The joy of cheques

There's something slightly quaint and oddly satisfying about sitting down to write a cheque in this age of electronic bank transfers and fast on line payments.

I've just had the (dubious) pleasure of writing not one but four good old fashioned cheques, once I'd found the good old fashioned cheque book (not used since this time last year)

The first was a relatively painless one to pay the annual harbour dues to the Crouch Harbour Authority.

The other three were the post-dated instalment payments on the mooring at Fambridge. I'm more than a bit on the late side renewing the mooring, due this Sunday, as I've been in two minds about whether to move elsewhere. It'd be nice to be further downriver and a pontoon berth would have major advantages but we really can't afford it so well just have to hope that our concerns with the way things are developing at Fambridge are unfounded

It seemed the right and proper way to do these things to sit at my writing desk filling out a paper form and enclosing it and a cheque in an envelope with a stamp on it. The stamp though spoilt the feeling - you don't have to lick them anymore, they're self adhesive. Where's the fun in that?

Rigging weekend - day 3

The day started in glorious sunshine and hardly a breath of wind. Still a bit chilly but then it is a still early in the year! Glen was in no rush to surface so after a coffee I hit the showers which left me feeling much less jaded and ready to get on.

First up this morning was getting the boom and mainsail back where they should be. Apart from not being able to find the track stop which stops the mainsail luff bullets from dropping out of the bottom of the track this went well and the new mainsheet runs bueatifully

Next on the list was intended to be the Genoa. However, all that nice new string on the mast was making the furling line look shabby so we nipped off down to Burnham to buy some string and other things. Back at the boat, I had a first crack at making an eye splice in 3 strand rope which wasn't entirely successful. The end result was functional but not pretty!

By the time we'd got the new furling line on the drum, the breeze had got up and time was getting on so we decided to leave the Genoa in it's bag for now and crack on with solving a slight problem with the new engine installation. The problem being that the new engine, unlike the old beast, doesn't stay put in the straight ahead position. I didn't want to fix it permanently because it is possible now, with the revised installation, to get a fair bit of engine steering in both directions.

The solution was to turn the existing jammers for the tiller strings through 90 degrees and tie a length of 6mm line to the engine tiller hand bracket and lead it to the jammer. Hey presto, the engine can be locked in any desired position or allowed to turn freely. A new set of jammers now needed to be installed above the existing ones for the tiller strings. These are better jammers for the job and better positioned than they were so this little job was a double bonus win win  :-)

Time was a marching on and so were the rain clouds so we set to clearing up and packing our kit away in the car. Caught our friendly neighbourhood tender dock space thief in the act and apprised him of my firm resolve to hang on to pole position on the dock! All was done in a friendly atmosphere but I am determined to keep hold of the space we've got!

Fired up the engine second pull and this time allowed it to warm up for a couple of minutes before setting off. Zoom! I don't think we need to worry about a lack of oomph!

The buoy we had been on now being occupied by another boat, I drooped onto the next available buoy upstream. As this, and all the other buoys I could see, had no strops on it, I got alongside it and temporarily tied stern to with a mooring line whilst I rigged our own strops which I'd retrieved from the depths of a cockpit locker.

That done, I walked the buoy forwards to the bow and made fast. All that remained to be done was to stow away the mooring lines, stop the engine and turn off the fuel, lock up (fortunately remembering to retrieve the perishable grub from the perishable grub locker!) and row myself back to the tender dock.

Annoyingly, I realised later I'd forgotten to bring the fenders in. Oh well. The rain started as we drive out of the car park - perfect timing!

An uneventful run home and thus ended this session of jeering ready for the season.

Rigging weekend - day 2 photos

The new mainsheet and toppling lift

Rigging weekend - day 2

We'd been up into the early hours chatting and drinking coffee laced with rum so it want exactly an early start to proceedings this morning.

First order of business was shopping and breakfast ... or possibly shopping for breakfast! Given that the Asda in South Woodham Ferrers doesn't have a cafe we decided to head up to the Morrisons at Maldon.

Two full English breakfasts, coffee and a quick bit of shopping and then back to the boat to get on with the ropework. A couple of hours or three later and the new lines were all made up ready to fit. As it was raining, we decided to break off for lunch which was of the brown liquid variety ... and I'm not talking coffee!

(I shall endeavour to post some pics of the new rigging on a follow up message but we've been struggling all weekend to get any sort of usable signal on either the marina  wi-fi or mobile networks do it may have to wait until I get home)

Lunch over and rain paused, we set to pulling the new lines through the masthead blocks. Couple of nearly up-cocks narrowly avoided but all well in the end. By now it was getting a bit chilly and murky so we retired below decks and attempted to watch the rugby.

