Stormy bank holiday

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

Just when we thought summer was peeking around the corner today has been some of the worst weather including winter. Howling gales and driving rain has had the boat rocking and rolling like crazy.

Luckily being a mud mooring we only have to bear the brunt of the movement for a short period of time. The wind has been pushing us heavily against the pontoon and the creaking and groaning is crazy. The buoy fenders are certainly working hard .

Hopefully the whistling wind and slap slapping of ropes against masts won’t keep us awake.

Stay safe everyone.

April

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

Crikey! It’s the middle of April already where is the time going? I can hardly keep up. It’s that strange time where summer is just around the corner but spring is still struggling to get going. We are still having frosts nearly every night this year. Last winter there were only 3 frosty nights.

As lockdown restrictions are lifted and the weather warms things are getting busier down here . Now people can travel more those from further afield are making the trip to check on boats. Lots of cushions appear back in forth in my line of sight as those who thought to remove over winter bring them back and those who forgot ferry them out for drying, cleaning or in some dire cases replacement.

We’ve had some glorious days this week and it just makes everything better. On our flybridge we discovered a patch that was waterlogged and the timber had blown . This week finally we’ve got up there and cut out the damaged area and dried out ready to repair. Over the next few weeks the plan is to get up there and and get a few coats of specialists paint on.

Our friend Jolly had been down working on his boat

Happy Easter

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

Happy Easter fellow liveaboarders. I can’t believe I am saying that already . Where on earth has the time gone?Can it really be April already?

It’s been a real mixture of weather recently. Chilly days interspersed with the warmest March days on record here in the UK. The marina has gone mad some days , so busy. The swans now have 2 eggs in the nest. After the crazy swan saga earlier on its almost surreal that they’ve made it this far. Maybe , fingers crossed we may actually get some cygnets this year.

Two days ago the warmth heralded the return of the grey mullet. You know get spring is here and it was such a lovely sight to see. Today there were about 50 of them together swimming around ,so amazing.

Of course now we really have to make a decision again about our boat coming out for work . Time is moving on. We have had someone round to have a look and a good discussion about how to proceed. Now just to see slots available and decide.

Warmer days are coming

Finding a boat

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

So you fancy living on a boat. Where do you begin? It’s a minefield I’m not going to lie , the variation in the prices of boats that seem identical to the huge range of mooring fees, it can be mind boggling!

When we started looking properly, with a goal and time frame it seemed like we would never get there. Boats were too expensive for what they were or too much of a project. You could find the perfect boat but then need a mooring or those with moorings seemed impractical for our needs. Did we want a narrowboat on a canal or river or just a houseboat ? Or did we want to travel, be on the sea , permanently afloat or mud mooring? Sailboat or motor yacht ? What size did we really need? What did it need to have on board?

We were a little bit stuck as we were waiting for money from a house sale but almost a year after we started looking Tony sent me a link . He said he’d been watching this boat for a few days what did I think? I thought it was definitely worth a look . He said great ! The guy could show us that afternoon, he had someone coming that evening but we could take a look before. An hour later we had loaded up the kids and were on our way. Three hours later we had bought a boat and it had a mooring that was perfect. It seemed our boat found us !

At around 50ft long and 12ft wide with everything you need she is perfect and because of needing a quick sale she was a bargain. Perfectly liveable as was but room for updating .

Spring is in the air

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

Finally it’s beginning to warm up and with the warm sunny days , and the roadmap out of lockdown there is a vibe of optimism.

Things are getting busier at the marina as people start to get boats ready for summer. Outboards are serviced and boats cleaned , engines worked on and boats are bought and sold . Plans are made in the hope that the slow opening up of the country goes according to plan.

We are ploughing on with Sam ,the project boat,at a pace trying to get completed for 12th April as a possible rental short term but long term for sale. As for our main boat we are still dithering with what to do as we’ve had to cancel so many times before. As it stands we’ve decided that we have time to play things by ear, perhaps doing the work later in the year.

