The Golden Cloud - 04/02/12
The Self Preservation Society
You may all be wondering why I have not updated for a while, you'd think the coldest week of the year would be a big talking point! Well it would be if I were cold!
The other night I had an indepth boat conversation with another Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences boat person who lives on a 47ft Ketch in Aberystwyth Harbour. He's a lecturer, and researches in Greenland based from said ketch!
His main comments during the conversation were that "I should be careful on the boat, as every man (or woman) has installed inside themselves a certian amount of passion for thier boat. If I were to spend too much time on her, or didn't get back enough good experiences, this passion will waste away and I'll soon be trying to sell a half converted boat!"
With these comments in mind I came into work last weekend, during my shift myself and the boss saw the weather forecast.... minus temperatures, east winds, and snow for the week....
And so just to give the night porter a week off you understand, I offered my services for working nights in exchange for a bed and a round of toast a day! Thankfully the boss accepted!
Thus the last few day's I've taken a welcome holiday from the boat as a Night Porter at the hotel, warm sleeps, hot showers, wifi... this is the life! See how i'm living it up at ... http://www.richmondhotel.uk.com/index.php
With the wifi, I've made steps to insure I don't need the hotel. On Thursday I ordered the insulation for the boat, once installed I should be as snug as a bug in a rug.... mainly as it will probably be summer by the time I'm finished!
Another bonus of the hotel is I've been in easy access of Uni, and as a result I have obviously spent the week not at uni but in the field!
Fieldwork has been slow but beautiful. Days out with friends in stunning (frozen) scenery, by a river, on a van-road-trip, with hot spiced apple and/or cake breaks, and lots of playing with Icicles makes for an awesome week!
Sadly all good things come to an end and so as "the warm air wins" and Aber is drowned in a bath of cold rain, fieldwork is put on hold. But further good news is on the horizon as I see good friends from the not so distant past are headed towards Aber.
A week of frolicking, catching up, and hopefully insulation installation parties are on the way!
Chin up! Worse things happen at Sea!
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Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
It never rains... it pours!
The Golden Cloud - 17/01/12
In this life it seems like it never rains, it pours! (especially in rural Wales!)
This last few days has been great on the boat as I now feel like I've got the boat in a state I can live in no matter what! I've had many friends over, which has been fantastic to both see them and get them over to show off my boat!
Alterations recently to the boat have been to put a second tarpaulin canopy over the boat which has successfully kept the frost off and taken away some of the chill, I've also installed full sized gas!
Now talking of chill, it definitely poured on that front the other night! But with a sense of "I can't pull out now" I kept buggering on!
The coldest night so far was forecast and I thought it had been bloody cold the night before. First I was set to begin with proper full sized gas out the cannister.... But the regulator I had from the old bottles doesn't fit the new ones.... and as it was Sunday night no way to get one to fit! I was running low on water, but I couldn't top up my water bottles as the mains had been turned off to save it freezing. I came back to the boat and tried to start a fire.... the wood, paper and cardboard was all too damp to start the fire, I was struggling to get the matches to light as well. So I thought OK I'll get into bed early with a hot water bottle (now on at £ land well recommended I've got 3!). However as this was the moment where my portable gas stove ran out of gas, I couldn't have a hot water bottle! I had 3 sources of heat and nothing would start, it was minus degree's onboard, and any place I could buy a source of heat was closed for the next 16 hours.
The boss at work had earlier in the day offered me to stay over at the hotel that night.... One half of me was gagging to go, the other side said MAN UP.
Then my friend Marc offered a centrally heated place to stay... this was so tempting... but if I ran tonight I know i'd run every cold night!
So I tried to work out why the stove wouldn't light, while I ate my pickle sandwiches (no stove or cooker = no hot food). It seemed from looking at the stove and out the chimney that the smoke wasn't rising out the top if the chimney... Read up on Yahoo-Answers, and found that in cold weather you need to get a woodburner really hot or the cold air holds the hot air in the chimney and chokes the fire.
So I set a firelighter (I know there not eco friendly, but I borrowed a tiny piece of a corner of one, and its probably more ecofriendly than my carbon footprint at the crematorium if i'd froze!) with as much dry kindling as I could find, at the bottom of the chimney and got the fire roaring! Cut a long story short did the trick! And a slow cooked omlette on the semi-hot stove later I was warm satisfied and off to sleep.
Survived!
But last night I finally sorted out the gas bottle, and so I was finally cooking on gas (needless to say although I was cooking on Gas the stove was burning well for once!)
So with the boat up and running, today my parents are coming up to drop off my fishing rods etc. So I had a quick tidy up this morning of the boat... see what you think!
GAS
YAY STOVE
Looking down the cabin, (from bottom right clockwise) Freezer, Stove, desk and seat, woodburner, bed.
