Milton who?

We left Stoke Bruerne at about 7.30am today. Cosgrove was soon achieved and we decided to lock down and forgo the facilities. There was little traffic on the canal although we were followed by a boat for about two miles. We caught another up soon but it moored at about 11.30 at a pub on the outskirts of Milton Keynes. Alex noted that there was no Milton Keynes in the USA but there were several Miltons. No, there wouldn't be as both Milton and Keynes were British economists in the twentieth century. Milton was a playwright from the 17th century. There is a Milton in Ontario!

We pushed on until we arrived at The Plough in Simpson where we stopped for a light lunch. Re-energised we negotiated the swing bridge to nowhere in the middle of Fenny Stratford lock and the 12 inch rise to moor at 3.15pm close to Watling Street Bridge No 96.

I then walked to the station at Bletchley, caught a train to Northampton and a bus to as near Gayton as you can get at that time in the afternoon and walked for about hour to retrieve the car from the BW car park.

Successfully completed we arrived back home at 9pm after a dinner in the Pickled Ploughman in Adderbury.

Bed time.
 
Cruise total to date:  66miles and 43 locks and 2 tunnels  

Braunston to Stoke Bruerne

March 21/22

We left Braunston on Monday and headed East for 250 yd. 

We stopped outside the Stop House for breakfast at the Gongoozlers Cafe. 

Well one has to doesn't one? And who should be about to shut the door to keep the frosty morning air out, but Maffi. A quick rebuke suggesting he didn't want our company was rebutted and we settled down at tables adjacent to order the requisite perfect breakfast. The Gongoozler's breakfast includes black pudding which is not exactly to my liking but Maffi soon laid claim to it to put in his double bacon and egg baguette.

We had a lovely meal together and afterwards Maffi accompanied us up the locks, with Molly jumping on and off our boat as the mood took her. We were also accompanied by nb Darth Wader with Matt and wife, two punny residents of London Tattooie. 

Sadly we parted company at the top lock 

and Alex took over to navigate his first tunnel on the tiller. Only one boat came the other way but he did a very good job of steering the bat around the many twists and turns that this snakey tunnel offers. It was quite dry for a change.

We boated on and had different partners for the Buckby flight down to Whilton Marina. Here Sonflower enters the bottom lock with Alex on the tiller.

 

 Here I left the crew to boat on toward Gayton while I retrieved the car from Braunston. This was achieved and I was at Gayton by 5.15pm. A quick call to the Best Mate ascertained that the boat would not get to Gayton before dark and possibly would not make The Wharf Inn at Bugbrooke. Sonflower arrived in the dark.

We agreed to both aim for there and walking and boating we met at 7pm. This left only a few miles to do in the morning.

No ice to break at 6.15 am but frost in the ropes and the roof. After stoking up the fire we set off, the crew dozing and moored on Gayton 14 day visitor moorings. We went back home to fulfill a commitment and returned at lunch time to progress to the water point where we filled and washed the towpath side of the boat before cruising on. Our target was made before sunset this time and we moored on the visitor moorings below Stoke Bruerne locks, which we did on our own, at 5.30pm.

We settled in to eat a home cooked paella.

The fire roars away and we are all ready for bed!

18 miles, 19 locks, 20 hours

Ice Breaking

We awoke to a red sunrise after a chilly night. The fire was still alight but had not been fully effective at keeping our noses warm throughout the whole of what was probably our coldest night for some time.

We needed to get to Braunston to retrieve the car as we needed to be in Banbury this morning at ten. So we had to break ice! I don't like doing it but needs must.

We arrived in Braunston and found a spare length of 14 day mooring. Of course the rings in Brauston appear to have been put in haphazardly. Some are 10 ft apart and some are 40 ft apart. We happened to be next to two of the latter and the next ring is twenty feet from our bow and useless to us. So we are moored on the stern rope and centre rope. I do not like to use this but, once again, needs must! There is nowhere to drive a pin into on the concrete pileing cap of the GUC and no piling rail to clip to either.

We got back to Banbury in time for our appointment and then went to London to visit the Best Mate's mother. Another sucessful day.

