At Last, We've Been Somewhere!

10th April 2016

We arrived late in the afternoon yesterday, there were a few heavy showers about so we didn't go anywhere. I did a few jobs and we enjoyed an evening on board with some nice wine. The ballasting hasn't been sorted yet but we had a good chat with Tingdene and it sounds like a plan is in place to resolve this and a couple of other minor snags so we should be all sorted soon.  I managed to resolve one minor mystery very quickly - recently we thought our immersion heater didn't work, but then on another weekend it did. We were also not convinced that the battery charger was charging when we left it on while away from the boat. After some head scratching and testing with a multimeter I discovered that that the switch labels on the shore power panel were incorrect. Now I have swapped 'Battery Charger' with 'Immersion Heater' everything is working as it should be.

Our boat is the first made with this bathing platform and one of the improvements we soon identified is to have a couple of grab rails on the outside of the transom, I feel a bit more secure if I can hold on to something while boarding. There are some decent rails on top of the transom but these are inside the canopy so this means the canopy has to be partially opened to be able to use them. So I bought a couple of stainless steel grab rails and fitted them this weekend.

I positioned them 'by eye' rather than trying to be precise with a rule and spirit level (which for an ex-aircraft technician was quite challenging!). It was really the only way, there is no datum to measure from and nothing is particularly level.

They are screwed on with 5mm roundhead screws, so I drilled 4mm holes through the gelcoat and fibreglass, then carefully bored through just the gelcoat with a 6.5mm drill so that I wouldn't get star-cracks when driving in the screws. We were happy with the result, another job jobbed!


We awoke to a much brighter day on Sunday, breezy and with a few clouds but generally much nicer than it had been, so today was the day we were going to travel through our first lock in Life's too Short! After boiled eggs and soldiers for breakfast we readied ourselves for the short trip. My checklist 'Uncle Bryn's Guide to Boating' was used to make sure we completed all the essentials before setting off. Amber conditions prevail with the stream decreasing, so rather than heading downstream through Sonning (and having to negotiate the bridge with a strong side stream) we planned to head upstream through Caversham which we know is a nice easy lock to get through.

On arrival we noticed the 'Self Service' boards were out so I started the locking process and then bought the boat in. As luck would have it the lock keeper returned and finished the process for us which made it a bit quicker and we were soon on our way. We had gone through our first lock on our own boat!

We motored through Reading and on as far as Mapledurham where we turned around to head back, taking it in turns to drive.

There are many lovely sights to see along the river, we have 30 years worth of holiday photographs, many of the same houses, wildlife or beautiful views, and no doubt we'll continue to take them for many years to come.

We were soon back at Caversham lock, it was on Self Service again but fortunately we were joined by a group of 20 or so canoes and one of their paddlers kindly offered to operate the lock for us.

Soon after leaving the lock we were safely moored in the marina with Caroline preparing dinner while I continued to 'potter'.


On this short trip we were surprised and a little disappointed to see a number of dilapidated boats that appear to be permanently moored as live-aboards in places where we've overnighted on previous holidays. It's a great shame as not only are the moorings no longer available to license fee paying boat owners but also some look to be in such a mess with refuse and scorched patches where open fires have been lit.


My next little job was to tidy up some marks along the edge of the cabin roof. There are scuffing marks all along the cabin roof edge, caused by either webbing straps or ropes. I'm not sure when they occurred, I expect they've been there the whole time but because of how our boat has been moored I didn't notice them until a few weeks ago. They could be from the trailer trip down from the factory (most likely) or from lifting in and out at the marina. I must admit I was surprised at the length of these marks - from the very front of the cabin all the way back to behind the windscreen, and all the way along the cabin roof grab rail. How they've been caused will remain a mystery, but they can't be left like this.

Time for a bit of elbow grease and some rubbing compound, it didn't take too long to remove all the evidence then I finished the job off with a bit of polish and it now looks as good as new.

After dinner we cleared away. used Uncle Bryn's Guide again to make sure we left everything as it should be and then headed home. We're not sure when we'll next be on board, but hopefully within 2 or 3 weeks.

The Weekend Trip That Never Was

27th February 2016

This weekend, being a 4 day holiday, we had planned a return trip to Racecourse Marina at Windsor but the weather gods had other ideas! We had a few days of nice weather on the run up to the weekend but no matter which forecast we chose to look at they all told us the same. It was about to get very wet and windy.

We arrived at the marina mid afternoon on Good Friday and loaded our kit bags, food and wine onto Life's Too Short. Our new 'ball' fenders to go on the bow had arrived but needed to be pumped up. We had no pump so we'd wait until we could use one at the marina first thing in the morning.

