Back where she should be…..

A second coat of blacking was put on the top part up to the gunwales yesterday and we were told that she would be craned back into the water today.  Having been told on the phone this morning that Windsong was being craned as we spoke, we left to go and collect her and put her back onto her berth.  We arrived to find her still on the bank, but in the crane’s straps.  Apparently the crane driver had been called away!  So, there we sat, in the car, waiting.  About 15 minutes later the crane driver and two of the marina staff came out and things started to move.  Neither of us could watch as she was lifted, swung around, and dropped back into the water.  All I know is, that, before I shut my eyes, she was bouncing up and down in the straps due to the strong wind!!!  Scary or what?  Anyway, no mishaps!

The only photo I managed to take this morning, just as she was back in the water, I had my eyes shut most of the time!!

Rog reversed back to the marina entrance and, unusually, had to have two goes at reversing into our berth as the wind was so strong it kept pushing us too far over.  Managed in the end though.  So, that’s one job jobbed – next is to arrange the surveyor to do the BSC – can’t believe it’s 4 years already!

Blacking done….

Windsong was lifted out of the water late on Tuesday, in preparation for pressure washing and blacking to start on Wednesday.  Her bottom was not a pretty sight.

By Friday, we were told she was going back into the water, fully blacked.  We went across to the marina to find that they had forgotten to black all the way up to the gunwales, even though it was highlighted on the worksheet – luckily they hadn’t begun the craning when we got there so we were able to point it out.  So, she didn’t go back into the water after all.  They finished the job yesterday afternoon, and it’s now looking much better.

Just a bit of rust to deal with just above the waterline on the tunnel band and she’ll be good as new – well except for the damn roof!  We have booked a boat painter to take it back to the bare metal, and he will put a coat of rustproofing on, then 2 coats each of primer, undercoat and top coat.  They can’t do that until the first week of June though, so we’ve a few weeks to wait yet.  Still, at least when that is sorted we might actually be able to get away for a bit of cruising! I feel a few days of washing, polishing and cratch cover scrubbing coming on over the next couple of weeks – weather permitting.

Birthday Boy…..

A great big Happy 1st Birthday to our youngest crew member.

A paint job…..

Yesterday we went over to the marina to make the boat ready for the crane to lift her out this afternoon for the blacking to be done.  It was the first time we had had a really good look at the roof, and it wasn’t pretty! 

 

We have been struggling to patch up peeling paint on the roof for a couple of years now, and the last two severe winters haven’t done it any favours.  The paint is now peeling off in sheets, so we have decided that it must all come off and be re-painted properly.  Lacking the tools and the skill to do it ourselves we have asked for and received a rough estimate for it to be done by the boat painter here at the marina.  Hopefully, they will be able to fit it in within the next few weeks.   Oh well, it’s only money!!!

More narrowboat visiting…..

We found out yesterday that nbs Matilda Rose and No Problem were moored not more than 5 miles away from us, at Great Doddington on the Nene, so a few text messages and phone calls, and we had invited ourselves for coffee this morning.  Knowing roughly where they were moored, we set out to find the lock nearest them to park.  After not finding the particular footpath that Graham had told us to follow along the left bank of the river – we realised that we were at the wrong lock!!!  Bit of a misunderstanding between me and Graham, or perhaps between me and Rog, and we were one lock downstream of where we should be!  Oh well, never mind, at least we found out before we had hiked it along the river bank!  Jumping back in the car, we headed back the way we had come, to find Graham waiting for us at the correct lock to lead us back to the boats – he obviously didn’t trust us to find our own way!!  Well, I can’t say I blame him.  We had a lovely morning catching up and introducing Ozzy to the hoomans, as well as to Baxter, Muttley, Meg and Penny.  Sue is the real reason we have Ozzy.  On our way back from Stone last year after losing Cassie, when we hadn’t the heart to go on with our cruise, we bumped into Sue and Vic on No Problem. Sue and Vic, having not long lost their dear Lucy and having ‘got straight back on the horse’ with puppy Penny, practically threw a wriggly Penny across the gap between the boats and into my arms!  It made me realise that we could have another puppy straight away, and that having another wouldn’t devalue in any way how much we had loved Cassie.  And the rest, as they say, is history!!!

Ozzy had a lovely time with 4 other dogs to play with, especially with Penny, who is only a couple of months older than him.  She ran him ragged, and he has been flat out asleep all afternoon.

We left them at about 1.30 to enjoy their Sunday lunch, superbly cooked by Vic, and hope to see them again in a couple of weeks, when they can drag themselves away from the Nene and up the Northampton flight to re-join us ditch-crawlers.

Nb No Problem

Nb Matilda Rose

Collies Meg (foreground) and Penny

L to R  Baxter, Ozzy, Muttley and Meg (and Jill’s legs!)

Jill, taking a forbidden photo of me, taking one of her, with Sue looking on!

PS.  Windsong is booked to come out of the water for blacking next Wednesday – keep everything crossed, folks, that the crane remains in working order until after she goes back in!

Oh the wonderful world of boatyards….NOT!

Months ago we booked Windsong into the boatyard at Gayton Marina where we moor to be craned out and have her bottom blacked.  The 5th April was to be the day.  A few days before that we received an email to say that repairs to their crane had been delayed and they were having to reschedule everyone’s bookings.  The next earliest date we were offered was next Thursday, 18thApril.  We phoned them this morning to confirm that it was all going ahead.  Yes, you’ve guessed it – the crane repairs have been further delayed and it will now be around the beginning of May – we haven’t even been given a date this time!!!!  To say we are pissed off is probably putting it nicely!!!  I had a ring around but of course nobody can fit us in before then.  Oh well, such is boating.  However, if it doesn’t happen then, it can bloody well wait until the autumn!!!

A visit to nb Yarwood….

Having missed Lesley and Joe on Yarwood coming up the Northampton Arm on their great escape from their winter prison on the middle levels lat week, we made arrangements to go and see them at Braunston today.  Having arrived at their mooring above the top lock we had coffee and a catch-up – we haven’t seen them since Yarwood’s launch the December before last.  Ozzy was well and truly fussed over by Lesley and Joe, and well and truly told of by Fletcher (or was it Floyd – I still can’t tell the difference!), Ozzy then went on to disgrace himself by cocking his leg on one of Lesley’s galley cupboard doors (he hasn’t had any ‘little accidents’ indoors for about 6 months!!).  Not the least fazed by this, Lesley just shrugged her shoulders and wiped it up (thank goodness for ‘doggy’ friends)!   After our coffee we wandered along the towpath to say hello to Jo and Keith on nb Hadar.  Jo was busy shovelling coal around the hold, so we had a chat and gave her the excuse to have a break.  By that time, lunch and the pub were calling, so we took the dogs for a little walk back along the towpath to the Admiral Nelson.  We had lovely baguettes, and the accompanying chips were to die for. Ozzy meanwhile had a cow’s ear which was stolen by Fletcher (or Floyd!) so we had to give him another, which was also stolen!  Having been growled at earlier, our little hooligan was too scared to take it back so Joe had to retrieve it for him!  A good time was had by all!!  Afterwards, we made tracks for home as Rog had already made plans to attend a ‘vaping’ get-together at a local pub.

Jo doing her impression of a Black and White Minstrel!

Nb Hadar

Lesley, Joe, Rog and the dogs outside the Admiral Nelson.