Arwen's meanderings

Hi everyone and welcome to my dinghy cruising blog about my John Welsford designed 'navigator' named Arwen. Built over three years, Arwen was launched in August 2007. She is a standing lug yawl 14' 6" in length. This blog records our dinghy cruising voyages together around the coastal waters of SW England.
Arwen has an associated YouTube channel so visit www.YouTube.com/c/plymouthwelshboy to find our most recent cruises and click subscribe.
On this blog you will find posts about dinghy cruising locations, accounts of our voyages, maintenance tips and 'How to's' ranging from rigging standing lug sails and building galley boxes to using 'anchor buddies' and creating 'pilotage notes'. I hope you find something that inspires you to get out on the water in your boat. Drop us a comment and happy sailing.
Steve and Arwen

Saturday 21 October 2017

Before leaving your caravan pitch: a checklist


This is how we do it. We managed to leave our New Forest pitch in under an hour, which for us, is rather good. As always, if we are missing anything, if there is anything we do/don’t need to do, all advice is welcome in the comment boxes below. I'm beginning to think caravanning is like parenting. It seemed a good idea at the time, it brings you both joy and grief and no one prepares you for it!

·        Close all skylights and windows

·        Retract TV aerial and secure

·        Disconnect and empty waste water and aqua roll along with water pump; clean and store

·        Empty toilet flush; empty toilet cassette and clean

·        Remove and secure microwave glass plate

·        Secure all cupboards with sponge inserts so nothing moves

·        Turn fridge to 12v system

·        Open all taps and mains water drain tap and expel water – if winterizing – use water pressure aqua flow tool to dispel all water possible

·        Dust and clean everything quickly

·        Check all cupboards and external lockers and flaps shut correctly

·        Turn off gas

·        Disconnect electric from post; then from caravan

·        Make sure anything stored on caravan floor is secure and cannot move

·        Raise corner steadies and check securely locked in place; blocks in to basket

·        Check nose weight limits and lower steadies and redistribute load if need be

·        Check tyre pressure correct and tyres in good condition; check wheel nut tension

·        Check ball hitch clean

·        Connect car to van, checking green locator pin visible; and stabilizer hitch in correct position

·        Connect electrics and ensure green light on ALCO stabiliser

·        Secure breakaway cable

·        Raise and secure jockey wheel

·        Check road lights all working

·        Check tow mirrors positioned correctly

·        Walk around and double check all lockers and flaps secure and door locked

·        Check rear number plate still securely on

·        Make sure motor mover is disengaged and off

·        Take off handbrake - this is the one I always forget!

Phew! There is so much to remember on this caravan touring malarkey!

2 comments:

Bursledon Blogger said...

Steve if I'd known you were down I way I'd have invited you round for a cup of tea or a beer at the Jolly Sailor - next time you're down this way perhaps.

Max

steve said...

Max, I am so sorry - entirely my fault. A friend from school who recently moved to Lynhurst also made the same observation.
I completely forgot - mag retired on the Wednesday and the Tuesday night announced she wanted to go away in the caravan on the Thursday - so no warning essentially - so it was manic.
No excuses - sorry.
As it happens we bought an annual pass to the historic dockyard and so we will be back because we also want to cycle stretches of the new forest in the spring sometime.
Likewise if you happen to venture down to Plymouth - let me know and either call in for a cuppa or perhaps a trip out on Arwen - whichever you feel is the lesser evil