Behind the scenes

Monday 11th August 2025

So much of the workload involved in the construction of the boat is preparation. When one sits and thinks about the job at hand, one imagines being behind a power saw chopping wood. In fact, in order to get to that point there is a whole morning of work beforehand (figuratively). For example, before you start chopping away, first you have to... source the wood, travel to retrieve it, denail it, get it from storage, load it into the car, drive it to the site, ship it from the car to the canal, ship the tools, and THEN you can get to work! But when you sit drinking your sundown pint of cider envisaging the work for the next day, one rarely considers the behind the scenes preparations constantly rumbling away...

Spent the morning sorting my tools, charging batteries and the speaker

Went to Screwfix to pick these up (having handy rings all over the skirting will make tying the boat up easier)

Went to storage to fish out the 2x3 treated timber which will be the framing for the superstructure

Load the car...

Off-loaded the timber at home (it will be up for the chop tomorrow), reload what I need for the day and headed to Victoria Park to finish the toilet cubicle

The drive took an hour. Because the car is parked around 300m from the boat, walking two 2m x 2m plywood sheets through individually was hard work and time consuming (v hot sun). At 1710hr I was finally ready to start working on the cubicle. I had everything I needed. ...Except the batteries for the power tools. *Facepalm. I looked at the beautiful surroundings and the bright sunshine and decided it was a good moment to take a rest - had the evening off and met a friend for a drink at the local pub The Victory - an incredible boozer - quiet and full of character. When you come on Saturday, maybe consider popping in!

The Victory