2008
BACK
TO CALENDAR 2008
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- 1.3 30 March to 12 April 2008
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- Last fiddled with 03 January 2009 and should be on base
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- 30 March Sunday
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- 31 March Monday
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- 1
April Tuesday
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- 2
April Wednesday
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In Montchanin, Canal du Centre
- 3
April Thursday
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- 4
April Friday
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April
Saturday
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- 6
April
Sunday
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April
Monday
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- 8
April
Tuesday
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- 9
April
Wednesday
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- 10 April
Thursday
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- Day to day log was not written up this period. Frankly, running up and down ladders onto the boat, cleaning
off, and generally haring around left me falling asleep over the computer in the
evenings.
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- An unexciting period doing those things that
boaters have to do to their boats every so often, and - except to those
whose hobby is just that - doing things to their boats, rather than using
them - are not interesting to others.
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- In Albert's case the underwater part of the
sides were thickly encrusted with weed growth, and I was concerned
that my old friend the propeller flutter or thrash was audible once again,
indicating(?) a problem with the final drive.
- Having arrived on Friday,
could not expect aed "interior
economy" - i.e. clean up and doss.
- Quite "rewarding". The
weather during the trip down had had not been conducive to keeping a clean
and tidy boat, and much profitable work was done.
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- Discussed plan of action on Monday
morning. Requirement - pull boat from water, exposing
sides and bottom. Problem - at some time in the past, an elderly
catamaran had been craned to exactly
straddle the winch. Winch
could still be used, but level space between cat's stern and top of ramp -
was limited.
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- However, come Tuesday/Wednesday cradle was run
back into the water,
- After much maneuvering, and failure to get boat nicely centred on it - water
much too murky to see exact underwater position in relation to boat - and a
failed haul out, work given up until to-morrow.
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- No problems to-day - up we went until bow button was hard up against
catamaran's stern. But the cradle was still well down the ramp so Albert was
at a crazy angle to the horizontal, bows away up in the air, and stern out over
the water at the bottom of the ramp. A fellow boater, who was off home to
Holland to-day, very kindly offered his boat's sleeping accommodation, and I took
this up enthusiastically - there was no question of sleeping - or even
living - on Albert in her position.
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- The promised pre-arranged high pressure washer
to remove the thick caked weed on the hull was not forthcoming,
but a selection of domestic cleaners was offered, and these and the one
I bought on spec at a ridiculous offer price in Decize, were all tried, but all
far too small, slow, and inefficient. A suggestion that possibly
hand scraping was the answer, but..........
- Eventually a
semi decent pressure washer was borrowed off the hotel boat, and one side of
Albert was cleaned off as far as the stern section that overhung the
water, and the other side completed the next day to the same
level. A pair of leaking waders were borrowed to facilitate the cleaning off
of the stern section. However, the slipperiness of the underwater
hardstanding contraindicated entry to the water to work there-from, still less
was the use of
electric tools appropriate, so something of an impasse developed. Eventually on
the Friday the catamaran was moved, and Albert pulled up properly.
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- Work went ahead well over the next
"few" fays - whole hull was by now washed clean of weed, and
followed this week with the painting of "Owetrol" - 2 coats -
straight onto the steel. (Owetrol is a French varnish/primer that is
painted straight onto steel whether rusty or not and protects from or cures the
problem). Had thought of using Hammerite, but noticed that, apart from the
cost, nowhere- either on their literature, tins, or their web site, is
there the slightest mention of the use of Hammerite on boats.
- Was offered a substitute for the unordered Intertuf, a bitumastic
tar. Far too thick to spread properly - especially in the current very cold weather, so
as advised, thinned it with white spirit, but was horrified
to find that a sludgy black porridge resulted - clearly the tar was incompatible
with my white spirit.
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- Once again, had to go away into a quiet corner, and re-think the object of
the entire exercise, i.e. to get boat hull cleaned off and protected within a
reasonably time scale, or was it to have
unproductive arguments with boat
yars - so get stuck
in and "made a plan". 
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- Set to, and labouriously force spread the tar over the steel to the best of my
ability. A combination of rolling, and poke brushing, were
used, which while it took
4 days (I think - got rather confused now as to where we were vis-a-vis time,
date, and even month - time just rolled forward), resulted in quite a reasonable job.
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- The engine/gear box drive plate was
replaced without drama on the Saturday, to my intense pleasure. In
fact, the old one would possibly have lasted another couple of years, but if one
stands over an engine for 5 or 6 hours on the stretch one's imagination
concerning "noises" works overtime, and it is really quite difficult to get this sort
of thing done in France, so feel more comfortable with it being done.
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- Was very lucky sometime during this period with
a spell in the weather which ignored the regular forecasts promising
continuous rain. Temperatures were low -
it froze most nights - but by midmorning sun was out, and no rain fell during the
day, although the forecasts were dreadful.
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- On the second Wednesday, and with a mild rise in temperature, the heavens
opened. However, painting had been finished the previous
evening, and a vain attempt was made to replace fenders in the pouring
rain, before retreating into the shelter and warmth of the boat.
