Okay, let's have a look at 2021. Not a lot done unfortunately in the great scheme of things. The first half of the year was dominated by me getting Covid in January/February and various other things put paid to regular visits to the boat. 2021's weather seemed a bit naff too, not allowing regular visits to the boat. The sun only really came out in the Autumn. I do remember a few unseasonal windy moments in the summer.
As usual first are the basic expenses.£148 Mooring Fee
£170 Insurance.
Now the expenses for 2021:
£3.25 GRP Tape. For the dinghy, which was leaking. Again.
£5.95 New Bailer as the old one had fallen to bits.
£3.94 GX12 Aviation Plug. The power plug and socket for the AIS 12v conversion.
£5.49 Surface mount 12v socket for the solar panel.
£125 A Big one This: for some stainless anchor chain that won't hopefully rust into a solid ball.
£10.00 Anchor rope. Because I can't afford 20m metres of Stainless chain.
£6.25 Cork plugs for the floor drain holes.
£8.99 A New Solar Charge Controller
£7.29 A charge monitor for the battery to complement the charge controller.
£4.84 Replacement Tap with microswitch for pumped water
£5.49 New LPG Gas hose.
£8.18 Water hose for the tap
£12.95 Rule Slimline Submersible pump.
£10.49 Flexi hose for the Bilge pump.
£9.95 Twin core wire for the bilge pump and the water pump.
£20.00 Two 10 Litre water tanks for the fresh water.
£565.06 Is the Total for the year.
Now Let's Review the Year.
Well, at the beginning of the year I caught Covid and survived. Mark that as a positive.
I scrubbed the bottom of the boat for the first time in a couple of years, and found Oysters! The first time I had them on the hull. I really need to antifoul if they are going to be a thing in Langstone harbour, because they are the devil to remove. They're welded on with nature's equivalent to superglue. I guess that's down to the university trying to grow oysters in the harbour. They have a new pontoon out in the middle of the Harbour. I guess the increased Oyster activity is seeding the whole harbour with little oysterlings that weld themselves to your hull.
The main task this year was to get the electronics installed. The chartplotter and the AIS receiver I got back in 2020.
First the dry run electronically on the conservatory table to get them all talking together. Then mount them in the boat and wire them up. Now I have everything talking to each other, with the chartplotter and Navionics on my mobile receiving AIS data. Along with the GPS repeater and the VHF getting GPS data from the chartplotter.
That task completed, I sorted out the fresh water on board. Mainly because one day I was gagging for a brew and couldn't make one. But a few quid on the bits and I have pumped water. Sorted.
Just before Christmas Sprite broke her moorings during one of the storms and thankfully rather than floating off and being lost forever, ended up on the beach 100 yards away, albeit above the 5 metre mark. One of the local guys untied the anchor and set it while I got down to the boat. Luckily I was able to take a day off work and refloat her the day after so the tide was thankfully still as high. She's now tied on the beach near Jim's boats.
I've bought new chain for the mooring and I have a contact that will get me a lorry wheel for the sinker. The chain will be on 2022's list of expenses.
Sadly the car is a bit sick so that needs attention at the moment so the boat is taking a bit of a back-burner. Plus I've almost attended a wedding that got cancelled due to Covid the day before it was due to happen, attended a family funeral, and attended the rescheduled wedding all in the past fortnight, so it's been a bit hectic recently.
Anyway, happy New Year everyone, lets hope it's a better year weather-wise and virus-wise.
And I'll looking for things to be a bit more chilled out!
