Freemans at Bridgehouse Marina

Freemans at Bridgehouse Marina, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

I recall my father showing me the difference between a Freeman 22 and a later 23 one day while we were on holiday on the Norfolk Broads. He pointed out the step in the side deck of the 22 and the 'square shoulders' of the 23 superstructure, along with the different shapes of the front windows. I was delighted to have, at long last, found a subject that I both liked and understood, unlike the nonsense that constituted the conventional school curriculum in the 1960's.
Sadly, my new knowledge had little currency in the playground at Fairways Junior School, and I soon found it had even less with potential girlfriends, so I quickly learnt to become a closet boat anorak. The bloodline of a Seamaster 813 or a Freeman 24 might have been fascinating to me, but it made for a very one sided conversation, and even as a gormless teenager I knew this was neither aspirational nor cool.
All of this was brought back to me this morning at the marina as I was on board looking for my 'winter' fenders. I heard a family walking past, but instead of the usual 'No, no Tyrone, stop throwing stones at the nice ducks...' I heard a Dad telling his young son all about the boats in the marina.
For a moment I was tempted to rush out and tell them not to try using boat recognition as an ice breaker on the dancefloor, but my need to find the fenders, (and my dislike of being told to keep my opinions to myself) prevailed.
In any case, life is a voyage of discovery even for us Anoraks.

The Dry Season.

Henry, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

Last year, at around this time, I decided to buy a dehumidifier for Henry. I have husbanded enough boats through previous winters to know that damp air will do more harm than cold air and that heating a winterized boat without dehumidifiying it promotes mould and condensation. So off to my local Ebay, to buy a small electric dehumidifier. Two types are on sale. Ridiculously expensive ones that claim to accomodate low temperatures by recycling the heat from the exchanger, and ordinary domestic ones that do the same job down to 15 degrees celcius, but which have limited effect in colder air. £20 later I was the owner of a small domestic dehumidifier, and a modest further sum bought me a low wattage greenhouse heater to stir the air up and raise the temperature so that the moisture can be extracted more efficiently. A pair of plug in timers and a couple of electricity cards, and Henry was a dry as a bone all last winter. In fact, you could feel the dryness of the air in the cabin as you opened the doors.
Same again this year I expect. A bit of a faff about, but well worth it, as I will be able to leave the seat cushions in place, and the whole boat fully in commission, ready to go at any time. Just in case the sun comes out.

Season's End

Boats at Bridgehouse Marina on the Lancaster Canal, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

The trees at the marina have begun their annual display of russet and gold and the leaves have started to fall and blow around the paths and jetties. As a photographer I can appreciate the colours, the quality of the light and the textures in autumn, but as a boat owner, and more specifically the owner of a boat whose gelcoat is 27 years old, I dread it in almost equal measure. I spent an exhausting weekend in May this year polishing the cabin and roof with 'Fiber (sic) glass Polish and Restorer' in an attempt to protect the gelcoat, but even so I view each leaf as a potential stain, every twig as a possible obstruction in a drainage channel.
Every time I visit the boat, my first job is to wash the debris off the decks and upperworks. If I knew a little more about trees I could identify the leaves that are my mortal enemies and those that are just a nuisance, but I remember the Nature Table at primary school as a place of unfathomable mystery, and my Reader's Digest guide to The Trees of Britain has no useful appendix called 'Leaves that will leave a mark on your Norman 23'. So they all have to be washed off. Every time.
Winter? I can hardly wait.

Henry fends for herself.

Norman 23 'Henry' at Bridgehouse Marina, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

Taken with my new wide angle lens on Saturday, this shot makes Henry look rather sporty and powerful. A bit like an E Type with four beds and a cocktail cabinet. It is true that Malcolm Sayer's original design had a bit more than 9.9hp to power it, but even so, Henry seems to get up enough speed just at the wrong moment to need the marine equivalent of ventilated disc brakes - a good set of fenders.
I spent a few happy hours on Saturday paddling around in my waders (any excuse) and refixing her bow fender. I say 're' fixing it because I originally fitted it a couple of weeks ago, looked back at my handiwork as I packed my tools away and realised that it was both crooked and too low.
But not any more. Henry is now completely protected against the possibility of a front end collision as long as the object is no more than 30cm high, and is suspended obligingly above the surface of the water.
So, no good for an out of control steel narrowboat, or an unexpected coral reef but perfect for a duck coming in to land or a leaping perch.
Perhaps I should just watch where I am going.