Using a combination of my laptop and 3 Network dongle and Glens' I-phone we managed to watch most of the match.

No prizes for guessing where we are now!

Tomorrow we'll hopefully get the boom and sails back on and sort out some means of keeping the outboard pointing straight ahead (more on that subject later). If time permits we might even get to the job of tensioning the standing rigging.

Rigging weekend - day 1, stage 2

After a pleasant few hours up the pub, we staggered back down to the moorings and I set off in the dinghy for a second crack at getting out to the boat.

With the ebb having settled down, things went swimmingly this time and I had no bother getting to the boat and climbing on board.

I had some bother getting the outboard running, not sure quite what I'd done wrong but somehow I'd fairly comprehensively flooded the engine. As a result, I'd no sooner cast off the buoy and set off down river than the engine died on me. Not a good start to our new relationship but eventually after appropriate swearing, cursing and threatening it fired up and ran properly.

It don't hang about either! In no short order we were alongside and tied up with the kettle on for coffee with rum in it and the traditional Peckett brothers late night argument  :-)

Tomorrow is another day and it's nearly here so it's time to get some sleep

Rigging weekend - Day 1, stage 1

Well, we are arrived at North Fambridge. However, we're in the pub and the boat is still on the buoy!

By the time we got here about an hour ago, the ebb was running too fast and with the crappy rowlocks we've got on the tender I just couldn't row hard enough to get across the tide to the boat.

By the time we've had a couple of beers to wash down the very tasty chicken and leek with Stilton hot pot we've just scoffed the tidal rate should have eased enough to get out to the boat

I love it when ...

There's a knock on the door and the latest box of bits has arrived.

Today it's loads of string and blocks and stuff for replacing all of the running rigging. All I have to do know is work out how to put it all together!

More bits, more expense

Oh well, it's only money!

Just ordered metres and metres of new string to replace all the existing running rigging which is totally shagged! When it arrives, I'll have the fun job of making up new ends - I decided to be a proper seaman and not cheat by paying somebody else to make them up!

I've also ordered new blocks for the mainsheet tackle 'cos I can't face another season of putting up with the ancient Tufnel blocks squeaking, sticking and refusing to run :)

This phase of sorting out the rigging will still leave the kicking strap, proposed tack downhaul and the leading blocks and cam cleats for the lines that are led back to the cabin to sort out. I want another look at that whole scenario on the boat before I spend money on bits

We've also got to bite the bullet at some point and sort out the complete mess of cleats etc. on the base of the mast which is a right jumble. The "to do" list never seems to get shorter, does it?

Maintenance weekend - day 4 & out

The morning continued to be pretty shitty. Howling gale and cold to boot. No v choice but to get on with the engine instal since without it we couldn't move.

To be honest, Rik did most of the work whilst I sorted out odds and ends. The work involved moving the mounts for the engine beam plate so that the engine sits vertically in the well. This was achieved with only one miss-measurement (Rik got it wrong! That's never happened before!

With that done, a hole was drilled through the internal cockpit moulding to feed the locking cable through thus securing the engine to the boat such that any prospective thief will have to do damage to get it out

That's important because only if there's visible damage will the insurance pay out

With that done and kit offloaded, the boom and mainsail went down into the cabin for the time being as I've brought all the running rigging home to wash and then decide what cab be used and what needs replacing

Toby must be getting fed up with us by now but he still readily agreed to put Brigantia back on her buoy when the conditions calm down a bit - just like last time I was down the river was no place to be rowing around in a seven foot tippy dinghy!

All in all, a successful weekend. Didn't get a much done as I'd hoped but given the conditions we got a lot more done than I'd have expected!

,Maintenance weekend - day 4, AM

Lovely say today. Sunshine, dry, etc. it's just a pity about the freakin' F9 gale that's howling in from the North West!

Life on board is all but impossible but somehow we're going to have to finish off the engine instal at least to the point where it's usable for short periods

The boom and mainsail are still off the boat and I really don't fancy working on deck with it plunging around like this so looks like that's going to end up down in the cabin until next time

More late ... If we survive!

Maintenance weekend - erm?

Back on board now after a very pleasant evening aboard Blazer with Mike and it's bloody horrible down here on the river

We're bouncing around like you wouldn't believe but we're just going to have to manage the best we can

I shall report on how much sleep we get versus how much coffee and run gets drunk in the morning - if we survive that is!

Maintenance weekend - day 3, arghhh!

