Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Travel plans

Jim's been doing some travelling this week. He's currently on Warrior - back in the water for the time being - having taken a rather convoluted journey up there, calling in at Guildford, to collect the crankshaft; Daventry, to pick up the gearbox cone; Kidderminster, to collect a teapot; and Wolverhampton, to drop off the crankshaft and gearbox cone at Custom Crankshafts who will be machining it.

Most importantly, we've finalised (famous last words!) our summer travel plans for Andante. The original plan was to do a Pennine ring taking in the Huddersfield Narrow and the Rochdale and end up back at Andante's home mooring at Aspley Wharf. I was determined not to leave here without going through the Standedge Tunnel - it'll be a long time before we get Warrior up here - if ever; Warrior might be a bit too deep drafted. The new plan includes that - then we head south, bringing Andante down to join Warrior at Stretton, where we will tidy her up and paint her, and then, I'm sad to say, sell her. The reasoning is that it will be easier to get the work done with boatyard facilities (such as they are!) and easier to sell Andante in the Midlands, especially with someone on hand to show people over, so we don't have to keep travelling up and down. It should also make for a really interesting journey, with a purpose at the end of it. And it means that when I leave Huddersfield for the last time (Jim will be coming back to collect the car) it will be by boat. Which is nice.

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