Rick the confessor

I know the secrets of the confessional are supposed to be sacrosanct, but hey, I need something to blog about. 

Herbie rests tonight back home in Crick, having been under the command of Rick since Monday for a short trip down past Braunston and back.  This evening Rick rang me up to confess in anxious tones to the list of damages inflicted.  Nothing serious at all, just normal boating scrapes, but he and (especially) Marilyn, feel the weight of remorse.  Listen Rick and Marilyn, I worry much more about you stressing than I do about the loss of a fender and a small easily patchable scrape of the shoulder of the cratch cover.  These happened in Braunston tunnel where they met another boat coming the other way at the point where the tunnel makes a dog leg. 

As to the demolition of the end of our mooring pontoon at the marina I just wish I had been there to see it. Actually I exaggerate, he merely dislodged a couple of the batons which make up the end of the footway.  Rick kindly went to the harbourmaster Gary and nervously informed him of the damage, and all Gary did was say it happens all the time and not to worry, he would send someone out with a hammer and nails to replace them.

Lastly on the matter of the destruction of an over bridge and four lock gates at Watford . . .  alright, I made that bit up..

Having hired many a boat in the past I can recall rather more serious misdemeanours, especially on Broads sailing boats.  Broken bowsprits, lots of scrapes, and a spectacularly broken mast when towing a dinghy under a Ludham bridge.  We lowered the mast on the main boat but quite forgot the little sailing dinghy we were towing.  I can still hear the crack now!  I think that over a number of years we have lost our damage deposit more often than not.  Rick has already paid in advance his Herbie damage deposit over the years, mostly in jars of his matchless pickled onions.

Apparently my shiny new glow plugs aren’t working.  Well that is to say I think they are OK, but the wiring to them is not.  I’m not entirely surprised as although I replaced them recently ( they were on special offer at Calcutt) I suspected there might be other reasons for the old ones not functioning.  I’m quite looking forward to playing with my multimeter over that one.  It sounds tricky but inexpensive.