Below are the 16 most recent journal entries recorded in Rath's LiveJournal:

Saturday, February 3rd, 2007
7:08 pm	Measurable progress! Just got back from a day on the Lyndon. Zie is definitely getting somewhere! The stern bilges and joists are all cleaned and dried out and one of the bulkheads has been replaced. The old coldwater tanks have been taken out (anyone need two big-ass galvanised steel tanks? They're sound, just old and too clunky for Lyndon's new fitout) and the new plastic one is in, only need to plumb it in to the (also new) pump. The central heating and hot water will be next, I hope, and the strip and replace of all hir internal panels will go on in parallel. I want rid of that rotting old cream vinyl, especially the patches that have pink stains on them from a thoughtless visitor's hairdye. And half the time when we pull out an old plywood panel the insulation behind it is ancient, crumbling polystyrene fire-risk hell - I want to find every single scrap of that stuff and get rid of it. It's dangerous. The replacement is going to be plastic bubble-wrap insulation, with stained ply over the top; eventually the cabins will be panelled entirely in faux dark oak, which I reckon will look absolutely beautiful in an antique sort of way. And best of all, I took hir out today. Only out of the berth and round in the marina basin to show Dad how zie handled, but it was fantastic to have hir unmoored and feel hir move. It's easy to forget that a fixed-moored boat really is still a boat, that it will still go if you untie it and start the engine, and the reminder was wonderful. Since zie is now insured, I can now do this any time I want - although the river authorities will get annoyed if I do it without a license too many times. Licensing is the next step, though that'll be a nontrivial and rather costly exercise. But the point is, it's all happening. Today was definitely a good day. ^_^ Rath Current Mood: happy Current Music: Virgin Steele (11 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, January 8th, 2007
9:54 am	SUCCESS! I finally got the Lyndon through hir safety certificate! It turns out that the problem all along was that the regulator on the gas bottle was old and knackered, and changing it has not only improved the gas pressure but stopped the leak. And that's everything! I can now get hir river-taxed and insured as soon as I have the certificate to hand and the money to do so. Whew! I also have my cooker back, it having turned out to be in far better condition than we thought after my Dad cleaned it up (thank you, Dad!) So now I can get at least the forward cabin warm any time I want to. This is not the end of the saga, of course, by any means - I still have to fit the heating and water systems, and do something about the fact that nearly every single window seal on the entire boat leaks like a sieve >.<, but at least I know it's now legal for me to have hir out there and get hir licensed. So, congratulations, Lyndon! Thank you, too, to everyone who has sent me money or bought me Stuff. Your help is really appreciated and is doing genuine good for my poor little boat. Amusingly, I saw Ken-who-sold-me-the-Lyndon in the pub on Friday night; he saw me, too, and we called "hello" to each other, but... he didn't speak to me. He didn't come over and say "how you doing?" or, tellingly, "how's the boat?" I think he knows damn well that the Lyndon was a junker when he sold hir to me, and now he either can't face me from shame (I hope!) or just doesn't give enough of a damn to care (which would be annoying). Not that I'm actually going to bollock him if he does speak to me, I love my boat no matter whether zie's a bit of a wreck or not and have no regrets. But I'm a bit aggrieved that he doesn't even have the brass to ask me. So, yes. Hurrah! ^_^ Rath Current Mood: jubilant (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 24th, 2006
12:00 pm	Belated update Been a while since I posted anything in here! Sorry, guys... It's been a month or so of feeling that every time I fix one thing, I find something else. The core electrics and the engine are now running again (all hail the RathDad, who came down for the day a couple of weekends ago and showed me what was wrong so I could make notes on how to fix it next time). I've had to replace the second battery, since the old one was dropping off pretty quickly, but it should be okay now. I've also got nearly everything I need to get hir through the safety certificate, except for a pipe blank so I can seal off the gas system (that leak is in the cooker somewhere and I cannot face getting that rusty old thing repaired in situ.) On the negative side, water is dripping in through the bow deck where there's a ringbolt through the fibreglass (what the frag is that for anyway, and why isn't it sealed in properly?) and I think through the bow window rims as well. There's also a leak in the wetroom ventilator, which for now has a bucket under it. The bilges are filling up faster than I like, too - there had better not be a leak into the hull where I can't reach it anywhere. I think most of it is condensation, though. Also, WTF it is cold. Some form of heating is becoming more and more of a priority. (Still love my boat, though. ^_^) Rath Current Mood: aggravated (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 21st, 2006
12:11 pm	Christmas! [crossposted from rathenar] After some thought, I am not going to do a Christmas wishlist for myself. Instead, I am going to make one for the Lyndon instead, since its need is decidedly greater than mine. Over to you, ship! ~~~begin ship's log~~~ Hello, this is Lyndon speaking/typing/telepathically sending via Rath. I'm allowed to ask for Christmas presents? Ooh... If anyone would like to get me something, I would like please: 1) A cold water pump. Rath thinks this one would be suitable. - promised from apprentice_lurk, THANK YOU! 2) A pack of fibreglass filler/repairer so Rath can mend all the microholes in my cabin and that nasty dent in my prow, because it hurts. 3) Sheepskins, for benches/beds/covering floors. One, some, or a whole flock of them! Standard sheep-coloured cream is fine, or if you can find them dark brown or claret/deep red dyed would be lovely too. Sheepskin bits/offcuts also very welcome. 