More Preparations

As planned we  traveled up to Great Haywood on Tues 16th March fully laden with trailer, roof box and no dog to maximize space in the hope that we would not have to do another trip before we left Kent on the 6th April.  We had to go via Oxford as we wanted to look at a futon sofa which we still had to buy. It wasn't an entirely wasted trip as were able to sit on a sofa and see the quality of the mattress but not the one that we wanted, just a small showroom of a basically on line futon company. We bought it anyway just from the picture and it has today been delivered to the yard and put on board by the kind staff at the marina.  Apart from the long trip, 7.15 am to 2.30 pm, and a blow out on the trailer on the M40 we arrived safely.  Then followed a very busy 2 days cleaning, sorting and measuring and of course examining and exploring in detail only to confirm that we have bought a great boat.  We did actually move it...about 50 yards as we had to pump out the loo which stopped working (because it was full).  We intended to leave for home at about midday on the Thursday so as not to miss J's last art class but it was 12.30 pm before we got away. In our rush J managed to not hitch the trailer properly and pulled all the wires from the lighting cable. We stopped for fish & chips and repaired the cable and then drove for 1/2 hrs before we remembered that we needed to bring home one of the arm chairs to make room for the sofa bed. Nothing for it but to go back and get it.  Got home about 7.45pm having done 200mls plus with no spare and 1/2 hr after art finished.  Still a successful trip in the end, and we have spent the time at home since buying and sorting all the bits and pieces we think we need to ensure a comfortable voyage.    

Getting Ready

Preparation has been on going ever since.  We are letting the house fully furnished from April 5th so that all needs sorting and tidying.  After sorting out letting agents and an EPC we were once again very lucky that a friend of Margaret's asked to rent it instead.  We still have to sort it and put all our stuff in the loft, office or garage but we don't have to worry too much about the garden or the houseplants.  Our house insurance had to be converted to a landlords policy, but then they wouldn't insure the contents, and when we did get them insured elsewhere they were not covered away from the house.  It turned out to be quite difficult to get things like the bikes, laptop and camera etc insured as contents of the boat.  Most boat policies expect the contents to be insured as part of the house contents.  Still that's done now and after signing the contract last Monday we transfered the money on Thursday 11th and we now own a boat.

Not much needs needs doing to her, we may take out a couple of built in units in the lounge to make more room for a sofa bed that we are going to buy and have bought a drop leaf table.  Sammy Jo has a permanent double in a cabin and 2 single in the rear that convert to a "double" but not a very big one hence the sofa bed.  We had to cancel the sofa that J bid for on ebay, after carefully making sure that we could get it in the car, and with only 2 hours to go J realised that it would not go through the door of the boat...well it is rather 'narrow'.  We are now looking at flat pack futon types.  We have retrieved all our old boat bits that were in store at Tangmere and are adding to them as required.  Next we have to get everything up to the boat which is currently moored at Great Haywood Marina on the Trent & Mersey canal.  We are going to go up on Tuesday 16th for 2 days, so that M doesn't miss her singing on Monday and J his art on Thursday eve.  We shall leave Charlie behind and take the trailer and a roof box and hope that with the trip we make when we leave Kent it will be enough, else we may have to do another round trip.

                                      

 

Buying the Boat

On Friday 26th Feb we took our first trip out to look at suitable boats.  We were planning to look at 6 boats at 3 different places, Alvechurch, Blisworth and Great Haywood.  Of those only two really appealed and they were Charlie and Sammy Jo.  We liked them both but Charlie just couldn't compete with Sammy Jo, although she was newer and cheaper, she wasn't in such good order outside and the fitout had been done by the owners and looked older than she was.  We were very confident of Sammy Jo's quality and bought her there and then without a trip out or an out of water survey (she has a galvanised hull), but we did listen to the engine so that was alright then!  The chap in the boat yard whom I only spoke to on the phone unfortunately couldn't speak highly enough about her and was tempted to buy her himself.  She has only had 1 owner from new and there was obviously no expense spared at the time (1999) with solid oak fitout and top of the range everything.  The previous owner didn't really want to sell but was doing so for health reasons, and it turns out that he lives in Midhurst only 15mls from Tangmere!  So we were very lucky to get her on our first time out as we did about a 500ml round trip, and wouldn't have wanted to do too many of those.