It was pleasing to see our boat sitting a bit more level in the water, a quick look in the big compartment under the cockpit revealed the 10 bags of builders ballast that had been added, so that's 250 Kg as far back in the boat as it can be. It made a reasonable improvement but Life's too Short was still a bit 'bow down' and the shower tray plug was still at the highest point of the shower tray! More head scratching required then.

It was a lovely warm evening on board with a nice bottle of wine and some home cooking, very relaxing. We were too late to head out anywhere on the river, we just kept our fingers crossed that all the forecasters had got it wrong for tomorrow.

A beautiful evening

We had a disturbed night, the weather front arrived and we were being buffeted about by the gusting wind. We've normally had some weather protection with Jim's big Princess moored alongside us, but it has now gone to Plymouth ahead of a trip to the Med, leaving us feeling a little exposed!

We were up a little earlier than planned, a slow start to the day. We decided to have breakfast at Boaters Bar after which we collected our fenders which Lee had so kindly pumped up for us. The weather was as forecast so we didn't go anywhere. Caroline spent the day relaxing with a good book and I continued to write 'Uncle Bryn's Guide to Boating' (the handbook for Life's too Short).

Saturday night I made a curry (well to be honest I think Mrs Patak made it, I just emptied the jar) which we enjoyed with a bottle of Champagne, an unusual combination but lovely all the same! By now we were experiencing frequent rain storms as well as gale force winds, so we had another night of disturbed sleep.

Today we awoke to sunshine and blue skies! I cooked some breakfast and checked the forecast - it suggested that by 10:00 the storms would arrive. And they did. Bang on cue the skies darkened, the thunder rumbled and the heavens opened. The cockpit canopy leaked more than usual, water comes through the stitching on the zips on the flaps that cover the roof poles and it runs out of these 'tubes' at both ends. We need to find a way to stop this but for now we just needed to catch as much of the water as possible. At least we now know why the cockpit cushions are always so wet.

It rained. Hard.

Water catching

More water catching!

We decided to pack away and get the boat 'ready to go' so that on our next visit we should be able to just load up and get going. No more faffing! Hoping to be back in 2 weeks time, watch this space!

Our Second Short Trip

20th March 2016

We hadn't expected to be on board this weekend, but as we didn't have any plans that couldn't be moved we decided to grab a weekend away. I was hoping to see a few of the snags rectified but I was disappointed to find that nothing had been done since  last week (with the possible exception of the gas leak - we couldn't smell gas this time but we couldn't find out if anyone has been to fix it or not).  I brought some more tools with me this time so I attended to a few of the minor things myself. I used silicone sealant to seal around the shore power socket and around the navigation light cable where it goes into the roof, I glued down a loose edge of carpet in the bow and fitted a small ball catch to the cabin door (which means we can now close the door without having to lock it all the time).

A very simple 9.5mm ball catch, 99p did the job. I was terrified at the thought of drilling a 9.5mm hole into the edge of the door, but I managed it OK, I just need to get some tiny brass screws to fit the striking plate next time we visit.

With my DIY successfully completed we took a walk along every pontoon of at the marina looking at the wonderful variety of boats moored there, and it's certainly true that there is a boat for every budget.  I then made us a curry and we settled down for the evening with a bottle of wine and a DVD (which I slept through!)

After another slightly chilly night we dragged ourselves out of the den and tucked into breakfast, then set about tidying up and preparing for the day. We discovered another snag in that our hot water heater doesn't work on the 240v electricity, only on gas so this has been added to the list of things that need to be investigated and rectified.

Our marina neighbour Jim (lovely chap, knows a lot about boating and always happy to chat) has an old Princess 38 which he'll soon be transporting down to the Med to live on for a while. I believe it is being collected this week and today Jim fired up the engines for what was probably the first time in quite a while, so he could move to the fuel jetty. He describes his boat as having 2 bus engines, and judging by the noise and amount of smoke I'm inclined to believe him! I thought the smoke would reduce once the engines had warmed up but this didn't seem to be the case. Jim carefully edged out of his mooring without bumping our little boat and began his short transit to the fuel jetty at what looked like a fairly quick pace - it turns out this is as slow as his boat can go, with both engines on tickover. Also he has no rudder, steering is achieved by varying the speeds of the 2 drives, so low speed manoeuvres in the marina are not the easiest.  As we tracked Jim's journey around the marina by watching the enormous plume of smoke that trailed behind we decided to go for a short trip ourselves. As well as being fun for us it would also make Jim's life a bit easier when he returns and needs to moor up.

