Crikey, nearly a month since the last entry.
These last few weeks have passed in a whirl.
Trudy-Ann is now in the workshop at Pillings as naked as the day she was built.
All the cabin and deck fittings have been removed before being sand blasted to remove the old paintwork, the rest will be removed by hand. All the exterior woodwork has been brought home for rubbing down and varnishing - may as well do it while we have the chance.
Next will come the rust killer followed by nine coats of paint before being sign written, so she will be laid up in here for about a month.
We are also taking this opportunity to move the water filler from below the pump out opening.
Yep – certainly didn’t dare to tank whilst pumping out. The new water inlet will be higher up into the bow and much safer from contamination.
Looking at the picture you can see why the top coat of paint has not taken properly, yet the primer applied by Bluewater is proving a baa lamb to remove.
Otherwise – I have completed the chain-saw course and much to some peoples amazement (Mainly me) I passed, so today has been out on the Grantham Canal doing more fallen tree removal and managing to take a more active role. Yippee! J
Still got a lot to learn from Ian our old hand operative who recons the saw I have is a bit too heavy for comfort but the 25” bar comes in handy for the big stuff. Definitely thinking of getting a shorter bar for doing fire wood at home and there’s no shortage of that at the moment.
Went to the Pillings Marina creditors meeting in Nottingham on February 3rd which was quite interesting and seemed to me to have a positive tone.
Tried to convey that to the other moorers through CWDF but it didn’t go down too well with some people. I get the impression that apart from a few contributors that are conducting a reasoned discussion there are a lot who seem to think that as life is continuing normally in the marina we must all have been duped by the management. Not so, people are following events with a keen interest, waiting to see what develops. Hopefully there will be some resolution but if not it would seem that CaRT will remove the blockade to allow boats (presumably licensed) to leave the marina but not return. Even if there is a resolution I suspect CaRT will delay the procedure until after April 14, blocking the entrance to prove that they can and will if any new conditions are not complied with.
This is pure speculation on my part of course and only time will tell, but I certainly don’t subscribe to some of the theories being put about.
There was no gunman on the grassy knoll.
Headless chicken syndrome will change nothing, so - chill dudes!J
