December Diatribe
Posted at 1:44 PM, Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Absolutely ziltch sailing this month - but would feel bad not to put something on the blog.
The only boat related activity was moving her barely 500 metres to the fuel pontoon to fill the tanks so she can stand safely idle for the winter.
We'd decided to leave her in the water until the spring on the off chance we'll get one of those surprise weekend days of winter sunshine, and with relative new killer antifoul compliments of Antigua Slipways, and an expoxy hull we're happy to do this.
With a bar heater and de-humidifyer plugged into the 220v supply - she keeps all snuggled and dry below so no real worries about engines freezing or damp. Hope not anyway, as not sure our past Turkish or Caribbean engineers would even think of refilling the cooling system with antifreeze!
It was sub zero with a thick frost covering both pontoon early hours last Sunday as I slipped along shuffling like an old fella down the very icy jetties to take her over solo for refuelling.
Zero wind have left the river water like glass - making it one of those single handed pleasures sailors don't often get a chance to enjoy. There was onne other training yacht out with everyonee rugged up with off shore oilies and lifejackets - but they were all on parking practice and mouthed their hellos with clouds of frozen breath and lots of gllove smacking to keep the hands warm.
The air clarity - the cold - the white frosted covering on the boats and marina all around - made it somewhat pretty and special. Our marina is at the mouth of the river below Lymington, and betwen us and the western side of the Solent, stretch the local marshes.
The adjactent salterns which stretch out westward from Lymington are currently filling with geese and wild fowl who use the protected wetlands as a winter staging post. So it was with mobs of these cartwheeling around, formation landing and taking off as if under instruction by bomber command, all honking away in a looney way that I puttered over on Swagman to fill her tank.
These salt pans were actually scooped out way back for King William 'the Bastard' (who must have been REALLY pleased when they changed it to 'the Conqueror' tag after invading and beating Britain in 1066) - as in those days salting was the only way to preserve food stuff. Despite the weak pommy sun they used to fill one water area with seawater, allow it to partially evaporate, before pumping it with little windmills into a second water space. And onward from there to another. Ecetera. Eventually it reached a shallow water area alongside a charcoal fired salt mill, where when the water had achieved the right density (they say measured when a lead weighted wooden ball floated), they flooded the strong saline solution into a metal tray - and boiled away the remaining water to leave salt crystals.
This salt was shovelled into skinny barges that were towed by people and horses down slim canales cut twix the salt pans - back to Lymington Quay, where they were loaded onto small barges that were sailed the 10 miles to Southampton. There transhipped onto bigger boats, they departed for London town and the meat and fish stores set aside for the KIng and his palaces..........
These salterns are still called 'The Kings Salterns' as they were in its heyday, when they produced as much as 8 tons of salt each summer.
Nice bit of history right on the doorstep, eh?
Anyway, last Sunday at 0900 in the morning, the winter, the stillness, the scenery and the wildlife, all combined to make me really appreciate how lucky we still are to be able to enjoy such an insignificant boating task in such a location.
The task by the way, had to be completed before winter sets in proper - its preventative maintenance really.
For those who do not know, it is quite possible for a bacterial growth to occur in the barrier layer twix any water and air and diesel fuel. Remember, I know we all think of diesel as a mineral but in fact it is a biological product. If this bacteria starts growing in diesel fuel, it can quickly fluff out to fill all the avaialbe air space, and as a gelatinous mass, begins to clog filters and even injectors. Absolute ****** to get out of the tanks and the fuel lines.
It's one very good reason to keep water out of your tanks - and the best way to do that is fill them with fuel. Any airspace in a cold metal fuel tank will see condensation form on the inside top surface, and therefore water will drip into the fuel.
It's why I needed to take the short trip - and what has given me so much pleasure I need to pass it on. Sad ****** really.
Anyway, enough of this rubbish.
We're off this Friday for a weeend party in southern Spain then four days of sliding around some Sierra Nevada hillsides - as opposed to down our local pontoons. But we will in this case be properly booted, suited and ski equipped. Then it's back to the UK for Xmas proper.
So - here's wishing you all a very very Merry Festive Season - and the very best that the New Year can offer. Will update you again only once the New Years arrived.
You all take care
JOHN
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