BSS and a few easy wins...

The short version is that the boat sailed (every pun intended) through her first BSS on Saturday... I don't know why I'd been so stressed about it - OR why I went to such great lengths to 'tick the tick boxes' ... I suppose it was a good job I did as the chap couldn't find anything wrong at all and was very complementary about my efforts.

He DID ask why he was doing it 7 months earlier than was required by law and I explained that - flooring and painting a side, the boat is finished  so why wait?  THAT and the fact that we're planning to take her to Skipton the first couple of weeks in June on a proper outing and I didn't want to give the insurer's any excuse not to pay out in the event of anything untoward happening.

So - BSS ticked for the next 4 years.  We did have a discussion about the RCD (and RCD2) and given Manchester library have the documentation available, I might begin the RCD route if I get bored too - just to give the boat a "re-sale" value within it's first 5 years.  We'll see.

ANYWAY - back to the weekend... Whilst waiting for the BSS chap to arrive, I did a couple of easy jobs:

I quickly put together a shelf in the large wardrobe and then fitted a hanging rail underneath.  I plan to box in the wiring at some point.

Once that was done, I opened my latest Ebay delivery and  constructed a couple of fly screens for the side hatches.  They  turned out OK without much effort.

Unfortunately, once the chap had left I had no excuse other than to beging undercoating again...😒

Did I mention I'm p**ed off bored stiff with painting now?

ON the plus side - once I'd sanded off the blisters from last weekend, we went on a little chug to find a more peaceful bit of towpath to paint on ... as much we both DO enjoy chatting with towpath walkers, I'm fed up with talking about "paint" with every Tom, Dick and Harry that passes by.

THAT was more like it! - we still need to do the roof a couple more times but if the weather is reasonable on Saturday, we'll get one on in the morning before heading back up to Horbury for a night away.

With a bit of luck, I'll get the coach lines painted ready to mask up too but that will depend on both weather and other chores...

Writing of chores, I've got a digital water gauge sitting starting at me wanting attention - I need to put a "T" into the pipework just before the water pump and then calibrate it.  I'm running the water tank down low 'JUST IN CASE' it all goes pear shaped - actually, come to think of it, I might fit the cabin bilge pump BEFORE I start... Just in case!

What else did we get done?... oh yes, Andy mowed the grass outside our boat and Mick's behind and Claire s in front  (or the other way around depending on which way we are pointing) and I took the Dinette seats outside for a sanding down and varnishing.

We ran out of weekend at this point and had to return home - well that was the plan but given we both had scruffy clothes with us, decided to stay another night and go to work straight from the boat this morning - and what a lovely misty morning it was too.

5.50 am is a nice time on the canal.

Even when we are on route to work....

Until next time...