Woodburner with 2 hours of wood cutting round it
In this life it seems like it never rains, it pours! (especially in rural Wales!)
This last few days has been great on the boat as I now feel like I've got the boat in a state I can live in no matter what! I've had many friends over, which has been fantastic to both see them and get them over to show off my boat!
Alterations recently to the boat have been to put a second tarpaulin canopy over the boat which has successfully kept the frost off and taken away some of the chill, I've also installed full sized gas!
Now talking of chill, it definitely poured on that front the other night! But with a sense of "I can't pull out now" I kept buggering on!
The coldest night so far was forecast and I thought it had been bloody cold the night before. First I was set to begin with proper full sized gas out the cannister.... But the regulator I had from the old bottles doesn't fit the new ones.... and as it was Sunday night no way to get one to fit! I was running low on water, but I couldn't top up my water bottles as the mains had been turned off to save it freezing. I came back to the boat and tried to start a fire.... the wood, paper and cardboard was all too damp to start the fire, I was struggling to get the matches to light as well. So I thought OK I'll get into bed early with a hot water bottle (now on at £ land well recommended I've got 3!). However as this was the moment where my portable gas stove ran out of gas, I couldn't have a hot water bottle! I had 3 sources of heat and nothing would start, it was minus degree's onboard, and any place I could buy a source of heat was closed for the next 16 hours.
The boss at work had earlier in the day offered me to stay over at the hotel that night.... One half of me was gagging to go, the other side said MAN UP.
Then my friend Marc offered a centrally heated place to stay... this was so tempting... but if I ran tonight I know i'd run every cold night!
So I tried to work out why the stove wouldn't light, while I ate my pickle sandwiches (no stove or cooker = no hot food). It seemed from looking at the stove and out the chimney that the smoke wasn't rising out the top if the chimney... Read up on Yahoo-Answers, and found that in cold weather you need to get a woodburner really hot or the cold air holds the hot air in the chimney and chokes the fire.
So I set a firelighter (I know there not eco friendly, but I borrowed a tiny piece of a corner of one, and its probably more ecofriendly than my carbon footprint at the crematorium if i'd froze!) with as much dry kindling as I could find, at the bottom of the chimney and got the fire roaring! Cut a long story short did the trick! And a slow cooked omlette on the semi-hot stove later I was warm satisfied and off to sleep.
Survived!
But last night I finally sorted out the gas bottle, and so I was finally cooking on gas (needless to say although I was cooking on Gas the stove was burning well for once!)
So with the boat up and running, today my parents are coming up to drop off my fishing rods etc. So I had a quick tidy up this morning of the boat... see what you think!
I think it looks really cosy!
Another pours not rain, is condensation onboard. This cold snap mixed with drying a lot of damp logs round the fire means the boat is like a rainforest at the moment! humidity gauge is reading 80% + fingers crossed it warms up and the logs dry out sooner rather than later!
And I must thank Russ, Matt, Tom, Ben, and Laura for coming over the other day was really nice! and the Boat Plant, Beer, and Cider they gave me are all doing well! (the beer especially!)
Also thanks to boatyard Keith for giving me the corner of fire lighter that saw me through the cold winter night!
And not forgetting my audience for 1051 page views so far, spanning 10 country's as far apart as the US and Vietnam!
Right I've got plenty to do as always so speak soon!
Thursday, 29 December 2011
It's never easy
The Golden Cloud 29/12/11
It's never easy is it. With just over a week left until the proposed move date for the Golden Cloud, I get a slap in the face.
The boatyard currently home to the ' cloud (the one who was asking the earth for yard and crane fees) called me yesterday to say ... the clutch was gone on there crane!
Oh Joy!
So I spent last night ringing and emailing around the various haulage companies of Wales, looking for a lorry that has a crane built in (a HIAB)... the nearest companies with these are in Conwy or in Swansea... great.
However, this morning I get the email from a company in North Wales. His price undercuts the cost of boatyard crane, low loader, boatyard crane, by £200.
Out of Darkness Cometh Light!
So new move date 6th January. BRING IT ON!
Happy Christmas, have a great New Year
It's never easy is it. With just over a week left until the proposed move date for the Golden Cloud, I get a slap in the face.
The boatyard currently home to the ' cloud (the one who was asking the earth for yard and crane fees) called me yesterday to say ... the clutch was gone on there crane!
Oh Joy!
So I spent last night ringing and emailing around the various haulage companies of Wales, looking for a lorry that has a crane built in (a HIAB)... the nearest companies with these are in Conwy or in Swansea... great.
However, this morning I get the email from a company in North Wales. His price undercuts the cost of boatyard crane, low loader, boatyard crane, by £200.
Out of Darkness Cometh Light!
So new move date 6th January. BRING IT ON!
Happy Christmas, have a great New Year
Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Oops I Did it Again!
