Up In The Air

Our plans for a trip to Hull this weekend were a bit up in the air at first, due to the forecast low pressure bringing strong winds for Saturday and Sunday. As the weekend approached the wind was forecast to be quite light on the Saturday but very windy come Sunday. 

We decided to brave the cold northerly wind and had a very pleasant fast run down, accompanied by another Goole boat ‘Lady Izzy’ arriving at Hull around lunch time. 

After an afternoon of shopping with the kids, whilst Peter tended to his boat checks and took the hounds for a long walk along the river, we were looking forward to an evening meal out. What we didn’t expect was the volume of visitors to Hull to see a City of Culture parade in the early evening, and people queuing out of the door at every food emporium! We then had to make an executive decision to get some food and eat on the boat, with a stroppy teenager in tow. A few pizzas and a bag of chips were quickly grabbed from the trusty Heron Foods store and said pizzas were chucked in the oven, and it gave us a great opportunity to use the cheap B&M air fryer bought a few weeks ago in Newark. It was the best meal we have had in a long time...well anything would be when you are ravenous! 

As predicted on the Sunday the wind had gotten up after dawn, and was blowing NW 6 when we left Hull. We had another two crew on Moonshine on the return trip, Keith and Mary from ‘Mar y sol’ who had crewed for ‘Lady Izzy’ on the way down, which is getting lifted out at Hull for her annual maintenance.

We decided to take the north channel so as to get a lee from the shore. It was quite rough from Hull to the bridge, and as it was calmer in the north channel we planed until cutting across to the main channel where we slowed as it was quite rough and then carried on at displacement speed until Apex Light, then again planing until Old Goole. We had a short wait to pen into Ocean Lock, and with the northerly wind over tide the waves were quite impressive in Goole Reach. 

Due to work and other commitments this will be our last tidal trip for awhile, but will give us chance to catch up on servicing maintenance jobs. 

A Frightening Dangerous Situation!

Mon 23rd Oct - Goole to Newark

What a difference a day makes after the weekends antics of storm ‘Brian’.
We received excellent service transiting Ocean Lock this morning. With a very light breeze we headed off into the sunrise at displacement speed and planed from Swinefleet, slowing down passing Keadby Lock and planed again to Owston Ferry where we again traveled at displacement speed so as not to beat the tide.

Having made very good progress with very little floating debris, we caught a thick barge mooring rope around the starboard propellers stalling its engine just outside West Stockwith Lock. Peter tried to turn Moonshine into the tide as we had now lost power steering to enable us to make the lock wall approach to tie up, however this manoeuvre resulted in said rope fouling the port propellers and disabling that engine also. We had to think very quick and deploy the anchor as we were fast approaching Stockwith bend on a very strong flood tide. The anchor bit just as we had rounded the bend fortunately mid stream, it was a frightening dangerous situation until Moonshine was under control. It took an hour of sawing at a blind arms length to release the rope. The West Stockwith Lock Keeper was very good and had arranged for a boat on standby to tow us in if necessary. We would most certainly have been in a pickle had we not had outdrives which lift up to work on. This has now taught us to practice regular anchor deployment drills, more for my benefit as I don’t handle stressful situations well at all, especially when boats and water are thrown into the mix. 

Now the rope was free, both engines were tested forward and astern before heaving the anchor in. Despite this delay we were now safe and still with plenty of time to make Cromwell we headed off towards Torksey where the dogs received a well deserved toilet break, before continuing on to Cromwell. We eventually arrived at Newark mid afternoon and was fortunate to moor on the Kiln moorings, and hook up to the electric on the pontoon. 

Tues 24th Oct - Newark
We spent two nice evenings on the Kiln pontoon in Newark, with plenty of dog walks and a bit of shopping thrown in for good measure (although I did have to restock up on whisky to steady my nerves...well that’s my excuse anyway!).

On a serious note we have also familiarised ourselves with the anchor winch operation, to ensure we are a bit more au fait with its rapid deployment should the need ever arise again in an emergency situation.

Wed 25th Oct - Newark to Gunthorpe 

We departed the moorings in Newark as soon as the lock keeper came on duty and headed upstream to Gunthorpe. Whilst transiting Gunthorpe Lock we advised the lock keeper of our intention to test our anchor and winch deployment, just in case he thought we were in trouble mid stream. 

