General Witterings -
Goodies from UK and Booze on Rosy

Mike and June on 'Temujin', our "partner" boat, have returned from their annual trip to UK, bearing various goodies for 'Rosy'.

The most visually significant is a new chimney for the coal fire.  The old chimney is, I guess, as old as the boat (20ish years), and is beginning to seriously show its age.  The new one is double skinned, so it should no longer dribble coal tar over the cabin roof.  I'm hoping that the double skin will stop the outer skin getting hot, which, in turn, should stop the fancy brass bands from tarnishing so quickly.  Indeed, they tarnished so fast on the old chimney that I eventually cheated and covered them in yellow paint.

We are planning to get our boats hauled out again next March for a bottom scrubbing and anode replacement.  Last time we did it - two years ago - I was much impressed by the lack of weed growth on Temujin's hull - Mike always applies a top-coat of anti-fouling - whilst Rosy had quite a luxuriant growth.  So, I now have a tub of anti-fouling, and hope that it will be worth the £50!!  I know that UK Canal boaters are wary of anti-fouling, fearing that it will get rubbed off in locks etc.  Here in Europe, where the canals are deeper and the locks are wider, I don't think that this abrasion is so much of a problem.

It's always difficult to know what spares to carry.  I generally try to keep it to a minimum, as invariably the Law of Mr Sod applies, and the on-board spares are not the ones required.  However, electric motors DO eventually wear out, so I now have a spare pump (it's the one that pumps fuel from the fuel tank to the day tank).

Two summers ago, we had to replace the cylinder head gasket on Rosy's engine.  One of the jobs that we incorporated into this work was to re-grind the valve seats.  This is achieved courtesy of a magic, double-ended tin of grinding paste - fine at one end and coarse at the other.  The tin has a very classical 'retro' colour scheme and lettering - it's a 'must have'!!  So now Rosy has one - together with a little stick that terminates in a suction pad.  This is used to hold a valve whilst it is being ground in.

(In truth, the grinding paste is a sort of 'spin'.  My hope is that it will cause engineers to believe that I know more about engines than I really do, so that they will be less inclined to rip me off!!!  Hence I'm treating it like a 'new' antique, and it is undergoing a 'weathering' process, in the hope that it will look well used.)

Then there are two hop-ups - brass, fold-up steps that make clambering up onto the roof a lot easier.  I have one on either side front, and keep meaning to add two more at the stern - this will soon be done (more about this in a minute).

Keeping electric plugs organised is always tricky.  Rosy is armed with 3-pin UK style mains plugs, but each new bit of electric kit that comes on board arrives with a 2-pin plug.  I have a couple of adaptors for emergencies, but Mike brought back a few UK style plugs for me.

Finally, Mike brought some lengths of shrink-wrap tubing back with him.  I intend to experiment with it, to see how effective it is at replacing (or even over-laying) whippings on ropes ends.  Most of Rosy's ropes currently terminate in back-splices, but these have jammed once or twice, so it's back to whippings.  I bought a rope that was terminated by a broad rubber band.  This has lasted well, but I'm not prepared to pay £40 for the tool that is needed to apply the band.  Whippings by themselves are forever needing replacing.  I'll be doing some experiments during the coming year, and will report back.  Watch this space!!

There are several 'out-door' jobs that need doing on Rosy.  I've already mentioned the hop-ups, but they are small fry!  The whole of the outsides need rubbing down and painting!!  I find it difficult to summon up the enthusiasm to do it, so the solution is to use the wintery weather as an excuse to delay the painting until the spring, and then, in the spring, to do short morning cruises, leaving the afternoons free for painting.  I intend to simplify the painting scheme.  Along the cabin sides there are several panels, and I fancy reducing them down to two on each side.  I'm also looking closely at the 'boats-for-sale' columns in the waterways press to come up with some other ideas for reducing the present 'fussiness' of Rosy's painting scheme.

BOOZE AND HEADACHES

One of the very great delights of exploring the European canals and waterways, is the availability of good quality booze at reasonable prices.  The main sources are the supermarkets (of course), the more specialist wine shops and the caves. 