But my nose is still cold!

The car is in for MoT tomorrow!

Braunston or Bust

We tried to do a bit of Car hopping today. We drove to Brauston with the plan to get back to the boat at The Wharf, Fenny Compton by public transport. Well we both have bus passes so why not? Traveline told us it could be done in 1.1/4hrs with two changes. We were delayed getting to Brauston by roadworks with temporary traffic lights jamming a roundabout up. The Best Mate needed a loo before the bus journeys so we pulled into the Marina and used the facilities at The Stop House. Then we parked in a layby near the church, as my choice of parking spot was full and we rejected the pub car park which was signed patrons only, and went to the bus stop to get the 0824 No 12 bus toward Rugby to change at Dunchurch. The bus was late. We watched a large group of nordic walkers park their cars in the pub car park so we could have put our car with theirs, no one would have noticed!

We got to Dunchurch in time to get the 63 bus to Southam only because it was also running late. But the 66 bus in Southam was on time and we could not get off the 63 because a lorry was parked on its bus stop. The bus could not get round it until the 66 bus had moved! "It happens", the driver said. We went to The Corner Cafe for a coffee, a bacon and egg bap and to use their facilities. They gave us the number of a taxi firm. We left a message on their answerphone and phoned another. This one rang me back and said it would cost £25-35 to get to Fennny Compton from Southam as they had to come from Leamington Spa. We rejected this offer and decided to wait the two hours for the next 66 bus. Then the first firm phoned back and said they could be there in 5 minutes. They were almost true to their word and a quarter of an hour later we were in Fenny Compton for a tenner and the good offices of a very courteous driver from Premier Cars.

The day's cruising was lovely and we had a reasonably good road. We didn't get to Braunston and moored just before Nimrod Bridge, No 108 at  sunset.

So bust!

The best mate produced a evening meal from the remains of a meal from The Raj Tandoori in Banbury on Saturday evening. It was delicious. We watched "The Firm" on DVD and snuggled down for the night.

Pottering

It is good to have the time and freedom just to potter.

Fenny Compton Marina were good to their word. They opened the Gas Enclosure exactly at 10am and we exchanged an empty 13g Propane for a full one. The chandlery is quite reasonable and we needed a chimney so I took advantage of it and bought a cheap one to get us by untul I can do a proper job on an insualted double skin with Twin copper bands and a red band too. I also invested in a cooley hat but  I couldn't get any brass chain to link it all together and stop it blowing off into the cut. Another thing for the list.

I stoked the fire, (alight all night I proudly say so I haven't lost the knack) and then the sealing rope fell off the door. The Best Mate reminded me that we had some of teh glue for that under the sonk with the sove blacking. So I got it out, opened the top and the brush stayed in the bottle with the hardened cement.

So I went back to the chandlery and purchased another 25 ml bottle of glue for £6.50! But there is no price on safety and poor seals mean the SILENT KILLER CO could escape during the sleeping hours. Too risky even with a new CO alarm (which I must get round to fitting sometime!)

Next job on the lost was to fix a tidy screen to hide the clothes hanging rail. Then a curtain rail for the shower room window. Htere was a sunny oeriod so I went round the windows with  Capt Tolley's Creeping Crack sealer becasue there is ecidence of water ingress from quite a few of them. (Jobs were flying by) A quick break for lunch and then next I turned my knees to the floor boards and laid carpet tiles on the shower room floor. Quite a lot of trimming and fitting was required and a few part ties were wasted before I got it all right to boith my and the Best Mate's satisfaction. It was not a particularly easy job.

Lots of gash wood from the moat now needs processing as firewood. All things to keeo us busy.

Now to relax.after a very satisfying day. A glass of Corbiere is in order. Or may be even two!

On our way: Banbury to Fenny Compton

I lit the fire as the first thing this morning. To do it I had to clear out an accumuation of soot and rust on the baffle plate that was bocking the chimney above.

