Today started early. At just after 6am the scrap metal yard across the river started throwing around massive claw loads of metal. Couldn’t figure what they were doing with it accept making noise.
The big barges started going by not long after. If I’ve seen 1 today I’ve seen 30. What I once considered large 25m x 4m is now just a tiddler. The biggest I saw today was 110m x 11.7m 3050 tons. Some laden some not, all sorts as well, sand barges, tankers, container barges and some that look like LPG domes.
In the time its taken me to write that sentence another 2 have gone by and another one is approaching. Size is not a measure of how much we get bashed about. I have retied out boat at least 3 times. I think this beating is stretching the new ropes today.
This is a typical sand / grain barge.
This is what “loaded to the gunnels'” means
I suppose the state of this bollard should have given us a clue as to the forces involved. So far my port side blue paint has taken a hammering as too have we.
We were warned and I did get a bit complacent. It’s a good job were not on pins. Now hers the rub, we are in a slow zone of 7kph, just before and just after the 1 mile or so we are in the speed limit is 15kph although I doubt many would be going that speed.
Sunday was a rest day from cruising. The crew of MR had old friends in this town to catch up with and it was a BBQ in the evening.
I decided to relocate various things on the boat that now we are living on it are in the wrong place. I have thrown a lot of stuff I was hanging on to so that means I will need them in a day or two. I have freed up loads of space in the engine room to store fuel containers, all my power tools are now in the front, and the previously unused bow thruster locker is now well used with non flammable stores.
Having more room in the engine ‘ole made it easy for me to do the 50 hour filter drain.
Today I refuelled the boat. I found fuel at €1.28l or (£1.04)l at a local self serve station. In a month or so we have used about 300L for heating and propulsion We have amassed about 50 cruising hours so far but only about 2 hours on the generator. The solar panels have been bathed in sun for the 2 days we have been here and have kept up keeping the batteries at 100% until early evening when they start to lag behind.
Once that was out of the way I had a couple of nagging jobs to do on the motorhome. I needed to put the alarm sounder outside which required wires being laid in. And because the Fiat doesn't have a ACC point on the ignition so the only way to run the radio is to have the ignition in the on position. I put a separate independent power supply and switch in. I needed to do this on a relay otherwise it would have back fed the ignition switch and defeat the object.
The last 3 days have been hot like the Mediterranean. Saturday later afternoon the inside of the boat got to 32c and it has been the same story Sunday and today.
Despite the bashing the mooring is very nice and is nice and local for the shops and safe off road dog walking.
Asper / Gavere moorings
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