Never a dull moment!

We went back to Kantara on Tuesday, to get the jobs finished. It was rather windy, but not too chilly, so we hauled the boat across to the next berth to use that pontoon to wash the other side, and varnish the Roses and Castles. We started to wax using new product, but this was appallingly smeary, despite its claims not to be. We'll take it back to Midland Swindlers if we get the opportunity. We couldn't find a source of the fabulous carnauba wax we've been using for the past three years, so I emailed John Barnard, who'd given it to us.

He doesn't sell it. Back on the interweb, we finally found  a company who did, and ordered it for next day delivery. We did a tiny bit more waxing with the weeny bit remaining in the tub, then more washing and preparation for work the next day.

It arrived the next day, and we finished!

The following day, the sun broke through and gave us the perfect opportunity to take Kantara for a short trip to test the engine after her injector overhaul. It certainly made a difference! The engine was quieter, smoother and far less exhausty. We took her down to Crick, where we had lunch in The Moorings, and did a bit of shopping at the Co-Op. Then we sailed back. An afternoon well spent.

On Saturday evening, cold, damp and windy, there was a Halloween disco/karaoke/social event in the marina. Despite the cold - everyone was wearing coats, hats, scarves and so on -  it was a good evening. We spent our time with a couple of couples we'd not met before - it's always good to exchange boating tales with new acquaintances - and enjoyed a tasty, hot meal prepared entirely by the wife of one of the owners of the marina. Wine and beer at fabulously low prices flowed steadily. Karaoke was... interesting, and the dancing amusing. But all great fun!

We winterised on Sunday, and drove back to the house. We'd intended to visit Ikea and John Lewis in Milton Keynes on the way back, but gave up because of the huge numbers of cars trying to get into the car parks. So, here we are. Decorating to be finished, Christmas to prepare for. Never a dull moment!

Waxing lyrical about Carnauba

Well, I goofed weeks ago, in that I didn't take advantage of the mild, sunny weather for waxing the boat. But I got to make up for it this morning, in some part at least. The day started sunny and bright. The wind had subsided considerably. Here was the break I needed!

The plan was to wash the boat quickly with the hose - I'd done a soapier job not long ago, and there was going to be no significant dirt to get off - shammy it over, then leave it to dry off for half an hour. There was enough wind to be helpful here. When it came to applying the wax, I had a few reservations about it. Not least that it would be too cold for the wax to be soft enough to use. Also, that the small tub of Dio Wax - Carnauba paste wax - we have (part of the touch-up kit given to us by John Barnard, after he'd finished painting Kantara) wouldn't be enough to treat a 60' boat adequately.

There was no need for concern on either count. I applied the wax with my fingers and palm, as recommended. That may sound messy, but it's not that bad. Application by hand means that the heat from your skin softens the wax a bit, helping it to spread. Also, the trouble with using some kind of cloth is that it absorbs the wax, and becomes very clogged and messy. I know that from using wax furniture polish. And the palm of your hand is a large, smooth surface, which makes it ideal for covering a large area of paintwork. The instructions on the tub emphasise the need to spread the wax as thinly as possible, and the sense of touch in your skin helps you to do just that.

As for the pot of wax not lasting long...

...one side of the cabin hardly made a dent in it! It wasn't right up to the rim in the first place. This tub's going to last for years.

So I got my hands waxy, and Grace followed along with a microfibre cloth, buffing the wax off the boat before it dried. The result was very pleasing! Now we wait for the next couple of hours of sunshine to arrive, and we'll complete the job. Port side, stern and bow. She'll then be waterproof against the worst that the UK weather can throw at her.

OK, I'll be honest about those photos. They were actually taken when the paintwork was brand new, but I didn't get the chance to take any pics today, and it really does look that good after the waxing!

Do you think it might rain?

 

 

 

Our problem isn't with the weather. It's with the forecasters. As always, they just don't seem to have a clue. The outlook for the coming days changes several times in 24 hours. We'd very much like to get out and cover the scuffs on the side of the boat below the gunnels.

It's black deck paint, sold in tins of 4 litres. We're not going to need anything like that. Once open, the paint would dry before we wanted it again. It's fortunate for us, then, that John Barnard has permission from the manufacturers, Epiphane, to decant it into 1 litre cans, and to sell it on to the likes of us. We got a can from John yesterday. Now we're waiting for a couple of days dry enough for us to do the painting. Because the job is above the rubbing strake, we don't need to go where the bank's low, so we'll use the bank just a few metres up the canal from the marina entrance. We'll also do the few bits of touching up needed on the cabin.

Then, the Roses and Castles. Inside the boat and out. Hopefully. Grace has been practising. These are just specimens, not actual complete designs. Just to practise the strokes and techniques.

Sorry about the flashgun flares
 

I'm thinking she's ready to get onto the real job. Grace isn't so sure.

Job done!