The wind having got up and seeing round to blow shortly downriver it's getting a tads uncomfortable on board!

We've turned her round on the pontoon so we're taking the chop on the bows so at least it isn't slapping and slamming under the stern and put out full mooring lines set as best we can in preparation for what could be quite a rough night

It's raining solidly and it's definitely no fun outdoors so we've taken to our berths for a rest before exerting ourselves by walking up to the pub for the evening

Maintenance weekend - day 3, stage whatever!

Brigantia is re-masted! Not only that but with the VHF cable down the mast as originally planned thanks to the kind loan of a set of cable access rods (thanks Mike who's working on his boat in the yard)

The masthead now has all new blocks, the new LED combi nav light, a new VHF antenna with integral new wind indicator and even a burgee halyard block. Ok, so that was already there, we just hadn't noticed it before! It now has a but of string around it, all we need is a pig stick and a suitable burgee

The mast went back up a lot easier than it came down thanks to using a much longer bit of string leading off the masthead rather than attaching the line to the bottom of the forestay. The latter method is how the "experts" suggested we did it and our method is better!

Having a break from the wind and rain before sorting out the string tangle so I can get the boom back on as with that back in place we can rig the boom tent and get some relief from the wet stuff falling out of the sky

Rik is shaping up too get back on to engine fitting ops

Glen and Mark have hit the road back home now that the main event is over.

Maintenance weekend - day 3 prologue

Did I do something wrong in a previous life?

It's raining this morning, that wasn't forecast :-(

And talking if the forecast, what's happened to the light breeze, sunny intervals and maybe one or two showers we were supposed to be getting today?

NOW the forecasts are telling me to expect heavy rain all day and gale force 8 possibly even 9 from lunchtime onwards :O

We're going to have to get that mast back up sharpish this morning, rain or no rain. Conditions on board are likely to be untenable in a gale as we've found to our cost before.

More later if we don't drown and/or get blown away!

Maintenance weekend - day 2 pics

The couple of photos I took at the back end of the day wouldn't publish with the main post earlier so here they are,I hope!

Maintenance weekend - day 2

Rik and I were up and about fairly early and making a start on things by the time Glen and Mark rocked up.

With the Genoa off and the rigging disconnected, it was all hands to lower the mast which was a bit frantic due to the wind suddenly getting up.

It came down with no harm done but it was a bit nerve racking for a minute or two

Examining the masthead blocks, it's no wonder things seemed a bit stiff - they were far too small for 10mm line. Off we went to the Chandlers for new blocks, some new split pins and some screws that Rik required

Back to the boat and much faffing about later, we concluded that the VHF cable just ain't going down the mast. There's too much getting in the way

Off to the Chandlers once again we went to purchase a new VHF aeriel. Decided to get the one with the integral wind indicator and do away with the intermittently sticky existing Windex as well

Whilst I was mucking about with the mast, assisted as required by Glen and Mark, Rik made much progress on removing defunct bits of wood from the engine well and moving the mountings to get the new beasty in a better position

We'd have got more done today if the weather had been nicer - a cold breeze, choppy river and occasional showers was far from ideal, but not a bad day even so

Remembered at the last moment to grab a couple of photos on the phone before the light went completely by which time it was pub-o-clock

It'll be crowded on board tonight with four on board but it should keep it warm!

Maintenance weekend - day 1, step 2

And 3 and 4 and so on :-)

We duly went to Seamark Nunn and picked up the shiny new outboard and a few other bits and bobs.

Back to Fambridge by mid-afternoon, after some fiddling, cursing and swearing we extracted the evil beast from the outboard well.

Trying the new engine for size, it came as no surprise that the lifting handle had to come off and that done in she went!

Ok, we reckon we're going to have to move the mounting beam to get the angle of dangle right as at the moment but that's not, or at least shouldn't be, too big a job

Right now it's none too warm and the fan heater is running to keep things cost below decks. It's a right mess down here too!

Hey ho, it'll soon be beer-o-clock

Maintenance weekend - day 1, step 1

I am arrived after a surprisingly good run down. Discovered Brigantia on the buoy nearest the dinghy dock - cool! Don't know whether she can stay there but we'll see

Popped the tender in the drink, rowed the ten yards to the boat and scrambled on board. Everything seemed fine. Engine started first pull but then proceeded to do the stuck float pissing fuel out of the carb trick again

Luckily, Toby and Paul were about to run out to do some work in the Dory and kindly shifted us over to the pontoon

Waiting now on Rik whose ETA is about eleven and then well head up to pick up the new engine

More to follow