Welcome to 2023, Beverley's mind was not switched on, but the year was only 12 hours old, so I think we will forgive her. The 1st January was a very calm day, so we decided to move Salty Lass just a few slips from the bottom of the ramp, to our normal slip across the alleyway.

So I slipped the lines while Beverley, pulled us in at the back to spring Salty Lass. Although the winds were light, as soon as the nose came out from behind the other boats, the nose was pushed into the pontoon. At this point Beverley reversed to give herself more room and I went forward with the boat hook to push us off the pontoon. Rather than helping, using the boat hook just meant that we rolled along the pontoon. By this time, we were well forward and the fenders had risen because we were so so close to the pontoon. At this point, Beverley decided to walk Salty Lass back and start again, so I got the lines ready so that she could do this and we contacted a fellow yachtie called Ian so that he could help. Once we were further back we used the engine to spring Salty Lass. This is a technique where you start the manoeuvre by going backwards with a single rope tied to the pontoon. This allows you to get a better angle with the initial spring and is ideal for conditions where you are being pushed by either tide or wind, as the engine will compensate for that. Once we had sprung using the engine we were able to proceed down the alley. Beverley then took us down the alley until I was ready with the ropes, for taking us into the slip. At this point Beverley started to reverse down the alley way so that we could reverse into our slip.

Viewer question of the week

How do we keep condensation down?

So before we start with that question you have to think about where does all the water vapour come from?

• Washing up - Just a simple activity but you are creating water vapour in the air, so as soon as you have done the washing up get rid of the water and dry your dishes, then leave your drying cloth outside so that is where the water evaporates.
• Wet weather - When it is wet outside then every time you come in then you will be bringing that water inside, so try and keep these instances down to a minimum and go somewhere warmer if you can.
• Cooking - If you cook with Butane or Propane every time you cook then you are releasing water vapour into the air

• Boiling the kettle - When you boil the kettle then you are releasing water. even cooking food releases moisture into the air, so just think when you are cooking what can you do to keep the moisture down.
• Breathing - As you breath you are producing water vapour with every breath.

To keep the condensation down we:-

• Use a dehumidifier - If you are living aboard, then the best way to keep condensation down is to use a dehumidifier. It takes litres of water out of the air every day
• Use silicon balls and sachets - These work, but they take months to take out a cup of water, so use these in cupboards, or close to tools, which you want to keep dry.
• Put covers on your windows - These insulate the frames of the windows from the cold
• Use the dinghy - Put the dinghy over your boat to increase the insulation you have on the boat.
• Use bubble wrap - Use bubble wrap to cover the side windows
• Insulate the hull - We used camper van insulation on the sides of Salty Lass to keep Salty Lass warm and reduce condensation
• Use dry mat - Use dry mat under your beds and and anywhere , where fabric touches the hull of the boat
• Use carpet mat - If you can't use dry mat, use carpet mat to keep the circulation going and to keep stuff from touching the sides of the boat
• Open hatches - When you are cooking, keep the hatch open to release water vapour. Also have a hatch open to make sure that water vapour can escape
• Use freezer bags for storage - It is only a thin layer of insulation, but every bit of insulation helps

Other tips

• Clean - Clean on a regular basis to keep mould spores down
• Keep air circulating in the boat
• Only boil the water you need
• Open cupboards - This is so that there is no stale air on your boat