Getting better and going backwards (sort of)

Two days were spent with lots of back exercises, cold packs etc etc to get the captain fit for the planned trip to Troon. Idea was to leave the boat there, then train to Glasgow and fly down south for the Admiral's funeral. Whilst there, we would also visit Norfolk to sort out some of the must do things in the bungalow.

Of course, just as the captain's back got happier, so the weather got worse:

A force 5/6 from the S or SW (ie pretty much on the nose for most of the journey) isn't a big issue for the boat, just a bit bouncy. However, the old adage "the ship can handle more than the crew" was very relevant in this case. 12 hours nodding into the waves with a bad back were not appealing Not at all appealing. In fact, pretty silly really, So, after checking the forecasts carefully on Tuesday, plan B was hatched.

Plan B involved, guess what - our friendly folks in Kilmelford again. The plan being to take the boat back there where we know they will check the shorepower supply is OK for us whilst we are away. Kind of important as the fridge and freezer need to keep running. If we lost shorepower, then the batteries would keep the 240v supply going OK for a few days but we could come back to a boat with very depleted AGM batteries (not at all good for their longevity) and lots of defrosted food smells.

For the tekkies, have a look at http://www.nordhavn.com/resources/tech/battery_death.php for AGM battery info (a few people have asked about how we survive when not plugged in to shorepower). The art of battery management is interesting when afloat and using an inverter to produce 240v power. Cannot run the genset all the time as it would be working with almost no load which wrecks the diesel engine inside it. Cannot let the batteries drain too much either as that reduces their lifespan dramatically. Oh, the pressure... We monitor it via the battery voltage and use the genset as needed for top ups. The good thing about AGM batteries is that they will charge at over 100 amps. That would fry your normal car battery but really speeds up the recharge process on the boat!

We have a ton of these on board (10 for domestic use, then 4 more for starting the main, wing and generator engines), luckily all new in 2009 when we bought the boat. Replacing them isn't something we or our bank manager look forward to....

For normal people again The trip now looks like our last excursion except using the train to get to Glasgow instead of the coach. More expensive, slower(!!) but allows the fast repairing captain to get up and walk around from time to time to help his back, just in case.

So, a gentle trundle back up Loch Melfort and onto the same little berth inside the pontoon amused us on Wednesday afternoon. Even more amusing was arriving just before the rain started. Probably the Admiral's doing - thanks for that John! Get the cloudbase: