Three things I discovered yesterday

[MoominPapa]

What I found out yesterday.

 

1) Moomins float.

 

2) Even full calor-gas bottles float.

 

3) Despite what people say about its shallowness, at least some bits of the Slough arm are out of a Moomin's depth.

 

It was one of those stupid acts which you realise are stupid about 1/10 of a second after it's too late to do anything about it. Melaleuca is moored at Iver on the outside of a 70ft boat, with the sterns in line for easy access. That makes access to the bows from the bank difficult. I didn't fancy manouvering the new Calor cylinder inside down the length of the boat - much too awkward. So why not take it down the outside gunwhale? It worked fine for the empty, but on the way back with the new cylinder, my hand slipped on the rail and I stupidly didn't let go of my cargo (Well, I assumed it would sink and be lost. How I could save it by going down too, I'm not sure.) Result: calor cylinder and foolish Moomin in the cut.

 

It was nothing like as cold as I would have expected in January, but much more difficult to climb out. In the end I climbed up using the skeg and then the top of the rudder as footholds, and the swan-neck as a grab handle. It took all my strength. GU water tastes foul. The floating cylinder was pulled out with the boat-hook, none the worse for wear.

 

So, I'm now down one watch, one phobile moan, two car zappers and certain amount of pride.

 

I've hire-boated for years and never fallen in. Maybe it's a right of passage for boat-owners?

 

Apart from the falling-in incident, we had a good weekend. We've loaded Melly up with domestic stuff, crockery and bedding. We've got the heating working and tried out the shower and the washing machine, and cruised to Cowley-Peachey and back. I'm exhausted, and ready to go back to work for a rest.

 

Cheers all.

 

M.

[bottle]

Moomin

 

Sorry to hear about you adventure.

 

Just one thing if you develop 'unwell' feelings in the next week or so, go immediately to your doctor and mention that you have 'tasted' canal water.

 

Mention also 'weils disease', he may not be aware of it.

 

I do not wish to alarm you but thought it necessary of a mention.

 

It is a rare occurrence, some info here link

[MoominPapa]

Just one thing if you develop 'unwell' feelings in the next week or so, go immediately to your doctor and mention that you have 'tasted' canal water.

Thanks for the warning: I'll be on the lookout and bother the quack at the first sign of anything untoward.

 

Cheers,

 

M.

[Keeping Up]

... quack at the first sign of anything untoward.

 

I believe that's the second symptom

[NB Willawaw]

Sorry to hear about your incident.

At least you climbed out to jest about it.

 

I'm sure you won't want to hear about this (horses and bolting stable doors and all that), but

others may benefit from our experiences.

 

I have a cheap-ish waterproof watch and always put mobile phones, remote control car keys, camera, etc

down the steps in the cabin when onboard.

 

If you need your mobile phone with you or up on deck so you can hear it, aquaman/aquapac make good and relatively inexpensive cases.

[DHutch]

Yeah, not good really. But atleast you are not seamingly harmed by your 'trip' off the boat.

- That that doesnt kill us makes use strong and all that. And something about crashing cars and that.

 

BUt yeah, lost my phone over the side this year, very annoying.

- Assuming it didnt get lost, it may fight another day. And might the key fobs.

- Usuall routine is, battery out asap, rinse in clean water, towel dry, leave in warm place for 48hrs.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Hairy-Neil]

BUt yeah, lost my phone over the side this year, very annoying.

-

 

Didn't you loose one in a pint of beer a while back???

[NB Alnwick]

It was nothing like as cold as I would have expected in January, but much more difficult to climb out. In the end I climbed up using the skeg and then the top of the rudder as footholds, and the swan-neck as a grab handle. It took all my strength. GU water tastes foul. The floating cylinder was pulled out with the boat-hook, none the worse for wear.

 

Sorry to hear about your ordeal but well done for getting out - we have often had to help people out who have been too overcome by the shock of it all to help themselves.

