Sunday, 1 February 2015

Coal and Diesel

 

IMG_6048We had the call from Ann on Nb Oakfield to say that Mark on coal boat Callisto was serving the boat behind them and as he wasnt coming our way we would have to go back to meet him . So it was untie Inca and then reverse back around the junction and then on to the service point so he could come along side us. The manoeuvre of reversing was made all the worse as the wind had picked up and it had started to snow again. I must admit i did use the girlie button (Bow Thruster) on a couple of occasions.

IMG_6052Mark on coal boat Callisto (above) filling up Keith and Ann with Diesel and coal on Nb Oakfield. By the time he got to us the light had faded and it was getting very dark. We filled up with 52 litres of diesel and 5 bags of coal. We are now averaging 3 litres of diesel a day and as we are not travelling that much, most of it is used to run the engine to charge the batteries. I had hoped we wouldn't need any more coal this year , but there is such a shortage of wood in this area that we had no choice but to buy some more .

IMG_6047You can see where all the strengthening supports are in the roof as the heat from the cabin melts the snow . As the snow has melted you can see exactly where they cross the roof. Obviously the spray foam insulation isn't as thick in those areas and the heat escapes a lot easier . I was a bit concerned until i saw the same thing happening on other boats. We keep the temperature on Inca near to 22 deg C as we find this the most comfortable, But during the night and with the fire burning coal and the air vents closed down a lot the temperature averages 18 deg C .

We are being forecast temperatures plummeting to minus 4 over the next few days , so we are going to sit it out here. The locks in front of us are still closed for repairs , so we cant go anywhere in that direction for the time being. Carolyn caught the bus into Rugby with Ann and Keith and did a biggish shop in the local Sainsbury and she said it was the biggest Sainsbury she had ever been in. There is a shop in Braunston which is very good ,but we tend to use it for the basics as it is a lot more expensive than the big supermarkets.

                                                                               Happy Days

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