A Contact Sport

Firstly, thanks for all the texts and mails you have sent through. They are all very much appreciated.

Well, it’s been a funny old Easter. Normally I would spend it in the garden, getting ready for the growing season tidying up the beds and perhaps cutting the grass, but here I am, feeling a bit like “Billy No Mates”, tied up against Kingfisher Narrowboats  latest build beside Trent Lock, (see picture). This is a delightful spot though, and a big draw for boaters,walkers and cyclists in the area. Two pubs, a picnic area, and the lock itself ,on the crossroads of four waterways.

Captain Jolly Roger, not so jolly this weekend at Trent Lock

Since we returned from our snagging cruise I have been out just twice. Yesterday (Easter Sunday) my pals from St Albans came up to see me. Before they had even climbed on the boat, their dog fell in the water, along, I thought with all the post they had brought with them. I went nuts, but it was only the dog bowl that had fallen in thank goodness and Murray, the spaniel, was not bothered at all. My next door neighbour here at the lock, Jan, said later, that it was ironic that the dog should be baptised in the canal on Easter Sunday!

I decided to take them through Trent Lock and down to Sawley and back for a couple of hours. But it soon became apparent that something was not quite right, and any power I put on to the engine, resulted in big black clouds of smoke coming from the exhaust. I thought it might be something around the prop, but the tiller felt OK, and that is the usual indicator. So we turned round and came back after completing just a mile or so. Jan, thought it might be the prop, and on inspection, after my guests had gone, there were three carrier bags wrapped around it.

Today, Easter Monday, is another wet and cloudy day, and my visitors were Dave and Carolyn. Dave had been part of the snagging crew from last week and wanted to bring his Partner up to view the boat. When we saw a gap in the weather we poodled up the Erewash for a mile, to the first winding hole and I turned her around without having to use my bow thrusters, so some progress there. We came back down the lock and went along the Trent for a bit, before returning. It started gusting a bit and then I was glad of the extra oomph the bow thrusters gave as we swung into the lock pound.

All our heating, as well as cooking is on gas, and I wondered how long a large 13Kg bottle would last. That was answered in the rain last night when the boiler started beeping. It’s a simple job to change over, but I thought I would get a bit more than just over a week out of one. I guess the boys might have used it a bit, and I have had the central heating on very low, most of the time, to heat up the water, and that might be where the majority of the gas has gone When we are cruising the boat should generate enough hot water for most of our needs but stationary, I am still experimenting with the controls of the boiler.

I have felt a bit low this weekend. I think the reality of the whole enterprise finally sunk in on Good Friday and I started missing the cats and our home a bit. Having Pat the other side of the world has not helped either. I am not a solitary animal, and do not like my own company one little bit. I have got over that now, but for 24 hours I started feeling very sorry for myself. I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that I have taken a couple of chunks out of her all ready, but as one boater said to me at a lock in the week, "this boating game is a contact sport, don't be too hard on yourself".

As I said earlier John and Lorraine brought up our post yesterday and in it was our licence so we are now “Canal legal”. I have already had one British Waterways operative asking for proof of having licenced the boat, which is OK by me, as so many boats are on the system are unlicensed.

We have the boat’s official launching ceremony this Saturday, the 14^th. Friends and family are coming up and it will good to see them all and show the boat off. At just after 12-noon I will also be live on BBC Radio Two’s Graham Norton Show, on his “Tune With A Tail” feature. His producer has said he will want to talk about the boat, and how we got to this point, and I have sent in some pix we took last week at Shardlow, which he has acknowledged and will give to Graham. So if you have nothing better to do on Saturday lunchtime, tune it to Radio 2 and you will hear my dulcet tones. What fun!

Miles 38   Locks: 28

Underway at last

The Kingfisher boys were as good as their word – in fact they were a day earlier than promised. I turned up at the boat yard last Friday with a car bulging to the seams, and then a few hours later starting putting full boxes back into it. We just had too much stuff! This boating lark is going to be a sharp learning curve.

The following morning we set off on a four-day snagging cruise, with my two shipmates, Paul and David who had arrived during the day.

All is well my friends, and while I have already put a few tell-tale marks down the gunwales, where we have been bounced around in a few locks (16 so far), everything is working, shower, loo, central heating, stove etc. We can’t get any sort of signal on the telly, and as I write this Mick from Kingfisher is investigating the reasons. There is a small leak from the stern valve, which I am lead to believe is common and will sort itself out and we have a couple of sticky drawers and one that flies out at random, but we think that is because I have too much weight in it.

