about the videos being wrong angle, camerawomen hey.
We had a stop over after half an hour as there was a problem with the remotes which i fixed, well bodged as i couldnt get the circlips on so used duct tape, still struggling with my elbow to do things.
It was a 3hr or so cruise to the first stop at Billsboro so a few Asti`s was called for
image:
i.postimg.cc/zDdKXVbW/20190629-150401.jpgGot to the first stop in good time, just gutted there was no Strawberry cider on tap this time.
Well that was the first night and it went spiffingly
I was having such a good time i wasnt even bothered about the launch and the state of the paint work afterwards, will give the boat another coat and touch up soon.
but for the leak which i was still not concerned about for some odd reason. why stress hey
We got to the mooring and well, i think it need cutting back a touch again, my mate did it ages ago but since then
Our Skittles loved the trip aswell, she likes to warn the ducks off lol
So i have ordered a 250w solar kit which should be here in a week or so, that will keep my mind at ease for the bilge pump to have power plus more when we use the boat. That will be mounted on the storage shed i have coming aswell next week, in the mean time we will sort the mooring out, needs a mow and more decking fitting which is all ordered for this week.
Interior needs a few cosmetics and wot not but will do a walk around video this week.
Cant believe how good it is to be back on the water. @kawasaki, i dont think it will take to well to the high seas, or low seas even.
I do have to say though the rudder works better than all the others i have used in the past. I was able to cut the engine thrust and still steer well. Got heavier the faster you went but i was cruising at 6-8knots max and was great and kept direction better. around 4 knots perfic.
Captain Faffer