The stretch of river between Sonning and Caversham is still under 'amber' conditions as the flow is quiet fast (check conditions here), so we decided just to cruise to Caversham lock, then back to Sonning lock and then return to the marina. The river was a bit busier than last time, more people are getting their boats ready for the season ahead and there were quite a few canoeists out as well - rather them than me!

When we returned to our berth at the marina Jim's boat was back in it's place and I was chuffed that I was able to reverse Life's too Short in next to it without bumping into either his boat or the pontoon! I won't be able to do that every time I bet!

After a snack, I replaced the gas bottle that ran out yesterday and we set about packing away ready to head off, going through all the checks to make sure we left the boat safe and secure.

I decided to take Caroline for lunch at a lovely pub by the River Kennet that a friend recently introduced me to. The Rowbarge is between Woolhampton Mill Lock and the swing bridge and well worth a visit if you are in the area; the service and food are both superb. They have a large riverside garden with moorings and Woolhampton lock is just a very short stroll along the towpath.  We watched a narrowboat negotiate it's way from the lock, through a very strong side current (where the weir stream meets) and through the swing bridge. I also videoed it just in case there was an easy £250 to be had from You've Been Framed! But Stan on the helm knew what he was doing and made it look easy although we heard that a several others earlier in the day had not done so well.

And that was it for another weekend, we should be back on board next week for the long Easter weekend with a trip to Windsor planned.

Enjoying the Sun

11th March 2016

We came over to the marina yesterday (10th) for an overnight stop. On arrival it was pleasing to find the bow locker to be dry for the first time as there have been some issues with water finding it's way in and when we visited last week the boat had to be lifted out so that Viking could come and repair it.

Life's too Short was also sitting a bit more level in the water thanks to an extra 175Kg of ballast being added under the rear bunk. We're not quite there yet though as when we filled the water tank the boat developed a nose down stance again so some more ballast will be added in the rear compartment to level it up again. There are still a few snags on the list but I'm starting to think that we'll end up having to put up with a few of them rather than keep on pushing for everything to be sorted as Life's too Short to keep making a fuss when all we want to do is enjoy the boat, (it's a bit like when you buy a new house, eventually you give up nagging the builders to resolve snags), but there are some things that I will insist upon if I have to.

We have been impressed by one of the marina cats which seems to have no fear at all of the water, often to be seen climbing around perilous places with a calm dexterity.

We decided to eat in Boaters Bar at the marina rather than cook this time; we were made to feel very welcome and the food was fine so I expect we'll be back as it is so convenient. Walking back to the boat afterwards it was quite cold so I was looking forward to winding up the heating!

In the distance on the left you can see the red ORACLE lights in Thames Valley Park

On the boat we have gas powered warm air heating and I'd also bought a small fan heater for when on  shore power, but I don't like the idea of leaving either of these on overnight so I have now added a small oil-filled radiator to the collection.

We haven't been able to use our TV on board yet as it doesn't find any channels. We wondered if it was a problem with the aerial but it's been suggested that the marina is in a bad area for reception. On this visit I happened to take my laptop and a 'TV dongle', using this with the little aerial it comes with we managed to find 22 channels so we were able to watch a bit of TV while we enjoyed a drop of wine! We'll have to wait to try the TV and proper aerial until we are moored up elsewhere.

To stop things sliding around in the cupboards I lined them with some non-slip mat, one large roll was sufficient to do the job, it should reduce the rattling of the wine bottles and glasses!

We settled down for the night in the rear berth, it's quite cosy to say the least. I left the oil filled radiator on all night, right next to us but to be honest it was still very cold so I'm not sure if it helped much.

It was foggy when we got up today and still very chilly but it wasn't long before the sun broke through and it turned into a beautiful day.

Marina life continues to interest us with the early morning people heading off to work and many others who spend time working on their boats - perhaps readying them for the season or maybe for trips further afield.

The River is in flood again at the moment which meant we couldn't venture out anywhere, so after breakfast we did some tidying up then Caroline settled in the cockpit with a good book and I tended to a few odd jobs I thought needed doing on the boat. I also happened to have a telephone interview for a job - the joys of modern technology and marina wifi, working from home will never be the same again!

Life's too Short is one of the smaller boats at the marina!

When it was time to go home I filled the water tank to the brim so that when the ballast is being added it can be made level when full of water (otherwise the shower tray will never drain), it would be interesting to find out what the boat weighs once it's sorted!

We're only a couple of weeks away from Easter and if the water levels have dropped to safe levels we are planning a 4 day return trip to Windsor - our first adventure!

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!