Debut Cruise to Canalway Cavalcade 2014

Our debut cruise on Diona to Paddington Basin for Canalway Cavalcade 2014 was a rousing success.

I went down early on Friday, May 2nd, to bring Diona out of drydock.  She looks lovely in her new paint.  Very shiny.  The roof canopy rolls easily on its new rollers, so that I can open and close it as the weather suits.  Thanks Fred and Steve!

I spent the day cleaning her, and installing the new captain's seat, then raced up to Radlett to clean myself and load the soft fittings and food into the car.  I was late getting back to St Pancras and the party was in full swing on Walden III by the time of my arrival.  At least I had help loading food and soft furnishings onto Diona.  The new seat covers look very good.  Tony took everyone up to see the view from the Waterpoint while I made my final preparations.

Diona cruised in company with Walden III, setting off just after 7:00 with a full complement of fun friends, wine, beer and food.

The engine only overheated a bit, and behaved itself after some bleeding and refilling while in the first lock at Camden Town.  Fred had located the bleed valve on the front of the water pump and it was just a matter of finding the right socket wrench to open it and clear the airlock.

All three locks at Camden Town were set against us, but the crew seemed to have fun working them for the boats.  Everyone enjoyed the warm twilight cruise through Regents Park and the spooky transit of the tunnel leading to Little Venice.  I found the tunnel stressful, being keenly aware of just how little clearance Diona has either side of its narrow walls.  It was dark by the time we reached Paddington Basin, with the basin already full of boats from all over the country in preparation for the weekend festivities.

We moored in our assigned spot and settled in for the night.  Mark Saxon, Hon. Harbourmaster for the festival, did a splendid job of arranging the moorings.  He provided advance information and clear numbering on the concrete bank to minimise the noise and confusion of bumbling around in the dark.  The crew gradually melted away toward the station, heading for their homes.  Tony and I settled gratefully into the bunk on Walden III for the night.

We woke to the colour, sounds and movement of the Canalway Cavalcade experience.  Engines started running to recharge batteries from about 9:00, and the loudspeakers started their narration of events from about 10:00.  Crowds of people arrived to line the towpaths and view the boats.  We enjoyed coffee and breakfast, helped Beryl and Steve set up their stand for the Angel Canal Festival, and then headed off for Henry's birthday barbeque in Cambridge.

We returned late in the evening, having picked up M on the way, to find the St Pancras crowd still up and sociable.  I may be a bad parent, or a too trusting one, but I left M alone on Diona with a case of wine and half a case of beer, an unlocked iPad and a butane heater.  Disaster might have occurred, but didn't.  I think he only used the iPad.

Monday we restocked the food supplies in preparation for the cruise back.  The best surprise waited for me when I returned.  Tony had run into Steven, an old friend who we hadn't seen for a few years.  He stopped by and stayed for beer before rushing off for his job at the Royal Opera for the evening.

A good mix of pals from CSFI joined for the cruise, with George and Phil dropping by for the afternoon historic boat parade.  Kids were on the roof playing cards, and adults around the sliding table in the galley, proving Diona's value as a party boat.

The cruise back was much less stressful than the cruise out, being full daylight and the engine not overheating.  I was so relaxed I let David take over the wheel for the cruise through Regents Park despite several bottles of wine emptied in the hours before our departure.  One good thing about buying an ex-charter boat is the comforting knowledge that she was built to be driven by drunken amateurs.  All the blokes and kids had fun working the locks at Camden Town, and the tourists snapped many a gay shot of the two colourful boats progressing through the holiday crowd at the locks.

We arrived in good time at St Pancras, concluding Diona's debut cruise without mishap!  I'm delighted with my boat and look forward to many more cruises for fun with other friends over the summer.

Painted and ready to roll

Fred and Steve have been toiling away in the drydock to get Diona in trim for her cruising season debut on Friday.  She's looking lovely.  There will be a huge panic to clean all the dust out of her and get the soft furnishings and food loaded, but I'm up for it.

The bottom rollers from SDS arrived this morning and they are a perfect match for the originals they replace.  I've invited James from SDS to come by Canalway Cavalcade over the weekend to admire the canopy and let me buy him a beer.

It wasn't until I had the rollers in the drydock that I thought about bolts.  They should be stainless steel bolts as new as the rollers.  Fred sent me to Clerkenwell Screws, 109 Clerkenwell Road in EC1, about five minutes walk from Farringdon Station.  What a fabulous ironmongers!  They had the bolts exactly as needed and I picked up some stainless steel screws for the blinds as long as I was there.  The blokes were knowledgable and efficient and the prices better than Wickes or B&Q.  Below is the canopy, waiting to go back on the boat.

