Apex Before The Rain. 3rd May

Goole

Tea in bed on the boat, Tilly excitedly trampling over me desperate for ear and chin rubs and a view out of the window, which admittedly could be of some wonderful tranquil scene but for now a cruiser out on hard standing will do.

Excuse me where do you think you are going?!

Our first morning for a while where we could do as we wanted rather than be up and doing things. However Mick had come up with a suggestion which was weather dependant and with the weather set to become wet at 11am we needed to not drag our heals. Mushrooms on toast with a cuppa and we were ready.

At Christmas we’d driven to Blacktoft Sands to see what we could see of Trent Falls from the south shore of the Ouse, but the footpath on the floodbank was private and we’d not fancied a walk along just looking at a green bank so we gave up. Today we chose to try the north bank where the road is closer to the river.

So we drove through Howden then turned off towards Gilberdyke, a good comedy place name used by a certain Yorkshire playwright frequently. Then headed for Yokefleet, Blacktoft and Faxfleet all of which sit alongside the River Ouse.

That way lies Keadby, Torksey, Newark and Nottingham

There was a handy parking area just as the road turned away from the river so we made use of it and walked up onto the floodbank. A wide area of reeds kept us from the rivers edge and at first we actually couldn’t see the water. The hills to the east marked out the route of the Trent, hills to the north east showed where the Humber headed off out to sea.

As we walked towards Blacktoft we could start to see the water and the Apex Light. The light marks the junction of the River Ouse and River Trent. At high tide it is important to stay to the east side of the light as there is a training wall which gets submerged. Today the tide was on its way in and we could just make it out above the water, no cutting that corner!

In the distance I could make out a cruiser heading up stream from the Humber. Then a second one. We paused and managed to take photos as they passed the apex. Were these two boats part of the Goole Escape group who’d made a trip to Hull for the weekend? It turned out they were. They had been booked to go up Ocean Lock at 11:30 as the dock master wanted to use the return water of a vessel penning out from Goole.

Above the hills marking the Trent we could just make out one of the towers of the Humber Bridge.

The wind was bracing to say the least and dark clouds were starting to gather. We headed back to the car and pulled in at Blacktoft to have a look at the wharf there. Someone on Canal World Forum had suggested that this might be a good place to tie up to whilst waiting for the tide to turn. The tide was now coming in at a rate of knots.

The wharf is obviously suitable for ships to tie up to, but we suspected we’d end up tying to the wooden supports and being constantly aware of places we might hang up on or under as the tide came and went. Apparently there is a charge to moor here, but you’d be unlucky to be seen. With the wind over tide the water did not look inviting today, but then a storm was brewing!

We headed into the Old School which had a big sign inviting you in to buy books or use the toilets which was very welcome. Bunting hung from the ceiling, group photos of 1960’s ladies all clutching their handbags and old photos of the river when it was full of ice. Brrrrr!

By now the rain was starting so we headed back to Oleanna and Tilly. More stowing of things. I managed to move the freezer drawer so that we’d be able to use it again. It seems to get stuck when turned off and has stopped coming out as far as it did originally, so currently we’d have to dismantle that end of the dinette to get the freezer out! Sorting this out and adding magnets to the galley drawers were on the jobs list for this winter. They may get sorted before we leave, but then they may have to wait for next winter.

Mick lit the stove, Tilly was even happier. They still won’t let me out though!

We hunkered down for the rest of the day avoiding the need to be out in the rain. Time to do a big shop. Over the last six months we’ve timed a Sainsburys delivery the day after receiving our veg box from Tree Top Press. Seeing what was in the box each week I’d work out a menu and order things accordingly, but today I had to do it all from scratch!

I can’t remember what lives down there, but my head still fits through the hole

This evening as the rain has continued and the wind has buffeted us about, we have stayed cosy inside and enjoyed a joint of roast pork with all the veg from our last box. There are still things in the car but they can wait for tomorrow when hopefully it will be drier.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 lamp, 2 escapees, 1 muareen, 1 wee break, 1 wet and horrible day, 1 resigned cat, 1st solo supermarket order, 1 joint, 2 full boaters not going anywhere yet!

Lodgers and Breach 47. 2nd May

Goole/Scarborough/Goole

We could have done without an alarm going off most of last night, it was coming from somewhere beyond the roundabout above the marina. Shortly before going to bed Mick dialled 101 to report it. Because he was stood outside the call handler could hear the alarm and put him through to the right police department. From there he was in a queue and given the option of them calling him back, which they did but Mick’s phone was on silent! The alarm continued through most of the night, we’d wake and think it had stopped only just for it to creep back into our consciousness.

