New Year, New Livery

Throughout January and February we are mostly painting boats. Sammy and Sumo are getting a nice new livery for this year and some out of water maintenance.  On a very rainy day at the beginning of January both boats were craned out of the water at Oundle Marina and popped into the shed for some TLC after a busy year going up and down the river.

Here is Sumo on her way into the shed.  This is the last time you'll see her in this colour - when she comes back out of the shed she will look like a completely different boat and be green and red to match Sammy!

Meanwhile Arwen and Spencer Bear have been busy helping to take out curtain hooks so the curtains can be laundered. Spencer Bear looks fascinated by the whole experience!

The first job was to power wash off both boats and remove a few freshwater mussels and weed, let them dry and then sand off the hulls and cabin. Any rust spots were then treated and Sumo had an ultrasound scan to check the thickness of the steel which she passed with flying colours!

Sammy is first in the queue for painting and  here she is after several applications of undercoat - a nice shade of battleship grey!

A quick look underneath the back end of Sumo now she has been cleaned off

We're now at the stage where Sammy has gone green again and is just in the process of having her red back panel painted on.  Then it be will time for the coach lines to be reapplied and her name to be added. It would be good if it warmed up just a little bit as trying to apply paint in sub zero temperatures is no fun as it doesn't spread very well!

Sammy's got some new magnesium anodes fitted on the front and back of the hull

We're certainly getting through a few tins of Toplac and Pre-Kote and there is still another boat to go! 

In the meantime, I leave you with a sign that Spring is just around the corner and it won't be long before we're back on the water - see you soon!

And So This is Christmas

As we approach the shortest day and the promise of longer days to come, we look to Christmas and the end of the old year. Oundle is looking very bright with some additional lights for this year.  We went along to the Christmas light switch on and the town was bustling with people at the Christmas Market.  Father Christmas also paid a visit - we are pleased to report that all the lights came on at the same time this year!  There was a beautiful full moon to light up the sky too.

We then popped across the road into Smiths at No 4 for a glass of festive fizz (or Ribena if you're five) and to enjoy the live music that was on offer.

The River Nene Fuel Boat has got into the Christmas spirit, decorated with tinsel when out and about on its winter deliveries.

Have a lovely Christmas everyone whatever you might be doing and remember the days start to get longer from next week - Merry Christmas from the riverbank and see you all next year!

Autumn Approaches and Introducing Friends of the River Nene

As the wheel of the year turns and we move into Autumn, we're still enjoying some glorious early September weather which our hire boaters are out and about enjoying. It still looks like summer outside Oundle Cruising Club with boats moored up enjoying the hospitality!  Sammy is waiting patiently in the sunshine at Lower Barnwell Lock off on a trip downriver.

Meanwhile there are exciting things a foot on the river! A new association, Friends of the River Nene (FoTRN) has recently set up and is busy finding and setting up new overnight moorings for boaters and visitors to our lovely river, something which has been in short supply for quite some time now!  I shall be adding the new moorings into our holiday routes for next year. They have currently secured moorings at Ditchford, Islip and Woodford with more in the pipeline. We look forward to trying them out for ourselves soon. You can find out more about them, get involved with their work and join here.  There is also a Helpdesk number 07779 819271. 

One of FoTRN first moorings at Ditchford, with the first visitor trying it out!  You can see the now defunct railway bridge across the river in the background, part of  the the old Peterborough to Northampton line.

Helping to clear the mooring at Ditchford below - anyone can get involved no matter how small!

Meanwhile, we are now coming to the end of our main hiring season and our last customers of the  year set off at half term and what a lovely day for it.  It was so sunny the sunglasses even came out!

And it is officially one of the warmest Halloween's on record, trick or treating in a t-shirt!  Happy Halloween everyone and enjoy yourself whatever you may be up to - watch out for the ghosts and ghoulies!