It's finished! After seven weeks, Kantara was finally ready to leave by the end of last week. And she looks wonderful! She glows, she shines. And the signwriting, too. A compass on the sliding hatch at the back, another, smaller one on the gas locker hatch at the front, an "eye" motif each side of the bow, a scroll on each side, one across the side doors and the other on the port side, and her "Kantara" writ large each side of the rear of the cabin. Underneath each name, Jon has painted a white ellipse for Grace to paint castles on, suitably adorned with roses, and she'll add some roses further along the sides, as well.

Compass on the rear hatch

Moored outside the workshop

The colours have such depth, such lustre. It's a joy to behold. Kantara was taken out of the shed on Tuesday, and we moored up just outside it for a day. It's going to take four weeks or so for the paint to harden fully, so there's no cruising for us until the end of the month when we're to be joined by Michelle for a week. But of course we had to drive her back, so we did that yesterday, having spent Wednesday restoring to their places all the bits and bobs John had had to take out of lockers.

We did the journey back from Debdale in the one day. We'd normally spread it over two, but we wanted to get her off the cut as quickly as possible, to reduce her chances of getting scratched. There were few boats out, and we avoided damage to the paint.

Foxton Locks

Back at Yelvertoft, we finished tidying up, and waited for the rain to come, to wash the dust off Kantara. And that came today.

Watch this space!

You can see my reflection in it!

Compass on the gas locker hatch

The eye motif

When we got back to the marina, there was a new arrival on the horizon...

...installed by the marina owners. Perhaps we'll get free electricity!

On the subject of which, we've decided to bring in Simon to sort out some very basic but elusive problems with our domestic power. John isolated the batteries while he worked on Kantara, but it seems the isolators don't isolate, and the batteries may have been drained too low by several relatively low loads over the duration of the six or seven weeks spent there. Or the batteries are OK and the two year-old charger has developed a fault; whenever I switch it on, it just wants to charge at high voltage most of the time, and shows no inclination to decrease the charge over time.

Oh, and it may be that only one of our four solar panels is working. And it may be that that has been the case from the start. If that is the case, then we've been doing very well off just the one unit, and we'll have an amazing supply of electricity when the other three are restored.

We've got a lot of littlish jobs to do now, and the new carpet's going to be fitted next Wednesday. After that, we'll go back to the house to collect the rest of the stuff we need on the boat for the rest of the year.

And then, we cruise!

Almost, but still a week to wait

We had a busy day yesterday. It threw the rain at us as we made our way north to Debdale via Braunston and Clifton Upon Dunsmore. To Braunston, to buy a replacement water pump from Midland Swindlers (aka Midland Chandlers), the current one having started to leak just a few months after the expiry of its warranty (how do they make that happen?); to Clifton to take our old carpet to the House of Carpets, for them to use as templates for our new carpet. The weather was truly foul, but we were fortunate to have a dry spell long enough to take the painted solar panels in to John at Debdale, to be refitted to Kantara, along with the wooden panels for the side hatch and the rear doors, on which Grace has started the job of repainting. Completion will be done with the panels in situ.

I was surprised to find the boat not nearly as finished as I had hoped, but John assures us that it will be ready to drive away next Tuesday. And he'll actually have to have it done by the end of the week, since he and David will be at the Crick Boat Show over the Bank Holiday weekend (when, of course, it will rain hard!)

The paintwork which has been finished is looking really good.

Jon Leeson was there, too, to make a start on the signwriting, and we finalized a few details with him before leaving them all to blooming well get on with the job!

Looking back over recent posts, I realise that I've failed to record for this log the fact that, at the beginning of the month, Said the Maiden won the prestigious Isambard Folk Award, and went along to the Bristol Folk Festival to claim their prize, and to perform as one of the headline acts. In turn, this has already led to a number of other gigs, and other possibilities. Their excitement continues!

Nearly there!

...we hope! We went to Keighly in Yorkshire last weekend, and visited Sofabed Barn, the only people we could find on the web who make decent sofa beds for narrowboats. Tailor-make them if need be. We spent ages there, trying them out, quizzing the boss-man, and finally deciding upon the sofa for Kantara.

We'll place an order in due course. First, we have to get the boat back to Yelvertoft.

While we were in Yorkshire, we took the opportunity to spend an afternoon enjoying the delights of the moors. We didn't roam far, but the weather was good, and the scenery delightful.

On the way back, we stopped off as planned to see Kantara. Her roof was finished, the rest of her was fully primed and undercoated several times, and ready for the finishing coats.

We went back a few days later to collect the solar panels for painting. We'd taken the rear door and side hatch wooden panels back on the Tuesday, but forgot the solar panels. However, that was fortuitous because Jon Leeson was there, the guy who's doing the signwriting for us, and we were able to discuss that job with him. He was great. He gave Grace lots of advice about painting the roses and castles, and much encouragement, too.

So, back to the house with hours of cleaning, sanding, painting and varnishing. All to a deadline now, since John expects everything to be finished by the end of next week.

The stern drawers, repainted

The contents of those drawers!

The door panels, before repainting

The solar panels, finished and drying