A bit more unpacking and stowing of things as Mick cooked us breakfast. Then footsteps could be heard on our pontoon, it was Lisa come to say hello. We had a good catch up and Tilly might just appear in a vlog that Lisa is preparing, all to do with yarn, woolly things, as well as a bit of boat life. Ivy and Lily Yarns

Time to leave Tilly in charge and head back to Scarborough. Luckily I remembered that we were going to swap the house electric kettle with that on the boat before we go to the end of Albert Street, saving us some money. Back over the Wolds to load another car full of stuff for the boat, dry off the washing that had had an extra rinse on the line, finish cleaning the house and take some photos.

The whole week has felt a bit like a theatre production week, a lot of steps up and down stairs all with a time to work to. Lights up on Act 1 was to be shortly after 4pm when our friend Bill arrived.

Sick of bad tenants over the last few years, we are most certainly not going down that route again! But with the theatre industry starting to come to life again and the grape vine with old Stephen Joseph Theatre friends still active we’d heard that Bill would be in Scarborough this summer. As soon as this was confirmed I sent him a message asking him if he’d like to move into our house.

We ran out of time to hang more pictures, but it looks homely

It turns out theatre digs are currently extreamly hard to come by in Scarborough. Either owners have now got long term tenants or the rents have gone up so much due to the prospect of staycations that we may as well be in London with the prices people are wanting to charge.

Bill will be joined by Alex tomorrow another actor whom I’ve also known for over twenty years, both are firm favourites and we are very pleased that they will be looking after the house for us.

Kitchen all tidy, I aspire to this, but we never manage to keep it so clear

After imparting knowledge to Bill keeping our distance at all times we waved him goodbye, knocked on a neighbours door to leave our empty milk bottles on their doorstep and headed back to Goole.

When we left the house seven years ago it had a very different feeling. We’d just signed up with a letting agent (Hi Val!) and spent an exhausting two weeks sorting the house out. We had no idea who would be living in our house or for how long. The plan then was to cruise for a year, but we all know what happened there. This time we know who is in the house, it is still very much our home and the big tidy up we’ve just done is beneficial to us as well as our lodgers. Although the shed is now packed full of stuff!

Tilly had held the fort well, I suspect a moorhen had kept her amused for much of the day, Much better than pesky cats everywhere! We off loaded some items into Oleanna but stopped quite soon as we’d be playing the narrowboat game of moving ten things to put one away. The back steps need to come out, the dinette needs opening up and after all we were hungry.

We finished our emergency tuna pasta just in time to sit down and watch the final episode of Line Of Duty. Well …….!

Mark has been down at the breach site again today and kindly has let me use his photos.

The access road down into the cofferdam looks like it is being used as more than just access, as it now stretches almost the full length of the north bank.

It looks like vehicles have been down in the silt at the bottom of the cofferdam, lots of tracks to be seen.

A set of steps has been added to gain access onto the silt bank at the western end, it also looks like access from the southern bank is no longer possible.

A section of piling has been removed over the culvert and drain below. It looks like the yellow posts from last week were markers for this.

Also an area on the eastern end of the concrete has either been excavated or has caved in. Along with some of the big boulders having been removed on the drain side.

According to Beaver Sailing Club, at Southfield Reservoir (west of the breach)

Following a recent update from CRT there is some good news, in that the level should improve early June. The terminology used is that the “normal” level is zero, with the current level being -400mm and the target for the end of May is -200mm. If this happens then some sailing activity can resume.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 more car load, 2 lodgers, 2 lovely actors, 1 immaculate house, 1 not so garden, 2 soon for the full bluebell border, 1 big hole, 1 gap, 1 coot just asking for it, 3 boaters now back on board, 1 finale let down.

Back Where She Belongs. 1st May

Scarborough/Goole

The last few days we’ve been very busy in the house. Our last veg box arrived with asparagus the first of the year and some orange and almond cake, the last from Tree Top Press for a while

Once the carpets were dry, furniture could go back, some of it moving to different rooms. The biggest item being the sofa I’ve had for about 20 years which moved from one side of the house to the other.

Thursday morning the replacement arrived. A three seater sofa bed from Sofabed Barn. In the past they have provided us with sofa beds for both Lillian and Oleanna and we’d been looking for one for the house. Yes a big squishy one from Loaf had been appealing, but at about twice the price well out of our league.

With instructions and 12 bolts we set to, under the super visionary eye of Tilly. Much easier than an Ikea flatpack build we were soon done. The choice to have feet had been a wrong one, so we removed those and a slight adjustment the following day means we now have a comfy, easier to get up from sofa, the sofabed may come in useful in years to come.