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On the Thursday, time was spent on general
tidying up and preparing for re-launch to-morrow, and vain attempts to clean
hands - particularly finger nails. Ever eaten a h orange
prepared by pair of hands, recently scrubbed, but none-the-less black with
ingrained tar?-
- 1 April 2008 Friday.
Montchanin
Canal du Centre
- Down the ramp on a cold damp
windy afternoon. Boat, thankfully, back into the water, and behaving normally.
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- What a joy - a boat on dry land is a strange
object - neither fish, fowl, or red herring. Moving around on or
inside it feels dead - no movement what-so-ever, and although one carries on
living as normal - i.e. cooking, eating, showering, sleeping - it all feels
alien - the "what am I doing here", and where am I, anyway,
syndrome (one does, of course, make "other arrangements" for
loo drill).
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- Thankfully, this time there had been no pressure
to vacate the "facilites" and get the boat back into the
water, so the bitumastic had time to
harden and cure, the waiting time being usefully filled with painting gloss
black on the gun'ells, and sorting fenders.
- During the 2 weeks we probably only actually had 4
consecutive clear days,
We often had slabs of ice - small and thin but there never-the-less, on the roof
and tarpaulin, and air temperature throughout the 2 weeks was very low, and frequent icy
showers, snow flurries, and when it was not raining, it was
threatening......
but the job was done, and what a joy to be afloat.
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- Work achieved was pressure washing and cleaning off all the hull
sides below the gun'els, painting with 2 coats Owatrol, and 2 coats
bitumastic black, replacement of the drive plate,
and tidying up of the lines of fenders on the bow corners.
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- Once on the water, watered up and prepared for departure to-morrow - i.e.
shopped and rang lock-keepers with intentions. The custom on the
Centre is for boaters to have the tel nos of the Point Controls, who in turn
pass on to the L.K.s our intentions, and, if necessary, to us the L.K.'s
intentions. Thus everyone is in touch, and everyone know what each
party is doing - highly satisfactory. Combined with a nice
atmosphere - what more can one want - even though both the boater and the
L.K. are near perishing of frost bite.
- 12 April 2008
Saturday,
Montchanin to Montceau,
Canal du Centre
- Off and away in cold wind - but dry - at
0930, heading "up" canal, target being Genelard.
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- A quick look at the map after starting scotched
that idea very quickly - 32 kms plus attendant locks is way outside Albert's
and my capabilities these days. So comfortably down to Brazy
with the same L.K. as we came up with. Pleasant relaxed trip, with
Albert going well - clean hull does make an enormous difference.
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- Stopped at le Clerk's large supermarche, between Blazy and Montchanin - usual form,
tie up to the crash barriers that stop car parkers falling into the
canal, and trot over to the trolley racks. Every S.M. in France
I visited has the same system of locking the trolleys in rows, with 1 Euro
coin or equivalent jeton release. Have not seen one abondoned or
miss parked trolley in 9 years here!
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- Regrettably, there seems to be conflict at this particular spot - le
Clerks keep their car park and environs immaculate by sweeping all detritous under the
crash barriers onto the canal bank, which is absolutely filthy.
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- However...................!
It is an extremely handy mooring.
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- Had lunch before shopping, and cycled round the area looking
for a hardware and computer shop. Then massive shop in le Clerks.
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- Got away and into Montceau Basin at tea time, to find
Capitainery manned, ready and apparently happy to give any help required
(took
E4.00 off me for mooring, electricity, etc. Very
reasonable). Congratulated them on keeping the Tee ends of the
pontoons free for longer boats. Last twice at Montceau
have had to tie up at dreadful angle from a short pontoon across to the
stone banks of the basin, while the long moorings were ocupied by one
small boat each using a quarter of the pontoons length.
Capitainery were fully sympathetic, and said that was now a policy - hope so.
Up to computer shop in town for 4 way
hub and usb cable left in UK, then supper and bed well pleased to be away as
rain started again.
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- Pictures: Top Left -
"searching for the cradle
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Top Right - "on the ramp"
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Middle left - washed off and Owetrolled
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Middle right - in the yard - look carefully for Albert behind the 2 scrap
boats. Yes, it is my washing!
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Bottom left - Awaiting re-launch.
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Bottom Right - Montceau Town
Moorings.
straddle the winch. Winch
could still be used, but level space between cat's stern and top of ramp -
was limited.
unproductive arguments with boat
yars - so get stuck
in and "made a plan". 
On the Thursday, time was spent on general
tidying up and preparing for re-launch to-morrow, and vain attempts to clean
hands - particularly finger nails. Ever eaten a h orange
prepared by pair of hands, recently scrubbed, but none-the-less black with
ingrained tar?
E4.00 off me for mooring, electricity, etc. Very
reasonable). Congratulated them on keeping the Tee ends of the
pontoons free for longer boats. Last twice at Montceau
have had to tie up at dreadful angle from a short pontoon across to the
stone banks of the basin, while the long moorings were ocupied by one
small boat each using a quarter of the pontoons length.
Capitainery were fully sympathetic, and said that was now a policy - hope so.