We hadn't expected to be on board this weekend, but as we didn't have any plans that couldn't be moved we decided to grab a weekend away. I was hoping to see a few of the snags rectified but I was disappointed to find that nothing had been done since last week (with the possible exception of the gas leak - we couldn't smell gas this time but we couldn't find out if anyone has been to fix it or not). I brought some more tools with me this time so I attended to a few of the minor things myself. I used silicone sealant to seal around the shore power socket and around the navigation light cable where it goes into the roof, I glued down a loose edge of carpet in the bow and fitted a small ball catch to the cabin door (which means we can now close the door without having to lock it all the time).
A very simple 9.5mm ball catch, 99p did the job. I was terrified at the thought of drilling a 9.5mm hole into the edge of the door, but I managed it OK, I just need to get some tiny brass screws to fit the striking plate next time we visit.
With my DIY successfully completed we took a walk along every pontoon of at the marina looking at the wonderful variety of boats moored there, and it's certainly true that there is a boat for every budget. I then made us a curry and we settled down for the evening with a bottle of wine and a DVD (which I slept through!)
After another slightly chilly night we dragged ourselves out of the den and tucked into breakfast, then set about tidying up and preparing for the day. We discovered another snag in that our hot water heater doesn't work on the 240v electricity, only on gas so this has been added to the list of things that need to be investigated and rectified.
Our marina neighbour Jim (lovely chap, knows a lot about boating and always happy to chat) has an old Princess 38 which he'll soon be transporting down to the Med to live on for a while. I believe it is being collected this week and today Jim fired up the engines for what was probably the first time in quite a while, so he could move to the fuel jetty. He describes his boat as having 2 bus engines, and judging by the noise and amount of smoke I'm inclined to believe him! I thought the smoke would reduce once the engines had warmed up but this didn't seem to be the case. Jim carefully edged out of his mooring without bumping our little boat and began his short transit to the fuel jetty at what looked like a fairly quick pace - it turns out this is as slow as his boat can go, with both engines on tickover. Also he has no rudder, steering is achieved by varying the speeds of the 2 drives, so low speed manoeuvres in the marina are not the easiest. As we tracked Jim's journey around the marina by watching the enormous plume of smoke that trailed behind we decided to go for a short trip ourselves. As well as being fun for us it would also make Jim's life a bit easier when he returns and needs to moor up.
The stretch of river between Sonning and Caversham is still under 'amber' conditions as the flow is quiet fast (check conditions here), so we decided just to cruise to Caversham lock, then back to Sonning lock and then return to the marina. The river was a bit busier than last time, more people are getting their boats ready for the season ahead and there were quite a few canoeists out as well - rather them than me!
When we returned to our berth at the marina Jim's boat was back in it's place and I was chuffed that I was able to reverse Life's too Short in next to it without bumping into either his boat or the pontoon! I won't be able to do that every time I bet!
After a snack, I replaced the gas bottle that ran out yesterday and we set about packing away ready to head off, going through all the checks to make sure we left the boat safe and secure.
I decided to take Caroline for lunch at a lovely pub by the River Kennet that a friend recently introduced me to. The Rowbarge is between Woolhampton Mill Lock and the swing bridge and well worth a visit if you are in the area; the service and food are both superb. They have a large riverside garden with moorings and Woolhampton lock is just a very short stroll along the towpath. We watched a narrowboat negotiate it's way from the lock, through a very strong side current (where the weir stream meets) and through the swing bridge. I also videoed it just in case there was an easy £250 to be had from You've Been Framed! But Stan on the helm knew what he was doing and made it look easy although we heard that a several others earlier in the day had not done so well.
And that was it for another weekend, we should be back on board next week for the long Easter weekend with a trip to Windsor planned.
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