I needed to get the front cloth finished for my panto model. I’d hoped to have the design completed by the end of April, but with Oleanna being out of water for a week and being busy around the house I hadn’t done anything on it for at least two weeks. Add to that new inspiration for the galleon as I’d changed a calendar, that scene now needs repainting.

Version three of the cloth came up trumps which meant I could take some photos and send them to the costume designer so that our designs will work together. As I took the photos I checked I had all the model bits, carefully packing them away in a shoe box. A few days ago I’d trimmed down the travel box for the model, getting rid of any excess height. Next my two boxes of model making bits and paints were repacked. All drawings and tracing paper along with supplies of card added to a folder and another sheet of cartridge paper was stretched onto wood. The theatre designer who’s been living in the attic for the last six months was all packed up again, ready to move.

The back room downstairs was starting to be filled up with packed items. In the bedroom I had three bags on the go. Winter, everyday and storage, our wardrobe would need to be emptied. A whole suitcase was filled with excess socks, 4 weeks worth having gone into the normal bag.

Boxes of irreplaceable things were packed up and either returned to upstairs upstairs or put in the shed (a back bedroom), but unlike seven years ago not everything needed to be cleared out making it a much easier job.

Tilly obviously knew something was going on, so took up residency in her escape pod. Well that was until I turned it into a suitcase for her toys! Which she immediately unpacked.

Gradually as the week has progressed so has the house tidying, sorting and cleaning. So today became moving day. No time for the weekly Geraghty Zoom we were too busy loading a hire car, cleaning the kitchen, making beds, cleaning showers. I think the house hasn’t been this clean since we left it to move onto Lillian seven years ago. But was there going to be room for Tilly?

With the wheelie bins filled to the top, the car full apart from one gap, it was time to encourage Tilly into the caravan! Now if we’d been moving the boat today we’d not have let her out, but here its’ a different story. I knew if she was nowhere to be seen all I’d have to do was meow and she’d come running.

The last fishing rod swinging on a king sized bed

What! Again!!! That’s the third time I’ve been in the caravan in a week! This really isn’t on!

We now hoped that the powder we’d been adding to Tilly’s food for the last week would kick in and that she’d have a stress free trip in the car. Well her SHOUTING wasn’t quite as loud. The traffic leaving Scarborough was typical Bank Holiday traffic, stop start stop start! By the time we got just a few miles out of town we realised that Tilly may be quieter but there was an aroma coming from the back seats.

We pulled in at the top of Staxton Hill, Tilly was moved to the driving seat in her caravan and Mick managed to find a box of tissues. All in all I managed to tidy the situation up and not loose a cat. Poor thing I so hoped the move was going to be worth it for her. Shouting from the back of the car came and went all the way to Viking Marina in Goole.

First out of the car, Tilly was the first into Oleanna. I closed us into the bathroom, not sure what state she was in. From past experience I positioned the caravan in front of the gap under the door into the main cabin. She wasn’t too messy and very soon I felt able to open up the door.

People have been asking if I thought she’d remember the boat after six long months in the house. Well as the door opened up, there was no need to find a hiding hole. A couple of sniffs in the air and she jumped straight up to one of her favourite sitting positions.

It smelt a touch different, but She said that’s because the floor has had an oiling. My Houdini shelf looked all spic and span too, a little bit slippy if I’m honest.

After her stressful journey, seeing how she reacted to being back on the boat actually brought a tear to my eye. Unpacking food back into the drawers Tilly sat on top of the drawing board cupboard to watch, the nearest to this in the house was on the end of the dining table in the next room.

When I returned with the next boxes I wondered where she’d got to, until her head popped round the door frame, she was sitting on the shelf she’d commandeered when we first moved onto Oleanna. Next thing a change of collar. From blue to red, Tilly changed from being a house cat to a boat cat.

Another trip to do back to Scarborough tomorrow and then we will all be back in our happy place.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 hire car, 1 production week of sorting the house out, 1 model packed, 3 beds made up, 1 shed full of stuff, 1 kitchen floor still to wash, 2 smelly incidents, 1 travel sick cat, 2 boaters back on board, 2 collars, 1 boat cat back where she belongs.

A Word From C&RT, Breach 46. 30th April

I’ve just come across the following on the C&RT site. Some interesting images of the breach now the cofferdam is drained. Mark Penn’s aerial drone photos have given us a good idea of what has been happening, but it’s interesting to see footage from a lower level. With staff in the footage they give the cofferdam scale, showing the sheer size and depth of the Aire and Calder.

