IS SPRING SPRUNG

I have spent the past six weeks trying to get my boat ready for BSS having engaged Mike Ellis to do a pre-inspection at New Year. He advised the only issues were to fit a gas bubbler and make a proper tray for the starter battery.  Both jobs were done in Grand Union Boatyard at Gayton Junction for the grand sum of £483.

Since then, I have been budgeting seriously which has meant some changes in my activities and erm lifestyle choices, one of which is that I am spending less time on the boat.  It can be downright boring lying there in the dark waiting for dawn. 

I am very pleased with the Hampshire heater which has kept the cabin at 15C and higher on demand and I sleep very well on board, waking to recharge the fire.  And discovering HomeFire as a source of boat-side charcoal is a great relief.  This particular is expanding into mid March and I have had a second delivery this time to Weedon

I am also eating very well with the revised diet working now for almost twelve months and weight static at 82.5kg winter weight, but I have a target of 80kg once the weather gets warm.

One concern has been line voltage on board.  I sussed that two of the VARTAs were flat and the other two very weak. Lack of solar power was a major factor, this having been a winter of grey skies.  Now, with days getting longer, dawn earlier and the boat in a good place, the weak batteries are just holding their own.  Unless line voltage is over 10.0v, phones will not charge and this is difficult to achieve at the solstice but each visit now sees a small sees an improvement and more sun is available for the solars.

I have managed to make weekly visits and with the boat at Weedon I even managed one day trip.  If staying on board it is most economical to stay a minimum of two or three days.  It takes the Hampshire at least six hours to have any effect at all on a cold cabin and at least twelve before the fabric starts to retain heat.  Once into the third day though all is well. Of course being on board nibbles into the charcoal and now I am down to the last of the five bags I got at Bridge 13 in early December. 

Onboard line voltage makes for an interesting study when the 'problem' of charging mobiles and laptops is introduced.  I have various Samsung Android devices including J3, via A40, to A04e and find different reactions to available line voltage.  J3s are voltage sensitive and heavy users.  A40s will charge if the supply is above 9.7 and although it suspends below that it restarts when the voltage improves.  It has been tested overnight and was fully charged in the morning.  A40 also appears to use very little current.  The A04e is demanding. It needs voltage over 10.5v work at all.   Another factor in marginal conditions is the type of cable used.

Cheap and cheerful cables which come as OEM with Samsung phones are of the absolute minimum standard capable of doing the job.  However phone shops in the sticks do not carry high quality gear due to the price.  I have always known that the only grade for electronic gear is military. But Joe Public does not understand how a meter of wire could vary in price from £3 to £13 .  I am currently trying to find cables of different quality and so far the key words seem to be braided and high speed ... WIP

An overnight visit to the boat on Wed25/Thu26 to empty out the bilges after a torrent showed line voltage at 11.5 and improving in sunlight to 11.9. Running the engine for a while showed a highest reading of 12.1v