2008

BACK TO CALENDAR 2008
 
 
 3.9  5 to 11 Oct 2008
 
Last fiddled with 03 January 2009 and should be on axmw44.

 

To the Map on the Contents Page Just click on the words.
 
5 Oct 2008               Sunday
6 Oct 2008              Monday                    In Decize
                 
At Easter when I re-activated Albert after winter lay-up, the boat was utterly full of diesel (gas-oil), boat tank and 4  jerrycans all brimful to the top.
During the year bought 2 jerrycans at Leclerk's in Montceau les Mine on way to Fragnes.
Don't think I bought any other at all, but fuel consumption is so good, may have done!
Bought 6 jerrycans at Decize yesterday.   Decize Intermarchee - E1.254 per litre.
Hence to fill up boat after summer's use - 8 jerrycans, at 4.5 galls (20 litres) each, total 40 galls, or 160 litres.
       
Motored for more than 80 days, so it would appear consumption was half a gallon, or 2 to 3 litres per day.
Should be noted - got into a bit of a panic mid-season over perceived consumption (time when boat was overheating as well when the bits started falling out of the engine heat exchanger)  so held max revs to 1700 (as opposed to 1900/2000) Gear box is 3:1, so prop speed is a third of engine revs.  This really seems to make little difference to across the ground speed which appeared to be about 1 km in 10 mins, regardless of what I did with the throttle.
Written Later.     This has got to be a lot of nonsence - my feeling, and general feeling around the moorings is that there is no ways a 38 h.p. motor could drive 12 tons of boat for 5 to 6 hours a day, and use only 2 to3 litres (half a gallon in old money) per day.
 
Have searched my credit card and bank account, but cannot find an entry - very unlikely to have used cash, but must have bought in that very untidy period Jun/Jul/Aug when Albert had a sore prop shaft UJ, I had a sore knee, and I had to take both to UK for renewal.
 
7 Oct 2008                Tuesday                
pa100160_burgees coolerpg.jpg (194924 bytes)8 Oct 2008                Wednesday              
9 Oct 2008              Thursday                  l
10 Oct 2008               Friday                      
11 Oct 2008               Saturday     
 
Lovely weather - cruelly so, as I worked (quite hard) wondering what the hell I thought I was dong going home on the 14th, when the clocks didn't change for another 2 weeks.
 
For utter frustration try cleaning a kitchen, a shower, and a lavatory in the confines of a boat - really carefully - when there is complete day of brightpa100162_decize_basin.jpg (68409 bytes) sun yesterday, to-day, and probably to-morrow, and only occasional boats pass, knowing they have the system to themselves.
 
Having bought tickets and ordered taxi was on the point of throwing it all in the air and going off for another 2 weeks cruising - seriously - discussed taxi cancellation with Florent..
 
pa100163_decize_basin_and_lock.jpg (122809 bytes)Don't know why I didn't - but I didn't.   Order, counter-order, dis-order versus personal flexibility, I suppose.       

 

 

Pictures:-   
Pretty obvious what they are, all taken in  the Decize basin.   Top one, not even wind enough to straighten my nice new VNF courtesy flag.
Having difficulty in judging and correcting colours on my little computer - the more so as I am as artistic as a cow, and am thoroughly overcamera-ed.  (A small Olympus - lovely).