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.

Our first working day has finally arrived where we are in control of what happens and not dependent on anyone else. Phew!  Our first task is to remove the metal disks from portholes.  These need to be ground off, cleaned sanded and repainted.

There is also an awful lot of the previous owners posessions to remove.  Masses of flat pack furniture and other rubbish.  Many trips to the recycling centre and advertising stuff on Facebook marketplace, free to collect. Occassionally we have a rest and enjoying the view.

Alan and Annette visited today and gave Julian some tips.

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!

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

Annette and Tom

Well earned fish and chips from the van that visits the village green every Wednesday.

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 from a water boiler under the sink. Several gallons of water had been sloshing about in the bottom of the boat for several weeks!

Cockwells Boatyard Mylor Bridge

The hull was pretty well covered in chipboard when we bought the boat and finding the water from the boiler made us realise we needed to be able to see all the inside of the hull and how important it was to ensure that everything was sound in the bilges before we focused on the upper part of the boat. 

Xavier is a spot in the distance Carrick Roads

 

We really are aboard! - but not in Gweek

Getting aboard is a little tricky at the moment, 

Xavier is finally in Cornwall and 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, solar panels and shore power and all the comforts of home. I'm thinking about 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. The maintenance on the wheelhouse has been neglected, but the wood is all hard and there is not a sign of rot, except on one cornern of the wheelhouse roof, which is not the actual wheelhouse and we are going to replace the roof.

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

https://youtu.be/MEDFc3WHwoE?si=SnDdtIh0T20nD96n

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.

We are at this mooring waiting for a really high tide so the journey to the top of the creek at Gweek will be easily achieved with plenty of water to manouver in.

Meanwhile we are enjoying Gweek and looking at the other barges moored here including another 30 metre long barge moored up by the bridge.  We will be next to the cafe.