Waiting for Batteries

As promised the local chandlery, Freedom Boats next to the former Hovis mill, rang just after 9 to say that they had managed to order four batteries and that they should be delivered by 2. They would fit them as soon as they arrived.

Our overnight mooring was not the best! First, because of long standing issues with neighbours, signs ask moorers not to run their engines whilst here. Secondly, the actual VM has been allowed to deteriorate and we were unable to get close enough to the bank to be able to step, or even jump between boat and bank. The gang plank had to be deployed. No wonder several other boats that stopped here yesterday left before nightfall! We did our best last night to conserve the batteries and, somewhat to our surprise, we did awake with hot water and the voltage surprisingly good. But with no new charging, the voltage dropped quite quicky and later in the day the Mastervolt system displayed an alarm.

We took the opportunity of an enforced stopover to fit in a good clean through. Mike also checked the prop - almost nothing around it so our suspicion that the slowness on the final stretch yesterday was down to a lack of water depth.

There is a milestone almost next to our overnight mooring - the side on view is legible if somewhat eroded, the other side is much worse.

After lunch Christine made a short trip to the nearby local shops and was pleased to find that the Co-Op was very well stocked - including oatcakes, a delicacy of the region.

No news so at 3 o'clock, we contacted the chandlery and was informed that they had just arrived but that Kev was now involved in moving boats around the pontoons. Call back in, say, half an hour! By now a space on the pontoons had become vacant and we reversed back to it so that we could run our engine to charge the batteries, in case we were here another night. Just as well . . .

Kev had finished his boat moving when we rang again at four. By now, both he and we felt that it was wiser to leave the battery fitting until the morning - see you at 10! At least on this occasion we are not under any pressure to make best progress and the setting (apart from the Visitor Mooring) is good.