The deployment test was successful mid stream and also I as crew have a good understanding now of how to manually deploy the anchor, which can be down in seconds should the need arise.  However, we need to ensure that we do periodic anchor drills to keep familiar with it. We would also urge others to ensure their crew can act quickly in an emergency.

Thurs 26th Oct - Gunthorpe to Torksey

This morning we departed Gunthorpe at 9.30 am just as the lock keeper came on duty. We had a nice steady run back downstream stopping on a very quiet Kiln Moorings in Newark once again for a little bit of shopping, before heading down towards Cromwell and heading back onto the tidal River Trent on the ebb arriving at Torksey cut around 4pm. Fortunately this part of the trip was uneventful, but fingers crossed for tomorrow mornings return trip back to Goole. 

Fri 27th Oct - Torksey to Goole Boathouse

After departing Torksey at 7.30am we had a very steady 6 knot run back down river on the ebb meeting the flood at Keadby, from where we then had enough water to plane back to Goole. The river being on neap tides wasn’t full of floating debris today and upon arriving at Goole we enjoyed excellent service from Ocean Lock penning Moonshine in quickly, and she was safely back in her berth at 11.48am. 

We have logged 141.1 nautical miles this week. 

Overall we have had a nice week away and the warm weather has certainly helped. 

Ensnaring a rope as we did is a rare occurrence. We try to use Moonshine as much as we can and this is the second time Peter has been in a situation like that (the first being a long time ago on his dad’s boat). But what this has taught us is that a good working anchor set up is essential when going tidal, when we had no engine power in a fast flowing spring tide you have very little time to react and you are at the rivers mercy. Hopefully we will never be in a situation like that again, but if we are we will ensure we are both quicker to react in future. 

Hooligan

This weekend saw the start of our half term holiday, however nothing has gone to plan due to storm ‘Brian’howling like a hooligan all weekend.

Our original intention was to let the strong southerly winds ease on the Saturday and spend an enjoyable day in port, and then head out on the river Trent on the Sunday when the wind was due to move to the west which would give us a smoother run.

We didn’t have a good nights sleep at all on Saturday night due to the ongoing ferocious winds and rain lashing the boat most of the night, so decided to cancel our booked pen until Monday when the winds will be significantly lighter. 

We will head towards Newark on Monday. We are not sure if we will head any further at this point, as we need to be back home on Friday. 

Taking The Long Way Around

We have been quite busy over the last few weekends with one thing or another.  Our eldest daughter has been dropped off and is nicely settled at university, not too far away from us in Leeds. It has been a mammoth task getting all her stuff bought in preparation for this whilst costing a small fortune, and despite the fact that she can request to return home at any point for her washing to be done...as was the case this weekend.

This weekend we are childless but not dogless! We decided on a trip to Sykehouse late on Saturday afternoon (5pm ish) to give Moonshine a quick run out. 

Sykehouse Road Bridge

After dropping said child off at university and battling through a very busy Leeds City Centre we then headed across to Goole Boathouse. Since South Dock Bridge is closed to road traffic this weekend and next weekend, this meant a lengthy detour via Crowle in the Isle of Axholme in North Lincolnshire... what a faff, suffice to say parking was extremely quiet on a weekend for Goole Boathouse upon our arrival!

Anyway after filling up with fresh water we made a quick departure and headed up to Sykehouse Road Bridge arriving approximately 6pm, with just enough time to walk the dogs before it was dark and settling down to an evening meal concoction of gammon, egg, mushrooms, noodles and salad along with the obligatory evening drinks.

This weekend also gave us the opportunity to check if another descale of the raw water side of the starboard engine heat exchanger had done the trick, which after using white vinegar and heating through (just like descaling a kettle) appears to have done some good. Not that we have had any overheating issues this year, but this starboard engine still runs marginally warmer...but we are aware this could be down to this engine running the calorifier, screen heater matrix and the power steering pump so this could be normal. 

Also the heat exchanger end cap is critical how it is fitted. The sea water passes the length of it four times and it looks like it had been fitted slightly out of its correct position. Even though we have had this cap off before, we have always refitted it in exactly the same position. So it may be that someone has inadvertently fitted it in the wrong position prior to our ownership of Moonshine. 

Humbrian Sea Heading Upstream

So all in all a nice quiet enjoyable end to what started out as a hectic weekend, and not forgetting to mention that the weather was quite decent. Next weekend due to work commitments and needing to tackle some jobs at home we will not visit the boat, but this is more to do with the lengthy detour the works on South Dock Bridge dictate.

