Toot toot!

Another trip to Halfords and Wickes this morning.  This time we needed paint masking tape. Jan then went to Elliot’s Retail Park whilst I rubbed down the small rust patches below the starboard side hatch doors.  After Jan returned I gave the new boat hook a 2nd coat of undercoat and then did some undercoat touching up in the cockpit.  There are a few chips in the original paint which need to be built up before the area gets sanded.  After that I used one of our cheap artists brushes (thanks Poundland) to apply a coat of primer to the small sanded bare metal spots below the side hatch.

The TV mast has been fully extended for the last six months and today I lowered it to half its height and replaced the coaxial table.  It hasn’t made any difference to the signal so the pixilation must be due to our current mooring.  But we have the dot!

Mid afternoon we heard the sound of a steam horn and several minutes later nb Tixall passed us

The lady in the bow noticed our boat name and mentioned she was originally from Wellington NZ.  I managed to get a look (but no photo) of Tixall’s vertical boiler.  No sign of coal so I guess the boiler is oil or diesel heater?

The rope on stern, port side, horizontal rope sausage fender was looking very frayed so I cut off the damaged end and spliced on a new rope section.  After looking at it I realised this is the second time I’ve spliced a new section into the fender.

If the weather forecast is accurate this weekend might see some painting completed in the cockpit.

It’s very pleasing to read how the boating community is rallying around to find the boat stolen from Mercia Marina.  I’m pleased we have a boat alarm, gps movement alarm and remote engine immobilizer.  Not that we’ve really had to use them living on the boat.  Anyone stealing Waiouru would get a hell of a fright when the alarm triggered and the engine died.