One of Too Few Visits.

I visited the boat today, just for a short while to refit the solar panel. I removed it a few weeks ago when I found it had stopped charging the battery. when I checked it out at home, I found the wires in the junction box on the back of the panel had corroded and had become disconnected.

So a new sealed box on the back of the panel and cleaning of the wires ensued and the whole lot was sealed to prevent corrosion.

Back on the boat today I checked the battery voltage. It was 12.8 volts, which isn't bad for a battery that has been left on it's own for a couple of months without being charged. That's quite a healthy charge for a lead-acid battery.

Anyway, after the solar panel was connected, within 20 minutes it was up to 13 volts, so showing a healthy charge. 

Job done.

Then back to shore while the tide was still high. I had a small heart attack a couple of weeks ago (so mild even the doctors weren't convinced and it only showed up on a blood test) and I still have to take it easy. So the dinghy was winched up the beach. Slowly. Luckily I still have the tirfor style winch from when I pulled my back. So that came out to play again. 

Instead of taking 5 minutes to pull the dinghy up the beach, it takes 15 instead with the winch. But hey, I'm still alive!

When back on land I was reminded why I don't like single keelers with beaching legs.

This blue boat had one of it's legs collapse and the boat had tipped over onto Meagles next door. 

While I was winching the dinghy up the beach there was loud twanging from the rigging of the two boats as the backstay of the blue boat slid down the forestay of Meagles as the tide dropped.

I hope they get sorted without any damage, but Meagles' forestay looked under a lot of tension and the blade of the roller furler was bending from the weight of the other boat.