The Golden Cloud 21/12/11
When I was a teenager my mother always used to say, "as soon as my savings got to £300, I couldn't take it any more and would spend it". Ooops I did it again!
Sat on the sofa, with top of the pops 2 on the telly, I've had one of those evenings where the boredom pushed me to a moment that I checked how my banking looked. After working for a friend of my mum, cleaning my great aunties car and selling my old speakers I'd amassed about £300... time to go and blow it then!
So onto ebay, look at my "watch list" and I soon see that oh wait, there's a 500w wind turbine on there, I've been watching it because it suits what I want... And look here, its on at £155, £300 less than I priced up. Well how could I resist a bid, i'll say a £180 maximum!
30 seconds left, no bid from me £155, I'm holding out to make sure there's no time for anyone else to bid... 20 seconds left no bid from me, this holding out is hard £155... 15 seconds, Now's my time! £180 maximum bid.... 10 seconds OUTBID!... 3 seconds left quick £185 bid, .... 0 seconds ... WIN!
God my heart was about to explode....
However, this is quite exciting, I now own a 500watt wind turbine, a source of power beyond my needs! (I'd planned for 100watts).
Before any geographers point out a big problem with turbines, I did think about it! A wind turbine, doesn't produce its rated output all the time. The output of this turbine increases from 0w at 0mph wind, up to 500w at 35mph wind. Some turbines won't produce any energy at usual wind speeds, and only produce an output at hurricane force wind! Luckily this turbine has an output of 100w at the average wind speed in the Aberystwyth area so that will do me nicely.
I'll probably also get a small solar panel to see me through the not so windy days of summer.
Exciting stuff!!!!
It's been posted to the boatyard which makes it more exciting! However, he doesn't know it's coming so fingers crossed he doesn't send it back!!!!
Seatbelts on the roller coaster of The Golden Cloud is about to start!
Merry Christmas
When I was a teenager my mother always used to say, "as soon as my savings got to £300, I couldn't take it any more and would spend it". Ooops I did it again!
Sat on the sofa, with top of the pops 2 on the telly, I've had one of those evenings where the boredom pushed me to a moment that I checked how my banking looked. After working for a friend of my mum, cleaning my great aunties car and selling my old speakers I'd amassed about £300... time to go and blow it then!
So onto ebay, look at my "watch list" and I soon see that oh wait, there's a 500w wind turbine on there, I've been watching it because it suits what I want... And look here, its on at £155, £300 less than I priced up. Well how could I resist a bid, i'll say a £180 maximum!
30 seconds left, no bid from me £155, I'm holding out to make sure there's no time for anyone else to bid... 20 seconds left no bid from me, this holding out is hard £155... 15 seconds, Now's my time! £180 maximum bid.... 10 seconds OUTBID!... 3 seconds left quick £185 bid, .... 0 seconds ... WIN!
God my heart was about to explode....
 |
| I'm the winner!!!! |
Before any geographers point out a big problem with turbines, I did think about it! A wind turbine, doesn't produce its rated output all the time. The output of this turbine increases from 0w at 0mph wind, up to 500w at 35mph wind. Some turbines won't produce any energy at usual wind speeds, and only produce an output at hurricane force wind! Luckily this turbine has an output of 100w at the average wind speed in the Aberystwyth area so that will do me nicely.
I'll probably also get a small solar panel to see me through the not so windy days of summer.
Exciting stuff!!!!
It's been posted to the boatyard which makes it more exciting! However, he doesn't know it's coming so fingers crossed he doesn't send it back!!!!
Seatbelts on the roller coaster of The Golden Cloud is about to start!
Merry Christmas
Monday, 19 December 2011
What do I actually need?
The Golden Cloud 19/12/11
And so the Christmas season is most defiantly upon us. I'm sat now curled up in a blanket on mums rocking chair, sat by the fire while the dogs sleep to either side of me. It's so nice to be home and the Christmassy homely feel is definitely what the doctor ordered.
I spent the first few days after getting home doing a RYA Powerboats License. I sometimes find myself doing something fantastic like this. I spent 2 days courtesy of my job at uni, spinning around in a high spec. powerboat, doing over 35knots, racing ferry's, the rib's equivalent of a handbrake turn, j turns, 8 turns and donuts! FANTASTIC. Apparently this will also be something that will help the work I do, and will mean they give me more hours. What more can I ask for!?!
I've come back in the evening and spent my spare time reading the various books I've bought off amazon as reference material for the project. Many things have caught my eye, from chutneys and jams, to fish traps and lobster pots. Fingers crossed I'll have the time to try them out.
One particular book has been fascinating bedtime reading; Low Cost Living by John Harrison. One chapter that has captured my thoughts Energy.