I recently had a letter from an American gentleman, who has been told that wines from Sancerre do not induce headaches in their imbibers, and wonders whether or not this is true.  He asked me, as, apparently, this web-site pops up if 'Sancerre' is input to a search engine.

Sancerre is a little way south of Briare (which is south of Paris and on the River Loire), where Rosy has spent two winters.  Sancerre town itself is built on top of a hill, with the canal skirting its eastern flank.  The famous wines of the area are easily available to boaters - at least one of the lock-keepers has them for sale.

Although some excellent reds are produced in the area, Sancerre is especially noted for its white wines.

BUT - does it, or does it not, induce headaches?

I understand that booze-related headaches are normally the result of toxins in the booze.  Hence, the more booze one swallows, AND the more toxic the booze is, then the more likely one is to get a headache.

It is my understanding that, as a general rule, white wines are less toxic than red ones.  Hence, one would normally have to drink more white wine than red wine in order to get a headache.

One must, of course, also take into account our individual differences - some people are more prone to booze-related headaches than others.

As a generalisations:

1. The less one drinks at a sitting, the fewer the number of headaches.
2. White wines are less likely to generate a headache than red wines.
3. I have had headaches from most alcoholic drinks.  Deciding whether the ache is the result of the toxicity of the booze, or over-indulgence, is a tough call.
4. There is a theory that the "better" the wine, the more of it one drinks, and hence the greater the probability of initiating a headache.

The following notes might help:

As already stated, red wines are more toxic than white ones.

An exception to this is kokinelli - a rose wine made in Cyprus.  There is a great variety of Cypriot wines.  There is a very good singing wine, and an excellent dancing one.  Their argumentative wine is of world renown.  But kokinelli...  Well, what can one say.  It is best taken with a sixth to a third of lemonade, and even then there is a twist to it.  It is pretty much guaranteed that, whilst drinking it, somewhere between 11.30 pm and 2 am your memory will go totally blank.  If you are lucky/well prepared, some kind person will put you to bed.  You will wake at 8 am feeling hale and hearty, and eat a good breakfast.  All well be well - leastways that is how it will appear.  At about 10.30 am, the unknown and unseen 'Kokinelli Klobberer' (aka the Cokinelli Clobberer) will creep up behind you and clobber you over the head with a sledge-hammer.  If you are really lucky you will lose consciousness until 4 pm.  Unlucky people will have to pass the time with the mother of all headaches.

Spirituous liquors are distillations, so that they are more concentrated and, hence, more toxic per unit of volume than wines.  Hence, volume for volume, spirits tend to deliver more headaches than wines.  On the great scale of spirituous liquor toxicity, vodka is at the low end, whilst whiskey is up near the top.

I hope this helps.

But back to European booze …

One of the supreme delights, for me, is imbibing fizzy white wines.  Champagne is the Queen, of course, but there are others that are well worth trying - especially when it is necessary to dig deeper down into ones pockets in order to find some hard cash!!

These other champagne-style wines are especially good for the first drink at the end of a long, hot day.

There are several types.  In Germany, one looks for sekt.  In France, there are Moussec and Cremant.  Like champagne, these all need drinking when they are well chilled.  Fortunately, many of the English style of wide, flat champagne glasses have been broken up in England, and are rarely to be seen elsewhere in the world - except at British Embassy cocktail parties.  Far better are the tall, slender flutes.  These should come straight out of the fridge, so as not to warm up the wine before it can be drunk.  I find the habits of racing drivers deeply depressing - why waste all that gorgeous booze??!!!

It is pleasing to find that good quality cider is often available in wired, champagne style bottles, and it is well worth trying - if you like bubbles - and apples.

I should also add that here in Belgium there is an amazing variety of beers, with an wide variety of colours, strengths and ingredients.  Going out for a drink in the evening is quite an adventure.  Keen explorers will find a good guide to Belgian beers in the back of The Rough Guide to Belgium.

Toodle pip!

Bill