Where did you go for Easter ?

[Guest]

We cruised from Ramsgate to Boulogne, had to swim under the boat at 6 am to remove an enormous industrial plastic sack!

Then on to Fecamp, went drinking with the crew from the UKSA boat. Not for the faint hearted!

Fecamp to Dieppe, fantastic meal in the Belle Vue. Had to fit a new pressure relief valve to the top of the hot water cylinder. Who put it there I would like to know?

Then to Calais, more drink with old friends. Spent an hour repairing a metal part for the domestic water pump, of course I then dropped it over the side just as I had finished!

Back to Ramsgate, it rained all the way. But consoled myself with a mega curry at the Ramsgate Tandoori.

210 gallons of diesel, 253 nautical miles.

What about you.

 

[Guest]

I got up at 03:30 every day and went to work, but thanks for asking!

 

[Guest]

Can't match that, I'm sad to say.

Called out for a mag photoshoot on Saturday, got stuck in a packed Cowes Yatch (sic) Haven on Saturday night,with millions of pissed yotties. Chap in small cruiser from Chichester took pity on my plight and brought me a bun back for breakfast. Had to pole the boat out singlehanded due to rafted up yotts blocking my retreat.

Went out to Portsmouth to meet incoming boat, which planed past at 30 knots before I could flag it down. Follwed it back up the rain-soaked Medina. Photo-shoot cancelled because weather too poor. Lunch at the packed Folly, where we queued for half an hour to get served, then back into a packed Yatch Haven to drop crew off.

Only the Eberspacher and a decent lunch with some nice people off a Sealine made it worth while!

Final stroke - Car got a 30 quid excess ticket in Cowes due to delays getting out of Marina....

Net profit for the day - minus 100 quids.

Found a bottle of rum in the cabin during the slog back up the Medina for the third time, in the drizzle. Thus inspired, battled a forty footer for a place in the lock and won. Sometimes, small is beautiful.

Sue

Photo commissions in Tunisia accepted. Have own corkscrew.

 

[Guest]

Thursday night slept on boat ready for a early departure on Good Friday but despite the prediction it turned out bad, at least in the morning. had lunch and then set off on a pre diorganised rally tript to Yarmouth. First time I have been there and I was really impressed with the facilities and the Harbour staff and taxis who were all cheerfull and helpful, yes, honest.

Eat in the Bugle for dinner and a few beers and then returned to boat for a few beers and a chat with our rafted neighbours.

On Monday Swanage and Studland (lunch) then home. and now........... Work!

 

[Guest]

Not as amitious as you Dave, Went down to the SW on Firday, had a good lie in on Saturday morning, Showers and clouds, force 4-5.

Scooted around to Dartmouth in a good sloppy mixed swell of 1 or 1.5 meters mixed, lots of fun and wet.

Saw maybe 2 other boats on way over. Tootled up to Dittisham, then picked up a pontoon at Dart Marina with a great view of the Harbour, (And the higher ferry every 10 minutes.) Went shopping in town, then back for lunch.

Did a bit of work late afternoon, then a nap and supper.

Sunday, started rain and cloud, Toured up and down the Dart for a couple of hours, then back on the pontoon, sun came out after 2 or so, went walking in town, more boats about, a Squadron and a Princess 520 were tied up alonside by the Cottage hospital.

Dinner at the Floating bridge.

monday, glorious sun, up early, refuel, out into start bay, tootle around for a bit, zoom up towards berry head, check out a big container ship, into Torbay, tootle around, Back into BXM, new mooring for season, spend an hour working out new lines, etc, good clean, lunch, then M5 shuffle.

A great weekend with lots of Sun on Sunday and Monday, Nice bit of mixed weather to make it more fun, Couldn ask for more early season.

nottingham at 10.30pm.

 

[Guest]

I seem to have been a little luckier! Although my base is Portsmouth, Easter was spent on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - temp was 83 most days and I only put longs on last night to get on the plane! Boating was confined to a Tinker with 3HP outboard, but the dolphins did'nt seem to mind as they played alongside. I hope I can get on my boat this week or I'll just have to have the film developed.

 

[Guest]

Usual jaunt around the fleshpots of the Clyde.

My neighbour in the marina, however, had a more interesting time. He has a Princess 388/twin Volvo 306's. He was out on a day trip on Monday and coming back starboard engine lost power and started to fill saloon with exhaust smoke. I don't what that might be - blown turbo maybe? Anyway sounds expensive.

Back into marina and skilfully trying to berth on one engine when 11 year old daughter misses her footing on flybridge ladder and falls, dislocating knee. Still trying to berth boat on one engine with crew having abandoned harbour stations to tend to little girl who is screaming the place down in pain. To his credit berthing maneuver is accomplished well whilst at the same time whistling up a stretcher from the marina office - I did not know they had such a thing! Little girl is manhandled very gingerly off boat and off to casualty. No word as to how she got on but I hope she is not put off boating for life!.

