Water Rail Out And About.

[grendel]

It's been a busy  day,  7.30 buy some bits in Travis perking, 8 am, lidls to stock up the food, 9 am departed beccles headed for Oulton Broad, 11 am arrive Oulton Broad and spend some time chatting to forum members, dave was busy rescuing someone who had broken down in Bungay, so took a bit of time to drop off a new gas bottle, a new battery charger and a new gas regulator. With instructions to fit as needed. 

After this I departed for the river chef, arriving at 4pm tired but content, I moored up at the louden end of Chedgrave moorings, then moved the boat to the far end when I spotted the ants nest that occupied about a boats length of the moorings, the fact they had swarmed onto the ropes aided this decision, this end seems a lot clearer. So, do I start trying to fit the solar panel this evening, well, let's see.

[grendel]

Of course I failed miserably at the tides, which I was fighting into all the way, it turned just as I exited the new cut., still I was in no great rush, making rpm for 5mph (achieving between 4 and 4 1/2)

 

[LizG]

51 minutes ago, grendel said:

Of course I failed miserably at the tides, which I was fighting into all the way, it turned just as I exited the new cut., still I was in no great rush, making rpm for 5mph (achieving between 4 and 4 1/2)

 

Hopefully that helped charge up the batteries? Enjoy the break!

[grendel]

Single output charger replaced with the same but 3 output.

Solar panel fitted to front roof, this is a 50W monochrystaline flexible panel, it's job is just to keep the start battery topped up, it came in a set with cables and charge controller,  for just £70. I have another at home, and have seen it putting charge into a battery as early as 5am, when it's not even in the sun. I have some more wiring to do to get this connected up, the mounting brackets for the panel and the box for the joints, we're all drawn up and 3d printed.

[YnysMon]

5 hours ago, grendel said:

dave was busy rescuing someone who had broken down in Bungay,

Bungay?!
Thats not even on the ‘official’ navigation! Dave does go above and beyond though.  I have a hankering to visit Bungay.

[grendel]

6 hours ago, YnysMon said:

Bungay?!
Thats not even on the ‘official’ navigation! Dave does go above and beyond though.  I have a hankering to visit Bungay.

That's because their car had broken down.

[JanetAnne]

I never said it was a car....

The gas valve/thermostat has arrived

[grendel]

16 minutes ago, JanetAnne said:

I never said it was a car....

The gas valve/thermostat has arrived

I guessed 

[grendel]

Anyway, I have been busy this morning, solar panel wiring is in up to the charging area, I have hidden some of the external wiring along the side, now I know the clips I will need I can make up some in brass to replace the plastic ones I printed ( and then modified once I started installation)

[grendel]

As replacing the roof is on the books to be done the roof installation is more just a case of holding it down, we can review the installation  when we do the roof. Though I will make some brass  clips to replace the cable ties.

[grendel]

Solar charger now hooked up to the battery and panels, charging immediately, and by the way the volts rose, it will be switching to float charge soon, looks like its fully charged from my run yesterday.

[grendel]

This is another area where change might happen, so plenty of slack has been allowed in the cables, just the wires for attaching the starter battery to the charger left to do.

[grendel]

Well that's it done, charger is now wired to the start battery

[annv]

Hi Grendel Why not wire the next outlet to domestic battery's?, it will then keep all the battery's charged. John

[grendel]

John , it is, that wiring was already there, fed from the single output unit,  we have swapped  in a 3 output unit. I had already connected the existing wiring, just needed an extra positive to the start battery.

I left Chedgrave and slowly wended my way ( against the tide, down to Reedham, no spaces there, so I made my way across the new cut, ending up at herringfleet  where I have now moored up.

Time for some lunch

[grendel]

.Not long after I had moored up, the rain started, so I was glad I had done so, so it was to be a rainy afternoon project, 

My daughter had bought me some of these for my birthday, so this afternoon  I picked the seige ballista wooden kit, and while away several hours putting it together.

I managed to join the quiz later and score a few points, then an early ish night being mindful to pay attention as the tide rose, as with the deep piling, if my fenders weren't just right, there was a chance of the side rail catching under the Quay heading ( I had set a rope to hold me correctly, but this needed casting off after the sides had cleared the Quay heading, as it was quite tight to hold position for the fenders.

[grendel]

[ZimbiIV]

Is that your defence against boats that do not slow down, when you are moored?

paul

[Turnoar]

I’ve got a better idea Paul, cocktail sticks pushed into a squash ball filled with baking powder - bath time naval mines! That’ll slow the packet armada down.

[grendel]

Well as soon as the floaty bits in the water stopped flowing out, I knew the tide was turning, so at a gentle 1800 rpm, I headed up river, all the way to geldeston, where I have currently moored up (just past the boatyard entrance, some white posts have been set into the bank) there are lots of paddleboards ang canoes up this way.

[YnysMon]

9 hours ago, grendel said:

some white posts have been set into the bank)

Yes, there does seem have been some effort this season to make boats feel a bit more welcome on Geldeston Dyke. Still a bit dicey when stepping off onto the bank (our son observed that you can’t necessarily tell where the bank ends or where you will just step off inadvertently into the river) but we can’t expect miracles. 

[grendel]

Despite the fact the weed has obviously been cut, I did have issues coming back along the dyke, what with the weed seriously hampering progress and a flotilla of young canoeists setting off, I was still having times when a burst of reverse to clear the props was called for. Then in beccles itself I had an encounter with one of the rowing club, I saw him coming, steered to the bank, slowed down and stopped, but he didn't give himself room to turn, so clattered an oar against me as he past, he did apologise, I couldn't cross to the other side as more rowing boats were over there.

 Anyway I carried on past beccles,  and moored up at Worlingham.

[grendel]

Of course since dave had left a new gas bottle, ithe old one waited until half way through  cooking  breakfast  to run  out, then took a while to change over as a new regulator was required. I woke to rain, and its been pretty much off and on all morning so far,  I looked at the weather forecast to see the best time to head back to base and saw it would start raining around 9am, hmm. I'll  make a move once I have finished breakfast then.

[grendel]

Well I beat the rain back to Water Rails home mooring, now I need to pack up and do those last minute tasks before loading the car, I would normally have done these on my overnight mooring, then just loaded the car and departed, but I am in no rush now

[grendel]

traffic around Beccles was slow, due to everyone leaving the latitude festival, but I got home in 4 hours so not too bad. I downloaded the camera only to find i had only taken a handful of pictures