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

An open weekend visit

Saturday 25 June - The day started early for us, being woken again at 4am by a very loud blackbird.  I love birdsong and I understand the morning chorus starts around this time of day in the summer, however I'd prefer not to be aware of it on some days and rest in blissful sleep for a while longer.

The Journey to Bluewater boats open weekend was different with the slip roads off junction 12 on the M40 both closed, as well as the b road, so we took a different route.  We arrived just past 10 and were a little surprised to see so many people already in attendance.

On Tuesday the granite had been fitted and on Friday some of the upholstery too, we couldn't wait to see what it looked like so hot footed it onto our boat, wow, we love it! especially the blue flecks in the granite that shine out so brightly with the light.

Granite around the hob area

Dinette seating with upholstery

Covered bow with seat cushions

We're really pleased with the look and feel of the colours and materials we've chosen, and the boat has progressed so much in the last week.

I took some time out and sat on the dinette seat taking it all in, while Martin was showing a couple around, sorry I didn't catch your names but it was very nice to meet you both and to hear your lovely comments about our boat.

The paintwork is also done now, with a clear coat over the top, hopefully this will protect the paintwork and its colour for a good while, the  bow flashes have also been completed. 

We have chosen  to have porthole bungs and these had been delivered on Friday too, I think the window facing part of the covers look great with the blue paintwork on the boat, I really didn't think it would be so similar (I had hoped it would though)

Shiny new paintwork and port hole bung

So that was our latest visit, we retired to our local pub (I can say this as they now class us as locals, asking if we'd like our usual drinks, and that they'll bring them over to 'our' table), so welcoming.

We will be back again on Tuesday to talk to the sign writer about options for placement of our boats name, this is very important to us and has to be right.

There's also a lot of work still to be done so we think the launch date will be put back a little, better that than a rush to get something done for a date we think.

On count down

Thurs 9 June - We're on countdown to the launch of our narrow boat, this is anticipated (and longingly awaited by us) to be the 4 July, we love the date! painting is well and truly underway, here is today's update picture.

NB Sonia Louise in the paint shed

And this is the photo Martin took back in 2012 when he saw the colour choices and coach lines he liked, I think it looks pretty much spot on.

Lady Lee 2012

Fabrics

Friday 22 April - After a four hour drive last night we arrived at Pinxton, with a very pleasant overnight stop in a local pub - we even took part in the pub quiz, not officially but it was good to get some questions correct.  We also 'helped' a lone participant who was not using his phone to get the answers, unlike others!

We arrived at Whalin Upholstery around half eight, were greeted with coffee and an explanation of the types of seating foams and mattress choices - hmmm time to try them out then. Where do you start, we had coverings for dinette seating, portholes and outside cushions as well as the cross-bed mattress to make decisions on.  

Just some of the material books to look through, with coffee of course

We started with the dinette, fabric or leather? we'd brought the back of one of our freestanding chairs to help us decide, these are red leather, and we know that it is difficult to 'match' strong colours, we went through all the sample books, having first taken them outside to compare with the seat, in daylight.  There was a red that was almost a 'match' but knowing this may fade/weather at a different rate and shade to our chairs we stayed clear, surprisingly Martin picked out cream! now which cream would look best? there were three to decide between, time to leave this and come back after pondering.

Next the seating areas at bow and stern, something weatherproof and that would complement the wood in the bow and the boat's paint colours when done, again out into the daylight, along with a cushion cover in a likely choice, and a decision on the contrast piping, main colour 'beige' but has a golden tinge with blue piping.

Now back to the portholes, bungs, curtains or blinds of some kind.  From the outset we've not wanted curtains so they were easy to rule out, I had thought that roman blinds might have looked ok, but as the build has progressed we like the character of the wood and the round shape of the portholes, so bungs were decided on.  Comparing suitable materials with our bedding was quite quickly done, so the bungs will be covered in a gold material on the inside with a vinyl backing coloured in the same blue as the outside cushions piping.

Porthole bung material

Hoping this will all come together when in place

We Left Whalin, after a good few hours, happy with our choices.  We were now in a position to stop off at Bluewater Boats on our journey home.