Tuesday 6 June 2017

sMALL ACHIEVMENTS BIG STEPS

Hi everyone

I am now convinced that all boat yards/Marinas have the same method of working and management I know that this is not universal and maybe it is only the ones that I visit. so far this trip I have been held up for three days because waiting for a simple job like buying paint all because the guy a few domestic problems Family must come first I know that so I will dismiss that one, then another two days because a part that was ordered took three days to arrive they say because of the courier I say because they forgot to order it and now we have been in this boat yard three days just waiting to do a 5 hour job. before coming here I ordered 5 110 batteries no probs I have 6 in stock. could I have assistance to fit. no probs I will assign someone to assist you. 
great we thought and headed down river to do the job, on arriving we found that there was no mooring for us so we have sat three days on a slipway though they did manage to give us a shore line and electric when I ask if I could have the batteries I had ordered I was inform that his assistant had sold two of the  AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!. Here we go again so I spent a day clearing the engine to make better access to the battery bank and the next day waiting for batteries to arrive, Yesterday morning I was informed that they had arrived so I went over to the office to collect them NOW we are talking about 5 110 leisure batteries each one the size of two car batteries I ask if they had a truck to get them to my boat I will find you one the lad says and returns 30 mins later with an very old truck with four flat tyres having vented my displeasure at this young man and pointed out to him the pure impossibility of transporting this half to loan on THAT LOAD OF SH----, it was then refered up the chain of command were a decision was made to put them on the pickup, the young man could not drive so I did that Ahhhhhhh!! I was then loaned the same young man to assist with the fitting. For those who have never fitted Batteries on a boat let me explain the fitter ME has to accommodate himself in a little hole 5ft wide 7ft long and 3ft deep however in that space you have an engine, with all its accoutrements making a total area of  3ft wide  6ft long and 3ft deep now the batteries live in a cosy little space that you have to arc lights to see it. Now I am the fitter and to save me having to extradite myself from this glory hole everytime I need to take one battery out and put one in, you have a loader who sole job it is, is to take the old battery off me and then pass a new one.  this was going so well until after the second one he was called away to hold the rope of a boat going into dry dock AHHHHHHHH! however before he went on this errand of mercy I insisted he carry the remaining batteries so I could reach them.
After two and a half hours of cursing I eventually arrived at the stage when you turn the battery isolator switch ON keeping all fingers crossed that nothing blows up UREKAH nothing did then the engine on and everything works I was elated. feeling like King Kong Noreen and I rebuilt the engine room replacing all the panelling
To celebrate this achievement we decided to have lunch out and do a bit of shopping. the sky was looking very grey and overcast so we donned our heavy coats its only about a 30 min walk into the town BUT it is surprising just how wet you can get in 30mins we were both wet though to our nickers shoes socks everything was soaked our Brolly  was blown inside out and our teeth were chattering.
into Lidl where we left a trail of devastation behind us and another trail of slippy floor signs
As we left Lidl we decided as it was cold, wet and windy we would have lunch in the best Ice Cream Parlour in Yorkshire where we made a bedraggled spectacle. though we were welcomed and had a great lunch I celebrated our achievement by have a whopping great big TUTI FRUITI .
That was yesterday it is now 08.00 and we are going to get ready to fill up with Diesel and put water on then we are off to Keadby Where we join the River Trent

God Bless everyone
Buggerlugs

My celebration Ice Cream

1 comment:

piphodg said...

Ah the joys of boating our kid,sounds like you didn't get much help at all there buddy.Nobody knows how small that engine bay is until you start trying to work in it especially lifting great big bloody batteries about,think your spot on about the marinas all being the same they seem to have all the time in the world except for you,bit like garages really anyway you got the job done and hopefully its plain sailing from now on.lov to Noreen take care buddy. PIP.