Weekender.

Last weekend we went up to 'Holderness' to do little jobs and to check she is weathering the winter well. The main job was to re seal the bathroom and to try to watch the rugby internationals at the same time! Sealants in the bathroom are a wonderful invention as much rotting wood is prevented as the water is kept where it is supposed to be. However I know no quick and easy way of removing it and cleaning it off before reapplying it. This is normally done following work being carried out or it just gets old and mildewy with the damp conditions. I think the anti mildew content has improved these days, but they still get a bit grubby over time! Still with much pulling and scrapping and cleaning with meths it all seemed to work as it didn't leak after a day to cure.

One other little niggle was there appears to be a slight leak in the chimney collar on the roof. I therefore had to wait until a none rainy period and then go out and dry the suspected area of current seal and apply fresh to see if that does the trick.

One other small job was that the vent for the compost loo wasn't working. This is a little computer 12V fan in the vent pipe. It is positioned so that it sucks out from the boat and expels to the outside. This aids in the drying process and obviously removes odours. It was just a loose connection in the switch so that was soon fixed.

One other problem found was that since our repaint there seems to be a bigger gap than previously at the for'd end of the sliding hatch, either side of the runners. It is no massive, but there must have been some driving rain and this had got in the small gap and dripped water. I will have to look at it later, but for now I have blocked them whilst we are static.

We are moored in Fettlers Wharf and are very pleased to be there. The guys running the place on a day to day basis are very friendly and helpful. I bought another electricity card that I hope will see us through until we are off cruising again. 'Holderness' is the boat bringing a bit of colour to this northern basin of the marina, the smallest part.

The much larger southern basin stretches away from the service quay where we are standing for this photo. The railway that runs by the site can be seen to the left of the lamp post.

From the same position we look west and directly through the entrance on to the Rufford Arm of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. The hedge that can be seen in this photo effectively screens our moorings from the elevated tow path at this point and acts as a massive wind break against the SW'ly winds. We are well shielded from everything but southern blows. Directly opposite the entrance to Fettlers Wharf can be seen the entrance to St. Mary's Marina on the opposite side of the cut.

Before canals were being dug there was a water route to Wigan for the export of the coal via the Ribble using the River Douglas or Asland that was made navigable in the early 17th Century. This became redundant when the Leeds and Liverpool was completed and was replaced by the Rufford arm that allowed cargoes to descend to the Ribble. The white bridge is that over the Entrance to our marina.

This is a view of St. Mary's Marina from the road. There are about 100 berths here, and about the same at Fettler's Wharf marina. St. Mary's has a Brassiere and Fettler's a tea room!

Looking north up the Rufford Arm towards Burscough Junction from the road bridge. The two entrances to the two marinas is given away by the white bridge.

Looking north towards the Ribble Link, the Lancaster Canal and the Lake District. This was taken from the road bridge on the way back froma visit to Ruffold Hall which is a little way down on the left. It was just starting to rain so we hurried back to the boat to get back to the warmth of the stove and another cup of tea.