Lazy Days of Summer

As we head into Summer we've had some beautiful days in the Nene Valley and the cooling breeze coming off the river has been very welcome at times!  The cat has decided it's far too hot for anything except chilling out on the chair.  I wish I could join him but there is plenty of work to do first!

People have been taking advantage of the long summer days and have been enjoying drinks by the river at Oundle Mill

The end of July is traditionally when the Thurning Feast is held in a small village near Oundle. Also known as the St Stephen's Day Feast it is a fun evening out with live bands, local food and drink stalls, a big wheel and there was even a brass band this year.  

The weather was fantastic and I particularly enjoyed the Country Wine and Cider Bar!

We found the time to pop up to Peterborough in August and after a trip to the Bronze Age site at Flag Fen, we enjoyed a lovely lunch (with a glass of wine of course!) at Cafe Clarkes at The Key Theatre next to the River.  Very nice it was too!

A view of the Embankment at Peterborough from Cafe Clarkes. The Town Bridge is downstream in the distance. You will always see plenty of swans and geese along here! The way into the Middle Level is just a little further upstream or you can carry on a bit further to the Dog-in-a-Doublet.

We have been treated to some beautiful sunsets throughout the Nene Valley this summer including this very evocative scene across Fotheringhay Bridge (thanks to Richard Ganderton for the pic).  You can just imagine yourself there, moored next to the site of the Castle!

Whistle Stop Trip from Wansford to Oundle

We had an impromptu trip back from Wansford on Sammy earlier in the month which was nice as we don't get to go out boating very much during the season.  We passed by the caravan site at Yarwell Mill

and nine little ducks sitting in a row

Dan thought he would take the opportunity to clean the roof of the boat while we were waiting at Elton Lock

We passed by some sheep busily grazing around the Castle Mound at Fotheringhay who weren't particularly interested in us!

Then under the arched bridge at  Fotheringhay  ......

Time for a quick rest at Ashton Lock!

This swan was very interested in something in the weir stream!

And finally Sammy was spotted out and about later in the month coming under the old Railway Viaduct at Thrapston

And that's it for now - see you all soon!

Cycling Events in Oundle and Superheroes on Boats

There was much excitement around Oundle in May as The Woman's Tour, an International Cycling Event was scheduled to start from the Town Centre. All the local shops put up fantastic displays in their windows and the centre of town was turned into a festival area the day before the start of the race. We were there with our Tipi!

The boating season is getting well underway and the river is bustling with activity as people take to the water again!

May also saw the annual ANRC rally held at Peterborough Cruising Club this year - this means you sometimes see some odd sights on the river at this time of year such as a boat with some Incredible Hulks on board

On the campsite at Barnwell, our Tipi has arrived and we're just setting it up in the time for the late May bank holiday after its excursion into Oundle earlier in the month.  Looking forward to our first Tipi campers!

Bob the Bucket and Countdown to the Start of the Season

Last week we both completed our RYA (Royal Yachting Association) training course.  Pete from Lincolnshire Boat Services popped down to Oundle Marina on a beautifully sunny Monday morning and after a cup of coffee we set off down river to practice the 'man over board procedure' or MOB as it is known.  Here we are fishing Bob the Bucket out of the water. We repeated this several times as he just couldn't seem to stay on board!  I'm glad Bob the Bucket volunteered to go in, as the water was rather chilly!

As it was such a nice day, we decided to head back upriver towards Lilford and show Pete what a lovely river the Nene is and he was very impressed!  

Although we could happily have gone cruising for the rest of the day, there was work to be done, so we set off back to base and waved goodbye to Pete, who will be back to do our First Aid refresher course later in April.

The boats are now starting to look like holiday boats again, the engines have all been serviced and put back together, the painting is nearly finished, all doors and hatches have been repainted.  The boat cleaning is also well underway with Helen making sure everything is cleaned within an inch of its life and I have been busy ironing all the curtains and covers.  Bruce has been getting artistic in the workshop and has been busy with a new design on Sumo's back doors.

