We are finally getting proper gunwales on our bows :o)

As the boats were hacked about and converted to the working boat-like semi-trad and butty, some very strange things have been done and some things seem to have been left unfinished, like the gunwales on both boats, on Christina there was a section missing towards the cratch board on both sides, with just a piece of flat bar with a bit of aluminium bent over it, this let in a lot of water, meant that the tarpaulins couldn't be fixed properly and also meant there was less gunwales to walk on (one of the reasons that I fell in a lock!)

Where there should be gunwale there is fresh air! 

We learnt by past mistakes, covering the tarpaulins with plastic sheeting to keep the metal filings off, or they sit on the canvas until it rains, then cause rusty streaks! Grrrrr!

There was not much metal left on the bits of gunwale that were there, I decided to replace it right back to the greenhouse.

Bruce offers up a newly fabricated section

The new sections welded in and ready to grind back

Pouring rain did not stop play! Looking a bit like a refugee camp!

One side of one boat almost finished, the port side section has also been welded in.

We've got a nice vintage brass horn

I was looking for a suitable horn with a nice brass trumpet, online I found Taff's website and a reference to an ex-New Jersey Fire Station horn that had  been restored and converted to 12v. We conducted the whole transaction through the medium of Welsh! Lynn is of Turkish origin, brought up in LLanelli and living in Dubai!

It had been painted black.

 Whatever the paint was that he used, it was virtually indestructible! It would make good blacking methinks!

Partially polished trumpet ;o)

Probably mount it in front of the pidgeon box to reduce our headroom.

The newly-formed Friends Of The River Nene (FOTRN) and another new mooring.

We headed to Woodford to help clear a new mooring that has easy access to Woodford and it's pubs and shops.

We were late leaving the marina as we'd been away from the boats for six weeks, it took ages to sort everything.

As I left the marina, Glenda popped inside to put the breakfast dishes away, when she came out a minute later we were already going under the bridge at Willy Watts, she shouted at me "Slow down!" I replied " I'm only on tickover, the river is running fast!"

The lock was fun, with water gushing over the gates, then it looked like we wouldn't get under the guillotine, Glenda went forward and removed our tiny LED fairy lights, we cleared it by a fag paper! Gulp!

I rang Brian Buckle, he said "Don't tell me, you can't come by boat because the river is flowing too fast" I said " No, actually we are approaching you fast, try to catch us on the way past!"

We passed the mooring and winded and returned upstream to breast up to Brian & Sue Buckle's NB Brass Buckle.

A panoramic pic of the new mooring with 23 FOTRN members beavering away.

A rather wobbly video showing the extent of this very useful new mooring.

There are a few lumps of rock or concrete to shift, but Brian has negotiated the use of Clive's dredger which should make this easier.

A well-earned tea break.

After a nice evening moored on the new mooring the river had dropped about four inches, here NB Brass Buckle follows us to Blackthorn Lake Marina so that they can wait until the level drops.

Taking out the pair for the first time in 2 years

My friend Shorty came to visit us, from the Netherlands, this week and has been staying on Christina, I decided that it would be a good excuse to take both boats out for the weekend.

Shorty at the helm of Freyja & Christina

Glenda raising the guillotine at Ringstead Lower lock (photo by Shorty)

The concentration! LOL!
(photo by Glenda)

Shorty steering Christina
(photo by Glenda)

We never normally get any pictures with both of us in! So it was very nice to see this picture.
(photo by Shorty)

Towing Christina to speed things up as it was fast getting dark and Glenda didn't want to moor in the dark. By the time we arrived at Denford it was very dark, Glenda was not impressed!
But after a few red wines in the Denford Cock all was well again.
(photo by Shorty)

We woke the next morning to a herd of curious cows, scratching their necks on our mooring pins.
(photo by Shorty)

Approaching the A14 bridge at Thrapston, far more satisfying to potter under it than it is to drive stressed up on this busy trunk road.
(photo by Shorty)

 

Video by Glenda

(Glenda came close to dropping her phone as she stopped the video)