I've finished two of the seat cushions, but still have more to do.  I'm not quite sure what to use to get a straight cut on the edges of the roller blinds, but will probably make do with a straight edge of some sort and a razor knife.  Tomorrow will be a day of fitting, sewing, shopping and praying the paint dries before she comes out of drydock.

And Fred, as I expected, has fixed the problem with the cooling system.  It turns out that there is already a bleed valve on the water pump, and once opened, the airlock was neutralised and she filled with water as she should.  He took her for a test spin on the canal to make sure, and she remained well within expected temperature range.  He'll show me where it is when we bring her out of drydock and get her ready for cruising.

On the way back home I stopped by Welsh Harp Boat Centre  in Hendon for line and four more new fenders.  On the side street behind the shop the local parking restriction had just expired at 4:30pm.  Welsh Harp is the only chandlery I know of in North London, so is quite handy.  They even helped me carry the stuff to the car.  With the four medium fenders I bought today, I've bought eleven new fenders in total. Even so, I'm told I'll need two huge sausage fenders for when she's moored on the opposite side.

Whatever.  (sigh!)  It's a boat.  It's going to hurt my bank balance, but make me happy.

UPDATE:  The canopy is back on and rolls just fine.  I'm told it requires a bit of a push just at the end as the new rollers are a little lower than the re-engineered rollers they replace on the back.  A couple ring washers will fix that, but it can wait until after the weekend.

Repainting and finding the canopy wheels

Fred took Diona into drydock the Saturday after our first cruise on her.  He's got a backlog of boats waiting for his services, but he took her in anyway.  She's been in the drydock ever since, and is now sanded down and ready for painting.

I had asked when I bought the boat that Diona be painted white with navy trim.  I should have known better.  Fred will paint her cream with tropical blue trim, which he says are colours better suited to her 1970s pedigree.  Okay.  I'm grateful she's in the drydock and getting new paint.  If I'm determined to give her a more modern look, it can wait for a couple years.

It required two people to muscle the canopy open and close, when it should roll smoothly.  The rollers on the bottom were original, and must be in bad condition after forty years.

They had a terrible time getting the canopy off.  It weighs a lot more than you would think.  Even with the crane in the drydock to lift it free, it took two strong men to manage the job.  They were still talking about it today, so I imagine frustration was expressed warmly at the time.

Once the canopy was off, Fred removed the four bottom rollers.    It was clear two of the rollers had been rebuilt rather oddly and the other two are completely knackered.  What remains of the bearings rattles in the wheels.  I took the bits away to photograph and measure and call around for spares.

Finding spares for forty year old parts in Imperial measurements proved a challenge.  I wasn't even sure what to Google.  Wheels?  Rollers? Canopy just brought up canvas suppliers and craftsmen.  The only supplier the Hampton Safari Owners Club could recommend closed shop in January.

I called a couple of ironmongers and chandleries but no use.  They recommended trying boat manufacturers, but somehow I didn't think that would get results either.  The rollers probably weren't designed for a boat canopy, and were just chosen by Hampton from available hardware to get the job done.  Google is my friend, however, and I set to work with determination.  After a few hours I knew what I wanted was called a "bottom roller".  I searched for the term on Google Image search and finally saw an image of something that looked pretty similar.

The specification for these bottom rollers is an exact match for the measurements of the canopy roller assembly.  The only issue may be that instead of a single edge on the wheel for a concave track, these have two edges for a raised track.

I called SDS London Architectural Ironmongery, the supplier offering the bottom rollers.  The very helpful James agreed to try and source the exact replacement wheels from his supplier, as they must surely be made by the same company if they are still made at all.  A few hours later I had the delightful news that he could indeed supply the exact replacement roller assemblies Diona needs.  This was great news as in the interim Fred had advised that installing the t-shape track would require some serious structural reinforcement of the channels. 

I ordered three pairs of bottom rollers, two for present use and one pair to keep as spares.  With something this difficult to find, having spares reduces future worries.  They weren't cheap, but I saved several hundred pounds and a lot of stress by not having to buy and fit new track.  For anyone who wants these, the part number to order is ZZ9949695 and they come in pairs costing £72.91 + VAT + Shipping.

It feels good to have found the right spares for Diona.  I also forwarded the pictures and supplier details to the Hampton Safari Owners Club as I won't be the only Safari owner confronting this problem in future.

Little, weak me should be able to open and close the canopy easily now, all by myself. 

A good day's work! 

