Spring is truly here

[Guest]

Been down to the Marina today and it was a gloriuos afternoon. Bright sunshine, 18 degrees, no wind a perfect day. You can tell it's spring, the gentle buzz of the electic sander, the whoosh of the pressure washer intersperesed with assorted cursing and swearing emanating from the engine rooms of those giving their engines a "service".

Saw several Lesser Spotted Antifoulers, mid paint and of course numerous Great Buggerits trying to undo seized bolts and screws.

Mind you the bloody birds were making a real din, damn near spilled my G&T when one drake objected to being rogered by another one. Must be that time of year.

Nice to see that all's well with the world again. Let's hope it's a good summer.

 

[Guest]

Yes what a lovely day. Sons outside reving the guts out of his old range rover, minus silencers. And further down the board some prats are trying to fit a sail to a Princess. Yes it must be spring.

 

[Guest]

I didn\'t know Fergie hailed from "up norf"

But then thinking about it she's a Duchess not a Princess. Or did you mean a different one?

Can't you get your lad to run you up to the allotment in his Rangey to check on your Begonias? PS When do we plant our tatties uncle Haydn?

 

[Guest]

This must be an April Fool joke. It has p*ssed it down off the Needles for the last three days. Where does Coliholic live, Bermuda?

Best

Sue

 

[Guest]

Ah well you see, the sun always shines on the righteous. Bermuda? Not quite, just outside Huntingdon Cambs actually, yes centre of the UK boating scene. Not quite Bermuda but our local MP (one John Major) would have us believe that this is truly Utopia. Has it really rained all day in the IoW? If so I'll be laughing all evening. And you want to hold a boating rally there? In the pouring rain? That'll be fun at least we can try out our oilies,I'll have to wipe off my sunscreen first though.

Come to Cambs, it's reet grand up here in't north.

 

[Guest]

Spring is truly here. . . I'm sorry but I hadn't really noticed.

It just seemed like another wonderful day in the tropics.

NB I was tempted to say it was another wonderful, 30 degree C, sunny day in paradise

(but it ain't we try to forget the mosquitos, infrequent showers - hurricanes later in ther year )

but I think I'll forgo that and think about casting off for a two hour fishing spin on Fifty-Fifty at 4:00pm with two beers [Amstel light] to help forget all my troubles, oh dear THE HEAT, THE FLIES AND THOSE DAMNED DRUMS. . . . . . .

 

[Guest]

Norfolk?

Oh dear. Land of Turnips. Did the Bedford river a few years back, jolly nice. Rained a lot. St Kitts sounds quite pleasant though. Quite good at Amstel ( trained in Holland on Dutch waterways.) Rained a lot.

Pip Pip

Sue ( IoW) (p@ssing down)

 

[Guest]

Norfolk? Norfolk? Who said anything about Norfolk? Are you sure it p***ing down and not you p***ed? Which reminds me of a true story. Honest it's true. My wife's a teacher and in Septemeber she asked her class of seven and eight year olds to write about where they'd been for their hols. One little lad said, "Miss, how do you spell North"? So before she told him how to spell it, she asked why he wanted to. To which he replied "well we went to Norfolk for our holidays and I can spell f**k but don't know how to spell north"

 

[Guest]

Isn't Cambridge in Norfolk?

Damn. How the hell am I supposed to get to Yarmouth? It's nearly three miles from here.

(hic)

Suz

 

[Guest]

Sue, Im sorry but I have to step in and correct you here. Norfolk is world renowned as being the home of the carrot cruncher and is nowt to do with turnips. Eddie ;-)

 

[Guest]

Colin, Dose all this joy indicate the engines ran ok ? Eddie

 

[Guest]

Well Yes and No. Don't you just love a definite answer. Started first time and run nice and sweet, only thing is I should have fitted new heat shield washers, its a tiny little washer that goes in the injector first. Upshot is that one or two injectors on each engine are leaking exhaust into the engine compartment so making it a bit smelly as well as the engines breathing in exhaust. Can't be good for 'em so I've got the bits on order and with any luck will fix it next Sat. Took the boat out for an hours cruise up river yesterday and it was great. Good to be back boating. Corse I can't give it a thrash what with being limited to seven knots and all, but the turbos all sound nice and as soon as I've fitted the gauges, might give it a bit of welly, one engine at a time like, so not breaking speed limits.

