And so a week has passed

We have now been on board a week, where has the time gone!.

Launch day - it sure is scary watching your new pride and joy dangling above a lorry and swung into the canal, but the chaps all new exactly what they were doing so why worry?  Sonia Louise touched the canal for the first time and sat lovely in the cut, and was pulled alongside the wharf and diesel point at boot wharf Nuneaton.  First things first find out what and where all the keys are for. 

I got stuck into offloading my car, I'd tried to remember enough for our first day, tea, coffee, wine, beer (maybe not in that order) We then set about our first diesel fill, 200 plus litres later we were able to start the engine.  We now needed to head to Bosworth Marina on the Ashby canal, with John the engineer from Bluewater Boats on board the journey started, the engine was checked a few times through the short journey to Marston Junction, where we let John off Dave was there on the Bridge waiting and managed to take some photos of us going under the first bridge at the junction. 

We got to the marina after 9.30 that evening, Martin having made an excellent turn into the entrance and under the footbridge he soon had the boat reversing back alongside our pontoon.  Just a small matter of retrieving my car from Nuneaton, fingers crossed it was in a safe place! Car retrieved we got back to the Marina with a Chinese take-away, so a late dinner, but glad to be on our boat in our home Marina.

Friday morning was an early start, I drove the two and a half hours home again, my car windscreen needed replacing due to a rather large stone wound, at half seven that morning I was eating breakfast at home.

Shhhhhhh

Weds 20 July Ready for delivery - tomorrow! and she looks wonderful against that blue sky backdrop

Our boat, ready for delivery at the boat builders yard.

We may sleep tonight, but then again we may not!

Small things

12 July -This week the surveyor is going to survey the boat so fingers crossed that all goes well, then on Friday the fitters are coming to lay the flooring.  We also need the front canopy to be fitted, this has I understand been measured and templated.

Last week the electrics were being worked through, LED lights, wall lights and the beating heart of the boat, the engine was installed, it'd been put on the hoist on Thursday during our visit but we missed the actual event which happened later that day.

A rather blurred photo, but you get the idea.

On the home front we still have a growing pile of boat stuff in the lounge.  I've spent some time removing a sticky mass of labels from various items. 

I sent away for some fitted sheets a little while ago for the Cross bed mattresses, I'm really happy with the quality and service from Denise at made to measure. these along with other  boat laundry have been washed and aired.

On Monday we will be visiting the boat builder's again, mainly to try and go through any snagging issues, it's easier to do this while the boat is at the builders yard, then hopefully we'll know more definitely about the launch location and date, the location is dependant on the availability and ability to launch a 65ft boat by crane. 

We are tantalisingly close and will soon have a beautiful boat to enjoy, each time we visit we admire the finish, and the boat feels very relaxing inside.

So one photo for now of the interior, a bedroom full of seat cushions, hope we work out where they all go! and the cupboard handles are now all fitted.

How do all these fit into place?

The next update will now be of the launch, whenever that is, I just hope I remember that there is a blog to update! excitement is building but being contained - just.

Not quite launch day today - but the boat is named

Monday 4th July - Not quite ready so we have a slight delay. As our launch date was provisional we thought it might slip, on Tuesday we visited our boat builders and could see a week to get the electrics and associated elements (not least the engine) would take longer.  The flooring, some cupboard doors, front canopy cover still need to be fitted.  Slightly disappointing but we'd rather the last bits of the jigsaw are not rushed.

So I've had to re-arrange holiday again, and have now run out of any other options, I'm desperate for time off, the couple of days over Easter was months ago, I don't intend loosing holiday either use it or loose it!

We have a steady 'pile' of things collecting in the front room. The two reclining chairs we've had for a few years are now dismantled - fingers crossed they fit in.

We'll be visiting the boat builders later this week to see what the state of play is, but it's likely the boat will be launched sometime around or after weekend of 15 July.

On Tuesday we met with the sign writer and went through the lettering style we  wanted and how this could fit into the panels. Here is the one on the bow flash

Our boat now named