Signwriting Finished

We went to High House Wharf on Sunday morning to pick up Albert after Colin Dundas had finished the signwriting. Albert looks truly splendid! We are very pleased with both the painting (Baxters) and the signwriting.

The new style signwriting and scumbling look terrific. Colin's suggestion of outlining the scumbling in red worked very well. The scumbling has been done in Dulux Brushwood, as before. Colin used one base coat (acrylic)and two top coats. The first top coat is scumbled (combed etc) and the second is used to provide protection an a darker colour. We chose the English Oak colour.


The finished job (with proud owner and signwriter)

As usual Colin has been very clever ensuring that the panels are "complete" even when the engine room doors are open. This is particularly important to us since we normally run with doors open.


The "Albert" panel with engine doors open


Our name and "No. 1" panels

We will need to start polishing the brass once we have good weather. At the moment it puts the painting to shame.

The weather forecast for Sunday morning wasn't good but turned out bright and windy. Just as we left we found that fellow bloggers NB Hadar were moored up just behind us. They were breasted-up against another boat. Unfortunately we had no time to stop and chat (if they were on board).

We had no problems until we got to Stoke Bruerne, although it was slow going through an angling match near Bugbrooke; we were thanked for slowing down.

Coming out of Blisworth Tunnel it started raining and it just got harder and harder. There were even had some hailstones. We managed to pick up NB That'll Do at the second lock down and had help with the locks from the skipper of NB Buster who was moored up for the night in the Long Pound. He moors at Kingfisher Marina and offered to help when we met at the customary bonfire night barbeque on Saturday night.


Stoke Bruerne flight in the pouring rain (and some hail)!

The River Tove was in spate again and the side weirs were overflowing even more than last weekend. We eventually got back to our berth just before dark. Jon Munk popped his head out and welcomed us home with the obvious comment about the weather being suitable for boating!


Bow details - at high water

Today it appears that they have closed both Stoke Bruerne flight and Cosgrove lock because of flooding. The water level in Kingfisher Marina is very high.

Steve

Signwriting Progress

Visited Colin Dundas at High House Wharf today. He is really getting on well with the signwriting. The harlequin decoration is in progress and the scumbling is basically finished. It was great watching him add the blocking to the lettering. Albert will certainly look smart when he and Kevin have finshed with her. I was particularly taken with the script he developed for the "Albert" panel.



Colin Dundas adding the blocking to the signwriting

Steve

Moving Albert for Signwriting

On Sunday took Albert up to High House Wharf for Colin Dundas to do the decoration (signwriting, scumbling and harlequin panels).

After Saturday's heavy rain, as Jon Munk put it "there will be no shortage of water under your keel". Indeed there wasn't.

The River Tove, which flows under (via a syphon) and into (via weirs) the Grand Union, was in full spate.Most of the fields alongside the river itself were flooded and the side discharge weirs along the canal were all open. Most of the canal between Yardley Gobion and Stoke Bruerne Bottom Lock had a significant flow. It was very much like navigating the upper sections of the Llangollen, particularly going through bridge holes. The section leading to Stoke Bruerne bottom lock was really interesting. We had to go at some speed to get through the inflow.



River Tove in spate

We waited in the bottom lock for a hire boat to turn around using one of the quieter sections of the river, but unfortunately we had to give up when we realised that it would be touch and go if they made it all. NB Bird on a Wire were moored up and they offered advice.

The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful except for an idiot in Blisworth Tunnel who thought the best way to pass in the tunnel was to stop! He didn't appear to realise that you lose steerage when there is no flow across the rudder. He also thought it was funny when his bow swung out and clunked Albert's newly painted hull. He added insult to injury by photographing the event. Still as they say - boating is a contact sport. It would be nice if there was only occasionally slight contact.


Albert with a plain fore-end

Albert is now safely inside the wet dock at High House Wharf. She should reappear at the weekend.

Coming out of dry dock

Albert left Baxters dry dock at Yardley Gobion today after her three-week re-paint. As the weather was clear and bright Albert looked at her best, although she still isn't fully decorated.

Albert's paint job wasn't without some difficulties but she now looks very smart. You now begin to realise how faded the Middle Coach Green had become when you see the fresh new paint. The new Imitation Gold coach-lines also look very smart.


New paint and anodes

The roof is no longer Mason's Chestnut but is Corfe Grey and the rear section is now Raddle Red (Craftmaster) which should be more practical than the scumbling. The red pigeon box, cratch board and counter are Mason's Middle Red.


New roof colour scheme (decoration to come)

The boat alongside came into the dry dock painted in primer after shot-blasting. She now has a name - Bird on a Wire.


Filling the dry dock after the re-paint

We spent the day tidying up the boat, replacing the curtains and getting rid of the layer of dust that, despite all precautions, had pervaded the inside of the boat.

The next stage is to get Colin Dundas working on the signwriting, decoration and the scumbling. We will take Albert up to High House at the weekend for Colin to start work next week.

New header for our blog

In an attempt to brighten up our blog, I decided to add an image to the header. In doing so I found out why Waterways World, and other canal magazines, have to be particularly careful when choosing their front covers. I ran through loads of our photos before I finally got an image where I could have the title clear against a light background (sky), featured the boat and had a strong "landscape-style" content.

The image I finally settled on was taken on the Upper Thames in August 2007. It was shortly after the floods, we were moving on yellow boards, and you can see that the river is still in spate. During the Summer 2007 Floods the river reached half-way up the trunk of the tree on the right. Somebody helpfully fixed a marker to the trunk.

Steve