Toddlers, flu, pottering

The flu season seemed to have passed us by but it caught the crew's mum big time. So, we spent a little time helping her parents (aka the toddlers) as nursemaid, cook etc until she recovered. That meant staying in Essex rather than afloat. Upon our return, a nice new DC voltage gauge was waiting for us thanks to Sandie from Nordhavn Europe and it was duly fitted.

Although the manufacturers still offer the same part number, it now comes with a different fixing (nasty plastic things) and a different face panel so we cannot add the diffuser sheet that is in all the other gauges. As you can see, that means the new one is brighter and clearer:

We think that we can live with that.....

As for pottering around, a trip to Cornwall staying with Norman and and Julie (who you have met here before) and their three hounds involved a trip to the Rick Stein seafood restaurant in Padstow. No, we have not come into a lot of money - this was a super deal, attending the annual charity lunch. £24 for three courses in such an excellent restaurant was pretty good we thought.

On the way back we visited Port Isaac, known to UK TV fans as the home of Doc Martin. Real addicts of the program will probably spot the house used as a surgery:

We enjoyed an excellent coffee and cake break in The Chapel Cafe. Very good indeed. Add it to your list of places to imbibe and listen to the locals chatting. Most enlightening. Suggest you avoid it in peak holiday season though, it must be chaos.

Back afloat it was time to do the pre-cruising season jobs that were still outstanding. The genset valve adjustment was due so the poor thing was rendered topless:

The little gauze filter that is supposed to sort out some of the blowby oil vapour got cleaned up too:

and refitted - you can see the screws holding the cover over the gauze in the centre area:

The air cleaner element also had a bath.

Of course, after all the effort in dismantling the thing, only one of the eight rockers needed any adjustment.... But you feel better to have checked them, so I am told. The main engine got a new air filter (dead easy job) and the engine room was tidied up ready for a run out to warm everything up. Except it rained and blew a gale so the warm up got a little delayed.

Instead we fitted a new sheet of plastic under the crane. The original that hides away the messy sheaves and cable setup was seriously sad, cracking and warped. The guys who cut the replacement were good but the new piece was just a little too narrow - couldn't put all the fitting screws back. Annoying but not critical.

Life isn't all maintenance of course. Walks into Cardiff, coffee stops, folks around for dinner etc etc keep us happily amused.