Boatyard stuff

Monday 5 March

After a quiet night at Lyme View, we had a relaxed start and boated back to Poynton, getting back into the yard at around 9.30. Had a chat with Iain Bryceland and agreed the work we're having done in this final burst. This will involve 1) installing a locking system on the diesel filler cap 2) installing a single diplex aerial for the FM/DAB radio, rather than the double arrangement we have at the moment and 3) fitting fairleads to the bow. This last item was done pretty well straight away.

I also plan on doing a major engine service while we're in the yard - it's not quite due, but it makes sense to do it now, before w e set off on the year's cruising.

We then endured a rather windy night, with the boat rocking and rolling in the gusts.

Tuesday 6 March

Up in good time, as Sheila had to go to Knutsford to liaise with her brother about opening an executor's account, and to help clear the flat and prepare it for sale. Ian and Andy Grindrod then turned up and had a look at the aerial job, which Andy and I then worked on for about half the day. It was only moderately tedious - as always, whenever you go to cut a new hole in the roof, a cross brace turns up, despite careful measurement and calculation, but thanks to Grindrod skill and expertise, all problems were overcome and the radio functional once more by tea break. This is a vast improvement on the old arrangement - the DAB aerial was a stick on the window type, and the tape had attracted a disgusting amount of dirt and block mould over three years.

Ian Grindrod had meanwhile finished the locking filler cap, so we're now at least a bit safer in anticipation of the day we have to start using white diesel.

Spent the rest of the afternoon sorting antivirus problems on the Bryceland laptops (or trying to) until Sheila arrived back at 5.