jhr
Well-known member
I was down on the boat a week ago, doing a bit of tidying up prior to having her lifted out and winterised during the week. On leaving, I appear to have perpetrated a classic jhr snafu and forgotten to turn the Main Switch to "off". I also appear to have left the depth sounder on (not quite sure why I had it on in the first place, but hey........).
Fast forward to Thursday morning, having got SWMBO and kids out of bed, during half term holiday, at 6.00am in order to fulfill promise to boatyard that I'd bring the boat down to them first thing, from her mooring. On arrival on the boat (coinciding with the first truly frosty morning of the autumn), I discover (a) that I didn't switch off at the weekend (see above) and (b) that the battery is flatter than the Chairwoman of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee and that, consequently, we are stuck. In the time honoured tradition of bolting stable doors, I reflect that it's probably time to investigate having a dedicated starter battery installed.
So, I get on the mobile to the yard who, luckily, can send someone to tow me down the river ("that'll be £££££ plus VAT, sir........") and we make our rather inglorious progress to the boatyard. But of course the battery's flat, so it needs to be charged up before we can run up the engine, drain the oil and cooling systems and so forth.
Then it starts to rain. SWMBO is not looking impressed by this point, though the kids are having a cracking time running around getting wet and throwing stones into the water and, occasionally, at each other. I try to lighten the atmosphere by asking SWMBO whether she'd really expected us to be through by 10.00am (my initial, rather rash, estimate of the time at which we'd be blocked off ashore) but am met by a frosty stare. I send her and the kids off in search of a drink and a bun but tell them to be back by 11.00 am if they want to see the boat being lifted out.
The lift finally goes ahead at 3.30, by which time I am down several drinks, and lunch at the Master Builder, as part of an increasingly desparate attempt to buy off rebellion from SWMBO. The kids, meanwhile, are still enjoying themselves,and have even more fun when the boat is being scrubbed, as they run through the spray from the power wash jet and get even wetter than before. SWMBO fails to see the funny side of this and is now extracting promises of nights out in London and visits to the In-Laws as my desperation increases. Finally, she (the boat, not SWMBO) is blocked off, and everything is tidied away - though, as the rain is still p*ssing down, I have to resist the temptation to just chuck everything into the cockpit and put the tonneau cover over the lot.
So now it's just an engine and outdrive service, winter storage charges, and the cost of putting her back in the water next April and we'll be ready for next year. In the meantime, I am about to delicately broach the subject of popping down to the boat at the weekend: "...just a couple of little jobs to do, dear..."
I'll let you know how I get on once I've been discharged from Hospital.
)
PS Given that the battery was completely flat, am I likely to have knackered it in consequence? It seemed to take a charge OK, but it's 2+ years old so I guess I'll have to look at a replacement soonish in any case. P'raps best to bite the bullet and do it now?
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Fast forward to Thursday morning, having got SWMBO and kids out of bed, during half term holiday, at 6.00am in order to fulfill promise to boatyard that I'd bring the boat down to them first thing, from her mooring. On arrival on the boat (coinciding with the first truly frosty morning of the autumn), I discover (a) that I didn't switch off at the weekend (see above) and (b) that the battery is flatter than the Chairwoman of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee and that, consequently, we are stuck. In the time honoured tradition of bolting stable doors, I reflect that it's probably time to investigate having a dedicated starter battery installed.
So, I get on the mobile to the yard who, luckily, can send someone to tow me down the river ("that'll be £££££ plus VAT, sir........") and we make our rather inglorious progress to the boatyard. But of course the battery's flat, so it needs to be charged up before we can run up the engine, drain the oil and cooling systems and so forth.
Then it starts to rain. SWMBO is not looking impressed by this point, though the kids are having a cracking time running around getting wet and throwing stones into the water and, occasionally, at each other. I try to lighten the atmosphere by asking SWMBO whether she'd really expected us to be through by 10.00am (my initial, rather rash, estimate of the time at which we'd be blocked off ashore) but am met by a frosty stare. I send her and the kids off in search of a drink and a bun but tell them to be back by 11.00 am if they want to see the boat being lifted out.
The lift finally goes ahead at 3.30, by which time I am down several drinks, and lunch at the Master Builder, as part of an increasingly desparate attempt to buy off rebellion from SWMBO. The kids, meanwhile, are still enjoying themselves,and have even more fun when the boat is being scrubbed, as they run through the spray from the power wash jet and get even wetter than before. SWMBO fails to see the funny side of this and is now extracting promises of nights out in London and visits to the In-Laws as my desperation increases. Finally, she (the boat, not SWMBO) is blocked off, and everything is tidied away - though, as the rain is still p*ssing down, I have to resist the temptation to just chuck everything into the cockpit and put the tonneau cover over the lot.
So now it's just an engine and outdrive service, winter storage charges, and the cost of putting her back in the water next April and we'll be ready for next year. In the meantime, I am about to delicately broach the subject of popping down to the boat at the weekend: "...just a couple of little jobs to do, dear..."
I'll let you know how I get on once I've been discharged from Hospital.
)PS Given that the battery was completely flat, am I likely to have knackered it in consequence? It seemed to take a charge OK, but it's 2+ years old so I guess I'll have to look at a replacement soonish in any case. P'raps best to bite the bullet and do it now?
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