Alone in Penarth (bar Bronwen of course)

Well, the Dunkirk little ship Mimosa left Penarth on Wednesday morning (early to catch the tide) but returned later on as it was too rough out there for the three dogs on board. That comment does not refer to Bernie, Jen and Paul of course. The three four legged crew were not happy so they had to turn back.

However, they locked out of the barrage on Saturday with barely a breath of wind. We did manage to get up early to take a few photos so you could admire the beautiful 1935 boat:

You can also admire Bernie, although he is not a 1935 model of course:

They arrived safely in Padstow and the dogs were happy too.....

We spent the weekend doing "stuff". The egg whisk little outboard had a run and was then winterised as we are most unlikely to use it to go ashore now! The RIB had a good clean up and a burn around the bay too (remember, all work and no play makes etc etc). Finally there was some polishing (as always) to fix the deprivations of the Caledonian Canal locks, a catch up with Carl and Julie, the same with Steve and many many cuddles for Bronwen the spaniel.

What next? Well, we had a huge trip today - moved berths in the marina. If the nice weather continues we might trundle over to Portishead Marina and check it out. Penarth is pretty full, hope Portishead has some space for us.

Maintenance news:

The little Tohatsu outboard was, as always, as good as gold. It starts, stops and takes minimal maintenance. We LOVE two-strokes.... The Yamaha 20HP on the RIB was fine but the pump for the power trim and tilt has some corrosion on the casing. Looks like you cannot easily remove it to clean it up and repaint it as the motor assembly is inside. Poor design as the case is thin mild steel, with hard edges that will never hold a paint film properly. This is regularly dipped in salt water.....  Might have to pop into the local dealer and ask for their advice.