Cleaning, warming up and preparing for the season ahead

Once back, we had the fun of cleaning off what seemed like a ton of bird droppings. With the bimini cover removed for the winter, the naked spreader bars had been too tempting as perches for the local seagull population with all the obvious results. Lovely job.

As the poor boat hadn't had a run for a while, we took her for a "burn" around the bay to give the main and wing engines a workout and to prove that the oil cooler swap was really OK (no leaking fittings etc). The AIS trail that we left shows how repetitive that can be in the confines of Cardiff Bay:

If anyone was stalking us, then you might have felt a little dizzy.

To try and keep a little active, plenty of walking has taken place, in fact a Fitbit steps challenge is underway between the crew and Irene (Archie's mum). This means that the local canines are getting well walked, sometimes when the weather was a little inclement too:

Pip looked quite cute with his brown mud boots on we thought. Lorna, his owner, might have had other ideas of course.


Maintenance stuff:

Of course, there is some. Oil and filter for the main engine, fuel filters for the main and wing engine and a new transfer fuel filter too. Nothing quite like an afternoon having a bath in diesel to cheer you up! Actually, that is not fair, Changing them isn't too grubby a job really. It does leave you with a fair amount of waste oil (20 litres from the main engine alone) and a few filters to dispose of though:

Ziplock bags are just the greatest invention.....

What else to report? Well, the voltage meter that was playing up was treated to a new 1000 microfarad capacitor (see earlier pictures) with the captain having to remember how to play around with solder wick etc to remove the old failing one. Having soldered a new one in place, the refitted meter showed a constant reading. The fluctuating display problem had gone. However, it was still showing a voltage that was too low. Some more excellent information from the Nordhavn owners' group members and the captain adjusted a couple of potentiometers in the meter so the display voltage corresponded to the input voltage properly. The meter would not zero though - no input shows as +4v but we can live with that.

Of course, this tweak revealed that the other 240v meters were also under-reading a bit:

The top one showing 236v is the newly refurbished and adjusted one. The rest are reading a little bit low. One wet afternoon, we might build up enough enthusiasm to adjust all the others to fit with the voltage they are being fed. It seems that as these AC voltage meters age, they begin to under-read. The 24v DC system meters are still spot on though. Good thing as they are used to check battery voltages and to give an idea of the state of charge too.

What else is on the agenda? Well, the wing and genset need a coolant change.....

That Lanzagrotty time of year

You know how people can become creatures of habit? Well, we must be. When the chills and fog of winter descend, we feel the urge to head for a couple of weeks in the sun and the well known and loved areas of Lanzarote seem to have a magnetic attraction.

This year, things were a little different, Not the weather, scenery or the lovely coastal walks luckily:

The volcano (Timanfaya) was as spectacular as always and the coach driver who slowly winds you around the narrow track in the lava field was equally skillful:

We still love the dramatic coastline at El Golfo only this time there was no Morgan Aero 8 parked outside the restaurant. Pity, but the pictures from a coastline walk there are still worth sharing we think:

One unfortunate thing was that when we visited Arrecife, the capital, our liner curse was in operation. This time Ventura disgorged hordes of sweatshirt and baseball cap toting folks to fill up the pavements, cafes and generally give tourists a bad name:

Some of the liner's inmates were into taking pictures of their teddy bear in as many locations as possible:

Then they took another three pictures. Patrick, be happy that you are not subjected to such indignities. (Mainly because you are just too heavy to carry around of course). We did manage one picture of the waterfront area that wasn't completely full of liner folks so here it is:

Overwintering in Marina Rubicon? More than a little tempting but we have to visit the northern climes first.

So, we hear you ask, what was different this year? Well, for part of the holiday John and Irene (better known as the owners of Archie the cutest Lakeland terrier on the planet) were also around. Whilst visiting Cesar Manrique's house, the crew and Irene seemed to be in good spirits: 

Spirits? Well, actually Irene seemed more at home with sangria sitting in one of the smart marinas:

For the lady readers who are feeling cheated, we can assure you that John was in a similar mood:

We also discovered a cafe in Marina Rubicon that offered the best apple cake ever and at a great price when combined with a coffee:

It was kind of a reward for walking the 3 and a bit miles from the hotel to the marina.

Perhaps the sun and sangria were getting to the crew a little though. Another kiddies swing moment like in Bangor, only this time significantly warmer and higher: 

Still, the picture sums up the general mood of folks getting some Lanzagrotty winter sun. Of course, we then had to return to a grubby boat and the cleaning fun that involves.