Arrival - first 2 days work

By 6pm Thursday 16 June, almost high tide.  Alan started to bring Xavier round from a spot sitting on the mud outside the Seal Sanctuary round the corner to where the river opens out just below Gweek. 

He was impatient to get going and did not want to wait for Simon and the crew from the boatyard to accompany and assist. He can be very stubborn! There were a few slightly awkward moments and exchanges!

The boat was turned and manourered through a narrow gap to its place alongside the quay.

The boatyard crew were on hand to deploy fenders where necessary as it made its way past several smaller boats.

Here are some videos of the process

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNv5BZgI7_oJGnZOdINkZqi8D_uCmtfFq5PBALT

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMxvnhEwdckam7yXm982_NnQsgAK05WIrxHjvMB

First working day Friday 17 June

Arrived 9am Friday

Removing 5 metal disks from portholes

Tidied up metal around portholes. Cleaned and sanded.

Removed some flat pack furniture and other rubbish.

Trip to recycling centre

Occassionally havig a rest and enjoying the view.

Left 6pm

Second Working Day Saturday 18 June

Alan and Annette visited and Alan gave Julian some tips.

Paint the outside as it has been prepared and before rust sets in

Paint underside of wheelhouse roof as it is beginning to rust

He suggested we paint the outside by standing on boards on the mud.  drill holes and attach rope to we could move them easily.

Sian came to visit with the girls and they both slipped.  One of the deck and the other on the steps. Lessons learnt by all!

Julian managed to cut out the metal plates from 9 of the 10 small portholes and I went round and ground down the rough bits and sanded ready for painting.

When we got home Julian ordered some two part epoxy blacking paint

Annette and Tom

Xavier leaves Mylor Creek - destination at Gweek. Home!

For the past two weeks Xavier has been on a tidal mooring and waiting for the high tide to take us up the Helford River up to Gweek.

Mylor is a perfect spot, so picturesque.  But we could not get anything on or off the boat except what we could carry on our backs as the boat was moored front on.

We also found water in the bilges, from her time at Geertman's.  They said there had been a leak - we assumed a small one that had been contained.  No several gallons of water had been sloshing about in the bottom of the boat for several weeks.

Cockwells Boatyard Mylor Bridge

So the first few days were spent cutting holes in chipboard pumping out water, scrapping off rust and stabilising with Fertan rust converter. Which seems to be brilliant.

But this did focus our minds on the hull and its condition.  What parts were inaccessible and how important it was to ensure that everything was sounds in the bilges before we focused on the upper part of the boat. This video shows the moment that the engines started and it floated off thereby allaying my teo worst fears.  That the engine would not start and that it would not float!

This is nearly 3 minutes long!

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNeXQEN1o_CuA5He30MBdiDGruWMQS8_G8phNpJ

Xavier is a spot in the distance Carrick Roads

 

We really are aboard!

Getting aboard is a little tricky at the moment, 

but finally we are able to get on Xavier at its temporary mooring at Mylor Bridge boatyard.  The boat arrived at Mylor on Sunday 29 May

We are on a tidal mooring next to the barge you see above on the left, and we have started to get to know the boat.  Julian has been looking at all the technical stuff and thinking about how we will get hot water through batteries, solar panels and shore power, as well as how we will renovate the interior.  

I have been desperate to remove the peeling varnish on the wheelhouse exterior, so that's what I'm focussing on, using paint stripper (trying not to get the scrappings on the painted deck or in the environment).  Many of coats of paint stripper are required and each needs scrapping off, followed by scrubbing with a metal sourer and finally sanding before applying a thin coat of Indial Rosewood Coloron wood dye followed by Osmo UV protention oil. It is in pretty poor condition, but thankfully not rotten.  There is rot on one corner of the wheelhouse roof, and I think we will try to cut that out and repair it.

Here is a video of the boat coming to rest on the tidal mooring.  Note the hand signals from the bank!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JELUuveAN1z1txVv5

We have had two days of brilliant sunshine, but today it is cloudy and wet, so we are going over on our bikes, it's just a few miles from Falmouth, to have a tidy up and wash the decks and side rails.