What A Scorcher

On what was billed to be a scorcher of a weekend we enjoyed fantastic lovely warm weather over the bank holiday. 

With a gentle S.W breeze we were one of five vessels all from Goole Boathouse to pen out of Ocean Lock Goole, with four of us Hull bound and the other bound for the Trent. The Ouse was quite thick with floating debris between Goole and Swinefleet, but once past the tide gauge it had cleared substantially which enabled us to plane as it was slow progress at displacement speed against a strong flood tide. However we still had to be vigilant for rubbish in the river...as you don't want to hit anything at speed plus it was hard to see looking into the sun. 

Once we arrived at Hull we were allocated a mooring on BB pontoon as the visitor's berth was already very busy. At one stage the Marina was struggling to find berths for visiting vessels, however it was nice to see a lot of activity within the Marina. 

On Sunday morning Peter spotted his dad on Crambeck on his way back to Goole from Grimsby after his trip to Amble.

Incidentally, late on Sunday evening we were surprised to see the Trent bound vessel 'Pipe Dream' a Freeman 33 whom we had penned through Ocean Lock the previous day arrive at Hull Marina. The skipper told us he had got to Boston on the Saturday, and initially we thought he was joking, but after he had squeezed through the Lincoln bridges he had arrived at Boston at 23.00 hours. He then penned out of Boston Sunday morning and had a pleasant run up the Lincolnshire Coast taking advantage of the settled sea conditions, anchored at Spurn until the next flood tide then made his way up to Hull for the first pen in. Quite an epic round trip for a three day weekend for a semi displacement boat. 

After a thoroughly enjoyable weekend it was time to depart on the Monday morning. We enjoyed quick service through Hull Marina lock and planed to Goole once the engines had warmed up. With a bit of wind over tide in places we had an excellent run, however had to wait for nearly 30 minutes as the Dock Master at Ocean Lock was having control problems with the lower gates. 

With this run being the best so far this year weather wise on the Humber, this has certainly made a pleasant change.

Odd Weekend

Since Saturday was a write off where work was concerned this weekend, and Peter had Monday off we started our weekend on Moonshine on Sunday.  

Our kids are still on their schools holidays, and with one old enough to stay at home and just about to start University and the other also old enough but carted off to her friend, this would not be a wasted opportunity!  Once we had loaded our belongings onto Moonshine we made our way up to Pollington mooring as usual bottom side of the lock, it felt odd as other craft were departing we were arriving...is this what retirement feels like?

We spent a lazy Sunday afternoon reproofing the canopy seams, and of course a full 50 minute circuit of Pollington village to walk the legs off the dogs. 

We have also sorted all our recent holiday snaps which is a laborious task, and these are now on Facebook and are public if anyone wants to troll through them here is the link (I hope it works) ... https://www.facebook.com/helen.duckels

We are now looking forward to next weekend where we will head for Hull Marina yet again...it's not bad to say we are back off holiday that the pesky weather has now calmed down.!

Bloody Crab Pots!

Day 12&13.  Hartlepool.

It was a good job we got to Hartlepool when we did, as later on Tuesday into Wednesday the wind got up making sea conditions rough. Cefas Wavenet was reporting maximum wave heights off Whitby at 2.6mtrs at 9am Wednesday.

We will enjoy Hartlepool for a few days and see if sea conditions abate for Friday. 

Day 14.  Hartlepool to Scarborough.

We enjoyed a lovely calm run at sea despite a very early start. We completed the trip in under two hours. 

Logged 39.9 nautical miles.

Day 15.  Scarborough. 

We had a few relaxing days in Scarborough, putting in many miles of dog walking around the bays. However, we are now eager to make the final sea leg back to the Humber whilst the weather is nice and settled. 

Day 16.  Scarborough to Grimsby.

Well the sea conditions would have been nice had Moonshine been a yacht, but with the S.E breeze and a swell still running from the north at sea it wasn't as calm a run as we had been expecting or hoping for.  It was most uncomfortable off Flamborough Head and the Binks, making crab pots very difficult to see at times. One particular crab pot marker nearly ensnared us just below Flamborough, we had milliseconds to react but did just miss it. This particular marker was covered in seaweed and with no flag it was well camouflaged! Once past Spurn we came off the plane so as not to be too early for the level at Grimsby, and we arrived just as the sun was setting. 

Logged 60.0 nautical miles.

