March

Got a text from Matty last night saying he was moored in March.  Getting close now.  He also said that the oil filter had come adrift and I've now got a bilge full of oil.  That will be a fun clean up. 

 I have no idea how far he will get today.  The wind is fearsome.  Especially out on the middle levels where there is not even a tree for miles.

And they're off!

Got a call from Whilton Marina yesterday telling me someone is trying to steal my boat.  Haha very funny.  Just Matty getting ready to leave.  Still, it was good of them to get confirmation from me before they let him go.

Last visit

Hopefully Sunday was my last visit to Whilton to see the boat.  Next time I see her, it will be in Ely!  Lovely day pottering around in the sunshine, getting the feel of things and making plans.  I struggled a bit with the water system.  It had been drained down for the winter and developed an air lock in the calorifier when I filled the main tank up.  This meant the pump was running constantly but failing to get the system up to pressure.  I cracked open one of the compression fittings and this cured the problem.

Matty the boat mover came for a look.  He will be setting off this week.  I hope everything goes ok.

All mine

I went up to Whilton at the weekend and the boat is now officially mine now.  I have the bill of sale and the BSS paperwork and they have all my money :(

I thought I'd take this opportunity to go and fill up with diesel.  This entailed motoring out of the marina and onto the canal for a couple of hundred meters.  I've not driven a narrowboat for over 20 years so I was a little nervous.  But it went ok with no bumping other boats.  The fun bit was reversing back into the marina, but this too was done without incident and I feel pretty pleased with myself.  Fingers crossed, next weekend will see her leaving Whilton for her new home.

Delay... Good!

The boat mover is booked for March 22nd and he is hoping to be at Salters Lode Lock on the 27th so as to be one of the first boats thru when it opens again.

I got a call from Whilton today saying that there is a problem with the Alde gas heater and they will need to order a spare part which will delay things for another week.  Good.  As long as it is done by the 22nd that's ok with me.  Until its finished, I don't have to pay for the mooring.  Haha.

I am currently investigating Reflecks stoves as they seem to offer a more convenient heat source for my life style.  I am thinking that when I get home from work, do I really want to be messing around with the previous day's ash and then waiting while the stove warms up.  No.  I like the idea of dropping in a fire lighter, waiting ten minutes, then turning the thing onto 'full'.

Big black bottom

Yesterday I braved the rain and went up to Falls Bridge Warf just outside Rugby to see the boat out of the water.  Whilton Marina have contracted the work out as I believe they have quite a backlog of work.  I am glad about this as it gave me the opportunity to get another opinion from someone not directly involved in the sale.  Rupert who runs the yard turns out to be a highly skilled welder who not only repairs boats but has built a few too as well as restoring classic cars.  Considering the boats age, he reckons its in pretty good shape.

The work involved grinding out the poor quality welds on a previous replate along the bottom of the swim and extending the plate about another foot forward.  I am no expert but the job looks well executed.

Out of the water, the dented right hand bow plates look a lot worse than they did when afloat but that is largely cosmetic.  More of a concern are the engine room vents which while high enough for the BSS are still too near the water for my peace of mind.  This is something I shall have to think about.

                        Overplate on bottom of the swim.

                       The big bronze thing.

Dented bow.

Engine intake.  A bit too close to the water for my liking.

Lock closed

I just found out that Salters Lode lock which joins the Middle Levels with the Great Ouse will be closed until 27th March.  So it doesnt look like I shall be able to get the boat back until then.

Still, I think I have found someone who is willing to do the trip for me and I think I am onto a suitable mooring too.