Sean McGinley is certainly being kept busy this year.

Some Normality Amongst The Chaos. 27th April

Scarborough

Tilly seemed to have a good night, her world calming down, just a shame that calm world was disturbed today.

After reclaiming the house over the last six months, (still plenty to do) we decided to have the carpets cleaned. Unknown stains on most carpets left for us by tenants and the aroma from spliffs, the smell now mostly dissipated. The new to us lounge and dining room carpets were looking decidedly manky, if we had the money we’d have been replacing them altogether, but we haven’t so a good clean would have to do instead.

So this morning everything bar the sofa and dining room table were moved from the downstairs rooms into the kitchen, access to sink and fridge kept clear. The upstairs items were either moved to different rooms or placed in bath tubs. Mick set about hoovering everywhere to be cleaned as I scrubbed a vinyl bathroom floor.

Empty apart from the tins of paint stopping a certain cat from climbing the chimney!

By the time we’d finished it looked like we’d never returned to the house. Tilly spent most of the morning in my work room, special dispensation given for un-supervised snoozing close to my Panto model whilst all the hoovering was happening.

The carpet cleaner arrived, neighbours had parked their cars outside our house helping to reserve the nearest spot. The chap laid out his hoses, told us his plan, started up his machine inside his van then had a cuppa chatting away to Mick. He did a good job, managing to shift all but the most stubborn of stains, magenta pink in the bathroom, but he did like to talk all the time with the noise from his machine polluting the street. Our poor neighbours! Poor Tilly still recovering from yesterday.

Several noisy hours later he turned his machine off and coiled up his hoses and peace and quiet returned to our part of Scarborough. He did mention that he gets complaints, I’m not surprised!

No furniture should be returned to the rooms for the next 24hrs. So we reorganised things in the kitchen and piled the dining room table high. This gave Tilly a good vantage point to look out for Bogey Face Alan.

Have to say it is so nice having clean carpets, only a few days to enjoy them though.

Tilly test drove her manicured claws. Having them trimmed by the vet yesterday means it’s a little bit troublesome to cling on as I climb. She says they will grown back, I HOPE so! But it is also nice not to get caught in the carpets all the time.

The Goole Escape facebook page had been getting a touch excited yesterday when crane mats had been seen arriving. Then this afternoon the crane arrived to go with them. Boaters started to prepare themselves as they may be able to move somewhere different.

The comments went quiet after half an hour of giddiness. Then around 4pm a C&RT notice came in.

Goole Caisson stop planks have been removed and the Caisson is now open. Navigation is now possible from Rawcliffe to Goole Caisson and onto Goole Docks. Navigation remains closed between Rawcliffe Bridge to Pollington.

By the end of the day at least one boat from Goole had been through the caisson and cruised past Rawcliffe, free again, well free to cruise for four miles. I suspect there will be lots of little jaunts up the way, we’ll be joining them to give Oleanna’s engine a good run before we head off up or downstream.

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 caisson open! 6 rooms, 2 landings, 2 staircases clean, ahhh, 1 mountain of chairs, 1 more normal cat, thank goodness.

Dipping The Stern. 26th April

Goole/Scarborough

Thankfully the club closed not too late, well it was a Sunday night. The price board outside this morning suggested why everyone was getting so rowdy! £2.50 a pint!

We were up and had enjoyed some toast with peanut butter by the time Gary and Glynn arrived. First they had to move the boat that was due to come out this morning, the owner had been too keen despite having been told not to leave it on the slipway.

We rolled back the covers ready, put the tiller on then climbed down onto terra firma.

The tractor was brought round, all the vents, exhaust etc covered in tape, bow thruster grills bolted back on, the scaff poles were added to the trolley and the tractor was hitched up. All ready.

Gradually they backed her down the slipway.

Her stern getting closer to the water.

Then it started to get wet.

Had all those vents been closed off properly?

Deeper she went.

The stern deck just dipping under the surface

Before the stern decided it would rather float.

Thank goodness!

A quick check in the engine bay. The prop was turned for Glynn to check the stern gland packing, all good. As the office was closed we would have to return later on to pay, time to get out of the way.

We reversed up to where there was a gap in the moored boats. Mick popped Oleannas bow into the gap and brought the stern round. Without the stern button on he had to be careful (paint still curing). At one point he thought that he’d got something round the prop, but a big blast of reverse sorted that and we continued to turn.

Back along the lines of cruisers and out onto the cut, across the short distance before we turned into Viking Marina.

