Time Flies When There’s Boat Jobs To Do

Wow, where has the last week gone? Time seems to evaporate when you're battling the endless, perplexing, and often hilarious demands of a boat. We’re fast learning that one boat job, no matter how big or small, will inevitably lead to at least two more, each more baffling than the last. It's a universal law of maritime maintenance.

Tracey had naively thought that when she returned from her shopping trip last week to a boat riddled with fresh drill holes, that was it—job done. How wrong she was! That was merely the opening act. The next stage was to completely gut one of the back cabins to enable wires to be run, because, you know, wires don't just appear where you want them. However, before the great cabin purge could begin, a detour to the heads (nautical for toilet/shower room) was required. While running the first set of wires, Nick noticed the bilge pump and fresh water filters needed cleaning. A quick and easy detour, or so we thought. With those jobs done, he got back to the wiring... then came the heads themselves. Just one cupboard to empty, holding a couple of boxes of cleaning products. No biggie. And then... then came the main event.

The Great Boat Dismantling of 2025

The emptying of the cabin was epic. We mean, everything came out. The bikes had their second outing of the trip, making it as far as the saloon seats. The paddleboard and dive kit made a first-time appearance, while spare quilts, clothes, extra packing cubes, and a whole heap of other stuff all migrated into our living space. The table disappeared under a mountain of gear, every chair was occupied, and we could just about shuffle from one end of the boat to the other. Thin bits of "mousing string" (for pulling wires, in case you were wondering) became a tangled web of chaos as Nick tried to push and pull them through impossibly tight spaces. We emptied the lazarette and a deck locker, chasing these wires, old and new, like nautical detectives on a mission.

We finally hit a wall (or, you know, a very small hole). The wire, with its connector already fitted, was too fat to fit. After much deliberation and an urgent consultation with our electrical-guru friend, Nick performed a major surgery, cutting the connector off to feed the wire through. Success! Or so we thought.

When we turned the new chartplotter on to test it, the wind reading was missing. And do you think we could find the wire for the wind vane? Of course not! This now meant emptying our entire bedroom to locate a spare reel of wire that Nick was convinced was under the bed. At this point, Tracey was ready to cry, but there was no other solution. So out came everything from that room, and the wire was swiftly found, as was—yes, you guessed it—another problem. Behind the anchor locker, where a storage compartment should have been, was water. A lot of water. The taste test confirmed it was, in fact, salty. We concluded that during our rougher passages, the bow had been under the waves, possibly causing a small leak. It was now Nick’s turn to feel exasperated. We needed to pump out the water before we could even think about putting our bedroom back together. That night, we ate on deck, because down below was a no-go zone.

A Bravery Test and a Visit from Above

The next part of the install was the old radar dome, which needed to be replaced with the new one. This required Tracey to be hoisted up the mast. Being terrified of heights, this was not something she was particularly looking forward to, but all attempts to find an available rigger had failed. It was just us. Nick prepared the bosun's chair, and Tracey, trembling, bravely stepped in. A rigger working nearby saw what was happening and, while he couldn't help, gave a quick nod of approval after casting his eye over the lines. Tracey had every faith in Nick—she’d been up the mast once before—and soon her feet left the safety of the deck. One of our kind boat neighbors even stood by, just in case Nick needed a hand.

Once Tracey reached the dome, Nick sent up a bucket with a ratchet and socket. These screws had been holding the dome in place for about 24 years, so they were not going to budge easily. Tracey tried and tried, but the screws remained stubbornly in place. After multiple attempts, we had to admit defeat. This was a job that would have to wait until September. Or so we thought.

That evening, Olly, Nick's son, called with a perfectly timed question: could he come visit for the weekend? The next day was spent making the boat look less like a bomb had gone off. Olly arrived late Thursday night and on Friday, he went up the mast for the first time this week. After spraying the rusted screws with WD40, he managed to loosen them and remove the old radar dome, (Tracey insisted that she must have helped by loosening them a little already). But of course, things couldn't be simple. The old radar wire was stuck. No matter what they did, it wouldn’t budge. In the end, they had to cut the wire, something Nick had been advised not to do. Then came the real disaster: all the wires seemed stuck together! They wouldn't move up or down the mast, which meant no way to get the new wire in. After three grueling hours of trying every idea they could think of, they admitted defeat. Olly’s legs were sore from the tiny bosun’s chair, and a good night’s sleep was definitely in order!

A Dream, a Victory, and a Broken Tap

The next day, a breakthrough arrived in the form of a dream. Nick had a vision: by tying some nuts onto a thin string and dropping them through the mast, they could find a new route. With fresh vigor, Olly was hoisted up again, and it worked! The new wires were installed, the new dome was in place, and apart from Nick drilling yet another hole in the mast step (Tracey wisely walked away at this point), the project was completed by mid-afternoon. We now have a new radar system with new, larger screen chartplotters! Woohoo!

But wait, there’s more! While all this was happening, Nick was doing some washing up and managed to break the kitchen tap. Apparently, it had been held together by glue and a zip tie for years. Our temporary, industrial-chic solution? A pair of mole grips, which now serve as our tap's aesthetic-defying but fully functional replacement. Another job for another day!

After all that, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Lucy's, the small portacabin café at the marina. The mussels here are divine, and Nick was itching to try the Cullen Skink. The cafe has a "bring your own booze" policy, and as it had been a wonderfully warm day, we opted to sit outside and enjoy the evening sun, some good food, and a well-deserved glass of wine or three. It was a perfect end to an extremely challenging week.

Tomorrow, we leave Craobh for about a month as we make our way to Ardrossan to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the RNSA (Royal Navy Sailing Association). Unfortunately, we can't take the shortcut through the Crinan Canal as hoped, as there's not enough water for our boat's depth, so we have to take the long way around. Passage planning is underway, but by Wednesday, we should be in Ardrossan. We're both looking forward to being back on the water after almost a month, and the best part? The weather is forecast to be hot and sunny!Meer informatie