Day 17.  Grimsby to Hull.

We departed Grimsby at 10am and planed to Hull in around 45 minutes.  The river was quite busy with shipping but river conditions were pretty good. Whilst in Hull Crambeck arrived (Peter's dad's Aquastar) enroute to Scarborough tomorrow. He is hoping to attempt yet again Amble and possibly Eyemouth if weather conditions allow, bearing in mind he has a displacement boat and considering his age this would be a big achievement. 

Logged 14.7 nautical miles.

Day 18.  Hull to Goole.

We departed Hull with a brisk W.S.W breeze against the tide.  We travelled at displacement speed to the No 23 light bouy as it was rather lumpy and then planed all the way to Goole.  We timed it just right as the coaster Amy was just departing Ocean Lock and the Dock Master had us on his return pen.
Logged 21.8 nautical miles.

Despite our very sudden change of plan to head north we have had a pretty decent holiday.  We would have liked to have visited more places such as Seaham and Blyth, however since we had such small weather windows we had to make significant progress whilst we could and miss intermediate ports out.
We have discovered that you cannot be complacent heading north as there seems to be a lot more crab and lobster pots scattered around where you least expect them sometimes in very deep water miles out to sea.
Prior to Moonshines outdrive overhaul last winter, she would have been drawing air into the raw water cooling system causing overheat alarms when in rough seas, and considering we have had only one calm run this holiday she has run perfectly and we have returned with no repairs to do.
At least we have made it back in one piece and haven't had to abandon Moonshine in a distant port so another successful trip.
Total logged 386.9 nautical miles

 

 

Ploughing Through Swells

Day 5,6&7.  Whitby

The weather panned out as forecast with two days of strong S.W. wind Thursday and Friday. We certainly did make the right decision to head north as the seas were very large off East Anglia. We are now waiting for the weather conditions to calm down at the weekend before heading to Hartlepool.

Day 8.  Whitby to Hartlepool.

We waited until early afternoon to depart Whitby after spending several very windy days in port, as the wind was forecast to die down then. 

Despite the 1 metre northerly swells off our starboard bow we were able to plane and did eventually have a pretty decent run to Hartlepool, hitting another thunderstorm which whipped the sea conditions up for a while off Tees Bay Windfarm. 

After a meal on board and nipping to the supermarket (as Peter had ran out of beer) to stock up, we went across to the fuel berth and fuelled up with 450 litres of diesel. 
Logged 27.3 nautical miles.

Day 9&10.  Hartlepool to Amble.

We departed Hartlepool after an early lunch. We let Moonshine's engines warm up for five minutes then planed from The Heugh breakwater all the way to Amble harbour entrance, which we covered in exactly two hours. Sea conditions were ok despite a large ground swell running from the north, with chop from a fresh S.W. breeze blowing off land. We encountered another heavy rain storm from Newbiggin Ness all the way into Amble.  We passed to the east of Coquet Island and then kept well to the north of it to avoid Pan Bush Rocks as there was still a lot of swell running. Amble Marina were very organised (as we had phoned ahead) and sent a staff member out in the heavy rain to take our lines. 

Since we visited five years ago a lot has changed such as a development of apartments next to the Marina, and a tasteful development of the Fish Quay. 

This is as far north as we are heading. We would have liked to have visited Eyemouth had the weather been in our favour but it is not to be this year.  

We intend on staying tomorrow and will head back to Hartlepool on Tuesday as strong wind is yet again forecast for Wednesday. 

Logged 49.2 nautical miles.

Day 11. Amble to Hartlepool.

We departed Amble just after lunch, and after looking at the sea conditions earlier and with a light northerly breeze forecast we thought we would be in for a pretty decent run back to Hartlepool.  However in reality sea conditions were still quite lumpy all the way with a swell from the north with added chop on top from the N.E. However we were still able to plane and after rounding the Heugh it was lovely and smooth and we enjoyed quick service through the lock and we were once again moored on the visitor pontoon. 

Logged 45.9 nautical miles.

This past week has given us a mixed bag of weather but Moonshine has excelled herself once again in ploughing through the swells. It has not been easy at times in these conditions trying to navigate and see through dense visibility to avoid the crab pots which are littered around the coast line.  The boat heater and waterproofs have had to be in use over the last few days but hopefully after Wednesday's strong wind has passed we can move on to Scarborough on Friday whilst giving the sea an extra day to calm down.  

