The Unfinished Chore List

Grimsby: The Unfinished Chore List and the Wisdom of the Humber Cruising Association!

Our time in Grimsby has been a whirlwind of boat jobs – tasks long overdue and, typically for us, still not quite complete!

Wednesday saw the start of the polishing saga. Oh, what a mind-numbingly boring chore, yet the gleaming end result is always incredibly satisfying. Tracey channelled her inner Karate Kid, muttering "Wax on, wax off!" as she tackled the process:

Applying a medium cutting compound (our trusty T-Cut).
Allowing it to dry, then buffing it off.
Applying Starbrite Marine Polish.
Letting it dry, then buffing it off.
Applying wax.
And finally, more buffing!

We didn't conquer the entire cockpit, but we made a solid start and are keen to finish the rest whenever we next find ourselves with a spare moment (probably somewhere in Scotland!).

Thursday brought a new challenge: replacing one of the leather wheel covers. Yes, just one – the other still awaits its turn. This five-hour endeavour was diligently videoed for future reference (and perhaps amusement!). We'd bought the kit last year, but sheer nerves about messing it up, coupled with a healthy dose of forgetfulness, meant it had languished in a locker. We're genuinely chuffed with the result, so the second one will get done when we can. With a few extra days at our next stop due to the weather, maybe we can tick that off the list then. As you can probably tell, we're not exactly the most motivated couple when it comes to boat chores!

Friday presented a slight problem. The headlining on Nick's side of the boat had decided to stage a dramatic collapse, peeling away from the hull. Nick set about the tedious task of scraping away all the old, crumbly foam backing and meticulously cleaning the vinyl cover. While we'll eventually replace the entire vinyl, a temporary fix was needed. Once cleaned, Nick liberally sprayed both the hull and the back of the vinyl with spray adhesive, coaxing the covering back onto the wall. The only minor snag? With the foam now completely gone, a sliver of light now pierces through from the hull. It's a rather stark, if not a little scary, reminder of just how thin the barrier protecting us from the elements actually is! Let's not dwell on that too much.

Grimsby's Hidden Gems and Local Wisdom
Friday afternoon saw us move Halcyon Sea to the fuel pontoon for a final fill-up. Our next destination was Scarborough, another long journey looming on the horizon. The berthing master, bless him, gave us permission to stay on the fuel pontoon for the evening, making our Saturday morning departure incredibly straightforward. After dinner onboard, we ventured up to the clubhouse for a well-deserved drink. Nick, ever the conversationalist, asked if we could join a group already seated. We are so glad we did!

It transpired that Roger, a sprightly 89-year-old, was one of the founding members of the Humber Cruising Association. It was absolutely fascinating to hear him recount the history of the association, how this very marina came into being, its current operations, and even their unique pricing structure. Like many sailing clubs, they openly admitted their struggle to attract younger members – a common thread we've observed on our journey. But as the evening wore on, filled with shared stories and hearty laughter, our initial reservations about Grimsby began to soften.

We asked them about their typical sailing grounds, as we couldn't quite fathom where local trips would take them. They mainly stick to sailing to Hull or up to the end of Spurn Head point, where they can anchor or beach, depending on their boat type. Intriguingly, they also make regular passages across to Belgium or Holland, with Oostende being a mere 16-hour journey – less than our longest passage to date! One of the members kindly guided us through the best departure routes on the large charts adorning the clubhouse walls. It was incredibly reassuring to have our carefully planned route affirmed by local experts.

We returned to the boat, content and ready for our 8 am departure. It was most definitely time to move on. After hearing about the local area directly from the locals, we couldn't help but feel that we might have missed so much. Perhaps we need to be more open-minded, to truly not judge a book by its cover. Too late now, though – maybe another time!Read more