Over the last couple of months we have given the boatbuilders a few phone calls. Kevin is back at work now, he took longer to recover from his op than he'd expected but is getting back up to speed now.
But basically they haven't done any more to Oleanna than when we saw her in August. The six boats ahead of us hopefully are being worked on. Wherever we go someone always asks us "How's it going?" A bit depressing really thinking that if all had gone to plan we'd be around London somewhere now, having spent Christmas moored five minutes walk across Victoria Park from my brothers house.
We were thinking that maybe Easter she'd be ready, but now more likely to be June. But who really knows. It's getting hard now with my work as I don't want to not be earning if we are still at home, but work tends to get offered three to six months in advance in my world. I also don't want to hold up setting off due to a show opening a fortnight later, when all we'll want to do is pootle to our hearts content.
We wait and we wait.
Thursday 2 January 2014
6th October
The water levels had risen again over night, it must just be something that happens there. The sun was out and we had breakfast and waited for Andy to turn up.
First thing was to wind the boat, Andy was quite disappointed that it wasn't windy for me to practice turning with the forces against me. But such is and I managed it pivoting the boat.
The first lock had filled overnight or someone silently had gone up early, so Mick set about emptying it and then we were off. I was helmsman for the first few locks, going up was new for me at the tiller and andy just told me to hold onto the rope around a bollard and he set off to help Mick with the paddles. Well that is what he thought! We discovered that we only had one windlass the day before we had two. We hunted round but it was nowhere to be seen, we even checked around the problem lock to see if we'd left it by accident, but no. So with one windlass it was going to be slower going. Mick and I swapped, only occasionally getting a few hints from Andy.
The towpath filled with cyclists and walkers enjoying the sunshine. Sun hats were doned and I wished I'd packed the sun cream. At one of the staircase locks we swapped over with a boat coming down in a chamber. They were a couple who moor near where bearBoating are based and Andy gave them a few pointers as they went down, like stowing their hookup cable instead of it being on the rear deck all bunched up and waiting to either go round their prop or a foot! They seemed to think that the locks would be operated for them by lock keepers, so they were going to get a shock when one of them would have to get off and do a bit of work.
At the second staircase lock, the lock keeper asked us if we'd lost a windlass yesterday. Hooray he'd picked it up when he came to clear the lock we'd been stuck at. This was good news for Andy as the other boat in their fleet had lost one the day before too and he was too embarrassed to ask his wife to get a second new windlass.
We managed to run aground a little on a bend, so the barge pole was put to good use and just in time as my friends Graham and Tracy were out on their bikes on the towpath. I stopped the boat and we had a chat before continuing. It turns out that we also passed another old work friend at a lock, but she didn't think it could be us.
At one of the pipe bridges we had to slow so that Andy could take a photo of myself at the helm. Look closely at the photo and you'll see why. He must have been waiting for years for that to happen. Or he's out most Saturday nights up to no good!
Through the swing bridges dropping Andy off at his car, where we had moored on the first evening. We were on our own to pootle back to base for 40 minutes. We moored up back at base and were told that we had both passed. The only thing we both needed to improve on was checking our lack of speed by looking to the side when maneuvering. Hooray, qualified as Helmsmen, hopefully that will bring down insurance premiums on Oleanna a bit. It only took a few minutes to pack up our possessions and load everything into Andys car to head to his house where our car had been parked. We thanked Andy for a very useful weekend which we had thoroughly enjoyed. He also thanked us for a nice weekend.
Next job was head to Bradford to order a sofa bed for Oleanna. We had seen a company that we liked at Crick boat show this year and they had recommended that we pop by to check on a higher speck mattress. They were very happy to come out on a Sunday evening and open up their workshop. We chose our fabric and reserved the last of the higher quality mattresses that they had in stock, paid a deposit and explained that we weren't sure quite when we'd be needing it delivered. They were fine with that and we just need to give them a couple of weeks notice for when we want it. Brilliant.
Then it was back to the fast roads and dreaming of the slower paced life that one day we will have. We stopped off on the way home at the Hickory Road House on the A64 and filled up majorly on meat and chips, then the last part of the A64 to be greeted by Houdini, who really wants to come with us next time!
First thing was to wind the boat, Andy was quite disappointed that it wasn't windy for me to practice turning with the forces against me. But such is and I managed it pivoting the boat.
The first lock had filled overnight or someone silently had gone up early, so Mick set about emptying it and then we were off. I was helmsman for the first few locks, going up was new for me at the tiller and andy just told me to hold onto the rope around a bollard and he set off to help Mick with the paddles. Well that is what he thought! We discovered that we only had one windlass the day before we had two. We hunted round but it was nowhere to be seen, we even checked around the problem lock to see if we'd left it by accident, but no. So with one windlass it was going to be slower going. Mick and I swapped, only occasionally getting a few hints from Andy.
At the second staircase lock, the lock keeper asked us if we'd lost a windlass yesterday. Hooray he'd picked it up when he came to clear the lock we'd been stuck at. This was good news for Andy as the other boat in their fleet had lost one the day before too and he was too embarrassed to ask his wife to get a second new windlass.
We managed to run aground a little on a bend, so the barge pole was put to good use and just in time as my friends Graham and Tracy were out on their bikes on the towpath. I stopped the boat and we had a chat before continuing. It turns out that we also passed another old work friend at a lock, but she didn't think it could be us.
At one of the pipe bridges we had to slow so that Andy could take a photo of myself at the helm. Look closely at the photo and you'll see why. He must have been waiting for years for that to happen. Or he's out most Saturday nights up to no good!
Through the swing bridges dropping Andy off at his car, where we had moored on the first evening. We were on our own to pootle back to base for 40 minutes. We moored up back at base and were told that we had both passed. The only thing we both needed to improve on was checking our lack of speed by looking to the side when maneuvering. Hooray, qualified as Helmsmen, hopefully that will bring down insurance premiums on Oleanna a bit. It only took a few minutes to pack up our possessions and load everything into Andys car to head to his house where our car had been parked. We thanked Andy for a very useful weekend which we had thoroughly enjoyed. He also thanked us for a nice weekend.
Next job was head to Bradford to order a sofa bed for Oleanna. We had seen a company that we liked at Crick boat show this year and they had recommended that we pop by to check on a higher speck mattress. They were very happy to come out on a Sunday evening and open up their workshop. We chose our fabric and reserved the last of the higher quality mattresses that they had in stock, paid a deposit and explained that we weren't sure quite when we'd be needing it delivered. They were fine with that and we just need to give them a couple of weeks notice for when we want it. Brilliant.
Then it was back to the fast roads and dreaming of the slower paced life that one day we will have. We stopped off on the way home at the Hickory Road House on the A64 and filled up majorly on meat and chips, then the last part of the A64 to be greeted by Houdini, who really wants to come with us next time!
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