The work to convert Shellfen to a cabin cruiser is now almost complete.
Trials round Gloucester dock before setting off for run down the sharpness canal.
After a trial run down the Sharpness canal with the engineer James Furguson from T.Nielsen's everything seems to be working fine.
Steaming down the Sharpness canal
James checking on the height of the bridge being opened for us- would we have got through? Just.
Wednesday 30th April, Reading, Long hot day through several quite tricky locks to Reading where we fly through as still a lot of water coming down. Onto the Thames mooring outside Tescos for the night.
Thursday 1st May. Marlow. another sunny day and several locks, some assisted by lock keepers. Others we operate ourselves or with other boats.
coming through with the canoe.
Friday 2nd May Boveney, We visited Cookham on the way and the Stanley Spencer museum, taking a wrong turn to the lock at Cookham have to reverse out of a shallow channel, as we missed the sign on the left for the lock. Moor near the abandoned church near Dorney Lake, right under the flight path to Heathrow, watch the jets coming into land every 90 seconds. Have a bbq, with sausages and courgettes.
BBQ spot at Boveney
Saturday 2nd May, Shepperton. We stop just under Staines Bridge, for lunch at the Swan Hotel, where we meet up with Andrew in his canoe and his wife Moira who is following on her bike. They have been travelling from Letchlade for 7 days so far. Yet again it is another deserted public mooring spot. Visit the riverside pub The Thames Court, once the residence of the Dutch ambassador, Busy with a saturday night crowd , supper on the boat.
Sunday 4th May , Cartridge Basin. Through Shepperton Lock and sharp right onto the Wey Navigation through Thames Lock. They give us a permit for a year for the National Trustowned navigation (about £200) after checking our documents
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lock on the Wey navigation
Back to manual labour doing locks, but good to be back on a canal. Get the basin just as the owners are there and arrange that they will put the boat on a pontoon in the week so moor on a work pontoon for now. We are leaving in the morning by bus and train.
Cartridge Basin
Have come to the end if our winter mooring at Thatcham. So time to move on.
We are still on the Kennet and Avon canal at our winter mooring at Thatcham, by the railway station. Have been here since November 2024. Booked a winter mooring for 3 months on the 2 day mooring near the station. Our time is up now at the beginning of March, but there are red boards out still on the Kennet which means not going anywhere.
We left Gloucester Dock and the yard of TNielsen's in August after the official launch and the various sea trials on the Sharpness canal.
Cruising along the Bristol Avon on the Kennet and Avon Canal, in August 2024.
Work has quietly been going on and the engine room is almost finished.
Here is the new stern gland and exhaust manifold. Not sure I know how this works yet,
Apparently you do not to grease the stern gland anymore, I presume that is some kind of muffler on the exhaust we shall find out .
Water calorifier to heat the water running off the engine and something else to do with the water system not sure exactly.
Engine battery and the domestic unit. Look very sophisticated.
isabel at work
The painting in the saloon part of the boat being done by Isabel, who complains " I don't see why you are painting everything boring white when you have such strong colours on the boat." I explain, that in the grand scheme of things it is probably best to start with a blank canvas and we can always decide to add colour at a later stage, which I am sure we will do, but all the same I think white is good for light etc. We shall see. Perhaps Isabel would prefer pink?
The bed and handy cupboard storage.Waiting for the fixtures to be put in but otherwise complete.
In the shed at Nielsen's The wheelhouse in place and currently being worked on. The forecabin may require some work to make it properly habitable. We have lost space because of fitting the gas tanks inside.
The forecabin- somewhat cramped. The gas locker cut into the forecabin
The new kitchen layout with the smaller cooker, but still a fridge with a freezer compartment. Waiting for the plumbing and electrics and then the fitting of the kitchen sink, probably a last job to do hence the expression ' everything but the kitchen sink.'
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