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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2020 21:20:20 GMT
Well it seems Winter is just about upon us. My engine ignition lock was frozen this morning, which temporarily panicked me because I needed to make the short trip to Sawley Bridge Marina for 9am, for work to start on my stove install.
The situation was not helped by the fact that it has become increasingly stiff and tricky to actually insert the key fully, so that its ready to turn (this is water ingress I suspect, but that's next weeks issue).
Ever the resourceful boater, I heated the key over the gas flame and wriggled it in a bit deeper each time (it takes a bit of twisting and wriggling even when not frozen), and eventually got it all the way in and got the boat started.
A minor hiccup of course, by boating standards. But rubbing the ice away from the dial, and seeing a frost-covered roof for the first time, and a sort of mist in the middle distance ahead, with the sun very low in the sky even at 8.30am, all brought home the feeling that Winter- the season of long nights - has pretty much arrived.
Winter in a city is of course no great issue, unless it snows heavily. You just turn up the heating, and if you need to visit somewhere you nip out to the car, and within five minutes it's warm enough to be comfortable as you speed along to your destination- be it a restaurant, a friends house, or a journey home. Basically, no drama and no real restriction on your movements from the early sunset. Street lights everywhere.
But Winter on a boat (and especially cc'ing) is- I can already see- going to be an entirely different animal.
I had to make a short trip of about 2.5 miles into Nantwich earlier, mainly to get some cash for my stove installer, who wants nothing to do with newfangled bank transfers. I had to wait till I finished work, and there were a few late queries I had to look into, so instead of starting at 4.30 as I'd hoped, it was 5.30 before I left- and because there is a fair bit of cloud, that meant it was dark. As in, properly dark. And it was cold.
I popped onto the stern to unchain and unfold the bike, and there was already quite a nip in the air. It occurred to me- rather late in the day- that I didn't know exactly where the access road was, as I'd arrived via the canal and been on board all day. I thought I could recall the direction I'd seen a few cars appearing from, but in the darkness I could see nothing further than 100 yards away. So I headed in the general direction of the road leading to the proper road, and after a few minor mishaps and detours I found it, and followed it past a farm, then a boat up on blocks, and eventually to the public road.
It was only a few minutes but my hands were already bloody cold, so I stuck the phone on my handlebars to act as my satnav, pulled on my girly heated gloves (great for winter cruising), and headed off down the pitch black country lanes, with the odd car roaring past at 50mph or more. Because I was on my super duper ebike that I never mention in every single post I make (and I think every verbal conversation now as well), I was in the town centre in ten minutes, and not even breathing hard.
But it struck me that in a town, I wouldn't even hesitate to pop out somewhere at say 6pm on a weekday Winter's evening. In fact, that would be exactly when I would be looking to head out for many missions.
But on a boat you pop out for a butchers, and if its pretty cold, very dark, and its a strange route that you've never seen even in daylight, the idea of travelling looks much less appealing. Once I move the car into the car park here, things will of course look somewhat different.
But I started to wonder about the Winter ahead, and how it affects long term or liveaboard boaters. Does Winter have the effect of forcing cc'ers and liveaboards inside their boats more? And how do they occupy themselves on the long Winter evenings?
Once I'm back on the cut and 'roughing it' again (as opposed to this decadent marina lifestyle, complete with electric hookup and a water point 50 feet away), I'm wondering if I'm going to get into a mindset of being reluctant to even leave the boat after 5pm, because its too cold and too dark, and the towpaths are going to be in a mess anyway? I'll have to wait and see of course, once I get out and about again.
But how do you folks deal with Winter- the longer nights, the muddy towpaths, and the near-zero temperatures?
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Post by patty on Nov 23, 2020 21:35:12 GMT
Dunno about leaving boats at 5pm(well I do cos I never did leave boat when dark) but I try never to leave the cottage when its dark. The dark, cold and dreary weather belongs to folk who need to be out in it. I like to be in the warm, snug with a good book or maybe watch summit on the TV...
