In lockdown so might as well do some "boat stuff"

With the UK on official Coronavirus lockdown, we were allowed to go to the shops for food or medicine and for one "exercise activity" each day. The marina was forced to close, the showers and other facilities locked. Not a huge issue for us, the "facilities" on board are just fine thank you.

We can make hot water thanks to either the immersion heater (big electricity bill at marina rates!) or using our little Webasto water heater:

which runs a couple of fans in the heads to warm those up and has a loop through the calorifier for hot water thanks to the new twin coil hot water tank that was installed last winter. Boy, are we glad we did that! The unit has been busy most days and sips diesel anyway.

A few bits of routine work were completed too - oil and filter change for the wing engine and replacement of the drinking water filter cartridge. That could not be straight forward either this year. After emptying the huge cupboard that it is hidden in and removing the shelf to get decent access we saw that the unit had come away for the mounting and was just sitting on the pipework underneath. Removing the old cartridge prompted the flexible outlet pipe to weep for some reason so that had to come off, have a PTFE tape treat and then be refitted. Still, we have a fresh filter and nice sparkly clean water again:

Was there any fun as well during lockdown time? We had the fun of walking the two fluffy white dogs (Pip and Poppy) most days too during our allowed exercise time. They seemed unaware of the social separation thing as they still rushed up to most folks wanting cuddles and attention.

What else? The mad captain ordered some new polishing / cutting pads for our Rupes polisher so that once the weather improves / warms up, we can polish the seriously neglected topsides. The mad crew cleaned out the galley cupboards and a decision was taken on #waterpumpgate.

If you read our earlier info you will know that our nice Marco pump had a failed seal and it had drowned the motor assembly. So, we were using the other fresh water pump - an elderly Jabsco instead. We managed to source a new replacement and the captain had fitted it:

only it refused to prime.... that was such good news. Having worked out how the two pumps and the associated pipework and changeover valves could be relocated a couple of feet downwards to reduce the head of water, it was put into the "too hard when all the places that sell plumbing fittings of this size are shut" category. Instead we got yet another new pump, this time another Jabsco unit, the new version of the old one that was still being used. This handles the head of water better than the nice gear driven Marco pump. Idea being to fit it in the same spot and use it. Then, when places re-open and we have the time and inclination, we will relocate the pumps lower down, using the new Jabsco and new Marco and retiring the old tired one that was providing water for us at present.

Pump was ordered, managed to arrive in three days (wow - Marinescene in Bridgend are really good folks!) and then the fitting fun was upon us. Of course, the new pump has a different mounting plate that was bigger than the pad we had fitted onto the bulkhead. It also had different spacing of the inlet and outlet ports. Still, after a fair bit of surgery we now have this:

as the main pump. The Marco is back in its little Italian box until we go mad and relocate everything and our elderly Jabsco pump gets a rest again. See, lockdown can be so much fun!