We got the car unloaded and noticed the the 12v fuse panel had a couple of lights out when I had turned everything on. The first problem was trying to remember how to get into the fuses them selves. It took a search on-line to work out that you needed a sharp 'thing to poke into the side of the fuse holder to make it click out. The sharp 'thing' had to be short enough to get in the gap between the fuse and the bulkhead. I settled on a cocktail stick and this worked fine. In the end the fuses were fine and everything was working fine.
After fettling that we got everything else ready for sailing and set off. It is then that I realised that I hadn't brought my camera! I will have to master how to move phone pictures from my phone to the blog.
We had high hopes of having a partner to share with as we popped out of the marina entrance but they moored up on the outside of Calcutt Marina and we were on our own. We crossed with a boat in the middle Calcutt Lock and we were on our way to the Junction.
4 comments:
Which way counts as east at that junction, Tony?
I think the reason there is a 50mph limit at roadworks is for the safety of the workers - there is a court case about to start here in NZ where the main contractor is being prosecuted after the death of a worker hit by one of the roadwork trucks. The driver was prosecuted, and the main contractor was prosecuted because they failed to make sure the employees were operating the equipment safely - and that the equipment was safe to use - faulty brakes...
In NZ the speed limit through most roadworks sites is 30kph (i.e.just over 20mph) so 50mph seems very fast to me!
Mxx
Hi Both, East is generally the direction of where the sun comes up, and in this case towards Braunston.
In the case of a death in roadworks you talk about it was a contractors truck, not a member of the public. In the case here on our 'smart motorways' they have taken away the emergency lane to use for running traffic as they have installed overhead gantries that will tell drivers of any dangers. They had installed emergency lay-bys every few miles but experience has shown they that contrary to belief they are not safe so they are installing more of the emergency lay-bys. This are constructed off the 4 lanes and have closed the 'towpath side lane as protection for the workers, leaving three running lanes. In this country on dual carriageways you can travel at 70mph (unless otherwise stated), and three lane motorways are 70 mph too. Single lane country roads have a speed limit of 60 mph, so for a three lane motorway with overhead gantries to warn of dangers ahead, travelling at 50 mph seems somewhat excessive. But, as you say, we could all be going at 20 mph for miles and miles and we would soon get used to it I'm sure. It illustrates quite nicely the difference between New Zealand and the UK. In the UK we hare along at 70 mph to get our excitement and in New Zealand they leap off bridges with a bungee cord tied to their leg!
Yep, I knew about the sun, but had no idea which way that was at the junction. It's always an instruction that floors me on the GPS - head southwest... Get a grip, I say!
When we are in the UK it takes us a while to get oriented that the sun is in the south at midday - whereas here it's in the north. So we often feel we are heading in totally the wrong direction when travelling by car...
In NZ, our highest speed limit is 100kph, i.e.~64mph, even on our motorways, and in some areas between towns that are close together, the limit is 80kph (50mph) even if it's a dual carriageway. So 50kph or 30kph through roadworks doesn't feel so bad. Well, not to me, anyway!
The truck in question was a contractor's truck - the road was closed to the public at that time. We've also had accidents where roadworkers have been injured/killed by public vehicles. The drivers get charged with dangerous driving. The main contractor would also be investigated then too - to clarify if the site was being managed with safety in mind (recognising that the some of the public are idiots) and were all staff aware of the hazards of that particular day's work. Here, under the HSAW Act 2015, on any site before work starts for the day, the site manager is required to hold a 'toolbox talk' where the work is outlined and risks and hazards for the day are identified and strategies for managing them discussed. It may seem like overkill but it certainly sharpens the focus. When I was project managing the mine remediations down on the West Coast (magnificent sunSETS...) of the South Island, I attended a few of the toolbox talks. There was an excellent collegial team atmosphere on that job, and all of the guys were happy to speak up and contribute. Work started each day at about 8am and all of the guys had a 30km drive to the site, with 17kms of it on one way gravel roads with lots of bends and steep drop offs. So a big part of the close down for the day was about safe driving. It also meant that the guys looked at bits of the road that should be fixed - and they undertook that work.
On motorways in the UK, I am always very watchful - your nose to tail accidents are almost never just two cars, because no-one appears to have heard of safe following distances ... If I can, I stay in the left hand lane - but those trucks - aaarrrggghhh!!! I wear my hair short so the eyes in the back of my head can see...
Mxx
Bungee jumping - two feet in an elastic band - and definitely not for me - I never trust the infrastructure or the people checking that the bungee is attached at the top...
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