We do this for fun!

Nick

 

[Guest]

I suppose that means I'm in the wrong job, you're all out doing what you love best and I still have to work.

Ah well, I guess your place of work are not sending you to Aruba for few nights on the lash, sorry, I mean a three day conference at the end of April!!

 

[Guest]

Summary of Easter jollification traumas:

1 Dislocated knee 1 plastic sack round prop 1 faulty pressure relief valve 1 domestic water pump repaired (lost overboard) 1 photo-shoot rained off 1 excess parking ticket (30 quid) 1 blown turbo-thing 1 30 minute queue for lunch

Lots of jolly fun, boats. Where else could you cram all this in one weekend?

Best

Sue

 

[Guest]

No boating, confined to sorting out the house extension with the builders. In some way (sad I know) I was glad the weather was not perfect, otherwise depression would have set in. However that didn't stop me checking the weather each day!

RM.

 

[Guest]

Re: Exhaust elbow dropped off is a good guess. nm

nm

 

[Guest]

Helped my mates Dad install and set-up a GPS in Ramsgate,then dived on a un-grateful Man's motor cruiser to get about 20 feet of rope and netting from his port screw.
>

I won't be that helpful again.

It was a shame that the weather around here was not more pleasant for your trip . It looked bumpy round by the North sands. Was the channel ok ?

cheers , Andy

 

[Guest]

Went cruising on the Norfolk Broads, squared up to Potter Heigham bridge, but bottled out, then BBQd at Repps picnic site, before setting to and doing some serious work startind to build my new windscreen

 

[Guest]

Judging by the number of boats still out of the water in my marina, nobody went anywhere very much apart from you lot. Harbourmaster in Yarmouth (IoW) complaining that he didnt fill the harbour any night over Easter. Personally, I did'nt venture too far from my Eberspacher given the searing temperatures

 

[Guest]

Visited the Ancasta used boat sales. I was astonished at how much some people hope to get for their boats. One in particular had 6 inches of water sloshing around in the bilges, rusty crankshaft pulley wheels and filters. The topsides were green with stagnant water and the cockpit cushions were gray with age. All this for 70k! I'll just have to keep looking I suppose.

Doug

 

[Guest]

Spent the week in Majorca, not been there for 20 odd years. What a lot of boats. Totally overawed by some of them. Best pose we saw was a matching pair of Elegance 76's moored in Andratx, both German registered with German flags and similar names. Course no-one on them, I guess people who spend that much on a (pair?) of boats, have to work all year round so don't have time for boating anyway. weather all week was great mid 20's and shorts and Tee shirts everday. Ho hum, back to reality now.

 

[Guest]

Re: How are the turbos?

And did you manage to flood the bores or not?

Dave S

 

[Guest]

I think they\'re OK but...

Took out the injectors, turned them over by hand, then spun on the starter to make sure there was no water in the bores. Put it all back together and the engines run real nice, no smoke and there seems to be a bit more urge there. Only trouble now is I can't seem to seal the injectors, I'm getting exhaust gases coming out of the injectors. Originally put in new copper washers and when the leak became apparant, really tightened them down to the extent that I sheared one of the hold down bolts. Not quite sure what to try next. I'll try new copper washers again and if that don't work may even resort to welding the bastards in! But the turbo clean up seems to have done the job.Volvo offer a turbo upgrade for £400 each, claim to give a 15% increase in power....really?

Might try to give it some welly this weekend if the fisherman aren't out.

 

[Guest]

I think they\'re OK but...

Took out the injectors, turned them over by hand, then spun on the starter to make sure there was no water in the bores. Put it all back together and the engines run real nice, no smoke and there seems to be a bit more urge there. Only trouble now is I can't seem to seal the injectors, I'm getting exhaust gases coming out of the injectors. Originally put in new copper washers and when the leak became apparant, really tightened them down to the extent that I sheared one of the hold down bolts. Not quite sure what to try next. I'll try new copper washers again and if that don't work may even resort to welding the bastards in! But the turbo clean up seems to have done the job.Volvo offer a turbo upgrade for £400 each, claim to give a 15% increase in power....really?

Might try to give it some welly this weekend if the fisherman aren't out.

 

[Guest]

Re: I think they\'re OK but...

What engines are they Colly?. Do they actually need copper washers under the injectors or are there manufacturers copper inserts in the heads already?????(some Volvo`s have them) If there are? and extra copper washers have been fitted then the spray pattern of the injection is affected and incomplete combustion prevails, thus smoke.Hope you dont mind me asking.

Rob