Making the most of the mild weather

There's still six weeks of winter to go, but the very mild weather we are having at the moment does bring a spring like feel, especially as the days are starting to lengthen. We may well have more freezing weather before we're done, of course, but the outlook suggests that it will be more like the usual winter mix of periods of wet, windy and mild weather, and times of clearer, colder conditions.

It's still a stimulus to start clearing up winter's mess; today we carried on catching up with the laundry, and I spent a bit of time in the engine room. After our trip across to the service wharf the other day, I noticed a quantity of water in the engine bilge. Further investigation showed that there was a wet layer in the bottom of all the stern bilges, in addition to the stuff sloshing about under the stern greaser.

My main concern, of course, was to check that the engine coolant circuit hadn't sprung a leak in the extreme cold. In view of the levels of antifreeze, a serious problem was unlikely, and anyway, there wasn't enough water about to suggest a split hose or anything, but it was possible that one of the steel stubs had contracted enough in the cold to start a weep around its hose end. Coolant levels were a bit low in the header tank, but I'm still getting used to what this engine prefers in there, and of course, the coolant volume would be at a minimum, being well chilled.

So, with the aid of a bucket and sponge, I cleaned up as much of the water as I could, especially in the side bilge I use as a glory hole, and under the engine. It was clearly mainly condensation; the sides of the swim were running with it. I started the engine, and ran it until the thermostat opened, all the time peering suspiciously at the various joints in the coolant circuit.

All was well; I was probably being unnecessarily twitchy, but it's one less thing to worry about in the middle of the night.  ;)