Sumo has now arrived in her new position in the marina and Sammy will be joining her this coming Friday.

Nicky's chicks have started to hatch out, this little one could be laying the on board free range eggs later in the year!

Don't forget it's our Open Day this Saturday 5th April, so if you are around the area pop in and say hello and don't forget to pick up your Cadbury's Creme Egg!

Spring Updates

Finally Spring seems to have arrived after what has been a very wet winter for a lot of people.  We're busy getting ready for the start of the season on 7th April. 

Oundle Marina

It's an especially exciting year for us as this will be our first year based down the road at Oundle Marina. Preparations are getting well underway and our banner is up! 

We will be having an open day on Saturday 5th April and you are welcome to come and have a look around the boats.  Check our Facebook, Twitter and website  pages for updates. We've also added an online booking system, so you can now book via the website and we've produced an app and mobile website which contains a handy guide to the River Nene.  The app is currently available to download on Google Play and will be available for Kindle and Apple devices shortly.

Mobile Site and App

This year we will be adding a few yummy extras for our customers, including Nicky & Elaine's fresh free range eggs from the smallholding just up the road and jars of jam from the The Pickled Village, nearby in Bulwick. 

Some of Nicky & Elaine's Chickens

We are busy getting our small campsite ready as well, with a number of improvements and a Tipi being made for us for this season, to add to the Bell Tents and Yurt.  The Tipi will be available to hire as part of canoe short break packages on the River Nene with our friends up river at Canoe 2.  Updates coming soon!  Meanwhile, lambing will be getting underway in the next few weeks and some of the sheep are looking like little barrels at the moment!

We will doing our RYA training this Monday on Sumo, so if you see us going past don't forget to give us a wave! 





Escaped Boats, Engines and Green Shoots

Getting the hireboats ready last March, note that Dan is wearing a t-shirt and there seems to be something called sun shining.

March 2012

Getting the hireboats ready this March.  A slight difference of about 20 degrees and a foot of snow!

March 2013

Last week one of the boats moored at the boatyard decided to slip its ropes and take itself off for a cruise down towards the lock and had to be rescued.  This proved quite difficult as there was still a considerable flow on the river and it was rather windy.  The boat was eventually pulled back to safety and a visit to the weir was averted.  On a more serious note it is important to check boat ropes, particularly during times of strong stream and fluctuating river levels.

 

 

Boat Rescue

 We are continuing to renovate our 70ft motor and unfortunately last year the freezing temperatures cracked the engine block. After much consideration, deliberation, unbolting, building of contraptions, pulling, pushing, lifting up, setting down again and general inventiveness, the Lister engine had been disturbed from its mountings, pulled apart and manhandled all the way up to the front deck with much huffing and puffing ready to be craned out and repaired.  The motor now had to be towed down to the dock at Oundle Marina ready for the engine to be taken out.  In the midst of snow, wind and freezing temperatures Bob moved the boat across the marina for us on Saturday morning.

 

Towing the motor across the Marina to the dock

 Waiting patiently at the dock side are all the boats that have been overwintering in the Marina waiting to be put back into the water ready for the boating season and Easter this week.  Admittedly it isn't really boating weather at the moment but I am confident that will change very soon.  I know the marina shop have just received their first delivery of ice cream, so we must be set for a heatwave!

 

Cruisers waiting to be craned back into the Marina

After a bit of manouevering and adjustment of the straps the engine was eventually on its way out of the boat!

 

And here it is all 3 tonnes of it suspended in mid air, merrily swinging above the marina.  This is when you hope to goodness that the straps are attached properly!

 

 

The engine safely reached the shore and has been packaged up ready for collection this week.

 

 

All that remained now was to tow the boat out of the dock and back across the marina. It was windy and very cold and after several attempts and being blown all over the marina the motor was finally towed out of the marina entrance.  Thanks to Bob & Richard for their help with this!

 

 

And finally ........

 

Just to remind you that Spring is just around the corner, I did spot a few green shoots this week.