 

Always beware of the rudder though - a friend has a nasty scar on his leg from the day when he also fell in and climbed out on the rudder - his foot slipped - the boat was an old Harboro' Marine Anglo Welsh hire boat (this was 1977) with a flame cut rudder and it sliced deep into his leg from the ankle up to the knee!

 

Best Wishes,

Graham - who has now fallen in three times!

[Ray]

Some while ago I remember either actually seeing or finding a reference to a short rope ladder that was fixed in the bow, under the gunwale (presumably bolted to the steelwork of the boat). If anyone fell in the ladder was untied, the loose end tossed overboard and the unlucky person was able to climb out. Seemed a brilliant idea and one I'm thinking of copying although it may not be of use if you're on your own when you fall in.

 

Has anyone else seen this idea?

[saltysplash]

Tut!

 

I go away to wales for the weekend and miss all the action

 

Hope you didnt have to suffer too much of an audience

[MoominPapa]

Some while ago I remember either actually seeing or finding a reference to a short rope ladder that was fixed in the bow, under the gunwale (presumably bolted to the steelwork of the boat). If anyone fell in the ladder was untied, the loose end tossed overboard and the unlucky person was able to climb out. Seemed a brilliant idea and one I'm thinking of copying although it may not be of use if you're on your own when you fall in.

Another idea I saw (I think, on the Tuesday NIght Club website, about the design and building of Earnest) is to make a step by having the baseplate extend a bit further than usual beyond the sides, just aft of the start of the swim. I may have misremembered the details, but its something along those lines.

Tut! I go away to wales for the weekend and miss all the action Hope you didnt have to suffer too much of an audience

My daughters, who to their credit made sure that I was safe before starting to laugh at me.

[MoominPapa]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal but well done for getting out - we have often had to help people out who have been too overcome by the shock of it all to help themselves.

The cold can be very incapacitating, but it doesn't seem to cause me too many problems. The layer of fatty insulation helps but even in the days before I had that, adrenaline did the trick. I once jumped into the Dee at Chester to help pull out a group who were in trouble. We had been swimming earlier in the day and it was bitterly cold - breathtaking. When I went in to get the non-swimmer who was still wearing his boots and going down for the third time, I didn't even notice it. He, on the other hand was deeply shaken up.

 

That was an early lesson in the foolishness of the male. A group of teenagers in a borrowed boat. It was overloaded to about two inches of freeboard, and the limited supply of bouyancy aids had been given to the girls, who could swim. The non-swimming lads had just kept their DMs on.

[StoneHenge]

Glad you were not hurt. Fingers crossed you don't get any problems from having drunk a touch of the GU.

 

I've fallen in twice now, fortunately right on the side so only a couple of feet deep, but it's not fun dragging soggy clothes and a your cold body from the water. Adrenalin is a wonderful thing eh?

[nigel carton]

First time I fell in was in January on the Oxford, it wasn't the temp of the water that was a problem, it was hitting my shins on the gunwhales a I fell in. Ouch...

[DHutch]

Didn't you loose one in a pint of beer a while back???

No no, that one was found, and both it and the beer mad a full recovery!

[Sam]

Sorry to hear about your incident.

At least you climbed out to jest about it.

 

I'm sure you won't want to hear about this (horses and bolting stable doors and all that), but

others may benefit from our experiences.

 

I have a cheap-ish waterproof watch and always put mobile phones, remote control car keys, camera, etc

down the steps in the cabin when onboard.

 

If you need your mobile phone with you or up on deck so you can hear it, aquaman/aquapac make good and relatively inexpensive cases.

 

Aquapacs are certainly very very good.

We use them on the beach for VHF radios...

 

But also I use a camera aquapac.... and so far my camera has survived the great barrier reef and the sea off Florida... although it is always a bit worrying jumping into water with your camera....

[Machpoint005]

... Even full calor-gas bottles float...

 

That's one of those counter-intuitive things you'll never remember the next time you're about to drop cylindrical orange ballast in the cut!

