The Channel ferry ports are a strange mixture of cultures, pockets of period architecture in between largely brutalist post war reconstruction, run down in places, thriving in others. Dieppe was all of these plus an old fashioned seaside resort, but…
Bonjour Boulogne-sur-Mer
Perfect sailing conditions this afternoon, reaching across the Channel in 10-12 knots of north-easterly breeze, making 7+knots through the water and a handy 2 knot tide also pushing us in the right direction.
Black Deep, Foulgers Gat and the London Array
Saturday 23rd June 2018. It was a bit of a rush getting away this morning and I didn’t feel as well prepared as I would have liked. We arrived on board Friday afternoon about 5pm with a list of jobs…
Amps, lots of them!
A more successful weekend! It took three attempts but finally managed to re-run the cables for the wind generator. But once I’d got it hooked up and the new alternator installed we had a boat load of power!
All Quiet on the Deben
It’s nearly 10pm on the first day of June, not quite dark, and I’m on board Millie on her mooring in the Deben. Just had some supper and a beer (or two) and finally relaxing. I got down here around…
Millie’s New Home
After a long winter in Southwold we finally moved Millie this weekend to her new home 25 miles south at Felixstowe Ferry, at the entrance to the River Deben. Changing from winter mode (looking like an untidy workshop inside) to…
Electrical System Upgrades 2017/18
Moving onto a mooring and out of the shore powered confines of a marina meant we needed to be more self sufficient for power. To live onboard Millie we need power for lighting, pumping and heating water, refrigeration, heating (diesel…
The Solar Arch
I wasn’t sure what to call it. I started referring to it as a gantry, but that sounded a bit industrial. After some research I found that most people described it as a radar arch or solar arch, so I’ve…
I Can’t Hear the VHF
or how to build a non-magnetic extension speaker… Our main VHF set, as with many boats, is by the chart table, and I also have a handheld I can use in the cockpit, which is useful to talk to port…
The Trouble With NMEA0183
When we purchased our Bavaria 40 Ocean “Millie” last year she was fitted with a good range of electronics, but with some limitations. In particular she had a Raymarine Classic C70 chart plotter/MFD on the helm console, which worked fine…