We carefully pulled back onto our pontoon and tied her back up again. Job done.

We’d timed our walk back round quite well as a ship had just reversed back into the docks and they were passing ropes down to moor up. Looked like the ship would be off loading the way it was sat in the water.

Now for the painful bit, paying! With the slipway in and out, jet washing, grinding the original blacking, 3 coats of 2 pack, new anodes and the stern gland repacked we were nearly into four figures! Ouch!!!

The boat that came out of the water this morning was having a survey done. Two people were walking round it, measurements and hull thicknesses jotted on the boat in chalk, a few rings around pitting. The boat is for sale, I wonder if the survey turned out how the prospective purchaser hoped?

We said our goodbyes to Gary and Glynn then walked over to see if David and Karl were at home for a chat with regards to escaping. There are quite promising tides this coming weekend, but other boats are aiming for the next set of good tides to head up to Selby. The route from there still isn’t possible after a lorry recently struck the swing bridge out of the basin. So people are likely to be heading back onto the Ouse and heading for Trent Falls.

Mick wanted to know if there would be enough time to reach Selby, leaving Goole an hour before high tide, then high tide at Selby being an hour later than at Goole, thus giving us a couple of hours to cover 16 miles. David seemed to think that we’d be fine, keeping with the tide all the way, hopefully arriving at slack water. Handy to have someone who’s done the trip before to talk to. Mick will still give the Lockies at Selby a call.

We moved the car back round to Viking Marina. Tilly’s Houdini shelf was sanded down, cleaned off and a coat of Danish Oil applied. Things that were in the fridge went in a cold bag and we were good to go back to Scarborough.

Back in Scarborough the afternoon took a slightly worrying turn. Tilly came to greet us when the front door opened, she’s normally chatty but soon gets distracted by things outside or decides that a snooze would be a good thing to do. But she kept talking to me, not leaving me alone. My fishfinger sandwich smelt ever so good for a cat who never ever ever has human food. I soon noticed when she sat still for long enough in her hyper state that she would start to shake, have tremors.

A call to the vet was made. Some pills we’d got to help her calm down for her up coming journey to the boat might have been to blame. But after the vet had been conferred with they were classed as not the problem as they only have natural ingredients in them. I made an appointment for her to be checked over.

The vet checked everything and only found that maybe her teary eye was a bit gungy. Everything else was just how it should be. She thought the twitching might be behavioural, had anything changed? We’ve been away most days, which she isn’t used to. It was decided to see how she was tomorrow and if I was still concerned they would do a blood test.

Back home Tilly calmed down and curled up on a cushion for the evening, thank goodness. Despite the vet suggesting we should continue with the calming pills I decided to not give her one today and see how she is tomorrow, then maybe try again. We do however have some eye drops for the next 7 days.

An expensive day, blacking, vets bill and a new C&RT licence!

0 locks, 0.19 miles, 1 very wet stern, 1 wind, 2 lefts, 2 rights, 1 boat back on her mooring, 2 boaters considerably poorer, 1 theatre designer looking for work, 3 hours of a hyper cat, 1 busy afternoon, 12 month license, 7 days eye drops.

Even Alison Wasn’t That Noisy! 25th April

Goole

Yesterday wasn’t quite a day off. It was time to put a coat of paint on the bathroom walls. As I opened the tin of paint I’d bought about a month ago I realised I’d bought a tin of butterscotch angle delight!

Mick drove to Hessle to meet a man about a chair, then went to say hello to his mum at Hessle Foreshore, a rather lovely place to rest close to the Humber Bridge. It did also mean he got to see the next couple of ships heading for Goole and Howden Dyke too.

The second coat was done this morning, the edges cut in whilst Mick cooked breakfast and then the roller came out to fill in between. The floor just needs a good clean now and that room will do.

We collected together the visitor bedding for the boat, all of which has had a good wash this week. The dinette cushion covers had come up clean, but sadly a seagull had decided to leave it’s mark on one of them! Tilly was left in charge again as we drove over the Wolds back to Oleanna.

The next boat ready to come out tomorrow

The sun had gone in and there was a keen chilly wind, a shame the first job was to do a second coat on the tunnel bands. I’d bought myself a couple of brushes this week, one for cream one for red, to add to the collection, one for each paint or varnish.

Sadly even though I thought I’d cleaned them out well the new brushes were not nice and soft. By the time I got towards the end of each tunnel band they were just starting to soften up again. Not my best purchase, so instead of cleaning them out they headed straight for the bin. I’ll hunt out some better brushes with thinner bristles next time.

