Setting Off

14th March 2009

Up early (well, seven o'clock) and with almost everything apart from the fridge food ready in boxes overnight, it did not take long to pack the car and we were off by nine. The journey up to the boatyard was uneventful and we arrived at 1:15, having had our sandwiches on the way.

Nigel awaited us to explain all the bits of work which had been done and to chat about the shelves which he had not understood what was required. Two previous attempts to leave behind drawings had failed to reach him! Perhaps next time . . . The other tasks seem to have been completed an we filled with water, bought some more coal and rope to replace the seal on the solid fuel stove. (and we do not mention where the first bottle of glue went!) It still took a couple of hours to unload the car and to be satisfied that we had everything in place.

We set off southwards - this means doing a 360 turn in the winding hole amongst all the boats so one has to prove one's steering skill even before encountering the first bridge!
We did not plan to cruise too long as there was still further sorting to do. Christine had thought to bring the evening meal already prepared but the jacket potatoes seemed to take for ever!. Mike did not have the energy to try out the satellite tv and the terrestrial aerial had very poor reception but Classic FM sufficed.

During the evening we had a fright when the water pump refused to produce any water out of the taps. We were able to ascertain that it was getting power and it started to function intermittently. Eventually it seemed to be working reliably but it leaves us a little nervous. There also seems to be a tiny leak from the pump as well.

The stove quickly heated the main cabin and we were able to try out one of the paper bricks we had been making for the past few weeks at home. If it works then it is a better use of old newspapers than sending them to the recycling people. Even if one does not think about the eco-balance with the use of water to make them! We even managed to set the central heating clock - why do they have to be so difficult to program?

By the time we decided to call it a day we were beginning to feel much more relaxed - the past three weeks had been particularly heavy and the process of appointing a new priest to the Wadebridge parish remains of concern.

No pix, alas, as it was not a day to produce anything special but - to be truthful - we forgot to get around to taking any so just the text this time!