On the Move - up the River to the Wooden Boat Centre - Franklin
A beautiful day. Just the right day to be on the water. a little brisk however stunning.Today was the day we moved the Viking from its mooring up-river to the Wooden Boat Centre in Franklin. I am glad to report that it was an overall uneventful journey. No taking on water or any other such excitements - just a nice day on the water. After dropping off my son at child care I hit the road over the hills and down the valley. We - Will with his crew and I - met at the Franklin Marina around 9:30. A quick hello and off we went down the river. The water was calm and the air was brisk. The sun up in the blue sky shining its way. The Huon river is pretty wide and also in large parts very shallow. Thus travel along the river is a meandering, following the underwater channel that provides enough water under the keel. Stunning views and there is never enough of seeing the reflection of a beautiful boat on the river. On the journey down we talked a lot about the boat, life and the universe. It was relaxing and I guess just the right day to be on the water. There is a small trickle of water flowing into the boot however |
Arriving at Port Huon we came along side the Viking. We laid a rope around its wheel house and another one at the anchor base. Then we went on taking her off the mooring, which proved to be a larger task than expected. She was nicely secured to the mooring through the anchor chain and a rope wrapped around the bow. We took out all of the anchor chain out and transferred it to the Eleanor. In the process the chain feeder came off the deck. Not sure how long the chain actually was, I only know that I need some more chain lifting training as my muscles got a little bit tired towards the end of lifting the chain and then transferring it over to the other boat. |
Ups - there it goes. No accident , just the intentional splash of letting the chain go. the best part on the mooring was a a stainless steel shackle, still nice and shiny. The rest of the chain that we lifted out of the water, was part of an ecosystem - who wants to have some yummy mussels and oysters? served up with some tiny little crabs? At the End - it all looked good - the Viking secure along side the Eleanor, the mooring with an attached buoy back in the water and off we went back up the river. Slowly we made way, regularly checking whether there is any additional water coming into the boat. Luckily nothing out of the ordinary. A small trickle even seemed to slow as we made progress with the tow. Time to take in the scenery. and occupy myself with some details We had a nice Welcome Committee from the Wooden Boat Centre. With the additional help the Viking was quickly tied up at the jetty. A few chats with people, and then I went off inspectingt he boat a little more before adding two safety features, a brand spanking new life ring and a fire extinguisher. Then it was time to close up shop and head home. | More difficult than taking off the rusty shackles proofed to be tying a proper knot connecting two ropes connecting the mooring buoy with the mooring chain. In the First attempt a thinner rope got attached to a thicker rope - after throwing it back into the water, I noticed that the only thinner rope was grabbing onto the thick rope, and that the big bowline knot hat opened up and gone. In the second attempt we just took the thin rope directly through the mooring and fixed it with another bowline and two glove hitches. this should last till we come back - crossing my fingers!!! Before it was time to get ready for our arrival and tying her up at the jetty. So stay tuned for further updates as I will further inspect and document the current state of the Viking. |