Inside Mick was starting to battle with putting the dinette covers back on. The fabric was dry clean only, but we’d risked a gentle wash in the machine. They were certainly a tight fit. Unfortunately once the cushion was back in the first cover the zip broke, this happened on another one, so with the zipper that had come off when we removed them the other day there were now three cushions to sew back into their covers.

The fabric had grown over the last four years and by the end of the evening thankfully they were settling down again.

Mick put the bow fenders back on. Having the chance to stand and fit them in front of the boat meant it was easier to attach them, altering how the lower fender sits to give better protection to the lower bow when we go up in locks. There had been a bare bit of steel on the stem which is why we bought the extra fender. Hopefully the bare patch won’t return.

Duvets and pillows were returned to under the sofa in their vacuum bags. Air sucked out as they went in to aid them fitting into the space.

Then all the paints, sandpaper everything was sorted through. Excess white spirit and the sander boxed up to head back to the house. The bow locker where paint is kept had a sort out, job done.

All afternoon cars had been turning up and people were enjoying a drink or several at the Boathouse club. As the afternoon progressed so did the merriment and the noise. Looking over at the marquee alongside the bar it looked chocka, where had peoples social distancing gone? We were very glad we’d taken a bottle of wine with us and could stay well out of the way.

Sunset over the Dutch River and turbines

They got louder and louder, one lady in particular could be heard above everyone else. We’ve once been into the club for a drink with the Margees several years ago, the beer was nice and it was a pleasant quiet atmosphere. Today was completely the opposite. There are a few minutes of Line of Duty we’ll have to watch again as we couldn’t hear them it was that loud. I personally don’t understand why they all hadn’t gone home to watch the TV!

0 locks, 0 miles, 1 bathroom painted, 5 cushions squeezed in, 3 seams sewn, 2nd coat, 1 full sofa, 1 list of missing items, 1 tidy paint locker, 2 chillis, 1 bottle wine, 1 extreamly noisy pub, 2 quiet boaters, 2 shots, 1 body, 1 high tide, 1 scrapyard fire finally out.

It’s A Small World, Twenty Years Apart. 23rd April

Goole

An early alarm again with the hope of getting two coats of paint on the gunnels today, one before it got too hot the other as things start to cool down again.

We didn’t quite manage to get to Goole as early as we’d hoped but I was soon masking off the cratch press studs at the bow and the tunnel band curves at the stern. When I stocked up on red paint I also ordered some posh masking tape, low tack, I used this around the curves and then backed it up with some wider masking tape I’ve been using to protect carpets in the house when painting skirting boards.

A new tin of Epifanes black multiforte was opened up and given a big stir. This paint isn’t as hard as other paints that people use on their gunnels, but if you are having a tussle with your gunnels, they are likely to get marked anyway, so I use this paint as it’s quick drying 6hours between coats and easy to touch up on a regular basis. Well I’ve not got round to doing it regularly yet, but that was the aim. I also like the satin finish.

I decanted an amount I hoped would do one gunnel into a pot with a lid, easier to carry round and saves the main tin of paint from too much exposure. With a brush and foam roller I started at the port side bow and worked my way backwards. This is the side that gets the sun for most of the day, so I wanted to get a coat on before it warmed up which would mean the paint going off too quickly.

I then moved round to the starboard side and worked backwards again, followed by a coat on the rubbing strake between the tunnel bands.

I removed the masking tape from the curves, from here on the tunnel bands would be painted free hand.

When Oleanna was built I decided that we would only need three colours for touch ups, Blue, Ruby Red and Cream. So the tunnel bands are painted in the same colours. The cream went on okay, maybe a bit of conditioner would have given me more time where the sun was hitting it, but once painted it looked like a good finish.

Then the red. I cut in around the curves, top and bottom and worked my way across to the shady side. It was going on beautifully, but I could already tell it would need more than one coat! My plan to finish painting today thwarted.

Now I could remove the masking tape from over the exhaust, so that Mick could run the engine after lunch.

Mick had spent the morning finishing off his RYA VHF radio course. There is a test to pass before being able to sit the final one to one exam. He was sitting smugly having passed with 100%! He just needs a test centre to be open now to sit the exam.

We got chilly toes as we had lunch, no shoes allowed inside until the oil has had time to harden off. Then Mick was banished outside, anything we might want later put on the bed, a final sweep through the cabin and a second coat of oil applied to the floor. On Sunday I may give the Houdini shelf a coat to smarten it up before the second mate moves back on board.

By now the first coat of Epifanes was very dry, so I worked my way back round the boat with the second coat. This went on a lot quicker and a gentle breeze meant the sunny side wasn’t too hot.