Sam

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

This is the youngest member of our boat family. Sam is our quirky project boat. It looks like a cross between some kind of landing craft and a stunted narrowboat and it’s certainly a talking point.

The base is a cathedral hull fishing boat and the main structure marine ply . We bought this last summer as a shell with just the basic areas separated and have since set about trying to turn it into a comfy retreat, either as short term bolt hole for someone or perhaps a liveaboard.

Endless coats of paint and the complexities of installing a water system and water heater, along with shower , toilet and sink. A kitchen area , relaxing area and bedroom and we are finally on the home straight.

Work in progress

All this alongside the big boat makes life very busy and exhausting ,but rewarding and we wouldn’t wish it any different.

Brrr it’s a little bit chilly

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

Wow what happened to the temperature. Hopefully my fellow liveaboarders you’ve been able to stay warm. It’s a bit of a mission keeping a metal box on water warm but we’ve weathered the storm so to speak and it looks like the end is in sight in a couple of days.

Our boat built around 1975 has had a couple of systems over the years it seems, originally it had an eberspacher system but as that probably broke down it was disconnected and electrical based integrated blowers had been fitted.

Just before the really cold weather kicked in we fitted a diesel heater that connects into the old pipe work of the eberspacher system. That, the blower system and electric heaters have seen us through , lovely as a sprinkling of snow is I’m looking forward to warmer times.

Our diesel heater keeps the background temperature up.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

Here’s hoping you all had a happy, healthy Christmas and that Storms Bella and Christoph didn’t cause too many problems.

It’s turned pretty cold and icy over the past week and with that comes some difficulty. Pontoons are hazardous at the best of times so add a little ice and it’s a potential disaster. We’re a big boat so stepping off requires navigating steps before even reaching the pontoon. I’m a strange looking sight, bundled up, carrying a bottle of warm water to deice the steps as I go. I make a point of everything slow, there’s no rush , in order to stay upright. Over the past 18 months I’ve learned the hard way, having ended up on my backside 3 times and I’m not the only one.

Into another year we are still on uncertain ground as to when our boat can come out of the water for work. Hopefully guidance on the road out of lockdown that’s supposed to be coming will help us be able to make plans again.

Fingers crossed that things will improve soon and we can all get moving and back out on the water , until then stay safe .

Swan Saga part 2

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

After the previous incident around the swans it seemed things had calmed down and order restored. We all have a sigh of relief and hoped that was the end of things. But a few days later, we were back into it again but this time it seemed like one of the breeding pair was attacking the other .

This time things were a little more short lived and the hope was it was a minor squabble as the victim appeared to be ok and eventually moved on .

Fast forward a couple of days later and M says that swans neck looks strange. Looking out the window I see a swan with its neck to one side and its head floating. Unfortunately it became apparent that it had died .

A day or so later we then hear that the swans in our area have confirmed bird flu. It’s been a dramatic week or so on the swan front. It seems around 8 confirmed deaths and the situation is being monitored. What a year all round!

And so at the end of it all we decorated the boat , and now it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Almost a murder

On By Carol LawLeave a comment

No sooner had I posted about the swans on the marina and how funny they were, they decided to give us a front row seat to the cruelty of nature.

One of this year’s young swans decided for whatever reason to venture a little further down range and came full on against the territorial nature of the residents here.

They cornered the youngster and gave a warning but this obviously didn’t work as from that point on they had it cornered and went full on attack mode.

You can try to intervene to give it a chance but it seemed that this particular youngster didn’t have the smarts or experience to heed the opportunity and just took the battering .

A couple of hours of repeated attacks and attempts by the public to help, the poor thing was clearly not doing too great . Finally a rescue in the form of the RSPCA. After a half hearted resistance the young swan practically jumped into her arms and was taken away.

The children were pretty horrified by the events but it was a good chance to highlight how nature isn’t all fluffy and cute.