Last night I got down and got filthy, with the assistance of nice Josh on his knees. After a while it got hot.

Yes, although I’ve had the boat for just over a month it hadn’t really been cold enough to light the stove, and it certainly hadn’t been cold enough in Crete where the landlord was and he insisted that he needed to show me how it worked.

I can light a fire as well as the next person who can sort of light a fire, but I was a bit confused as to how this burner fuelled the radiators along the starboard side. Something to do with heating the water was all I got told, but I did learn that there’s a complex relationship between waggling the grate thing and turning the knob at the front that lets in amounts of air. And that it’s simply impossible to take a photo of a fire.

Still, it’s given me a new morning routine: making sure the coal scuttle is full, as hauling coal in the dark is not a fun thing to do.

It made the place pretty toasty warm if truth be told.

Days at sea: 23

Rations: Stone’s Ginger Wine (it was on offer at the Tescos)

Stowed: Coal.