Painting in the rubbing strake at the stern I realised I’d be needing to put a second coat on both the cream and red as the occasional stray brush hair found it’s way onto the cream.

A lady who’s been in the dry dock this week popped over to ask how I’d done the curves on my tunnel bands. I just followed what was already there. She’s wanting them on her boat, which hasn’t had them before. I suggested using a plate or pan lid that fitted the space to mark out the shape. She was impressed with mine suggesting I was a professional.

Whilst working down the starboard side I realised that there was dust in the air. This was coming from the chap working on his boat next to ours. He’s been very chatty as he’s been working away grinding and welding his labour of love. I couldn’t stop what I was doing, so hoped it would be okay. The chap suddenly stopped realised I was painting and he might be creating dust, so he kindly stopped and went to do something else.

With two more foot to go I somehow managed to flick my roller tray over, an extra jot of paint just added to get me to the end! The roller must have stuck to the tray. Damn!! All down the ladders and my dungarees!

I scooped much of it back up and finished painting. So much for being called a pro!

Time to remove the masking tape at the bow. the posh stuff came off a treat, but the wide B&Q stuff had welded itself on. It took forever to peel it off, when I say peel it was more like scrape it off! Have to admit I gave up before it was all removed, I’ll have a go at it with the sticky stuff remover.

A careful tidy up was needed to avoid black paint getting everywhere. The ladders have been going in the car each day, but today they would get stashed under the pram cover. My dungarees were folded carefully then laid out to dry off. A shame they were left on the boat as I could do with them to finish the bathroom in the house!

Whilst we tidied away we chatted with the chap next door. Each afternoon he’s been there beavering away at his old wooden topped narrowboat with the assistance of a friend. His friend is 85, he himself 75. Mick asked if he was from Crockey Hill (painted on the side of his boat) a small village to the south of York. He was. We then mentioned that I was from Fulford only a few miles away.

It turns out that he went to the same school as I did, although twenty years before my time the kids went up to age 15, only 11 for me. We compared notes. It turns out we had some of the same teachers. Mrs Rigby, formidable but great if you were upset about anything. I then mentioned Mrs Thomas, without prompting he recounted a tale of when he was in her class he wore hobnail boots that collected snow on his way to school. They would then leave a puddle of water under his chair. Mrs Thomas would then spank him as she thought he’d wet himself. When I was in her year I spent a lot of that year not feeling very well and managing to avoid school as much as possible. She is the reason I falter at spelling certain words and I missed learning the rules for there, their and they’re. An evil woman.

But blimey, our neighbour for the week, twenty years my senior went to the same school. A small world indeed.

0 ,locks, 0 miles, 2 coats black, 1st coat tunnels bands, 2nd coat oil, 100% Yay!!! 1 messy pro painter, 20 years, 1 school, 1 teacher, 1 crap roll of tape.

Glorious Start To A Long Day. 22nd April

Scarborough/Goole

Our alarm had been set this morning, ever so early, it was still dark when it went off. No time for a cuppa in bed, no time for a cuppa or breakfast. We climbed into our clothes said goodbye to a puzzled Tilly and climbed into the car. Where were we going at such an early hour? The seafront.

With sunrise at 5:43 am we wanted to be there in good time aiming for 5:30 We parked on West Pier, parking free at that time and walked to our destination which was in front of the Grand Hotel on the beach.

Here there was activity, Dawn and Lee from Animated Objects were busy drawing in the sand, waves and boats. Standing close by their ‘Lighting up the Coast’ sculpture, all part of The Odyssey.

They have been touring the sculpture, an upturned boat, along the Yorkshire coast for a week at dawn and dusk as a taster of what is to come, today was their last day. The next chapter is coming in May.

A small group had gathered and it was a lovely chance to say hello to some old friends as the light changed around us. Scarborough Lighthouse with the aid of the rising sun upstaged everything. Sometimes it is so worthwhile getting up really early and this was most definitely one of those times.

Back to the house for breakfast, then back over the Wolds to Goole.

Gary and Glynn were busy with the very smelly top coat of the 2-pack blacking. Pear drops! Blimey!! We opened up the boat, but kept all the windows closed.

My aim today was to get the primer on the gunnels sanded back and maybe even get a coat of paint on them. The top coat of blacking is shinier than the previous coats and once cured very hard, Glynn said it would take about four hours to go off. Not wanting to end up with dusty blacking I decided to hold off with the sanding.

