ChrisB

I have just noticed it has still got it's mud weight plinth. Or was that part of the superstructure moulding?

I forgot to say that their journey was quite a few hours longer than planned as when they landed at Bali and got to the beach it was low tide and the ferry to the island where they staying could not pick up until the water had risen.

I should have added for PMR transmitting I use this:

Not like Dover is it!

Living by the sea I have one on ch16 and 86 so that I can listen to the Coastguard forecast at 7.50 while I have my Special K. Another on 12 to listen to Yarmouth when on the boat and one monitoring PMR Ch4. As you can see I ended up with 3 different antena, the one on the left is the worst the other two about the same. The high capacity batteries you see really do extend standby time but my favourite is the blue fitted with the stubby because it fits in my shirt pocket and I can listen to port control on days out at Wells etc. Have to agree for the money they are very well built.

My youngest who resides in Melbourne has gone for ten days diving with hs fiance. He sent me some pictures this morning and there are two that I would like to share. An outboard powered ferry and a ship shaped kite.

I would like to see Kenya, Tanganyika and The rift between 1910 and the start of the Second World War. It is a part of colonial history that I find very interesting. Also India during the same era in the foothills, Simla in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir for the same reasom.

This is interesting as Marine Bay still have her on their books : http://www.marinebay.com/browse/boats/viewboatdetails/290 Price has gone down to £15000. Judith and I explored the Ebro Delta which is now a National Park in 1974 before we had children and absolutely loved it.

In 2012 a couple had this Bermuda 34 for sale on the River Ebro. It stated that they had transported it there 7 years before, the mooring at that time was fully serviced with laundry etc for €1200 per annum and could be lived at all year round. They were asking £16000.00. In hindsight a good investment for someone, certainly better than property in Spain.

Another tip that other OB powered owners may find useful: I moor at Stalham, when I am on my way home from somewhere I switch the fridge off as I pass or leave Fleet Dyke or Ranworth Dam. The new type Honda 15 & 20s have a 12 amp charging coil so in the 2 hours it takes to reach Broadsedge it "puts some back". With regards to the BM1 Battery Monitor I have it set at 10C because even in summer in my low battery locker it will not reach an optimum 20C. After the batteries first birthday I reset their capacity to 85%, so 170 ah and on their third birthday to 75% or 150 ah not the 200ah they are rated. That way when the instrument does it's various capacity calcs it is cautious. The above has never let me down in the 10 seasons I have had this boat.

It has a thermostat, which I set at about half way. If on full it starts freezing things and drinks are too cold. I must admit it does not run that much overnight when left shut but when it does start it disturbs me. They (Viking) moved the fridge at the end of 2007 from under the port V berth to under the sink on the V20 probably because of the noise. Except that sites it next to the oven, not clever design where current consumption is concerned. One of my main reasons for going Honda when I bought the boat was the remote 15 & 20hp still had manual start as backup because of this I just run both 100ah batteries in parallel, breaker set to 1+2 the whole time. I have also converted the four downlighters to LED as well as the Nav Lights and have not had any problems. I think mine is called a CRP40 and in the bumf it says at +43c it will hold -18c in the freezer and between +5 to + 7c in the fridge bit. Bet at +43c it would be going almost without a break though.

I have just returned from refueling the boat. I switched on the fridge and the draw was 4.4A.

That sounds a very good set up Dave on a large boat. However not really an option for the Originator who has an outboard powered V23 or myself with a V20. 4 X 120Ah Batteries would lower the freeboard alright! And make getting on and off easier!

PS. Cheese was fine. Wine was poison. Why do some wines taste great on a Med camp site and awful in the UK.

Tell me about it.I missed my ferry. Last night of holiday, caravan full of wet awning, fridge full of French cheeses. Decide to hotel it. Park Car and Caravan in clock square in Calais, forget to switch to gas. I used to tow with a 4.2 Daimler. Next morning the battery was so flat the clock had stopped. Won't bore you with the AA, new battery etc, managed to get on a Hovercraft late afternoon. It was a large Electrolux 3 way.

Actually for what you describe they are very good. I have a Dometic SC30 that I bought for the car boot. It is 12v and 240v so can be carried into hotels. It makes a picnic or long journey much more enjoyable. It was also very useful for carrying my late wife's Penicillin based drugs on hospital visits, transfussion days etc as they should be kept refrigerated and it did the job very well. It is one of these, but they have changed the colour mine is blue.

Thinking about it more I think comsumption is about 4.6 amp, but I will switch it on and see when I go to the boat later. A few years ago I fitted a NASA battery monitor and find it very useful. Another point about Waeco/Dometic products is if your batteries are showing signs of age and the pd drops to below 11 volts they will turn off.

I have a waeco fridge that was fitted by Viking. They are very good fridges and have a useful freezer compartment at the top. Downside draws about 4 amp and in the still of night I can hear it sounding like a distant outboard. What I do is fill the freezer compartment with coolbox ice bricks that freeze during the day, I then turn it off when I go to bed, no noise and no battery drain then turn it on when I put the kettle on. Waeco/Dometic are good equipment, to work well you need compressor type but you will get some noise and battery drain.

The sheep netting gave it away for me but I think it is there to keep ducks and geese off and kiddies safe.

The caption off BBC news app refers to Bradwell but the picture looks very like Woodbridge. I have not been up to the tide mill since 2011 but I am sure that bathtub was not there then in the livaboard quarter,

I would love to take the credit but that must go to the young gentleman who works at Broadsedge. He stripped them to their component parts so they are as good underneath as on top.

My plan and one of my two reasons for having platforms fitted is make way to stern. Grasp a platform, haul up a bit, bend knee and get foot on cavitation plate of outboard. Push up and sit on platform. If canopy up unbutton it from sitting position. Grasp rim of cockpit above engine well and get feet onto low transom where engine is mounted, stand up and transfer to standing on platform. Climb over back of boat and wreck my cockpit cream upholstery.

The end of Neatishead Boardwalk.

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