The first day I was naturally very apprehensive as we went through the lock at Trent Lock and made our way out on to the Trent for our journey west on the Trent & Mersey, but now I am much more relaxed and confident. I am really glad we had the bow thrusters installed and my ship mate Paul had been invaluable in imparting bits of knowledge on helmsmanship that I had forgot or never learnt.

The Cat's Whiskers gets battered in Stenson Lock

Looking quite professional in this one

So we travelled from Trent Lock to Willington, via Shardlow and back again. Everywhere we have gone the boat has had admiring glances. I think she looks great and so, it appears, does everybody else.

Tiller Boy

We are now back at the boatyard while Mick sorts out our TV. It’s been bucketing down all afternoon so I think we will hole up here until tomorrow and then complete our mini cruise by going up into Nottingham and back – about a six-hour cruise, although the weather forecast is for snow!

Miles travelled 30. Locks: 18

Sign language

Had my penultimate journey to Trent Lock today, laden down with a car full of bedding, crockery, and a box of Spitfire, my co-pilot on the day, Bob, donated. Thanks Bob and Penny.

This still leaves a pile of stuff in our garage, and I have now just one more go at shifting it on Friday morning. I think it will all go in, but I am a bit worried about the bikes. Although they are fold up, they might be difficult to fit it.

The Picasso loaded for today's run

All this is further complicated by the petrol problems going on at the moment. We are at least a week away from a potential tanker driver strike, but already there are queues at the pumps. I should be OK to get up to Trent Lock on Friday but we will have to see after that. Pat comes back from New Zealand just after Easter, when all this will probably be going on. We’ll have to wait and see

The sign writing is all done and it is “fab”. I am so pleased with it. It’s just what I wanted and coming from a typographical background I didn’t want to make any compromises, and Jan has really done us proud. She even managed to get a few traditional symbols on the Bow Stripes. See pix.

I am well impressed with the sign writing

Took my BW licence application down the road to Sawley Marina, as they are agents for British Waterways. In fact, they are a division of BW. They took the application, gave me a receipt, and said they would send it off for me. I thought they would issue me a licence, and a number, that Jan could paint on the side of the boat before we set off. That is still possible, but I was hoping she could do it before the weekend.

The very unusual bow stripes

So, it’s a very early start on Friday. I will travel up to Welwyn Garden, strip the garage of everything marked up to go, and hope to be at Trent Lock around 10am. The man from Elite Furnishings is coming at 11am to deliver the super-douper sofa bed we have ordered and after lunch we are going out on a mini-cruise to check all is working and work on the trim of the boat.

I will blog again after the weekend.

No Man's Land

Well this is a new territory for me. No home, no cats, no children and no wife, but dear friends all is well. My feet both hurt and I’m not sure why that is. It’s a bit worrying as I am listing to port at the moment, so just hope that is temporary. I am resting up for a couple of days before the regime resumes.

Yesterday we moved away from our home. It went OK and we spent the last hour or so sitting on the one piece of furniture left in our living room, stoking the cats.

They looked bemused as we left and handed over the keys to Simon and Liz, our new tenants, and the hour’s journey from Welwyn Garden City to the John Lewis Odney Country Club at Maidenhead, where we spent last night and where I am tonight (Saturday) was for me, full of excitement, regret, guilt, and concern. I don’t think Pat was equally affected, but I am a softie. At least I didn’t blub.

I have just dropped Pat off at Heathrow (30 minutes away) and I expect to see her plane fly over any moment. I have asked her to ask the pilot to tip the wings as they fly over!

Just before I dropped her off we went round to James’ parent’s pub, which is only a few minutes from the club. We had coffee with them in the pub garden. It was good to see them both. They are going to NZ to see the kids and the new grandchild in a few weeks too. The temperature was way above 20c, which is unseasonably warm for this time of year.

I am booked in here tonight and then going to spend a few days with my sister in Potters Bar.

I’m loading up with boxes for a Wednesday run to Trent Lock with my pal Bob and then repeat the operation on Friday. I think over the two runs we should get everything there that is currently in our garage.

I must say Pat has been exception in the planning of this adventure. She has literally thought of everything and it has gone extremely well, so well done, you. She can now have two weeks “goo-gooing” over her first grandchild. Feet permitting, I’ll have it all “ship shape” for her return. What’s that noise? There goes the plane.......... Oh well, never mind.

