Some technical horrors - (It isn't all plain sailing, you know! (part 2))

I suppose it’s because our home or barge or “houseboat”, (call it what you will ) is entirely surrounded by water and, being afloat, is subject to random movement according to whatever our mood – meaning trips here, collisions there, through locks and other perils -or through whatever weather prevails – come rain or shine – the problems one associates with a normal house in terms of maintenance, are different. Somehow, on a boat they seem exaggerated.

But, as I try to reassure myself, just as houses have dry rot, boats suffer the dreaded corrosion… and then there isn’t the garden to worry about.

We are surrounded by “fresh” water which is indeed problematic but we can be thankful at least not to be surrounded by salt water which is ten times worse.

Anodes, or to give them their more exact technical term,”sacrificial anodes” are blobs of metal welded to the hulls of all boats like ours to protect them from corrosion. Let me explain….to the uninitiated of course…

They are made of a variety of metals, including zinc, magnesium and aluminium and are used appropriately according to what electrolyte (surrounding fluid) prevails. Their function is, as their name implies, to  selflessly sacrifice themselves – by gradually “dissolving” or in fact releasing ions into the water (the electrolyte, or in this case, the canal water) and at the same time, produce electrons (the opposite charged particle) which the cathode (in this case our steel hull), receives through their metallic connection. The result, apparently, is that the steel hull becomes negatively polarised and hence protected against corrosion. (Please don’t ask me why!)

To calculate the rate at which this corrosion occurs (I quote) “one has to understand the electro chemical kinetics associated with a complex series of reactions that can happen simultaneously on these metals”.

Yes well…. I haven’t got time at the moment…

Anyway the point of all this is that Body and Soul has four of these carbuncular looking guardian angels welded to her steel hull (two forward and two aft). They are, according to our ships survey records, made of magnesium which as I understand it, is the best idea for fresh water.

Since I personally failed physics “A” level more than twice, you will be relieved to read, I will not be giving you, dear reader, your first insite into electro chemical kinetics. Be that as it may and suffice it to say, these little magnesium chaps may have shrunk and be a lot smaller than they should be, after three years of electrical activity on board Body and Soul.

In practical terms, if I could actually see through the murky waters that surround us on the Canal Du Midi, I might then, at least, be able to make a serious judgment as to their efficacy, but I can’t, and although tempted to don my diving goggles and wallow in near zero temperatures in order to assuage the need, we have, instead booked eighteen days in the dry dock at Castelnaudary from May 2^nd where we will sort it all out. Others, less fortunate, will be off to Marbella for a break!

There, in our dry dock, we will not only do something about it, like change these precious anodes with new ones, and repaint our hull, but more importantly, we may calm our admitted neurosis and the recurring nightmares that we have about sinking in a sludge of rust and corrosion.QED.

The photos above are purely incidental but all to do with the good life we lead to date.