We left Spiceball Long Term Mooring site beside Bridge 163 at 11 am today. As we were preparing to leave, sawing some gash pine for the fire, we met the crew of the passing nb Wren's Nest and told them our plans. They wished us well and said "keep up the blog".  So I am trying. As we left the mooring the crew of nb Athco were on the towpath waving us "goodbye". I told them we will be back but we don't know when and probably we will not be returning to the moorings.

Our aim today was to get to Fenny Compton and we arrived on the Wharf at Fenny Compton Marina at 4.15 pm. There was a sign in the office window inviting us to call for attention. I did but was told that they close at 4pm on Fridays and would be open again at 10am. Bill told us we were welcome to wait  on the wharf. We accepted his invitation and walked the quarter mike to The Wharf Inn where we had our evening meal.

It was a "good road" today: the only locks against us were Cropredy Lock (left with the top gate open) and Claydon Bottom Lock but here we left the top gate open (for an oncoming work boat, hired to CRT and crewed by volunteers). We had left Banbury under blue skies and with the sound of birdsong everywhere. We arrived in a snow shower. On the way we chatted to Malc and Dink at the White Cottage, the master of nb Sawdust, the master of nb Samara and many others that we have become familiar with.We love this part of the canal.

I watched buzzards wheeling over Little Bourton Lock and met a spinning angler who said he had thrown back a zander he had caught earlier. I was thoroughly at home on the tiller or lock beams and paddles again.

The Best Mate spent most of the time, outside of locks, tidying and cleaning to make the boat habitable once more after the winter of our neglect. I did do my bit, messing up the clean lounge carpet by chopping some pine sticks! And I did fit coconut matting to the back steps to try to keep the mud off the new floor. The bilge pump did not work so there is another thing on our chandlery list.

Exciting.

This afternoon I have to move the car to Fenny Compton in preparation for the great escape. The list of things to do gets bigger not smaller. I have added:

• "Take mooring permits off boat to return to CaRT" and 
• Remove "SONFLOWER" sign from the mooring.

Oh dear! That is scary and exciting at the same time! A sense of leaving and permanancy. Sonflower has been moored there since August 2005.

We have been happy there, in residence for some quite lengthy periods, and at other times we have cruised away for some time. But the furthest we have ever been is Middlewich. There is a lot of the country still to see.

Exciting.

But here is the sign ignomeniously dumped on the roof of the boat.

It served us well.

Varnish for all

A quick trip to B & Q today to find a few items of import. Firstly two brackets to secure the rail for the shower curtain to the roof lining. We looked at curtain rails, expanding rails, net curtain rails, hooks, eyes, shower curtain sets, shower hose and shower head support rails and then at the very back of the shop against the rear wall we found wardrobe hanging rail supports. To make sure I got the right size I walked all the way back to the car in the car park to retrieve the shower head support rail that I had retrieved from the recycling bin this morning. Do they know how far it is from the back of the shop to the car park? Miles! But on my return with the rail, the Best Mate checked the size, gave me the nod and asked me to make up my mind between brass, chromed steel, enamel painted brass, enamelled steel, nickel plated, stainless steel, end fitting or eye fitting. We have bought brass end fittings; they were two for cheaper than anything else and they will do the job and look nice.

Then to buy some varnish. Yacht varnish is always a good bet so we bought a pot of that and then I checked out the sample of pine that I had taken from the boat to the shop. The colour chart on display indicated that "natural" would be a good match. So this afternoon I applied varnish to the new pine and it looks OK.

Our shower room door

Now to come out with the fantastic innovation that makes our shower room really spacious and cosy at the same time. Our carpenter made us a new door. There it is! Yes, it is round.                  

 What a great idea! How clever is that?

We bought a brass hook and eye for the Best Mate's security too.

BACK AGAIN

Hi! Are there any bloggers out there?  It is so long since I have posted anything that you have probably all gone away!

This is a picture of our new shower room.

No it isn't quite finished yet! Don't be silly! We have only been working on it for 15 months! But it is really looking as though it is ready for use even if there are a few things that will need sorting out: like a loo roll holder and towel hooks and a latch on the door.