It is nice to know we are lucky enough to still have another full week to get back home, let's hope the wind eases and changes direction to the west again. 

Being Indecisive!

Day 1&2.  Goole to Hull

After booking in with Goole Docks with our timings for penning out on Saturday morning, we had to quickly sort ourselves out as five other boats were waiting at Ocean Lock very early on the tide. Since the Dock Master wanted his logged in pleasure craft in one pen, I had to quickly throw my clothes on and with unclean teeth assist with the ropes.... not a good start to the holiday!

As the weather was looking unsettled for the next few days we decided spending two nights in Hull was a much better option before hopping across to Grimsby where the kids were concerned.

 At this stage things are still looking unsettled at sea the further down the coast you go, and we are a bit indecisive deciding whether to miss Wells out at the start of the holidays as the webcam photos show boats rafted three deep (it is not easy to get three dogs off several times a day),  or should we head straight to Lowestoft when the weather looks more clement.

Logged 27.1 nautical miles.

Day 3.  Hull to Grimsby

We waited until high water Hull to depart to give us wind with tide conditions for a smoother ride to Grimsby. It was very lumpy blowing sw 4-5 until we reached the Lee of the Lincolnshire bank where it was considerably smoother. When we got to Clay Huts we thought we were were cutting it fine to get in on the level at Grimsby traveling at displacement speed, so we planed down to Grimsby at 22 knots and were surprised to see the lock gates shut 15 minutes before the end of the level. When we penned in the Dock Master informed us he had shut the gates to retain the level as a large vessel had been pulled out on the slip and as it was only neap tides this enabled them to get the vessel out, however he told us he would not charge us the £10 fee as we were there in plenty of time. Forever on Seawings watch we noticed 'Odin' from Farndon a newer 355 was visiting Grimsby, however he was also waiting for the weather to head south. As the weather is looking good tomorrow we intend on moving off to Lowestoft. 

Logged 15.6 nautical miles.

Day 4.  Grimsby to Whitby!

Whilst in Grimsby waiting for the level for us to depart, the wind whipped up more than what had been originally forecast. After checking the weather reports and forecasts again it was looking quite rough off Skegness and The Wash, however we needed to make a decision to leave today or potentially be stuck in Grimsby until the weekend. Since the wind was sw 4-5 we decided we had to move today. So at the eleventh hour literally (as we were leaving at 11.30am) we decided to scrap our ideas of heading south and made an about turn and head north as the sea conditions were much more favourable. It was calm in the Humber, lumpy off Spurn and calmish off the Holderness coast, then a large thunderstorm hit off Flamborough Head where it chewed the sea up a bit and we lost visibility due to the heavy rain...we always know when it has been rough as the toilet brush and the alarm clock go AWOL, which they didn't today! 

When we turned to head up the coast past Flamborough conditions improved significantly and we had a very enjoyable run to Whitby. 

Originally we all saw this change of plan as a major disappointment, however since only Peter has been this way on our previous boat back in 2012 whilst I port hopped in the car, we can cast aside the disappointment and say we have all done it, as it is very pleasant up North plus you get shelter travelling close in to land. As ever we are waiting for the next few days of weather to pass before heading further up the coast as we still have another two weeks. We are finally on holiday and now very much looking forward to this trip. 

Logged 85.4 nautical miles.

Plagued With Bad Luck

Last weekend we had a much needed trip up the canal to Pollington, mooring low side.  

Ever since our return from Wells in June we have been plagued with bad luck. The night we returned from Wells, Peter had his works van broken into on our driveway at home, with matters made even worse by a very aggressive neighbour. The following weekends were used to make security improvements at home, however once these had been implemented Peter suffered a bad ankle sprain at work which has prevented us from using Moonshine over the last three weeks. 

During the trip to Wells we noticed the starboard alternator was overcharging. This was removed on our return to Goole and very promptly repaired by Auto Generators Wakefield, and fortunately refitted the day prior to Peters injury. 

We are all ready for the start of our two and a half weeks holiday next weekend, but we needed to test the alternator was working correctly, hence the trip to Pollington. 

Fingers crossed for good weather and no breakdowns, and with Moonshine now sporting some new wheelhouse carpet she is all set to go. 

'Speedwell' waiting for a weather window to tow a houseboat conversion (completed in Goole over the winter) down south.

