Merry chaos

It's been an interesting day... We got up in good time so as not to hold the workers back. Andy Grindrod was soon busy in the engine room replacing the board under the battery bank. Naturally, this involved removing the batteries, so no power in the boat.

It was a chilly, damp sort of day and I ended up lighting the Squirrel to get some heat into the saloon, the central heating not being available. The saloon was quickly warm, then hot, then too hot...

Having installed the new base and reassembled the batteries, Andy turned his attention to installing the new power supply to the inverter. Meantime, Peter gave us the good news that the batteries looked just fine. After an hour off load and off charge, they all measured 13.2 volts, implying that they are all in good condition after two and a half years.

Peter then set out to replace the stern gland packing. This is the arrangement which stops the canal from joining you in the boat via the hole the prop shaft goes through. Sanity Again has always had a wetter bilge than Sanity, but it's got just a bit worse recently. When Peter got the old packing out, it was a bit dry and hard; I may not have been turning the greaser down vigorously enough.

There was also a very slight ridge on the shaft where it ran into the front of the gland; Peter's going to get our engine alignment checked just to be on the safe side.

All this was still going on when the other Peter, Sheila's brother, turned up with Jan, her sister-in-law. We went to the Miner's Arms in Adlington for lunch. It was very busy and service was even slower than usual. In fact we ordered just after one and didn't see our food until after two.

When it came, the food was very good; I think there's been some change in management there, with a distinctly US East Coast feel to both the style and the menu. It was nearly three before our plates were cleared; we didn't bother with dessert.

Back at Poynton, we had coffees at the Trading Post, since the boat would still be chaotic inside, though the work was now all finished.

Peter and Jan having left, we had a quick chat with Peter Mason, then got back on board and got sorted out. Tomorrow, they need us to be out of the yard by ten, so it will be another prompt start.