Our first cruise on Diona

We reached St Pancras in the bright morning sun and found Fred having tea in the drydock.  The boys loaded cleaning supplies and a dozen doughnuts onto Diona.  Fred came out and started getting us ready for cruising.  C unplugged the shore power cable.  M prepared to cast off the mooring ropes.  I prepared to record every word Fred said in my notebook so that we could write up instructions to be kept on board for future reference.

Fred came aboard and showed us how to pull out the throttle for neutral, turn the key to heat the glowplug, and then start the engine.  The boys cast off the mooring lines.  C stayed on the stern to fend off other boats, and Fred steered us out of the crowded basin.

It's stupid, but I didn't think about locks before buying Diona.  Being a broads cruiser, she needs both lock gates open and can only share a lock with shorter boats.  Having two boys on board is a definite advantage for working locks.

We filled and loaded watering cans at the lock, as Fred noted he hadn't checked the oil and water before starting her as he should have done.  Once below St Pancras Lock, Fred started showing us how to steer.  Diona is very responsive, and can pretty much turn in her own radius.  She has a lot of power though, so you want to steer small.

We progressed well toward Battlebridge Basin, but then Fred noticed the temperature was higher than usual.  At first we engaged the exhaust fan, but when the temperature kept rising we pulled over. 

It is best practice to check water and oil levels before you start the engine.  Like many old navigators on the canals who know their boats well, Fred doesn't always follow best practice and it won't do any good to lecture him.  Fred had winterised Diona by draining down the water from the cooling system, but hadn't fully topped her up again before our cruise.

After filling as much water as she would take, Fred gave me the wheel and we continued along the Regent's Canal toward the Islington Tunnel - 878 metres of dark tunnel.  It is a great teaching tunnel for steering, as a miscalculation means collision with the mossy, ancient brick.  The narrowness concentrates the mind wonderfully.

We had to wait at the approach for oncoming boats to clear the tunnel.  We lit both our headlamps (broad beam boats must have two lights) and headed into the dark with everyone on board within the profile of the boat for safety.   I was keenly aware of the arch much nearer Diona's roof either side than had been the case with my narrowboat.  I made it through without scraping, and said a silent prayer of thanks.

On the far side of the tunnel we had planned to let the boys have a go at steering, but the engine was still running hot.  We pulled over and Fred began examining the keel cooler hoses.  He diagnosed an airlock and we spent some time trying to clear it and get more water into the system.  One hose was notably warmer than the other, so the system was working, but not to Fred's standards.  As he had designed and installed the cooling system, he knew exactly how it should work.

Still unhappy with it, we restarted the engine and headed back.  I steered Diona through the tunnel again, this time steering small, much more confident, with less panicky heaving from side to side on the wheel.

We regained her berth at St Pancras with no further trouble except that she was still running very hot.  Fred determined to have her in the drydock over the weekend to work on her.  One advantage of buying a boat from a marine engineer is that there is no argument about who is responsible for maintenance or correcting any faults.  Many new owners would have been unhappy with our first cruise, but I was content that Fred will tune Diona to perfection before I take her out again.

The boys and I spent the rest of the day on cleaning Diona.  We left her gleaming in the afternoon sun.

Getting to know her . . .

I took the boys down to Diona just to let them see her.  Of course she needs cleaning and lots of routine maintenance, but I wanted them to just have some time on her doing nothing.  After all, as Otter says, "There is nothing - absolutely nothing -  half so worth doing - as simply messing around in boats."

We drank cold sodas, nibbled Peanut M&Ms, played card games on the sliding table in the cabin, until gradually we drifted each to somewhere else.  My older son fell asleep on the double bunk in the warm sun shining through the windows, my younger son curled up with his kindle in the corner of the settee, and I sat in the helm seat, with my feet propped up, reading the only book left on the boat by Fred, Berserk in the Antarctic: Sailing to the World's Most Untameable Continent.

The Eurostar and the Midlands trains passed us by.  The bangs and drills of the construction sites quietened as the light dimmed.  After a time we grew hungry and ready for home.  We washed Diona's windows and took the mildewed canvas away for cleaning to pretend that we had come there for something practical.  I knew, and the boys knew, that we had come there to make her acquaintance and establish ourselves as her carers.  And you care for a boat if you are comfortable on her.

We arranged with Fred to teach us to drive Diona in a couple days.  As she is so different to my other boats, has been customised by Fred, and hasn't been out much for a couple years, I want Fred to train us up.

Next time we will go back with lots of cleaning supplies, mops, rags, buckets and will power.  Today we were just happy to sprawl on Diona and take comfort in being on the water again.

Yikes! I've bought another boat!

Well, I've gone and done it again.  I've bought a boat that needs more time and attention than I probably can spare.  An unfamiliar boat is always a little scary.  There are hundreds of things to learn about her and she needs lots of work, but rather than feeling stressed, I'm calmer and happier than I've been for a while.  I guess I just need a boat in my life.