Little and Large

A few weeks ago we discovered the old battery charger  was not working, and therefore so as not to spoil our half term holiday in Wells we relied on a small portable charger from home for the week. This worked well, however since it had to work to its limit at times we had to cool it with a portable mains fan. 

Upon our return to Goole, the old Guest battery charger was removed for testing at home. We initially thought our luck was in, as we found two blown fuses inside the unit. We obtained some 10amp time delay fuses from Maplin, replaced these and plugged the unit into the mains and attempted to charge a battery to prove itself. Unfortunately this blew the mains fuse in the house which didn't bode well with our younger daughter who was on her gaming console at the time (slapped hands!), so we knew that there was something seriously wrong with it even though there were no visible signs. 

We then had to resign ourselves to the expense of a new unit. We decided on a Merlin Kisae Abso 40amp four stage battery charger from Cactus Navigation who were cheaper than other suppliers. This particular unit was chosen as you can prioritise your domestic battery bank over the engine start batteries. It also has a lot higher output than the old one and is considerably smaller in physical size. This was fitted last week and everything seems much more lively, so the old unit must have been on its last legs for a while now. 

It has now come to our attention that the starboard alternator was charging over voltage, and it looks as if the voltage regulator has gone faulty. This has been removed for repair, and we hope to have this sorted by next weekend.

 

This past week we have been busy with cleaning and new waterproofing of the newer and old canopies at home. Moonshines canopy was removed and replaced for the old blue one for the week.  This has been quite time consuming as the first stage of the sandy coloured newer canopy was to treat it with Patio Magic. It was then hung on the washing line at home for several days to let the biocide work, and allow any green or mould to be killed...this is an excellent product which is safe to use around animals and for use on fabric. The canopy then underwent a thorough wash, and finally once dried treated with Fabsil to waterproof it. A 5litre Fabsil container was obtained from EBay for £21.38 which was considerably cheaper than our local shops. The canopy is now back on Moonshine, and we decided to give the old blue canopy a quick treatment of the latter along with the dogs rain coats which were loosing their water resistance thick and fast.

We now have six weeks before our main holidays, with the next two weekends being disrupted due to work commitments. Hopefully...everything will be in tip top condition for our trip south.

Wells-next-the-Sea at long last!

We departed Goole on the early morning tide on Sunday bound for Grimsby. A day behind schedule due to the wind which had whipped up on the Saturday, and coupled with a very strong spring  tide we thought we would leave it an extra day so as not to get a battering. Having said that even on the Sunday with a strong westerly 4-5 it wasn't very pleasant in places, but we arrived in one piece covering 39.7 nautical miles, with the only thing playing up being the battery charger. We made a quick trip home on the Saturday to fetch our car battery charger to get us out of the mire, but it's looking like a new charger upon our return....yet more expense!

 

With the wind forecast due to significantly subside on the Sunday evening tide, and looking relatively settled for the forthcoming week, we decided to head to Wells-next-the-Sea for the week and forget about Newark. The past couple of years at Spring Bank the weather has not been suitable for us to make the long passage down the coast without worrying about the journey back as soon as we arrive. We once had to abandon Moonshine for a week in Wells and we did not want to run the risk of doing that again. However, the weather was settled and the decision made!

 

After a very smooth run at sea with another 53.5 nautical miles under our belt, we arrived at Wells where we planned on spending several nights.  We haven't visited Wells for a few years, and the extended pontoon and visitor facilities are a fantastic improvement. They plan on extending the pontoon further and purchasing a new boat hoist and making improvements to the slipway amongst other things as soon as revenue permits.

 

After spending a lazy 4 days thoroughly ensconced in Wells we decided Friday was the day to leave bound for Hull Marina. It was such a shame as the weather was lovely, however with a gentle southerly breeze behind us and with the breeze turning north westerly f 1/2 the further up the coast we travelled, we enjoyed a nice calm run back logging 72.7 nautical miles.

 

We departed Hull Marina on Saturday homeward bound. The river was quite rough off Hull, so we travelled at displacement speed in a fresh westerly f4 until we got to the south side of the river which was significantly calmer and were then able to plane up to Goole covering another 22.2 nautical miles. 

We have logged a total of 188.1 nautical miles this past week, and Moonshine and her recently refurbished outdrives have certainly proved themselves. A fantastic if not lazy week away with excellent weather conditions...it goes to show that it has been calmer at sea than in the river both ways. We just need to inspect the battery charger now to see if this is repairable, if not it will be a new unit.