Penarthing again, just briefly

Just in case he had caught anything like covid on his travels (other viruses are still available too it seems) , the captain left Eastbourne by train (they were running again that day) and then bus to Hythe. Pausing at the front door only long enough to collect some car keys, he headed off alone to Penarth. The plan was to stay there until any possible incubation period had passed and then return to Toddlerville.

What does a captain alone do? Well, some cleaning and tidying, some laundry, some cooking and some walks. Sooo exciting! He went big too - the first walk around the bay and into the city since our arrival. Normally this is a regular wander but thanks to the crew's bad back, we had been stuck in the area close to the boat.

What did he find? Well, the wooden walkway at Mermaid Quay which is the big Cardiff Bay tourist attraction area was still out of use. All the boards were ripped up early last year and nothing more had been done. Impressive move Cardiff city council, a real eyesore in a popular tourist area for the entire summer. Just up from Mermaid Quay, this rather dead little guy was laying on the pavement:

next to this mess outside a building that was awaiting renovation:

and you can see how close the mess is to the Millennium centre (copper coloured building), the centrepiece of the Mermaid Quay area:

Truly impressive Cardiff council. Walking around the city centre was good though and things started to feel more normal, hoping that the crew will be fit to do this kind of thing soon too.

Once the captain was pretty sure that he was nasty virus free, he returned to Toddlerville when both of us enjoyed (??) a hygienist visit and getting our covid booster and flu jabs.

Maintenance news:

One of the engine room extractor fans was removed a while ago and mentioned in an earlier post. The rather nice Chris, a stainless steel fabricator, was asked to make up a new mounting bracket for a replacement. Well, he did, so it meant that the captain had to fit it. Easily typed but a pig to do. The fan lives in a little locker high up in the engine room. You have to sit on a "shelf" outside the locker then persuade your head and shoulders to go inside, the doors are only just wide enough. Then with nicely constrained movements thanks to the small space inside, you hold up the heavy bracket to the ceiling and screw it in place. Oh, all the time your back is over a tall lip that the doors close onto as well. So comfortable.

Yes, it was a wonderful job. Once in, connecting up the already extended 240v power feed was the easy bit. At least it is done now and working, here is the view upwards showing the new fan in position:

One of the winter jobs ticked off the list. Just one.