Maiden Voyage

28th February 2016

We had a reasonable first night on board, warm enough snuggled up in a big duvet in our 'den' (the under cockpit berth) but waking to various noises or boat movements, things we'll soon get used to I'm sure.

The Thames is flowing quite fast at the moment and amber warnings were in place so we decided to just have a short trip on the river and not to go through any locks.  To prepare for this we had a hearty breakfast, filled the fuel tank and prepared the anchor just in case!

We needn't have worried, the engine and boat performed perfectly. She is slightly 'bow down'  at the moment (this was obvious when using the hob last night) and the ballast will be adjusted this week to fix this.  We turned left out of the marina and headed towards Sonning. I fiddled with the depth gauge/fish finder/chart plotter to see what it did and Caroline did much of the driving.

It's less than a year since we were last on the Thames and we know this area pretty well.  We turned around at Sonning and headed west to Caversham lock. It was almost as if we had the river to ourselves with very few other boats venturing out on this cold winter's day. For many years we have seen a few 'characterful' boats moored in this area and today was no exception, these have been moored here for many years.

As we passed the Better Boating Company we thought this poor boat might benefit from slackened mooring lines (or is there something else causing the list?). There have been warnings from the EA recently - There are many boats with very tight mooring lines, some listing, some sinking or sunk along the river bank. Owners are reminded to make regular checks on their boats to ensure that they can cope with the fluctuating river levels and changeable weather conditions.

We soon headed back into the marina after our maiden voyage had passed without incident. After a light lunch we started to pack away and tidy the boat so that it could be left ready for Tingdene to show other prospective customers around should they need to. I took the opportunity to make up the cockpit seating with the infill that completes the 'U' seating arrangement to see how it looked, it's one of the benefits of this model that you can sit about 8 people in the cockpit, something we look forward to trying when the warmer weather arrives.

And that was it. Our first night spent on our lovely new boat. We are so fortunate to be able to do this, after 30 years spent 'thinking about it' it was brilliant to finally have our little floating holiday home!

Life's too Short

27th February 2016

The day has arrived at last. We pack as much of the boat stuff into the car as we can and set off for Thames and Kennet marina for a 13:00 appointment!

Luckily just 2 of us were travelling to the marina!

The old dog blanket was just to stop the petrol can rattling around!

The traffic on the way was conspiring against us; it took an hour to cover the first 10 miles and almost the same to get through Sonning! We arrived a little late but no bother, Guy was ready with the paperwork and we were eager to get on board.

There had been a few challenges during the last phase of preparing the boat for us. A water leak from the water pump had allowed a significant volume of water to escape into the bilge and when fitting the engine the platform transom developed a large crack!  Although obviously disappointed I didn't want to let this spoil the moment and it was clear that Tingdene and Viking had done and were doing everything they could to rectify the situation.  The transom had been repaired and strengthened and most of the water removed (some further investigation and drying out to be done this week). At times like this it's more important to judge the suppliers on how they go about resolving the situation rather than the situation itself. I have great confidence that both Tingdene and Viking will soon have everything rectified and that this will be nothing more than a small hiccough in my ownership experience. This is the first 295 to be delivered and it's been a learning experience for everyone involved, the subsequent boats will of course benefit from this learning.

Because of these unexpected problems time had not allowed for all the PDI jobs to be finished, but rather than delay delivery we were able to take the boat as planned and the list of minor snags will be dealt with this week.

So after a talk through the challenges they'd experienced we were led out to the boat!

Life's too Short looked fantastic and we were all smiles! This was the first time we had seen her in the water, engine fitted and clean. Guy showed us around the boat and the various checks that are needed before and after use (I'll be making a checklist book of course!) before taking us for a little test run around the marina.

Happy Caroline at the helm, it's her birthday on 29th and we joke that this is her present

After our test run we moor up again and set about unloading the car and finding a home for everything. It took 3 trips with a trolley to bring everything from the car, feeling thankful that our boat had been allocated a mooring not too far from the car park!

We soon learned that marina-living is very friendly and laid back. We were made to feel so welcome by everyone we met with many offers of help and advice. I think we're going to settle in very well, it's not unusual for me to spend 2 hours doing something that should take 15 minutes as I'm so easily distracted by anyone who fancies a chat!

Before dusk we named and blessed Life's too Short with a bottle of fizz.

After a cooked supper and a bottle of fine wine we settled down for the evening. We couldn't get the TV tuned (problem with the aerial I think) so made do with the radio for entertainment. We were very pleased to have a decent heater as the temperature soon fell to no much above freezing.

Two of the other boat names we considered

Arrival at Thames and Kennet Marina

24th February 2016

Today the boat was moved from the factory in Essex to the marina on the River Thames that will be her home for this season and maybe longer.

Tingdene kindly sent me some photographs and a video to add to the blog, thank you Guy.

The engine will be fitted soon and then Tingdene will complete their pre-delivery inspection.

Factory visit 3

19th February 2016

The platform looks really good, as does the canopy

Today was our last chance to see the boat at the factory and to check it over before delivery to the River Thames. The excellent team at the factory have just about finished everything they need to do and next week Tingdene will collect it and get the engine fitted down at the marina.

First impression when we saw our boat today was simply wow! It looks magnificent with the canopy fitted, soft furnishings in place and lots of finishing touches. The curtains were being fitted when we arrived and the bathroom door needs to be hung but apart from these and some minor snags it's done.

We went for a navy and grey colour scheme, the Jeckells canopy matches the cockpit cushions really well.

Transom access will make life so much easier 

We are very pleased with the cockpit colour scheme

The fabric is Silvertex vinyl, very hardwearing


Second fridge option, in the cockpit

Galley

Hob


Front seating (curtains not fully fitted yet)


Centre dinette


Rear bunk


Not sure I picked the right colour Halfords speakers!

 
Bathroom


Helm seat

 
Speed and depth log +

I never set up the cockpit cushions for a photo (there is an infill panel across the transom door) so this will have to wait until next weekend.  Now Viking have a few days to finish off the odds and sods, then Tingdene collect the boat and fit the engine. With a bit of luck we shall be on board next Saturday 27th!

Factory visit 2

5th February 2016

We managed to get to the factory again today to see how things were progressing and again we were very pleased with what we saw.   The bathing platform was now built and fitted, plus the transom door opening was cut and finished, all looking very good. Lots of cables and pipes have been routed inside and the stainless steel rails, handles, cleats etc were also in place. The windscreen has been fitted and a hole cut for the bow thruster.

We were really pleased with how the platform looked, this is something that has been a concern of ours since we ordered the boat - we like the ease of access but we didn't like the look of the solution on the other models we've seen. Now we've had a chance to look at it properly and to see how it's been made we are a lot happier with it.

The transom door is still being made but the adaptation of the transom and cockpit floor is complete and also looking good.

Inside, the woodwork has been varnished, holes cut for the stereo and speakers and the stainless roof support struts are in place.  The roof lining and seat backs have been removed and are with the upholsterers for trimming. The hull lining was in the process of being fitted.

It looks like there is a lot left to do in the next couple of weeks with quite a few boxes of bits that need to be fitted stacked up next to the boat, but we're confident it'll be ready on time!

We don't know if we'll have a chance to go back for a 3rd visit but if we do there will be more photos to follow.