That's 27 days to 'launch' or, strictly speaking, leaving, day. The engine is in; most of the plumbing is completed, but there's still some electrical work to be done and, more significantly, almost the entire fuel system still to install, from putting up the day tank down. We spend our days in Beckettian suspense, waiting for Compo (also known as Quinn the Eskimo, because when he gets here, everybody runs to him).
This morning I varnished the engine room floor. First I had to get many drips and dollops of paint off it - and it's made if very finely ridged hardwood boards. Quite enough work for one morning, I think. Then we came home, to find Canal Boat waiting for us (the magic of subscriptions! But we won't be upgrading to direct debit just yet, thanks, as we already have enough stainless steel vacuum flasks). The boat reviews in all the mags are generally the subject of some shreiking in our household because, usually, the boats they want to review and presumably readers want to read about are not to sort of boats we like, but this month they have surpassed themselves. Sorry and all that to the people who commissioned it, but this was one of the most horrible boats* (and pound for pound the outright winner) I have ever seen. A few exerpts will tell you all you need to know about the boat and/or my taste:
'josher bows with sizable "rivets" ... cruiser deck with chequer-plate flooring and slim stainless steel guard rails'
'self-seeking satellite dish'
'induction hob ... double oven ... microwave ... dishwasher' ... 'built-in freezer ... washer/drier stack'
and, best of all,
'the intricate handles of the wardrobe doors are gold-plated ...'
There is a photo, on pp. 42-43 ... oh, and it's for sale, by the way.
But to restore my sanity, here is a photo of a nice boat** which I took on Sunday.
*This is entirely the opinion of the author and is not intended to be represented as objective fact. So there.
** This is fact.
3 comments:
Hi Sarah..... the clock is ticking and the countdown continues. I know that feeling only to well as we are doing the same with Hadar. I wish you lots of luck on the big day.
We stopped buying the canal mags as tey are all full of adverts and show boats which we would not want to own. Te boat we have now, was only a means to an end, and has already been sold.
We are lovers of traditional working boats and their wonderful lines and history. Give me one of those anyday. It is each to there own I guess, but I am with you. Some of the boats reviewed I have felt have been truly awful. But it is a good thing we are not all the same huh LOL.
Well moan over hehehehe back to my blog now to play around with it.
Have a fun day.
Oh, I wouldn't miss the entertainment of the mags. Only Canals and Rivers, with its truly dire copy-editing, isn't really worth the effort. Where will you be based once Hadar is launched?
Hi Sarah.
We are going to continuously cruise until we are to old to do it anymore, or I can no longer push open the lock gates, or get a nice young man to do it for me hehehehe. My hubby was based on the Grand Union when he worked on the boats so we will spend a fair amount of time there, and will head there once she is finally ours.
Our aim is to cruise all the waterways and have fun.
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