Windlass locker and under-well-deck collapsed floor

I've been doing some small jobs on Shadow today. These included tidying the under-well deck storage area and cleaning out the windlass locker ready for rustproofing.

Now I'll try to upload the relevant photos, and will see if Blogger allows it.

Nope. Didn't upload the windlass locker photo. I'll try the other one ...

GRR! It didn't upload the under well deck photo either! Well, this post will be even poorer than usual, sorry. Perhaps it's something to do with the marina wi-fi.

The windlass locker photo wasn't very exciting, but the area under the well deck was perhaps a bit more interesting. The chipboard flooring has given way under the weight of all the clobber that's been stored there in the past. I think there may even be dry rot in there - some of the wood was powdery. The good news is that there was no sign of moisture, even on the top of the base plate which was exposed in one spot. This being a shared boat it tends to accumulate stuff. In that out-of-sight-out-of-mind storage area were:

• a load of loose charcoal briquettes
• a bag of UHF TV leads, connectors and old signal booster
• a folding barbecue
• an old plastic fender
• a couple of pipe fenders
• two bags of old mooring ropes
• a flexible plastic hose (for transferring fuel?)
• a bag of posessions belonging to our American fellow-owners
• a saw
• a tiny pot of enamel paint
• a normal-size tin of paint
• a pile of paving slabs for ballast (slipped)
• and the water pump.

Stop press! I tried the photos again, and it's deigned to upload the windlass locker one:


Now that was worth it, wasn't it? Interestingly, there were no windlasses, mooring pins, piling hooks or hammer in there. I wonder where they've been hidden?

We've just got back from Armadillo where we've been enjoying drinks and a chat with Graham and Jill.

We're off to Sheffield tomorrow by car to see Andrew and Bekka.