But the better news is that we might be ready to move away on our travels again soon. With that in mind we have given the CaRT their required one month's notice that we will not be needing the mooring any longer. How will people know that they have arrived in Banbury without seeing SONFLOWER moored adjacent to the footbridge? It will take some getting used to won't it?

Merry Christmas

The Best Mate gave me this small but powerful book for Christmas.

 I may treat you to an exerpt on occasion as it is a very fitting.
                                                         

Under Refit

We visited the boat for a couple of days in the Autumn: cleared a lot out and contemplated the refit at the back. I returned for a wonderful hour with a carpenter who came up with exciting ideas that I had never thought about. I then spent many more hours on the web trying to make them become real.

It was easier to get the project started on paper than to get it started practically!

A few minutes with a tape rule did reveal some interesting features of the present set up. The starboard bunk space is 5' 10" long. So the modulised drawer based 6ft  beds that we have been offered by friends will not fit! The port bunk is 7'4" but has an overhanging cupboard. The bed will fit but would not allow enough headroom to get into it! So, therefore we are back to the drawing board on that one.

The winter saw little done but new floors are now in place throughout the rear of the boat and we have made progress on re-furbishing the shower room. We have installed a new sycamore bathroom counter with a basin sink and pillar mixer tap. The water system is back on and leak free!

We have put some some ideas about improving the ventilation to the bilges into practice with holes in the new floor under a redesigned staircase which eases the acess to the boat from the rear.

Today we spent a happy couple of hours removing the pvc/lino that was glued to the shower room walls. In doing so, we found that the control panel electrics are accessible from within the bathroom by a hinged cover! Also, the main wiring loom is secured to the ceiling int eh corner of the boat by three inch nails at foot intervals rather than a proper trunking.

We will be recladding the walls with rigid pvc marble look sheeting. A few more problems to tackle: the dreaded "no more nails" holds the "coving" strip at the ceiling as well as beng screwed up/ The screw head countersinks have been filled with the stuff! It looks as though I will need to hack it all off with a bolster. What shall we do around the windows etc. where the curves at the corners will not be easy to follow with the new sheets? Something will turn up.

We have had new batteries this year as the old ones did not last the winter. I tried to start the engine but found that neglect has hit the engine bay as well. The decompressor was stuck out and needed freeing off. Little things like that take care of themselves with the use and constant tending when you are in the boat. Leaving things in one place for so long really does not it any good. 

Re-fit begins

With my good friend John the carpenter chiseling away and sawing in the most confined spaces walls have come down and the floor has come up.

Revealed was water again. Having once had it dry we found that it is now very wet.

The back stairs were removed. The tread supports were rotting.

The bathroom wall was cut from top to bottom approximately where we thought we would reposition the bathroom door for outward opening. Then the extent of the rot in the bottom meant that the remaining stub was demolished as well.

The calorifier at the back under the vanity surface  was positioned on rotting boards so I went to our handy bathrom showroom and bought two self seal blanking ends for the engine flow and return and drained it down. Moving it out revealed that the large plug was leaking, probably blanking the hole where an imersion heater would go, - source of water number one found!

Than we pumped out some of the water from the bilge into the wash basin to discover that the drain trap discharge was leaking- source of water number 2 found!

John removed the basin and we removed the calorifier. Next we discovered that the toilet tank was positioned over a board floor that hosted plenty of fungus underneath it. So the toilet tank needs moving and the board needs removing!

By now the debris on the back deck was increasing so I went to Wickes to buy some rubble bags. I was filling one as nb Epiphany came past to turn at Grimsbury Wharf. They were saying "Goodbye" for a time and heading off. " We must be in Thrupp by Tuesday", Fiona said, "for a BSS Examination." I wish them all the best.

I went for some lunch and John cut and positioned some new marine ply boarding. He had to remove the bottom of the shower side wall. The rest came with it! Water staining was evident on the revealed side of the shower tray. Source of water number 3 found.

The boarding on the cabin to engine bay bulkhead was rotten so John removed it revealing that the door threshold was bedded on foam filler which is not waterproof. Rainwater could run under the door cill!  Source of water number 4 found!

