First Trip Out

Today was a break from the fitting out, a break from trying to get water systems to work and a break to actually enjoy the boat for the first time.

It was time to take Kathlyn to Henley and back to see how she handled and if she would actually go in a straight line.

After first coming out of the Thames and Kennet Marina I took her up stream a little way to make sure she would not have any problems against the flow of the Thames. There was no point going all the way to Henley to discover she didn't have the power to get back up again. She was fine, all checked out well while stopping outside Tesco's. It was then time to turn her around and head to Henley. She turned very well and we were off heading down stream.

It was not long before the first lock was reached at Sonning. So now I can really say she has done the first lock. (See earlier post)

She was soon through Shiplake and Marsh Lock and into the crowds of Henley. As could be guessed for Easter Sunday there was not much mooring space until coming out the other side.

Before the first spike was in the ground the man came along asking for payment. I suppose £5 is not really that bad!

Kathlyn may have hertoilett installed, but not actually into fully working condition, so a long walk was needed to go and find the nearest toilet block. It really put the priorities of what needs doing next in the boat in order!

After a short break for lunch, it was time to head back up the Thames (in the rain) to the marina. A very successful first day out in Kathlyn, the first of many no doubt.

I don't like Water!

Well that is not completely true. I don't mind it in the sea and I quite like it when it is in canals and rivers, but I don't like it when I try and keep it in thin little pipes (i.e. plumbing).

Those of you that know me will know the story of me flooding my parents house when I was younger by trying to repair a squeaking floorboard. I really was only trying to be helpful, but I think it has scared me for life. Yes electricity can shock you, but you have things to prevent that from happening and generally electricity keeps in the wires if you do a good job with the wiring. With plumbing I seem to do a good job, but a bit of water leaks out here and there and then to fix the problem I have to drain the system and take the connection apart which results in me getting wet, before putting it back together to find out if I have fixed the problem or not. Do you get the feeling I don't like plumbing?

Anyway I needed to get the plumbing working on the boat so that I could clean my teeth and wash my hands and the like. Last weekend I put ends on all the open pipes and started the installation of a temporary sink that will get me by for a couple of months. Today I got everything connected up and ready to start pumping water.

The tank got filled up and then it was time to turn on the pump and see where water came out! The issue was that there was the calorifier to fill up with water, so I knew when I turned the pump on it would be going for some time until the tank was full.

The pump started to pump and most joints seemed OK, some water coming out of a joint next to the calorifier, but that was just a push fit that had not been quite pushed together. A quick check around the pump and the accumulator tank (which was under the bed) I discovered water was coming out of a joint from somewhere around the two. Quick turn off the pump and start to mop up the water.

At this stage I have to do a big thanks to my parents who were on the boat with me today. They were great at turning the pump on and off when I was at the other end of the boat and providing me with kitchen towels when I could not move down the boat because of the mattress in the way. I think this is one job you can't really do on your own.

After much playing with various joints and trying to tighten up the accumulator tank fittings and much more water going all over the place I discovered the fittings of the tank did not have enough washer thickness which meant the joint was reaching fully tightened before a good seal had been made. Lucky for me the marina chandlery had the required washers and a fix was completed.

After about 15 mins of the pump running (on and off) the whole system got filled with water and it stopped. No more leaks for the time being, but I will be keeping a very close eye on all the joints for damp patches of wood under them.

At the end of today, I still don't like plumbing!

Long thin Envelope

When I got home from work this evening, on my doorstep was a long thin envelope from British Waterways. 15 working days from the day the application arrived at BW, they were true to their word I got my licence from them delivered to me.

It is all very exciting for someone who has never had one before, so please stay with me all you long time boaters who have no doubt had many of these.

Inside were my metal index plates with instructions on how to mount them on various surfaces, but did not seem to include how I should prop them up on the inside of a window by shoving them between the glass and curtains! Also included was two sticky pouches to put my real licences in the windows (Don't you just love the smell of those things?). Last but no means least the licences themselves at the bottom of an A4 page, I nearly missed them.

I was half expecting to get a shiny BW key in the envelope as well but sadly no sign of that. I presume I have to go and buy one of those from a BW office and show them my licence to prove I am allowed one. That can come another day.

So where do I go for the maiden voyage?