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Post by Mr Stabby on Nov 23, 2020 21:37:37 GMT
In the Winter my boat pretty much just serves the same function as a house, I go off to work in my car in the morning and come home in the evening. I doubt I will move the boat again until March/April, I have enough coal to last all Winter and new-ish batteries so although it's not the best season enjoyment-wise I'm fairly well prepared for it. This to me is a time of year that I just have to chip away at one day at a time.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2020 22:02:33 GMT
In the Winter my boat pretty much just serves the same function as a house, I go off to work in my car in the morning and come home in the evening. I doubt I will move the boat again until March/April, I have enough coal to last all Winter and new-ish batteries so although it's not the best season enjoyment-wise I'm fairly well prepared for it. This to me is a time of year that I just have to chip away at one day at a time. I think having the car is a major factor affecting how Winter changes your lifestyle. Thinking about 5 mile bike ride in very cold weather (e.g. where your hands might be freezing, or the roads might be dodgy as hell when its icy) is a totally different prospect to thinking about a car journey, where you just jump into the car and get there in 5 minutes, dry and warm. Just one examples- when I lived with my ex in Newcastle we regularly went to a Chinese buffet place about 5 or 6 miles away around 7pm on a Sunday evening- more often in the Winter for some reason. It was near to an A road so we were there in 10 minutes. Visiting that kind of place from a boat moored 6 miles away, down rural lanes and without a car, is a different kind of journey. All that said, there are loads of positives in Winter, I have to say that- the countryside looked stunning this morning in the frost, and Winter landscapes have their own unique beauty- but I feel you are more inclined to stay indoors more of the time, and there is that challenge of keeping yourself occupied and interested in things. The town dwellers do have more easy access to more places, and for more of the year, but they never get to see that mist over a freezing canal in the early morning, or the frozen landscape. They only see streets, and for me, the Winter thing is totally worth it.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2020 22:13:42 GMT
Dunno about leaving boats at 5pm(well I do cos I never did leave boat when dark) but I try never to leave the cottage when its dark. The dark, cold and dreary weather belongs to folk who need to be out in it. I like to be in the warm, snug with a good book or maybe watch summit on the TV... I think I'm becoming much more inclined to stay on the boat after dark. For one thing, there are definite safety issues. When CCing you might have a few hundred yards of muddy towpath before you even get to a road. In January there might be ice- or worse, black ice in patches. Just today, on a short trip, I had a few little issues. My headlight wasnt as bright as I thought on the way back, and not being able to pick out the actual road properly, I ended up straying off and cycling along a flat but rutted area next to the surfaced road. I turned to get back onto the road and the back wheel nearly skidded out as I went over a gravel patch, and then a pot hole appeared ahead, but I had time to go around it. The whole enterprise felt a bit more risky in the dark than I expected. I think its time to fill up my kindle book collection a bit, and re-learn how to read an actual book.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 7:27:01 GMT
Try a bit of WD40 in the locks.
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Post by JohnV on Nov 24, 2020 7:44:35 GMT
It's a long time since I actually CC'd (on a poorly converted 72 foot narrow boat) I did 2 winters and one of them was a bad one, when the biggest trouble was getting water as the nearest waterpoint was frozen for ages but as I was young had a warm, buxom girlfriend, a multifuel stove and a ready supply of dead trees and didn't mind roughing it (a bit) I survived.
Over the years I have seen a few enthusiastic newby liveaboard boaters who have only a vague idea of what they will have to adjust to, survive (barely) their first winter and then sell up and go ashore (one couple I remember didn't even manage that long, she went back to her mothers at Christmas) It certainly sorts the wheat from the chaff.
Solo on a true "basic" boat you need to be tough, have a "can do" attitude and be happy with your own company for longish periods (when I say "basic" I mean truly spartan)
On a reasonably equipped nb life is much more comfortable but the right attitude is still needed.
When I first moved onto Sabina H, there was only one small area insulated and heated the rest of the boat was like a cold storage unit at night, and dripped condensation during the day.
However I had shore power and was off to work 5/6 days a week. (Going to the loo was a real test of stamina .... it was perched like a throne in an unisulated steel room) At that time I was married and the wife also worked. That did spur the fitting out along much faster ..... and as you probably guess the toilet/shower room was the first thing completed.
Nowadays, I'm single again and getting (ok got) aged and Sabina H, like Mr Stabby's Desiree, serves as a house.
It's fully insulated, a choice of heating (diesel central heating boiler, log burner in sitting area, Rayburn Royal at the galley end) Shore power available for when solar gets low (like now) A small supply of firewood and solid fuel for "extras" or "emergencies" I rarely go out at night and my trips to do jobs at the drydock decrease as the weather worsens, especially if it gets really bad.