So I pumped and mopped as much out as I could and now we have to replace the floor, cure the leaks and redo the whole of the bathroom.

Oh, we demolished a wardrobe as well so we have also started on the bunk room!




,

BACK HOME VIA CROPREDY

Well we got a bus to Fenny Compton and took the boat back to her mooring.

We did not think about Cropredy. This little sleepy Oxfordshire village is a good place to stop for lunch or evening meal at one of its two pubs or on the towpath with provisions from its wonderfully stocked Bridge Stores. If you are early enough you can indulge yourself in a breakfast at the little Cafe on the Green.

However, for the second weekend of August it is a different matter. Cropredy's Fairport Convention is held and the faithfull of the Folk/Rock world gather for the "friendly festival". Canal and River Trust get into the spirit of friendship by allowing boats to stay on the 24hr moorings from Tuesday to Tuesday. In fact you can moor anywhere and no one minds. Except boaters who anticipate a stop for lunch or an evening meal!

We were unable to moor even to eat our bacon and eggs, cooked on board. Fortunately we knew the crew of nb Epiphany who allowed us to moor alongside them "as long as you don't let the smell out". (John has recently been on a very successful diet). We kept the side hatch closed and ate as quickly and smellessly as we could.

There is a serious point here. There was literally nowhere to moor. It took us over an hour at 1000revs to pass the moored boats. On our way toward Banbury below Cropredy we met seven hire crews, on holiday heading toward Cropredy and nowhere to moor- two days before the festival starts.

The cruise was really quite uneventfull apart from going down on the cill in Crooredy Lock! We refloated easily enough once we noticed! We had a bad road to Cropredy and a good road after that. Basically most were heading to the little village and not a lot were coming out!

Spoiled my Sunday afternoon!

There we were, cruising along Top Level at a merry 1700rpm, just keeping the wash from breaking, when a horn sounded behind me. "At a convenient point, could you pull over so that I can pass" the helmsman of the boat behind shouted. I acknowledged his request, rounded the next two bends (there are many on the Oxford Canal Top Level) and on a straight, slowed down and pulled to the starboard (tow-path) side behind a moored boat.

I did this here because the off side is shallow and I did not want to be grounded as he passed.

I expected him to pass at about 2 mph as there was a moored boat ahead. He held back! Maybe this place, convenient to me, was not convenient to him! I turned back and said "Do you expect me to moor?" Eventually nb Greenham Mist did come by but at a lot more than 2mph. The wash created by the speed of this boat pulled mine out from behind the moored boat and into his! I wear hearing aids but, with the engine noise from my quarter deck, I could not hear the tirade of abuse that was now filling the peacefull Oxford Canal Warwickshire air. Any problem was ALL of his making, I didn't steer my boat toward him at all! Speed, water displacement and lack of patience did the work.

We arrived at Fenny Compton Wharf Bridge 136A exactly 2.1/2 hours after we had left Marston Doles lock No 16, an average speed of 3 mph over 7.1/2 miles. On the shallow Oxford Canal that is not really dawdling is it?

When we moored, 2 boat lengths past the nb Greenham Mist, he was sitting on the tow-path reading a paperback. He was still there an hour later, when we returned from dinner at The Wharf, and at 4.00 pm when we left to catch a lift home.

So what was the hurry? Why spoil MY afternoon.

Canal Junction has advice for canal holidays. The "Rules" for overtaking are:

              Overtake Only If You Are Waved On By A Slower Boat.

There isn't always much space for overtaking, but if you do want to pass another boat, make sure you let the skipper of that boat know your intention well in advance so that he can slow down and wait until he or she is ready. You usually overtake on the left, but agree this with the other skipper beforehand. And remember - its your responsibility to steer clear of the other boat. If you both end up on the mud there isn't much point! 

Like I said:  IT WAS ALL HIS FAULT

Out and about for a few days

For family reasons our cruising has been less than we would have hoped.

However we have just returned from four lovely days cruising to take Sonflower to meet up with friends at Warwick. Our friends have borrowed her before and this year are cruising with other family members who have hired nb Rebbeca from Kate Boats.

