Autumn Cruise - Day 2

The title is all wrong really, it should probably be "Autumn Go Nowhere"!

Both Rik and I woke briefly in the early hours of the morning to note that the wind had risen from the stiff breeze of the evening before to a very strong gusty breeze indeed. After a bit more kip, we were both wide awake by 06:00. A lazy start to the day with teas and coffees, bacon butties and so on after which I managed to finally watch the second half of yesterdays match on ITV Player. Better still, when I fired up my 3 mobile broadband, it downloaded an update for the dongle firmware to correct connection problems which seems to have worked a treat as it didn't drop out once.

Relieved by Englands recovery, although less than impressed by their performance, I dozed off again for an hour or two whilst Rik amused himself wiring up the new radio. Upon returning to the land of the awake, got stung for two nights on the pontoon at the full rate which cost me £20. The new ferryman, Patrick, isn't cutting us any slack but I gather the management are cracking down on the matter of charges for use of the pontoon so fair enough. It's a bonus if we do get let off but even at full cost we still get most of the benefits of a marina mooring for about half of the cost!

Conditions on the river were pretty much as forecast. A stiff breeze with strong gusts and rain squalls passing through. If we'd felt the pressing need to do so, I dare say we could have sailed in the conditions but it wouldn't have been particularly fun and with an old boat with a rig of uncertain age and condition I'd be worried the whole time about what one of those sudden gusts might do.

As the day wore on, Rik set to on completing his fit out of the bridge deck space whilst I toddled off to Burnham to spend some money at the chandlery on a battery switch, some wire, choc blocks, varnish and a new waterproof connector for the engine charge lead. After popping into the Co-op for milk and baccy, I arrived back to find Rik well on the way to completing the job which, I have to say, he's done far better than I suspect I would have done. Whilst he continued his plywood shaping exploits, I got on with fitting the new engine electrics connector ready for moving the main battery which we should get sorted on the morrow.

With the evening setting in, we tidied up below decks and in the cockpit and then headed back up to the pub again for grub and two pints this time! Last of the big spenders! A cup of char and another fairly early night.