Energy on The Golden Cloud is something of a critical point. The boat is designed to run on 12v produced by the inboard 10hp diesel engine. However, this has a number of stumbling blocks. 1st the previous owner was in the middle of an electrics refurb, as a result the boats internal 12v circuit is incomplete and not operational. 2nd if the electrics were operational I will not be going to sea for the foreseeable future, and as such, the diesel engine that charges the batteries will not be running to charge the battery, the battery will soon run dead.
Now I also have a number of decisions to make with regards to energy. I could a) run off the extension lead that I will be supplied with from the boatyard, on metered mains 240v, at ~15p per unit. Or b) spend some of my years savings on a solar panel or wind turbine to charge the battery, and then set up the 12v circuits, with the free power from the sky!
The answer that slaps me in the face is GO FOR THE RENEWABLE, after all I want to be sustainable, and this will also be adding value to the boat. However, going down this route will cost me ~£500 for a set up for a 100watt panel, or £700 for a 500watt turbine.
It will also limit me in the wattage I can use onboard. Yes I will not use all my electrical items all the time, and yes by producing my own energy I'm more likely to be careful with what electric I use, but it does mean I need to work out what wattage is a want and what wattage is a need.
So I wrote it down and worked it out. If my heating comes from the wood burner, and my cooker runs on gas. I'm left with the fridge (optionally works on gas) ~50w, the Laptop ~30w, phone charger ~5w, lights over the cooker, bed, forward cabin <10w each. Total under 100w. Other things I may need are optional extras, they're wants, not needs, The TV, the PS2, I really don't need in all honesty, I don't need lots of lights. Its also more than likely that I will only have the fridge, the laptop and a light on at one time. If I find I need something that I haven't put down for, worst comes to worst I can use the extension lead supplied.
In a lot of ways this final bit of the blog is more of a survey than anything else. Other than light, laptop, phone and fridge is there anything anyone can think of that I will need electricity for?
Merry Christmas.
And so the Christmas season is most defiantly upon us. I'm sat now curled up in a blanket on mums rocking chair, sat by the fire while the dogs sleep to either side of me. It's so nice to be home and the Christmassy homely feel is definitely what the doctor ordered.
I spent the first few days after getting home doing a RYA Powerboats License. I sometimes find myself doing something fantastic like this. I spent 2 days courtesy of my job at uni, spinning around in a high spec. powerboat, doing over 35knots, racing ferry's, the rib's equivalent of a handbrake turn, j turns, 8 turns and donuts! FANTASTIC. Apparently this will also be something that will help the work I do, and will mean they give me more hours. What more can I ask for!?!
I've come back in the evening and spent my spare time reading the various books I've bought off amazon as reference material for the project. Many things have caught my eye, from chutneys and jams, to fish traps and lobster pots. Fingers crossed I'll have the time to try them out.
One particular book has been fascinating bedtime reading; Low Cost Living by John Harrison. One chapter that has captured my thoughts Energy.
Energy on The Golden Cloud is something of a critical point. The boat is designed to run on 12v produced by the inboard 10hp diesel engine. However, this has a number of stumbling blocks. 1st the previous owner was in the middle of an electrics refurb, as a result the boats internal 12v circuit is incomplete and not operational. 2nd if the electrics were operational I will not be going to sea for the foreseeable future, and as such, the diesel engine that charges the batteries will not be running to charge the battery, the battery will soon run dead.
Now I also have a number of decisions to make with regards to energy. I could a) run off the extension lead that I will be supplied with from the boatyard, on metered mains 240v, at ~15p per unit. Or b) spend some of my years savings on a solar panel or wind turbine to charge the battery, and then set up the 12v circuits, with the free power from the sky!
The answer that slaps me in the face is GO FOR THE RENEWABLE, after all I want to be sustainable, and this will also be adding value to the boat. However, going down this route will cost me ~£500 for a set up for a 100watt panel, or £700 for a 500watt turbine.
It will also limit me in the wattage I can use onboard. Yes I will not use all my electrical items all the time, and yes by producing my own energy I'm more likely to be careful with what electric I use, but it does mean I need to work out what wattage is a want and what wattage is a need.
So I wrote it down and worked it out. If my heating comes from the wood burner, and my cooker runs on gas. I'm left with the fridge (optionally works on gas) ~50w, the Laptop ~30w, phone charger ~5w, lights over the cooker, bed, forward cabin <10w each. Total under 100w. Other things I may need are optional extras, they're wants, not needs, The TV, the PS2, I really don't need in all honesty, I don't need lots of lights. Its also more than likely that I will only have the fridge, the laptop and a light on at one time. If I find I need something that I haven't put down for, worst comes to worst I can use the extension lead supplied.
In a lot of ways this final bit of the blog is more of a survey than anything else. Other than light, laptop, phone and fridge is there anything anyone can think of that I will need electricity for?
Merry Christmas.
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