Diona is my fourth boat.  The first was a 1935 Wheeler Playmate, much like the Playmate Pinar built for Ernest Hemingway or the one captained by Humphrey Bogart in Key Largo.  Wheeler was the Cadillac of wooden boats in the 1930s.  The Playmate was built of cyprus and mahogony with etched crystal panes in the galley dish cupboard and red cedar decks inboard.  Every line was elegant.

My Playmate wasn't in such lovely condition, and it was a struggle to keep her afloat.  Her hull was soft as butter and I fought a constant battle against dryrot topside.  Even after having her caulked and sealed, she took on more water than most people would be comfortable sleeping above.  I became expert at re-wiring shorted bilge pumps when the water sloshed over the floorboards.  She was my home for five years at the 79th Street Boat Basin on the Hudson River in Manhattan when I lived in New York.  When the Hudson froze, as it did in colder years, the idea that half an inch of soft 65 year-old planking was all that kept me from the river would keep me awake as I listened to the pops and clicks of ice squeezing the hull.  I was her last careful owner.  She sank three years after I sold her, and I swore never to own another wooden boat. 

My second boat was a 1988 narrowboat - ten tons of steel and very dry and comfortable inside.  She was just the thing for cruising the canals of England with my boys.  I bought her in 2004, cruised the Grand Union Canal, the Oxford Canal, the Rivers Lee and Stort, and many short cruises along the Regent's Canal in London.  I had joined St Pancras Cruising Club in 2003, so Babylon was moored at St Pancras Yacht Basin (which ironically holds no yachts and is hours inland from anywhere you might sail one).  Though I could cruise as far as the Thames locks at Teddington and Limehouse on the canals, her high centre of gravity and low freeboard and exhaust meant I couldn't safely take her on the river.  As I gained confidence, and the boys grew larger and stronger, I began to want a more seaworthy craft.  I sold her in 2008 when I moved to Dubai.

My third boat was a Laser, which hardly counts as a boat if you think of a boat as something to keep you out of the water.  I'm told that people who learn to sail a Laser can sail anything.  I had learned to sail bigger boats when I was young, and had kept up my status as competent crew by sailing several times a year  as the occasion offered, and held an RYA Day Skipper certification, but the Laser was a challenge all the same.  I spent more time in the water than out of it at first, as the Laser likes to tip over at the least little error in judgement.  I gradually grew competent enough to stay more or less dry, but I never loved her.  The best thing about the Laser was that it secured me membership of Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, a friendly place to go for sunset cocktails and great food after a hard day's graft at the office.  I like my sailboats big, sociable and offering somewhere to rest my gin & tonic and take a nap.  I now sensibly prefer them owned by my friends or charter companies.  I sold the Laser when I returned to England in 2010.

I always meant to get another boat.  I was pretty clear what I wanted.  She had to have enough power for the tidal Thames, and preferably be seaworthy to cross the Channel on a fine, calm day to cruise the rivers and canals of the continent.  I've not got the leisure for that now, but I hope someday I will.

And then Diona came up for sale at the club.  She is moored at St Pancras, opposite my old narrowboat.  I didn't love her at first sight, but now that I am getting to know her, and putting the work into refitting her, the love just keeps growing.

Diona is a 1974 Hampton Safari Mark II, built for holiday charter on the Norfolk Broads.  Because she was designed to be driven by inexperienced drunken Brits on holiday, she is stronger and heavier than you might expect for a GRP boat.  That's probably why there are so many still afloat.  GRP was new and competing with steel for inland boat construction in the 1970s, so they erred on the heavy side in boats of that era.  Diona has been owned for the last ten years by a marine engineer, so I know she is sound structurally and mechanically, which is very reassuring.

Diona is very comfortable inboard, with a fixed double bunk, everything essential in galley and head, and front steering position with sociable seating for entertaining while you cruise.  The sliding canopy allows for open air on a fine day and cover in the rain or cold.

There is a terrific Hampton Safari Owners Club to provide support on her refit, and I've already gone to them for advice on improving the slide of the canopy and refurbishing the windows.  

My favourite things about Diona won't change: lovely solid oak fit out inside, an oversize Perkins 60 engine that makes her powerful enough for tidal waters, and a weedcutter around the propshaft to shred any weed or carrier bags before they entangle the propeller - a constant hazard to navigation on Britain's inland waterways.

Her purchase has depleted my savings, and I've already spent hundreds of pounds on upholstery and bits and bobs for fit out, but it's money well spent.  I plan on being happy cruising Diona for many years.  Wish me luck.