I had prearranged for a boat safety examiner to inspect the boat today. That was before I knew the heavy snow was forecast! However, I had prepared for the examination by acquiring replacement fire extinguishers and was hoping the boat (being only 4 years old) would pass without a hitch and weather forecasts always seem pessimistic. The last thing I wanted to do was postpone his visit as we were getting closer to the license expiry date and needed a comfortable buffer to rectify any defects.
As Elaine and I left Teesside under cover of darkness the race to the boat, to get the extinguishers changed, get a clean bill of heath from the examiner and get back before the snow fell.
It was -5 degrees when we arrived at Great Haywood but by lunchtime we were all ready for the 2.00pm appointment although the snow had already begun to fall on a frozen marina!
A very cold boat at 10.00am! (-5degrees outside).
Not even the ducks had ventured out onto the ice!
The examiner Derek Luker arrived dead on 2.00pm from Stafford (obviously not a fair weather surveyor!) and immediately got stuck in to carrying out his inspection. Derek was an 'old school' examiner; but very fair and identified areas where I could improve things and he took a very pragmatic approach! A few extra gas pipe clips and some additional cable supports would need to be dealt with ASAP but he provided the pass certificate after a very thorough 2hrs examination. I have since got the necessary bits and pieces and will fix them on my next return to the boat.
A boat examiner to be recommended! (Though sadly might be retiring soon).
I would gladly recommend Derek's services to other boaters in the area although he is sadly considering retirement in April so you might need to act fast!
By the time we left the marina, the snow was 2" deep and still snowing heavily. The journey home was less than straight forward, taking 5hrs instead of the usual 2.5hrs as we didn't encounter black tarmac until we were passing Thirsk!
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Location:Great Haywood
