We did it …. one job completed !!

The plan ….

Since we bought Deux Poissons we have constantly been working through and adding to the long “To Do List”. Patrick had a vision of what he wanted for the boat and years of research to back it up. The electrics came pretty high up on the list of jobs for a number of reasons - Fire being one of them! This week we were able to say for the first time “THAT jobs done”. And it was a job !!

The wiring was mostly old household wire, from the 60s and definitely not suitable for a boat. It was a (dangerous) mess. Over the years the whole electrical system had to been added and added to and any wires that were not longer needed, or no longer functional were just left where they were (and not always wrapped in insulation tape or with any way of protection). Just a nest of melted and cracked cables and exposed wires!

We managed to persuade a patient and very experienced electrician, with a wonderful sense of humour, to come and have a look at the electrics, offer some advice and hopefully agree to the job. Which he did, and we will forever be grateful to him ! His advice was to rip it out, replace everything and he would do it in between his day job and on weekends (my hero)!

We presented him with a plan - which he approved, and he got to it. Patrick was on hand to assist.

Many months and a pandemic later, we now have a new distribution board for both our AC 230v and DC 12v circuits and a complete new working electrical system.

The 230v system receives input from shore, generator and inverter and connects to the domestic battery bank (separate from the engine start battery bank). This system powers all our sockets, water heater, battery charger, ice machine and appliances; dishwasher, induction hob and airfryer (oven). All the wiring is new, correct graded, flexible cable. All sockets are now on the correct circuits and feed back to breakers on the distribution board, with correct RCD switch.

The 12v system receives input from two battery banks. This system powers LED lights, navigation equipment, VHF radio, the pumps; water, fuel and bilges. It also powers the day fridge and fridge-freezer.

The battery set up comprises; two banks; for starting and domestic use. A third bank is dedicated to powering the (day) fridge and fridge-freezer and that is powered by solar. The fridge and fridge-freezer do not rely entirely on solar as we have a separate plug socket that sources power from the domestic battery bank, in the case of no sun/solar power. So we can choose to run fridges from either source.

Both fridges have sensing transformers plugged into 12v and 230v at some time. By default they run off 12v but when they sense 230v current, they automatically switch 230v and stop using the batteries.

Planning to make water....

Like all good trips, we plan to relax and enjoy the “occasional” sun-downer and good local food after a long day of sightseeing. We have also designed and fitted the boat with some necessities (ice machine, shower and dishwasher) to make this all as pleasurable as possible. Of course this all involves water and while we have water tank capacity of 346 litres, this is quickly depleted. So Patrick is working on fitting a DIY water maker.

Generator time

We have focused on the generator these past few weekends. We bought Deux Poissons with a Petter generator already fitted. It never worked properly and after a while it just gave up. We tried out best to “resusitate” her, but it seemed to be a compression problem from a possible crack in the head or damaged piston rings. Anyway Patrick found another generator which, with some small adjustments, fitted into the limited space available in the engine bay. I couldn’t wait to hear it start, but first there was quite a bit of work to be done (of course!)

A weekend and NO work ??

While the work is slowly paying off and we are seeing amazing progress, another summer is slipping away. We are keeping our eye and focus on the future but with such lovely weather and autumn around the corner, we downed our tools, packed up a few provisions and took the weekend off. Our destination for the weekend - Newton Creek (River), Isle of Wight. Newtown Creek is a large natural inland harbour found on the Isle of Wight's north western coast, named after the nearby village of Newtown. It is so peaceful and is surrounded by nature - we love it there.
We left our mooring in Fareham (top of Portsmouth Harbour) on Friday evening on the high tide and picked up a buoy near to Portsmouth mouth and slept for a few hours waiting for high tide at Newton Creek. We woke with the sun, had a couple of obligatory Bailey’s coffee and set off.
The Solent was quiet and like glass and it felt so good to be out on the water again. We got there in no time, travelling on average 6.5 / 7 knots through the water and probably about 9 knots over the ground, with the tide.
There are limited buoys available once you are through the entrance to the creek, but plenty of space to anchor. We managed to get a buoy and this added to the relaxing mood as we settled down for the weekend.
I immediately made myself comfortable on the “new” back deck. With no wind and strong sun, the umbrella was a treat. The inverter immediately got to work on the ice machine and the lithium batteries we fitted kept the fridge going. Patrick even experimented with one of the solar panels, rigging it up temporarily so as to keep the fridge batteries topped up.
The cable from the solar panel still needs to be extended as the panels will be fitted to the top deck, so for the weekend the solar panel lay next to me on the back deck. I didn’t argue, as it was playing a very important role in keeping my wine chilled. It also kept Patrick busy while he checked on how much it was charging the batteries (this was the first time using solar power on the boat).
Friends sailed over and joined us for a BBQ and a few card games and fun was had by all as we watched the sun set in a tiny peace of paradise.
And Sunday we did it all again - why change something that worked so well !!
But sadly Monday morning came round and we had to return to “land life” and work. We know this is only for a little longer and this weekend kept our enthusiasm and excitement going and reminded us of why we are working so hard to get the boat finished.

