Winterising

For some, winterisation means getting a boat ready to be left unattended for the winter months. For us it means making sure the stove is ready to go and that we have enough fuel. Upon looking in the stove, we saw that one of the firebricks had cracked so I sent off for a replacement from ebay, and we fitted it last night. James also took the baffle plate out, which is proving somewhat difficult to get back in, so we'll have another go at that this evening. We also plan to get another grate to keep fuel in more easily.

The new one is the bright one on the left

We also need to clear out the chimney, which is caked with soot, and put it back together (it's not been back on since we took it off at Denver to go cruising). Hopefully this year, we'll also be able to get in on the large Camboaters coal order and get some Taybrite sorted for the winter. I'm also trying to find a source of wood for kindling/daytime use which isn't the garage!

Our current mooring near the pub is also not the best for sunlight. It is between trees, but at certain times of day, its too shaded, and we've had to run the genny for the first time in ages. So we think we'll move up to a sunnier spot further along the Common soon.