Roger

Paint It Black (and blue and cream)

Hello folks. Well boxes are piled high here in Great Ganett, Welwyn Garden City, labelled up for the different phases we have identified as we move from terra firma to a life on the waterways in a week's time.

Phase one is well underway. Our double mattress went up to the boat yard today, together with the first three boxes, curtains and bedroom TV.

Phase 1B will take place next Wednesday when I will take another carful, north, along with the fold-up bikes and other essentials for our first two weeks. I am also meeting Glen, from Elite Furnishings, on Wednesday morning. He has hand made our sofa bed and is delivering it to the boat.

I then move on permanently two days later, with Dave, my old next door neighbour, Paul, a boating pal and possibly one other and we are taking The Cat's Whiskers out for a bit of a snagging cruise for a few days, before returning at Easter.

Phase 2, which is mainly clothes, will follow when Pat returns from New Zealand. All this stuff is being stored in our garage until that time.



Pat fits her bespoke curtains



On our arrival at Trent Lock today, Jan, the sign writer, who lives on a boat at the Lock, was marking out the two aft panels. Mick was masking up for the cream stripes going on the starboard side (he has finished the port side, see picture). We are both well-pleased with finished paint job. It is not an unusual colour scheme, but it is what I wanted, and on this I got my own way. I think it looks stunning. God knows how many coats of paint Mick has applied. Our mattress fits the base John has made perfectly and the curtains Pat has been lovingly creating over the last few days, fit well and follow the dark red colour theme that will be prevalent throughout the boat.

Mick getting very handy with his paint brush

The Cat's Whiskers is revealed

So we are now very nearly there and the boys have got one more week to sort out any last minute fixes and build the couple of late additions we have requested.

I don’t feel any pangs of regret leaving our house, but it will be different saying goodbye to the cats. They know something is up and are not at all happy with all the disappearing furniture, but I know they will be well looked after, and it is impractical to take them with us, at their ages.

Will blog again next week

It’s A Gas, Gas, Gas

We have been scouring our friends’ garages and sheds over the last three weeks to find some Calor Gas bottles, that we could swap for full ones for the boat. We will be cooking with gas and it will also power our radiators. We were advised they did not have to be the regulation  13Kg.  In fact, any size Calor container would do.  Our pals came up trumps and we stopped off at Sawley Marina, just a couple of miles from Trent Lock this morning, to swap them for two 13Kg ones in glorious orange.

The countdown is now being measured in days, rather than weeks, and poor old Pat is project-managing the countdown to us leaving the house. It’s quite a task. We then have the “Twilight Zone” time, between moving out and when we set off in earnest. Pat’s off to New Zealand the day after we move out and I hope to get on the boat the week before Easter, with a couple of pals, and go out on a three-day snagging cruise. The list of things that need resolving or actioning seems endless, but she has chopped all the tasks up into weeks and we are on schedule. This is everything from redirecting post, to getting all the carpets cleaned, to making doctors and dentists appointment before we leave, to selling all the furniture not wanted, to making blinds, to making sure Sky and broadband is cancelled on time, to ordering new glasses, to applying for our Canals and River Trust (was British Waterways) licence, to making sure our boat insurance is organised, to winter moorings for next year, and so on, and so on.

Meanwhile I have been moving my vast collection of music from CD’s to a portable hard drive. That has been quite a feat in itself as well as burning DVD’s on the drive as well. I have purchased a hard guitar case, now that the guitar cabinet I designed and drew for the boys to copy, came out too small. This is the first proper hard case I have ever owned. Now I am very aware that I am becoming obsessive about things we have purchased for “The Cat’s Whiskers”, or so I was reliably informed by my pal Mark this week. Looking back on previous blogs, I can see what he means, so no more about purchases... well, I’ll try anyway.

With only 23 days to go before handover, the boat should have been looking pretty well finished, and our visit today confirmed that, barring some unforeseen catastrophe, it is, and they will be on time for the hand-over.

Pat works out where the picnic table should go

Mick has been busy with his paintbrush and, I think, put four top coats on at present, with one more to go. Then he has to do the pin stripes down the sides. I particularly liked the maroon on the dolly’s (see picture). All of the main joinery has been completed. It’s just vents, false covers, and the odd door that needs putting on now. When we last visited the flooring was half down and that has worked out really well. It was very expensive (here I go again), but looks great. And as soon as Mick has finished on the outside we can get Jan the sign writer along to finish off.



