The weather was due to set in yesterday afternoon and I was late getting aboard – so no sail, but a happy couple of hours doing small jobs:

• A small brass cleat plus a short lanyard on a brass screw will stop the lid over the stove crushing the kettle every time we go onto a port tack.
• Two O-rings will hold the chart table firmer to its fittings. The play wasn’t much but just enough to cause concern.
• The greaser for the stern gland has been recharged. How do you stop grease travelling around a small saloon? Answer: wear gloves, have a couple of cloths handy and be very, very careful!
• The oil has been checked. We have used a little since the last check, but it’s ok.
• The screws on the autohelm attachment below the tiller needed tightening. I have used it much less this year – enjoying the helm myself or letting the crew steer. It was only when I removed it  last time that I noticed the fitting was moving. I shall watch it more closely in future.

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I have been playing with a tubtrug as a simple solution for extra stowage in the fore cabin.

They are large enough to hold all sorts of odds and ends that you don’t need often, but when you do need them, it’s always in a hurry and they are always buried somewhere.

Because space (including headroom) is limited in a boat this size, stowage is critical. It’s hard work searching beneath piles of loose gear. Using these for bins, clears the fore cabin and makes it easy to open the lockers in the sole.

As from yesterday, this one holds various coils of rope, lines etc; it was  sea boots, awning, hand-bailer and a couple of fenders (as in the image) before that.

They are flexible, meaning they are very easy to pull into the saloon or up on deck.

I like the versatility  – it would bail a lot of water in an emergency.

This one  fits snugly just forward of the main bulkhead. It needs a simple fastening to hold it steady on a starboard  tack.

They are an excellent place for wet heavy-weather gear in a boat with no hanging locker.

I am going to buy another one in a garden sale.

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Oh, and I took a some of bearings and transferred them to the chart. Just practising 🙂