The bedroom oak floor got it’s first coat of oil. The wood was so thirsty I knew I’d be wanting to give it a second coat. Lunch was had before I got on with cleaning the main cabin floor. With the back steps removed I washed the floor using sugar soap to help remove any greasy bits. It’s surprising how much it has changed colour in four years, where Tilly’s food mat and scratch post normally live there are patches of the original paler colour.

A bit of sanding was needed to remove a few marks, maybe next time I do this I’ll use a sander and give the whole floor a sand back. The engineered flooring we have has something like 9mm of oak, so there is plenty to play with.

By now a good few hours had passed for the 2-pack top coat to have fully gone off so it was time to start sanding the primer. This proved a bit harder than I thought, some grittier paper was needed which sadly didn’t fit the sander. But I’d found that I was either being too heavy handed with the sander and taking too much off or the paper was tearing. So I ended up resorting to hand sanding. This all took sometime, far more than I’d thought it would. End result, well I think if we had more time I’d have applied another coat of primer to get the level higher where I’d taken it back to the steel. So the gunnels won’t look brand new, they wouldn’t after a couple of weeks cruising anyway!

Meanwhile Mick spent some time in the engine bay. He drained down the cooling system to check for any crud, luckily the coolant was clean. There was a request for the endoscope so that Mick could see right down inside to where the crud had collected on the Thames. All clear! Brilliant.

Just a shame a bucket of coolant got knocked over in the engine bay. Our wet/dry hoover was stuck inside, but Glynn leant us the boatyards so all could be cleared up. The system was filled back up using up any spare coolant we had. Tomorrow Mick will run the engine to check for air locks.

The tunnel bands got some undercoat. No need to cut in on the cream band as the black will be having a couple of coats, but the red band I did as best I could with a brush a touch too big for the job.

Then the first coat of oil on the main cabin floor. My dungarees were so dusty I changed into my jeans and knelt on a blanket whilst I applied the oil. I worked from stern to bow, taking a little breather in the bathroom then gave the bedroom it’s second coat. Luckily everything we wanted to take home had already been moved outside.

Activity by the big boats, trying to raise a sunken boat

The last bit of floor was the hardest as I reduced it to a one foot sized bit, then had to lean over from the front steps, supporting myself on the bed to get that piece. It was quite hard to stand up again. The front door could be locked and all left to go off overnight with no feet or paws to spoil it.

0 locks, 0 miles, 5am alarm, 1 stunning sunrise, 1 confused cat, 120 better than 240, 1st coat of oil, 2 hours sanding, 0.5 bucket of coolant, 1 pink damp engine bay, 1 hoover blowing, 4 trips back and forth, 2 undercoats, 1 fire still going, 1 crane, 1 boat raised from the depths, 1 long day.

Saturday Update, Breach 45. 24th April

Another sunny Saturday another set of photos from Mark of the breach site. Thank you as always.

I have to say I wasn’t expecting much to have happened in the last week and to a certain extent not much has.

The access road into the cofferdam has been extended, lots more white aggregate has been piled up against the northern piling. This looks like it now goes over where the big puddle was last week.

They have dug out the silt/clay before adding the aggregate.

Along the piling there are a couple of yellow cables/pipes/sticks? No idea what these are for, maybe markers showing where the drain goes underneath.

It’s interesting comparing last weeks photos to this week.

There may be another yellow post on the southern side standing up above all the water pipes.

Whitley Lock, the next one up from Pollington has now developed a fault, a hydraulic leak making the paddles and gate inoperable. So unless contractors have been able to sort the problem this afternoon then the route between Pollington Lock and Sykehouse Lock on the New Junction Canal is closed again. Hopefully the problem won’t take long to fix.

Yesterday there was a chap who brought a little boat to Goole Boathouse to launch for a day out. He was unaware that the caisson had stop planks in it but as his boat wasn’t that deep it was thought that if he lifted his outboard engine he’d be able to glide over the top. His original plan was to head up to Pollington Lock, but Mick pointed out that he’d be lucky to get that far. The chap returned late afternoon quite astounded that the canal was totally blocked off at the breach site. Even so he’d had a lovely day out.

Narrowboat Oleanna

Travels of Narrowboat Oleanna

Apex Before The Rain. 3rd May

Lodgers and Breach 47. 2nd May

Back Where She Belongs. 1st May

A Word From C&RT, Breach 46. 30th April

Some Normality Amongst The Chaos. 27th April

Dipping The Stern. 26th April

Even Alison Wasn’t That Noisy! 25th April

It’s A Small World, Twenty Years Apart. 23rd April

Glorious Start To A Long Day. 22nd April

Saturday Update, Breach 45. 24th April