Out for a survey

We had Deux lifted out for a survey, which itself is always stressful. We have had the whole aft section replaced with new steel but we did hold our breath a little as the surveyor measured the rest of the boat. The thought of sections failing the survey filled me with dread, but all was good. Almost all areas measured were between 2.9 and 3.1 mm thick. I think we can feel safe knowing there is about 3mm of steel separating us from the deep waters! As the boat was on the hard, we replaced the anodes and gave her a quick coat of antifoul. Patrick, with the help of a friend, fitted the rope cutter and she was back in the water ready for us to continue with the rest of the work.

Our marina has an old crane to do the lift out and I hold my breath the entire time while it lifts out and moves the boats.

Patrick always insists on being there to supervise and this time I was so glad he was there. The front sling was positioned too far back and the front of the boat tilted forward. We were assured there was no chance she would slip out, but Patrick was not taking any chances. She was lowered down, the slip moved forward and all was good. As usual the crane made me so anxious as it bounced and moved the boat, but all was well. She was placed securely on the blocks and we got on with the jobs.

An "exhaust-ing" problem

With the planning, designing and building of the galley underway, Patrick needed to address the on-going problem of the exhaust. The pipe runs from the engine, down the starboard side of the boat to the aft section and out. It will need to be boxed in as it will run behind all the galley cupboards. However, the end section of the exhaust pipe, that joins the outlet has always leaked. The leaked water has continually dripped onto the fixed block of the steering cable, causing rust and would also drip / leak into the new galley cupboards. Patrick gathered up the necessary bits - a new piece of exhaust pipe, a few new and improved clamps, some cutting instruments and a bottle of Baileys (for coffee).

It worked ……. successfully installed new exhaust pipe section - tested and approved.

Meet you at the bar?!

The discussions and plans for the galley have started! It seems like we have had this empty, unforgiving steel shell-aft-section forever but this is exciting and I can’t wait to see progress. There is a lot of preliminary and prep work still to be done, so I have to be patient, but we have also started planning the bar area and this has kept me distracted.

The aft section comprises both galley and guest sleeping area, so we are challenged in how much we can fit in there. We have decided to create a small bar area in the main saloon area by converting on old cupboard. This way we will have space for the all important piece of equipment - our icemaker. Also drawers for glasses and bottles. For more info and a view of what we have planned see the video below

Cowes, Isle of Wight : Day 4 : Hometime

All good things come to an end - and our lives (and fur-baby who had to stay behind with family) were waiting for us. We long for the days where we could just keep going, but for now we will continue working and getting the boat ready for that day…..
The predicted winds for later were 35 knots gusting up to 40, so we decided to leave early, while it still looked calm out there. Our mooring back in Fareham is also tidal, so we are restricted in when we can get in or out, so it was an early rise, quick pack-up and goodbye-see-you-later to our friends and we set off.
It is always special to watch the sun rise out at sea and I spent some time reflecting on a new year, the past days and how much we are both looking forward to travelling full time.
We never got to visit the gin distillery or the wine farm. Or to do the Historic (Beer) Walk (!!) which I only found out about at the end of our trip [sounds like an excellent way to do a pub crawl and learn the history of the area]. And all the more reason to come back.

So thank you Cowes, you were great (sorry about the mess) and we will be back !

Cowes, Isle of Wight:Day 3. New Years Eve

With another late start, I felt I could really get used to this life. Until Patrick brought me a Bailey’s coffee in bed. Then I knew I could definitely get used to this.
We made our way back into town and joined friends in The Coast. As it was minutes away from lunchtime, I felt comfortable ordering an extra strong Bloody Mary and a plate of crumbed calamari - which was delicious. We took our time finishing lunch and then explored a bit more of Cowes and the other marina - the “posh” one that we would probably not be allowed to enter into.
Most of the day was relaxed - I got a few hours to do some relaxed reading and Patrick chatted to friends about “boat stuff”.
For dinner we managed to get a table at an unassuming pub that turned out to serve the most delicious burgers and chips and also gave us the best service. Thank you The Pier View - your patience with us was outstanding !
Making our way back to the boat, through the high street of Cowes, we passed crowded pubs, many with live music. As we hadn’t made reservations at any of them, we had to settle with dancing in the streets - much to the delight of the guests at the window tables.
We saw out 2021 in the best way we knew how = Friends, love, laughter, boats and the clinking of glasses. It had been a strange year following an even stranger year. We all hoped for a better one.