<<< BUILDING THE GLOUCESTER GULL LIGHT DORY - Intermission (1) >>>

While the building of the Dory continues, life and its demands continue and sometimes it simply becomes a situation of dropping the tools and dealing with what needs to be done.

On this occasion the Marina office emailed me with instructions, asking me to take 'Mariner' off her pile mooring and re-moor her in a berth in the town basin marina while dredging in the river around the pile moorings is completed. 

The day before the move I removed the permanent mooring lines and replaced them with quick release lines, ran the engine and generally tidied up. 

The next day we arrived (my friend Bernie and I) ready to chug up the river to the new temporary berth........... but the engine wouldn't start - all I got was a loud clicking sound coming from the starter motor - bugger - motor wouldn't even turn over. 

I rang Brian the Marina manager but he wasn't answering his phone.  (Brian has moved 'Mariner' before with his 5 meter RIB tied alongside). I got in the dinghy and sculled up to the Marina office pontoon looking for Brian. When I arrived I was hailed by my friend Tom who lives on his yacht close by. Tom offered to launch his small inflatable, tie it at the stern of Mariner and motor us up the river in the usual manner and I gladly accepted his offer.

 All went well until the outboard motor died halfway into the mission eliciting furtive pulls on the outboard starter rope and choice colourful (mainly purple) sailors' words of encouragement to the outboard motor. This flurry of activity got the outboard going again, but it stopped a couple more times before deciding to behave itself and fulfil its mission.

The rest of the journey went without a hitch and soon we were safely moored, sitting in the cockpit, in the sun, enjoying a beer. So, happily a run of unexpected events became an 'all's well that ends well' in terms of moving the boat.

Tom and I looked at the motor and Tom (The expert in matters of engines) saw that the belt from the starter motor to the flywheel was loose explaining why the engine wasn't turning over. 

Next week there will be 'Intermission 2' from Dory building as we go about fixing the problem - here's hoping it will be another 'all's well that ends well' !!!!