Doing Braidbar stuff

16th & 17th September

Having got ourselves in position to tow the new Braidbar shell from the North Cheshire Cruising Club (hereafter NCCC) at High Lane, and given that it wasn't even due to arrive at the club before eleven, we had a lazy start yesterday, and a hanging about sort of morning.

At eleven, we found our way to the road access to the club, and hung about there, chatting to a club member, until first the shell on its trombo, and then the crane turned up. For those who don't know it, I should explain that the entry to the NCCC from the cut is under a towpath bridge into what looks like a short and narrow arm. In fact, the arm is a good deal longer than first appears, as it curves and then makes a right angle bend into a dock.

What we were missing was the team from Braidbar, consisting of Peter and Ian Grindrod. They eventually showed up, having had to come via Stockport to get a bit that needed to be fitted before the shell went in the water (long story which I won't repeat bore you with here).

There was then some more hanging about to be done whilst this part, a bowthruster, and the prop shaft and prop were all fitted. It became apparent that we would be boating over lunch, not a good idea for me, so I went to a local sarnie shop and bought a couple of roast pork baps, or barms as they call them in this part of the world, to keep us going.

In the event it was one o'clock before they were ready to lift, and then we had to shaft the shell out of the arm to the mainline, open up and start up Sanity, pick up the tow on cross straps and set off for Poynton.

The shell was 70 foot long and already had her Gardner engine in place (they put it in and build the shell round it). This made her even more reluctant to be steered than shells usually are, and Sheila had her work cut out at the back.

Peter ran Ian back to the yard in his car, borrowed a bike from Andy Russell the boat painter, and came and met us about half way home. He was then able to help fend off the shell from the bridge holes and moored boats en route.

Arriving back at Poynton by about two, we put the shell in the yard, several of us standing around in it to persuade it to go under that towpath bridge. After a cup of tea and a natter about plans for the Open Weekend, we also brought Sanity in. We finally got the second half of lunch at half four.

Being in the yard means we're in a position to help set up for the weekend, which has been a large part of today's fun. It's like setting up a Festival, but on a miniature scale. We've been tidying around the lawn, putting up a big frame tent and generally making the place look as spiffy as we can for the big day.

Hopefully a supply of bunting will arrive tomorrow or Friday, and that will help too.

Sanity's cratch board is now all fixed and mostly repainted; there's just a bit of touching in to do to the vertical line of diamonds on the cratch board. I spent the latter part of the afternoon refitting hinges, bolts and the like, which we'd taken the opportunity to polish up beforehand.

Whilst I was doing that, Sheila polished the starboard portholes, so the final job has been to put a couple of coats of Incralac on it all. It's not gone on as smoothly as I would like, mainly because it was the fag end of the afternoon, and I was knackered, but it looks OK, and will spare us the task of polishing it all again for a while.

It's going to be another quiet night tonight, I reckon. Tomorrow we have to shuffle boats around in the yard, and Braidbar 100 is due to arrive at some point, as the star of the show.

It's all good fun – I'm just a tad weary at the moment!