The disused Thrapston railway bridge and the non-existent Mill Marina. (photo by Shorty)

Approaching the Nine Arch Bridge at Thrapston, on a long line, on our return they went through OK breasted up.
(photo by Shorty)

We moored and winded below Titchmarsh lock

It was a lovely day the next morning

Moored on the 48 hour moorings, that lock landing has been closed for a while now.
(photo by Glenda)

In Tichmarsh lock
(photo by Glenda)

A nice moody shot of Thrapston (closed by Beeching!) railway bridge
(photo by Glenda)

We took it very easy on our way back upstream
(photo by Glenda)

In Denford lock (photo by Glenda)

On Denford lock landing (while I checked out if the continuous moorer NB Dee was still hogging the prime mooring spot at Denford), it was! Grrr!

Moored at Denford, Glenda made bread and had cooked us a 5 bird roast on the move! What a woman! ;o)

We had a great weekend only marred by me almost losing an eye as an unattended fishing rod came along Freyja at eye level, I ducked to avoid the rod and slowed, Christina came down our starboard side and rubbed along the port side of the cruiser with the offending fishing rod.

The tirade that followed as we tried to moor and breast back up (we'd singled up to get under Islip footbridge) meant that

I was very wound up leaving Islip 48 hour moorings. It started pouring with rain and I was more than a little nervous arriving at Titchmarsh and steering, breasted up, between the lines of moored boats.

We decided that the weather was not nice enough to sit outside the Kings in Wadenhoe and decided instead to wind and moor on the 48 hour moorings at Titchmarsh, we had a great night in the very hospitable Titchmarsh Club ;o)

The weather was superb on Sunday morning and  after a nice breakfast we headed back upstream for a very nice, relaxed return journey. We even passed through Thrapston's Nine Arch Bridge and squeezed back into Blackthorn lake breasted up.

An easier weekend

I fitted the new wash basin into Christina and plumbed in the mixer tap. Fitted the new gas regulator / level gauge to Freyja and then returned Christina's regulator, fired up Christina's Morco shower heater, lovely hot water, Great! Then turned on the hot tap on the basin and the Morco started pulsing, the water pulsed and the water pump wheezed, Grrrr! Cold water, bugger!

So I turned on both the shower and the basin tap and then got hot water at the basin, I think that the small bore flexi pipes that attach to the mixer tap are constricting the flow. I'm not a plumber so I need to make enquiries from someone who knows better than me.

Glenda then swung into action undercoating and painting the bathroom and the insides of the boatman's cupboard's etc.

I gave Freyja's starboard side a coat of enamel and re-painted her window frames.

It made a nice change to be doing things that weren't urgent.

Finished off the weekend by giving the tiller another coat of lacquer and made two new larger flanks for the elum, the first was perfect and the second was a complete failure after the long jigsaw blade twisted and left me with a mis-shapen block of firewood and a piece of wood left over that was too short to make a replacement. HoHum!

Fitting a wash basin and taps into Christina

Christina has a bath with a shower and she has a cassette toilet, but she didn't have any washing facilities.

We've set this porcelain bowl into the existing wash-stand and there is a mixer tap ready to be connected, I've already Tee'd off the shower feeds and run the piping under the floor.

 

Gas locker update and we've got a new BSS on Freyja ;o)

The guys at Nene Marine did a sterling job, cutting out the damaged gas locker, and then welding a shallower locker in, incorporating a gas drain that is not right on the waterline!

The bottle still fits fine but does not sit so low, this makes it easier to get in and out and gives more room under the locker so that I could clean, de-rust and paint the top of the counterplate and that is where our newly painted, large chunks of cast iron ballast now reside. I have now painted inside the locker and moved the bubble-tester to the side, unfortunately the regulator valve was leaking so we have used Christina's until our new valve with built in gauge arrives.

I also had to remove the redundant cat-flap and re-instate the air vents and swap two of the fire-extinguishers over to comply with the up and coming BSS. 

It was nice to meet Ian Jennings who did our safety examination and Freyja passed with flying colours ;o)