We had originally intended to be in the area at this time but circumstances changed so it was necessary to make a Special Cruise out of the delivery.

We were a crew of three, the Best Mate being up for the journey and Alex joining in to provide youthful enegy, muscle, and as it turned out music to keep our spirits up. The iPad was linked by blutooth to an outside speaker to keep the steerer entertained. HiTech on Sonflower, what is this!!

So the cruise went like this:

Wednesday: Home Mooring to Fenny Compton Wharf
Thursday:  Fenny Compton Wharf to Long Itchington
Friday: Long Itchington to Kate Boats Base
Saturday Morning: to and from Cape Bottom Lock water point - to wash the boat.

A Full English Breakfast was cooked by the Skipper each mornng: at Marston Doles (Thursday), Fosse locks (Friday) and Nelson Wharf, Warwick (Saturday) Other  Meals were  taken at The Wharf Inn Fenny Compton : (Wednesday evening), a sharing fish platter and Nachos Grande with an extra of potato wedges. Fed the three of us very comfortably.   The Boat Inn, Stockton (Thursday late lunch): Steak sandwiches followed by Ice cream. Very generous portions and tasty. On Board (Friday) Best Mate made meat balls in tomato sauce with pasta. All meals were washed down with approriate beverages as the weather was steaming hot!  We took late evening drinks in the Two Boats, Long Itchington on Thursday evening.

No silly boaters were on the water. In fact, after the Cropredy to Fenny Compton part, very few baoters were out. We had good company with plastic boat Maggie and her Aussie skipper who was waltzing Matilda between Bascote Bottom lock and Warwick. We had company of nb Rachel for a few locks but her (female) crew, who was shod in dancing shoes, flagged before lunch on Friday.

                                                                                         36 miles, 44 locks 

Doesn't she look smart?

Our tatty worn out black cratch cover has been replaced!

And I must say I am very pleased with the result. There are slight differences: it is green; more fasteners to stop it flapping in a wind; an angle on the tie backs to keep it taught, better detailing at the gunwhale so the water does not lay but runs straight off.

And all done with no fuss and a smile from Karl and Chrissie at K.C. Covers.


They promised to do it by the end of the month so are early! A first for a canal business in my experience!

It comes with a year's guarantee as well.

The price was very good too!

All round a pleasing experience.

First of Many in 2014

We didn't go far but we had a very enjoyable cruise to Nell Bridge and back.  The way there was against the setting afternoon sun and the "shades" were very necessary. It was so definitely SPRING. Chiff chaffs sang inthe tops of the trees. Blue tits darted inteh hawthiorn. The blackthorn was blossoming and leaf was sprouting everywhere.

Alex worked the locks, I piloted the boat and the Best Mate set about spring cleaning the cabin. Alex enjoyed walking the towpath for a time and I saw a pair of kingfishers on the bank just under the M40 obviously oblivious to the noise of the traffic above but startled by our presence as we approached.

As they cleared Grants lock and we prepared to enter we were snapped by Our Serendipity who are blogging every boat they pass! They had come off the Tjames and I have read a bit in a blog about Ric & Eileen who moor at Boulters lock. If this is them the only N/BOurserendipity blog that I have googled is a little sparse of photis at the moment. I hope they find time to post them all!

The winter off sid epruning offensive had made a great difference to the canal aspects and the pollarding of some of the willows was very pretty. There are many piles of cut wood seasoning for future fires on the off side banks.

The lovely thing is that Bones and another Alex were moored at Nell Bridge and we had a lovely evening chatting with them over tortilla chips,salsa, rioja and crianza.

We  had to leave this morning at 7am because we need to be back for noon and lunch at General Foods Club. This is a very regular appointent with our son who was not a member of the crew this time out.

This morning's cruise was excellent. Absolutely perfect weather and beautiful spring activity form the birds along the way. There were herons fishing, crows nest building and escorting a buzzard so closely that it could not venture near the tree that supported their nest. Ther were reed buntongs playing liss chase and chaffinches puffing up their new spring pink chests. The yellow headed yellow hammers were brightly visible aming the budding willows.