 

Ian

[Christine]

I was sent this email. I HAVE NOT TRIED ANY OF THIS OUT but thought it may be useful

 

NEVER KNEW WHAT YOUR MOBILE PHONE COULD DO?:

 

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies.

Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.

Check out the things that you can do with it:

 

FIRST

*Emergency*

 

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile

Network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the

Emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialled even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND

*Have you locked your keys in the car?*

 

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone:

If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone

From your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home

Press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock.

Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object.

You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other

"remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or theboot).

 

Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a mobile phone!"

 

THIRD

*Hidden Battery Power*

 

Imagine your mobile battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#

Your mobile will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery.

This reserve will get charged when you charge your mobile next time.

 

FOURTH

*How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?*

 

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:

*# 06# A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset.

Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.When your phone get stolen, you can phone your

Service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the

Thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back,

But at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either.

If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

[Peter R]

Just over three years into boat ownership, and i've managed to avoid trying to walk on the water ...... so far! (where's some wood, quick!)

 

However, I learnt the mobile phone lesson the hard way - my phone at the time lasted about an hour into boat ownership! I went to collect first boat, and put phone in shirt pocket as I was waiting for a call from some friends who were coming to help me. An hour later I bent down to pick up hose after filling water tank - the phone went swimming and I went shopping for a new phone!

 

Peter

[Nige G]

Imagine your mobile battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#

Your mobile will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery.

This reserve will get charged when you charge your mobile next time.

 

 

This is false.

 

*3370# activates the EFR Enhanced Full Rate codec which gives much better sound quality BUT at a much higher rate of load on the battery. So using this code will actually reduce your battery life!

 

If you want to try to increase battery life then try *#4720# This activates the Half Rate codec which reduces sound quality so uses less battery power.

 

These codes only usually work on Nokia phones.

[bottle]

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile

Network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the

Emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialled even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

 

Do not try it unless you actually need the emergency services.

 

I believe that 112 is actually the number for emergency services in the EU (inc UK) and is for landlines as well.

[barroca grande]

Moomin

 

 

Just one thing if you develop 'unwell' feelings in the next week or so, go immediately to your doctor and mention that you have 'tasted' canal water.

 

Mention also 'weils disease', he may not be aware of it.

 

 

We had a dog died of Leptospirosis (sp) same thing as weils disease. We reckoned she caught it off the wet grass in the fields at the back of the village. Lots of rats there.

 

I used our little teapot to try and get liquids into her but eventually had to take her to the vets where she lived for a week in intensive care. She was my husbands dog and I reckon she was hanging on to see him but because he couldn't bear to see her like that he never went. Should I mention ex husband?

[FadeToScarlet]

Just a little tip for anyone who does ever fall in, courtesy of dinghy-sailing friends who've been dunked in unsanitary water enough times- plus myself from being in the Cam (trying to scull; failing) a couple of times, and the Thames:

 

-If you do fall in, drink a can of coke as soon as you can afterwards.

 

Why? It's so acidic that it'll kill any nasties you've ingested. Swill it around your mouth a bit, too, and drink the whole thing.

 

Rowers on the Thames and dinghy sailors swear by it. I've been in numerous times and havn't got ill yet. Fingers crossed...

[Machpoint005]

This is false.

 

*3370# activates the EFR Enhanced Full Rate codec which gives much better sound quality BUT at a much higher rate of load on the battery. So using this code will actually reduce your battery life!

 

If you want to try to increase battery life then try *#4720# This activates the Half Rate codec which reduces sound quality so uses less battery power.

 

These codes only usually work on Nokia phones.

 

How do you deactivate the Half Rate Codec? Does the same code just toggle it off again?

 

Like the one about the remote keys, though!

 

Ian

[Nige G]

How do you deactivate the Half Rate Codec? Does the same code just toggle it off again?

 

Like the one about the remote keys, though!

 

Ian

 

 

Just use the *3370# code to activate the full rate. You can either have full rate or half rate.