Just hope this weather holds till October. Wife's busy with a new flower arrangement for the cockpit and I'm waiting for the carpet to be delivered.

 

[Guest]

Re: He\'s baiting me isnee?

Yes and no, carpet, flowers. Now it's heat shield washers. Pah. Ooh sorry Captain Kirk I forgot the heatshield washers, so it won't be warp five, will seven knots and a cup of tea be alright? He's right about the weather holding though: the next two days of sunshine in Cambridgeshire is indeed due sometime in autumn.

 

[Guest]

Yep! Spring is definitely here. I know because my bank balance is suggesting that my retirement might comprise gentile impecuniousness. This is because it is marina fees/anti fouling time of year which coincides with the annual large repair bill. I have tried to spread the load by servicing at the end of the season but usually something is left for the spring.

This year it was the rubber gaiters at the top of the prop shafts were perished and required replacing. Said bits of rubber cost about thruppence each but conversation with fitter

Well the bits are cheap but we have to drop the gearboxes to remove the couplings/pull the shafts

Subsequent telephone call - couplings are seized on end of shaft - tried heat, hydraulic pullers, kicking them, swearing profusely but no go. Only option is to cut couplings off - swearing from my end of the phone

Two new shafts. Two new couplings. Two new cutlass bearings. Repack stern glands. Refit rope cutters. get props polished and re-balanced. Oh! and two new rubber gaiters.

Refit props wrong way round so that astern is ahead and vice versa. Out again to correct this potentially embarrassing problem.

Net result marina fees + antifoul + large repair all paid at once - total circa £6k. Sneak it through different bank account to main but, as you can be certain that your sins will find you out, old eagle eye, whom I am married to, spots it within five minutes and I am in the sh!!!! again.

Oh well! they say that none of the pleasures in life come cheap!

Nick

 

[Guest]

Damn,

I was wrong on both counts. My crew now tells me Norfolk is up near Scotland somewhere. But she went to art school....

Sue

 

[Guest]

It would be great if somebody made two piece rubber gaiters?

Marina fees. Thankfully Fishermans Wharf (waterside restaurant) welcomes water craft to add atmosphere (NOT from exhausts) at no charge so far. Unfortunately dept is 3 5 feet.I regretfuly have to wade in waist deep in 78 degrees (F) water for four yards to get to my boat. The hardships we go through!

Interesting that wives go on about the cost but (some) do not object to going boating? Is this a female "thing" that mere men don't and can't understand?

 

[Guest]

Guys like you are just not getting the true boating sensations which we, the British boaters all know and love? e.g.

Scraping the frost from the windscreen from a) the car before going to marina and b) Windscreen of boat.

The perilous walk along frozen pontoons to the boat

The joy of a force six/seven and horizontal rain

The high speed run to the marina the minute the sun shines in order to get there before it rains again

Heating bills/repairs

I mean you've got to worry about keeping your aircon right. And as for going into the water - is'nt it full of things which want to make you part of the food chain?

Dont reply, you'll only upset me.

Nick

 

[Guest]

Sue, No, thats Turnips you will find up in Scotland Eddie

 

[Guest]

Point 4 The joy of a force six/seven and horizontal rain Regretfully we do not worry too much about mere force six/seven winds. We just worry about 140mph (224kph) hurricane winds together with the horizontal rain between July and the end of November. St. Kitts has over 5 hurricane strikes had since 1989 Hurricane Hugo. That one blew the Airport control tower wind speed indicator clean off its mountings last registering 140mph plus. Then Hurricane Georges a few years later blew the Airport control tower clean off its foundations. SEE MY NEW THREAD HURRICANES.

Point 6 Heating bills/repairs. Unfortunately we still have to worry about the repair bills. In addition the suns UV rays do not help things like colours and fabrics last as long.

Point 7 ......going into the water - is'nt it full of things which want to make you part of the food chain? Yes but sometimes it is so clear you can see them coming a mile off.

I realise your hearts are bleeding for me - let me get out the violin.