Battery Condition Monitor

Meter installed above switchboard

Photo from ASAP's website

Now that Patience has had an electric fridge installed (see 7 August 2014 entry) we have to be more careful with our power consumption when moored up overnight. The Shoreline fridge is claimed to consume an average of 0.95Ahr/hr so mooring up for 18 hours would, in theory, consume about 17Ahr from the two domestic batteries.  They have a nominal capacity of 2 x 110 Ahr so allowing for 50% of that being accessible, that would represent 16% of their capacity. However mooring up for two nights (say 42 hours) would consume 40 Ahr or 36% of their accessible charge.  To that has to be added the power for lighting, pumps, TV, etc and in any case, the batteries may not be 100% charged when mooring up.  Therefore it is essential to keep a watch on the state of charge of the batteries and to preserve the starter motor battery by switching over to the domestic batteries when mooring up for the night.

We therefore purchased a Faria battery condition monitor from ASAP, our preferred marine component supplier.  It was ordered on a Friday afternoon and arrived via Royal Mail the following morning.  What fantastic service from ASAP and Royal Mail! The gauge has been installed above the switchboard on the aft bulkhead, as shown in the top photo. The detailed photo of the gauge is from ASAP's website. The manufacturers recommend that it is wired via a switch so that it can be switched off when the batteries are being charged by the engine.  A convenient spare switch on the switchboard, also incorporating a circuit breaker, was used for this purpose.

Brandon on the Little Ouse

Doing a recce of local rivers by car in advance of a future boating visit I visited Brandon, at the end of navigation of the Little Ouse.
I've driven through Brandon  many a time on the way to the north Norfolk coast but this was the first time down by the river.
The river is reached along the High Street on the Swaffham Road. Cross the bridge and immediately after it on the left are Jean Paul's restaurant and The Ram, a traditional pub. Park in the layby outside the pub.

Jean Paul's Restaurant garden downstream from the bridge

The bridge from downstream, on the riverside walk - restaurant on the left

The Ram has a beer garden and a track signposted Riverside Walks. Brandon House opposite is a more upmarket hotel/restaurant.
Opposite the Ram is Riverside Way. Pass the retirement home and follow a bridleway sign down a narrow track to the river and the Environment Agency moorings, sturdy and some 20 metres long.

EA 48 hour moorings

A small stream with a bridge adds a little turning space to the river, ample for a 50 footer I would think.
After this the EA's signs warn of low water levels and inadvisable navigation.
Brandon town provides food and supplies, take-aways, restaurants and shops.

The bridge from upstream, opposite the EA moorings

All in all a good place for an overnight stop and an attractive trip up the Little Ouse.
PS Link to a later post about Brandon.

Learning the skills

While we wait for the survey I've been doing a bit of research to update my knowledge of boat handling. No substitute for actually doing it but good preparation and this should also be useful for training any of the family who want to borrow the boat.

Luckily I came across some useful guidance on WikiHow, so until I can make the definitive guide book for Patience the best place to look is here for managing a lock, and here for how to control a narrow boat.
Useful advice such as: "an arm held out to prevent the boat hitting a lock side will get broken" and "NEVER EVER tie a rope from a boat going down a lock" (because once tight you'll be unable to untie it; either the rope will snap or the part of the boat it's attached to.)
If you prefer YouTube demos you could try this one or this one on getting through locks.
There don't seem to be any video clips for solo boaters (thinks: maybe there was no-one around to hold the camera ...) though I did find a detailed written description of what to do mooring or in locks when you're solo.
The canals and waterways FAQ might be useful too.
Actually any advice is useful before you start out and although we shall no doubt meet helpful people near the locks it would be wise to work out in advance what we should do in a crisis (and thereby avoid it ....)

Later addition: read our series on Narrow Boat Problems And How To Avoid Them.