Colour scheme on bow



The bookcase, come entertainment system is in. Mick has hidden the FM transmitter in a little box, and has had it all working with the speakers I took up before Xmas. When he cranked them up, the live-aboard boaters at the Lock, thought somebody was having a rave!

The"entertainment centre" in situ

They have fitted the fridge/freezer and the diddy washing machine in the bedroom. Yes, the bedroom. We will only be running it when we are moving, so that does not cause any issues.

The washing machine has been installed

Over the regulation doughnuts we agreed that as soon as Pat comes back from New Zealand we will have a launch party and invite all those interested up to Trent Lock to celebrate with some champagne and a bite to eat in the pub at the Lock. The date is Saturday 14 April. If any of our growing band of followers would like to come up to Long Eaton to help us out, please get in touch.

One of the major Chandlers in the Narrowboat business is Midland Chandlers, and occasionally they have a “Freaky Friday”. I used to have them when I spent too long at the pub on a Friday lunchtime! This is when they knock  20% off everything in their stores. We have been waiting for this and we popped into their branch at Mercia Marina, near Derby this afternoon and put together a list. I won’t bore you with it, but I had forgotten to add an anchor, which we will need for river transit. I have also decided to buy us two self-inflating life jackets. I’m really not that bothered about going into the canal. It will only come up to my waist, but a lock that is filling is a different matter. And Pat is not a strong swimmer.

Toodaloo.

The Countdown's On

So it begins now in earnest. We have a date we have to be out of Great Ganett. It’s Friday  23 March, and Pat flies off to New Zealand for two weeks the day after.

The family moving in to the house, Liz and Simon, seem very pleasant, and I hope the cats behave themselves. The family  seem quite happy to take them on, but the cats have never had to be around young children, so it should be an interesting experience all round. I doubt if they will get as spoiled as they are at the moment.

On leaving the house,  I will be homeless for a week until I  take over The Cat’s Whiskers, the following weekend. I am hoping the boys will be finished a couple of days early, but that is going to depend on the weather. Everything is on schedule, but there is still a fair bit of painting to do on the hull, and that will be the deciding factor.

We still have loads to do around the house but it is going to be stuff that will have to be done on the run up to the evacuation. The loft is cleared and all Erica’s stuff has either been dumped or is in boxes in the garage. Pat seems to think the garage is a bit of a Tardis, and I am concerned that once we start getting a few bits of furniture in, it will start thinking very quickly, even though it’s a double garage/workshop. It’s all insulated though and cleared out, ready to receive.

I must say Pat is very organised and has organised a workstream, to get to the final date, involving such things as carpet cleaning and Kev’s departure. My son and heir is hopefully going first week of March.

Took a trip to Long Eaton yesterday for a look round the boat and Mick is well advanced laying the Amtico flooring, though his knees are complaining. The grain is not as dark as we thought, but looks good and Pat is well pleased. The bathroom sink is in, and works, so the bathroom is now finished, apart from putting a mirror up on the wall. The Cratch board is on and the cover has been measured up and will be fitted next week.

Cratch board in. Cover being fitted next week. Washing machine in cardboard box

Steps are in. Wardrobes to left and right

Unfortunately, my guitar will not fit in to the guitar cupboard, that John has made for me, beside the stove. It’s my fault and I still don’t know quite what went wrong,  but  the space can certainly be utilised and I will buy myself a hard guitar case and leave it in one of the wardrobes in the bedroom. We took up a couple of the stools we purchased at Ikea the other week and they fit fine, as well as our safe, the telly and my FM transmitter. Ohh, and the washing machine too.

Washing machine housing built. Going to put a TV on top of ledge.

Bathroom finished now that sink has been plumbed in

John is, at present, building the wall unit that will house the TV, stereo and all our books, DVD’s and CD’s. I have got rid of a load of CD’s but there are around 50 I can’t bear to be parted from and they will come onboard. I have had to redraw the unit a few times, but we know have a plan he can work to. Hopefully by the time we go back up on the 4^th March, that will be in.

These Ikea stools are nice and comfy

Galley and Saloon area showing now defunct guitar cupboard with new Amtico floor down.

So now we need all the ancillary stuff, boathooks, life jackets, windlasses etc, as well as sourcing two 13kg propane bottles. Anybody got any spares out there?

I am planning a bit of a mini snagging cruise down the Trent & Mersey for a few days up to Easter with a couple of pals while Pat is away.