A Flaming Success

A Flaming Success
January 2015

At last, a bit of boating to report.Well, at least we had a night afloat.

We paid an overnight visit to Sandra and Barry aka The Home Brew Boat who are wintering in Worcester. It was great to catch up, sample Barry's new cocktails all in the cause of market research, try a bit of home brew and take in a very good Thai meal.

Then there was a gripping session of six handed rummy when after a tragic first game (I lost by a mile) I came storming back to a resounding success in the second. 

We departed mid morning in time to complete the installation of the new fire on Wand'ring Bark. I have paid several visits to WB in the last week, re-shaping the hearth and then applying the new tiles. With the grout dry it was time to fix in the stove.

The old stove pipe was reusable and when the lower joints had been sealed with heat proof silicone I angle ground the surplus one inch from the collar on the roof. All was then made good with a good seal of flexible silicone at the top as well.

Then it was assembly time. Jo and Lesley has warned me it was tricky but gave me a fighting chance by providing the order starting with the base, then the riddle, then the top and finally the fire bricks. I cant say I sailed through the process but after maybe 20 mins of fiddling I was ready with the kindling to start an inaugural fire and for the first time in months the boat was toasty warm.

The plan was to continue to remodel the saloon this winter, but life has decreed a change of priority. We have been planning to move house and found it sold much faster than we expected. So now we are running in the face of a completion date without a new home being identified. We know the area we want to move to, and the specification we need but so far nothing suitable has come onto the market. So whilst we could decamp the the boats, it is increasingly likely that we will be renting for a while to but more time.

Watch this space....