So there it was. A brief first outing for the boat and my sunglasses.

Our return was quick and uneventful. We had time when we arrived in Banbury to give SONFLOWER a well needed wash.  With all the Best Mate's hard work inside the cabin she is looking and smelling much healthier now!

Moving foreward toward General Foods Club we came up behind the Braidbar Boat "Fetina Lente". The crew were about to disembark and looked at us unapprovingly. There was not room for us to moor behind them as they had left 120 feet between them and the boat ahead of them. Why dont people share bollards? So we moved further on and were greeted by Maffi.

After lunch SONFLOWER was duly returned to her home mooring.

Finished for now

The survey report arrived in the post this morning. Careful reading indicates that there are no problems with SONFLOWER that would make her uninsurable!  All the recommendations are advisory. All are intended to prolong the life of the boat.

hardly worn anode (magnesium)

Newly coated rudder

The report also indicates that, from the index number, the boat was biult in 1982. I think we knew tyhat but a previous survey had said 1984. Hence this was a 32-year inspection!

The main probem is the damp bilge. We must find a way of keeping it dry and ventilating it. The surveyor suggests removing the fixed steps and fitting removable ones that could be remived to provide access to a 400mm square  hatch in the floor.

Removing the rot from the back of the boat and replacing the floor fills me with dread but will provide the opportunity for a much needed re-fit of the aft end of the boat, sorting out the outdated shower oom. A lot of thought needs to be put into this.

One interesting recommendation is to have the hull shot blasted and coated with an epoxy resin coating at the next "out of the water" opportunity. Sounds expensive.

The "cosmetic" welding to the port bow rubbing strake/eybrow was completed by Tooley's this morning so I  went down, collected my Invoice and keys and took the boat cback to the mooring. The 1/4mile cruise didnt even get the engine to oprarting temperature so I left her idling for a while to charge the batteries whike I chatted to three crews of other boats inteh mmoring. The sun has brough all out. The chatter put another hour on the hours run metre!

Now all I have to do is pay the bill.

SURVEY - PROBLEM 1, 2, 3, 4 . .

Here is SONFLOWER in the dry dock. She has been water washed and is waiting for inspection.








PROBLEM ONE: The boarding plank was rotten. Alternative means of access was imediately saught!

 

PROBLEM TWO. It is not difficult to spot that an anode has been comletely ripped off the stern starboard side of the boat.

A new one is to be fitted a little further forward where there is a little more "rake" on the side of the boat.

 Here is the inspector at his work tapping the plates to see if he can dislodge rust to reveal pitting from galvanic action. There was a little but nothng serious.

PROBLEM THREE  The fungus  had done its worst at the stern end of the cabin of the boat. My inability to keep the bilge dry and the lack of a drying stove during the winter months has meant that there is rot in the woodwork that needs to be dealt with. Maybe it is time to think about the refit on the bathroom and bunk room that is well overdue! No photo: it is too distressing.

PROBLEM FOUR Minor cosmetic welding work required to the rubbing strake on the port bow. The hollow section has rotted from the inside out.

RESULT: Nothing that prevents the boat floating and she is likely to keep afloat for the next five years.

So on with the blacking.

Then the engine service.....

. . .  . then getting the bilge dry   

............then the re-fit?                    

Anxiety

I am getting anxious!

One never knows what a survey will throw up. Five years ago SONFLOWER floated into the dry dock and recieved a report that indicated that it would not float out again! The problem was the weed hatch. There was NO ULLAGE (air space). Although the weedhatch was bolted down and sealed the water under the bolted cover was below the water line! If the cover had been taken off the boat would have sunk! A new weed hatch was fabricated and fitted to give 6 inches of ullage  below the hatch to the waterline. This could well have been the problem that caused CRT's Problem here . We also removed a considerable amount of ballast to ensure that the swim was, correctly, only just submerged. It looks like the tug was too deep inthe water too!

I wonder what the surveyor will find this time!