Tuesday 18 December 2012

Waterlily is now for sale - Please pass on the link

She is up photographed and has her own brochure now....

http://narrowboats.apolloduck.co.uk/feature.phtml?id=284510

Please pass this info around as you see fit.... blog about it would be even nicer ;-)

Thanks

Nev & Rachel

Monday 17 December 2012

Absolutly shattered !

Owning a boat can be hard work, owning two is more than double hard work.. Anyone says different hasn't owned a boat.

I wanted to get Waterlily onto brokerage before Christmas. This is based on the thought that many will be making New Year plans and will have time to both surf and view....

So to get Waterlily on brokerage.........

There were some fixtures I wanted to take off so early Saturday I went ahead (Rachel was doing family stuff that included a hairdresser, I have little need for a hairdresser nowadays) First job was to remove the solar panel and controller install, not too bad, I installed it simply, no holes in the roof for cables or the panel (good decision). I swapped over a few other bits, nothing if you are reading this thinking of buying Waterlily that is a detriment to the boat, just personal bits. I then set to cleaning the outside.

I bloody well hate trees, over autumn the leaves left on the boat roof had stained, it took considerable scrubbing to remove the stains , I think weathering will eventually remove what I did not but they were very stubborn. I then washed and rinsed both sides plus front and back. After that both covers came off and were scrubbed to get the green algae off that was taking hold. One thing I have a problem with is joint pain and boy was I going to be repaid for stretching my should joints to the max with all the scrubbing !

I was now just about out of water.... my super reliable water gauge told me (another bonus for the new owners) so I packed up and was just scuttling across the cut to the Hunts water point when I spied Rachel arriving (about 3.30 now) A quick conflab resulted in taking on her good suggestion of locking up Hunts and Keepers and watering at the visitor moorings. By the time we had done that it was dark as we pushed Waterlily off the waterpoint to the last visitor mooring looking at Junction lock. Just before leaving for Water I took this last photos of Waterlily on Hunts lock moorings.
Percy was still unlocked so we took what we could carry over to Percy.... stopping to chat to Kev on Such as Life with the result of a an offer of 2 x 110ah wet batteries for £100 brand new. Good deal for all parties and ideal to upgrade the 2x 85ah or so on Percy of unknown vintage.

Back to Waterlily for the car shuffle next. We were planning on a Sunday cruise to Great Haywood boat sales at the marina meaning a car shuffle was in order. So we drove both cars the 45 minute journey to Great Haywood. left the Honda can came back in the Smart. I started to remember I had had no lunch so we took the easy Mucky Duck food option. I don't normally do mixed grills but I ate the £11 offer at the Swan washed down with two pints....the day was almost at an end, apart from a late walk round the Fradley pool with my trusty lantern as all the torches were on Percy.

I had a bad last night on Waterlily, too hot and despite taking pain killers before bed still woke up at 1.30am needing more. Age is a bugger of a thing....I eventually got off only to get woken by the alarm clock at 6.20am for a pre dawn start for day two.

The boat was ready by 7.15am and I walked up and set Junction lock. Nothing moving apart from us.... quite magical even if it was very cold, but no ice.





We locked up the three remaining Fradley locks then set off for the countryside via Woodend lock. This lock does attract a lot of detritus and I fished out a scaffold plank and a couple of very nice rounds that will make someone a evenings fire for sure. Then it was beautiful cruising all the way to Great Haywood, constant amazement at the lack of moving boats ( we passed 5 all day) plus lack of boats at the honey pot moorings with no boats at bridge 69 none at Woolsey bridge and only 4 below Great Haywood lock and the same above.



Woolsey Bridge moorings

We eventually reversed into mooring 41 at Great Haywood at 2.15pm, checked in, dropped keys off then started the unloading of the boat..... just as we were finishing we got the first viewing, a lovely couple from Leicester, looking to go up from a 45 footer, hello if you found you way to our blog.

A quick clean inside .... we will be back over the Christmas break to do better, then car back to Fradley to pick up the other car then drive home, unload all the stuff the the garage to be sorted over Christmas as I am not taking half what we took off Waterlily back onto Percy.

Mission accomplished. Percy on our mooring at Fradley and Waterlily on brokerage at Great Haywood.




Monday 10 December 2012

It looks like it will be Great Haywood

I called over to see Great Haywood boat sales on Friday and the gentleman took my number and advised I'd get a call back. I did today from Ellie who was very enthusiastic, just what I want to hear especially as the boat buyer will hopefully get the same enthusiasm.

It looks like Waterlily will be heading for sale with them from Great Haywood marina. This is something we wanted as we needed her to be safe, offline with accompanied viewings only. They are not the cheapest but I expect worry free sales....I was impressed when i viewed boats there before, and the follow up calls seeing if I was sorted. They answered emails quickly also.... all good signs.

The other benefit is that thay have a slip there for surveying - if any interested parties need a survey. We had one five years ago so that might be good enough for someone to save a few hundred quid?

Just keeping an eye on the weather, I expect some ice over the next day or so but then it is mild wet and windy to clear any ice away. Ideally we would want her on brokerage before Christmas to allow those new Year dreams to be realised with the ownership of a very nice boat !!

It will also allow us to make the arrangements with CART to swop over the mooring permit.... and give them some  more money !

Watch this space....

Friday 7 December 2012

Sad times

Just sad, nothing boating related and not something to blog about.

Sad I suppose also that we will be parting company with Waterlily soon, well she will go on brokerage which means apart from checking her we will not be spending any more time on her. It's funny how attached you get to a bit of floating steel, I think it's the happy times and good memories we have. I think as and when she sells I'll close the blog with a montage of images of our time owning Waterlily. That is of course if she sells, fingers crossed.

I will be leaving some printouts so anyone who does view will be able to visit this blog and spend as much time as they want seeing how we have improved her and where she has been.

I have been moving possessions off Waterlily today.... see Percy's blog for more ....

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Mooring shuffle

Percy came to Fradley click here for the final leg. I was back at Fradley today and moved Waterlily onto the mooring of Don't Panic. Mandy is recovering from a bad accident and is, with permission, recovering on the Junction/keepers permit moorings. This will allow me to sort out the sale.... just getting valuations, then depending what I decide we will publish the details here.

 Waterlily will make someone a very nice boat..... we have done a lot of work on her in all the right places !



Sunday 2 December 2012

Iced in... maybe

Not sure how the Trent and Mersey is fairing in this recent cold snap. Getting Percy our other boat back to fradley is becoming a trial....

Click here for the pics !