The car sits at the end of the walkway and about every week or so I do a run with a small bowser to collect water (non on the quay here) from the drydock. Luxury really
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Post by patty on Nov 24, 2020 7:55:29 GMT
As we get older we realise there is less need to go out in the inclement dark weather... Mostly I'm ok with my own company..I get annoyed when I cannot suss out how to fix/sort IT issues The heating here is something that I will (maybe) address next year or may not have to if the World opens up and I've had my vaccine. I have heat in the evenings and during the day thick woolies and blanket used if needed..guess it cuts down on bills
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Post by greenman on Nov 24, 2020 8:48:29 GMT
Night shifts are a bugger. Go to work in the dark, come home in the dark, go to bed in the dark, wake up in the dark and then repeat.
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Post by peterboat on Nov 24, 2020 8:58:42 GMT
I think this is the darkest but warmest winter I have had! I went out last night because Taff wanted a wee and it wasnt cold at all, same this morning, global warming is upon us I think
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 9:34:58 GMT
When I lived aboard, winter time I tried to get everything done in day light, night time was the time to load the fire and kick back.
Even down to having enough coal in the bucket to last till morning..
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Post by quaysider on Nov 24, 2020 9:43:59 GMT
I'm just beginning my 4th Winter on Ellis... and the 2nd one of which I'm plugged in to shoreline in a Marina.
To be candid the hardest thing I find about being a cc during the winter months (cold hands/feet/wet/frozen ropes/slippy locks a side) is the loneliness - less people around to distract me from the vacuum in side my head. I find (found) myself, wrapping up and going out into the daylight as soon as it appeared and tried everything to stop myself being in a dark boat when there was sunlight outside.
On a bright sunny day, winter cruising can be lovely - BUT the reality of winter is it's rarely like that... it's an endurance for me. Don't get me wrong, I'd STILL rather chug up and down the cut to charge my batteries and get hot water than sit with the engine idling. Having worked in emergency planning in a former life, I've always got MORE coal than I need on the boat... spare water, a back up power supply in the form of the genny (with petrol), spare gas, plenty of kindling/fire-lighters (even lighter fluid now I'm a lazy fire-lighter) and usually enough dried goods to outlast brexit.
Having "tried" it I've decided paying to stay in one place with services on tap/very close by is worth the financial sacrifice. The solar won't do bugger all again now until March so anyone (unless they have the biggest of solar arrays) is going to have to run their engine 2-3 hours daily to keep the batteries in a reasonable state and at least 7 hours + once a week to get the batteries to nearly full...
eta - add all those hours of engine running up to go nowhere... and you are gonna spend a lot more on oil changes ... ergo, that may as well be "mooring fees/electric" and keep the engine hours down.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 9:51:37 GMT
We're only on board from January onwards ... and reading some of these posts makes me glad of it. October, November, December in the house ... whilst the nights are closing in. January as the new year begins back onboard. I'm always impressed by full time live aboards managing their winters ... especially the continuous cruisers. And as metanoia mentioned ... 14 years largely single handing is impressive in my eyes. Rog
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2020 9:55:07 GMT
Its good advice about the winter marina life, marinas such as Barry Hawkins yard on the Atherstone flight need no licence, so £180/month may seem a little steep but you can knock your licence off whilst you are in there, so now its only £100 extra, take away the cost of fuel to charge engines and run backwards and forwards to top up water, stay under the CRT radar and it doesn't look as bad..
Couple in with 240v, water and someone to chat to each day!
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Post by quaysider on Nov 24, 2020 9:57:35 GMT
Its good advice about the winter marina life, marinas such as Barry Hawkins yard on the Atherstone flight need no licence, so £180/month may seem a little steep but you can knock your licence off whilst you are in there, so now its only £100 extra, take away the cost of fuel to charge engines and run backwards and forwards to top up water, stay under the CRT radar and it doesn't look as bad.. Couple in with 240v, water and someone to chat to each day!Exactly - no man is an island and I'm first to admit that whilst I may appear a gobshite on occasions, I NEED human interaction... if I go 2 days without speaking to someone, I have to go to a shop/boat yard to buy some fire-lighters JUST to have a conversation. I'm convinced loneliness kills. ETA - suffice to say, I 've a STACK of fire-lighters lol
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