This week we celebrated Twosday which was at 22h 22m 22s on 22/2/22. We celebrated in grand style here on Salty Lass with a cup of tea and a crumpet.

We also did a few small projects here on Salty Lass.

• Checking the wiring around the engine - In a previous blog we had an intermittent fault on our engine panel which we fixed by cleaning all our connections. This led us to check all the wiring elsewhere on Salty Lass and Beverley found a wire that was barely holding on, so I made up a replacement wire and she fitted it. If you have time checking the wiring on your equipment is a good thing to do, but once every year, even every two years should be fine
• Cleaning the fenders - Beverley cleaned the fenders in the wet room but this led to
• Fixing a fuse - While Beverley was cleaning the fenders the shower pump stopped working which we found was a faulty fuse

This in turn led to a few top tips

• Buy a window scrapper - This allows you to push the water towards the shower drain and clean the bottom of the wet locker
• Clean the hair trap on a regular basis - On most shower pumps there is a small filter with a wire mesh in it. Remove the wire mesh and clean it. The frequency of the cleaning depends on how often you use the shower pump

This week we bought some flowers, not a regular occurrence but Beverley really likes daffodils with there bright yellow flowers, so seeing as we do not have a vase she made one out of the bottom of a milk bottle. We then used the top of the vase to make a wee elephant. These wee elephants take me back to the time I was a Brownie leader and I made over 200 elephants for a badge day I helped lead. Trust me the answer to how many elephants can you get in a car is not 2 in the front and 2 in the back, I had over 200 in my wee car and I had lots of space for more, I just didn't need them.

Making a hatch cover

You will need enough fabric to make the top of the hatch cover and the side of hatch cover, this is the perimeter of your hatch x 10cm, do make sure that you have a seam of about 1.5cm for the top of the hatch. You will also need UV stable cotton

• Fold and pin the bottom of the width of your fabric so that you make a channel for your cord to go. Once the channel is made, now measure the height that you need for your hatch and add a seam of about 1.5cm to your cit seam
• Make sure that you have enough fabric to go around the hatch. If you do need a longer section, do make sure that you attach the other side section so that the cord can pass through the channel
• Cut out the top section of the hatch making sure that you have a seam of 1.5cm
• Pin the top section to your sides and check it against the hatch. Adjust where required
• Sew the top to the side, then check again before cutting off the excess fabric.
• Make sure that the fabric does not fray. If you are using acrylic then you can use a lighter to melt the edges
• Put a cord through the edging and the job is done

We have tried a lot of solutions to reduce condensation in the boat and by far and away the best solution is putting a hatch cover on the windows.

Viewer questions of the week

Our viewers have asked us a few questions this week, one viewer wanted to know

Why we don't go South for the winter?

We might be birds but we are not starlings, we do not migrate. On a more serious note then really our number one issue is Family, Beverley's Mum is about 1/2 hour away by car, which Beverley's Mum loans us for the winter, and my mum who is 96 going on 97 is within easy reach. If I am needed then I can be there. Another reason is work, I have been able to work which helps with our cruising kitty. We are still not able to sustain ourselves financially, so being able to work helps.

Another reason that we like this area is the sailing. It is challenging sailing area with strong tidal streams, difficult sailing conditions and high tides, but we are cutting our teeth on difficult sailing. That way when we come to easier places to sail we would of been as prepared as we can be.

Another question was

What are our cruising plans for 2022?

Well are plans to go around Ireland have been on hold for two years because of Covid, so being able to do what we wanted to two years ago will be great. On my to do list is Baltimore. Star wars island and the only fjord in Ireland while Beverley wants to go to Bantry Bay, Dingle, Lough Swilly, Mulroy Bay in the North and some of the Western Islands. We also wanted to know where are the places that our viewers want to see and where is a great place to go in a storm.