4) Thirty feet of medium-gauge (about 1/2 inch diameter) polyester or polyester/nylon mooring rope, cream or dark red. Fifteen further feet of similar in 1/4" or so diameter for rehanging my fenders. 5) An electric horn of the sort that can be mounted externally. My old one was ripped out years ago and Rath would like to replace it for safety reasons. Rath is also saving up to buy me a new cooker and a hot water/heating system, so any donations to those would be lovely too. Donations can be made by Paypal to kit_scorah @ yahoo.com and she promises that they will be spent on me and not on anything else. ^_^ Or they can be given to Rath in person if you see her and don't want to use Paypal. Any physical items can be either given to Rath or posted to me, c/o her: Kit Scorah The Lazy Otter Marina Cambridge Road Stretham Ely CB6 3LU UK Thank you very, very much, Lyndon ~~~end ship's log~~~ *s* I don't need presents for myself this Winterthing, please, guys. I'll be doing the online wishlist thing to see what I can do for other people, but this year, all I truly want is help with this here boat. ^_^ Thank you all. Love, Rath Current Mood: happy Current Music: Mortiis (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006
10:37 am	Situation update I know I haven't posted anything for a long time, bear with me. Since you last heard from me I've found quite a lot more work that needs doing on the Lyndon, to my considerable aggravation. The BSC (safety certificate) check revealed that there is a slow leak somewhere in the gas system, and finding a marine gas engineer who will do callouts proves to be quite a challenge (I did have a couple of recommendations, but neither of them seem to have gone anywhere.) The electrical systems turn out to be interestingly faulty in a number of places (six volt drop WHUT?) and to crown that, the larger and heavier of the two ship's batteries started leaking the other weekend and had to be removed, which was a cause of considerable panic before I got the lovely aiwendel to bring her car and help us get it to the tip. I'm really quite amazed that those things are still used in this modern and safety-neurotic age. I mean, it's a plastic box full of lead plating and sulphuric acid, and having to work out how to move one when there is acid oozing out the top really brings home to you just how potentially dangerous they are. Not to mention that it's going to cost me sixty quid or so for a new one. So, yes. My current projects are 1) to find a gas engineer, 2) to replace that battery, 3) to get a water pump so that we can at least have cold water (I think the hot tank is going to have to wait) and 4) to get the various minor tasks for the BSC done. Thankfully my ever-obliging Dad has agreed to make me a cover for the gas bottle, which was a failure point - just as well, as I don't mind trying my hand at most things but I'm not so sure I'm in a position to take up welding right now. I'm a bit sceptical about the cover anyway, to be honest - it's supposed to protect the bottle against collision damage, since it's mounted outside the stern, but frankly if someone hits the Lyndon with a dirty great Dutch barge or whatever the whole caboodle will probably get shunted through the hull anyway, little metal cage or not. But we need it for the paperwork, so what can you do? On a positive note, though, I think I've finally found out what zie is - it appears most likely that the Lyndon was built by Creighton, who appear to have been a seventies/eighties boatbuilder and no longer in business. Their other craft that I've seen photos of look very similar, with the same high-sided lines and the distinctive prow rail and drop-top cockpit. This is dead useful as it means the insurance companies might actually touch hir with a bargepole, which they wouldn't when zie was presented merely as an unidentified seventies cruiser. Next weekend, circumstances permitting, I'm going to buy some bits from the chandlers in Ely and get a few things done. Wish me luck... Rath Current Mood: worried (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006
12:11 pm	A few photos! Three snaps of Lyndon up on my new Flickr account! Isn't zie pretty? *loves* Rath Current Mood: *love* (12 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
12:22 pm	It's funny how sooner or later, you always turn into your Dad. Even if you're a girl. Apparently. I was down at the Lyndon over the weekend with apprentice_lurk and lonescorpion. I probably owe them an apology. ( Nervous wreck, or at least nervous weeds in the prop and stuck in the bank. ) So, yes. The captain has a short fuse, apparently, at least when she's actually working on the boat as opposed to setting out to relax. I apologise for snapping, guys. Future potential visitors/helper-outers should probably take warning, though... >_> On the upside? Took hir off the moorings and went for a quick spin up the river on Sunday evening. It was absolutely awesome. Loved every minute, even the bit with the wonky U-turn (thanks so much for the ropes/bank/lookout help, 'Boots & Mikki!) Have also found a large range of necessary work, some large and some small. Next stop B&Q for some chains, screws and whatnot. *shopping list* And there will be photos later tonight, as I got a new digicam! Rath Current Mood: guilty Current Music: W.A.S.P. (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, September 2nd, 2006
10:53 pm	Well, I went ahead and did it. So. I went down to the Lazy Otter today and bought my boat. She/he/it/zie is henceforth named Lyndon, since I like that name better and the "Maureena" part was kind of excessive. There will be photos as soon as I get a chance. Zie needs some work, as mentioned, starting with a calorifier, radiators and an inverter; though I can't promise I won't start with the curtains, since the current ones are horrible. ( Day's adventures. ) In short, I am a very happy Rath. And I have a boat. YAY! Rath Current Mood: ecstatic (26 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 28th, 2006
1:36 pm	Scratch that nooo: YAY! I just tried getting six grand off the nice people at Egg and they said yes! Okay, this leaves me without the financial cushion I'd hoped for, but it still gets me the boat... SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK! Must make lots of lists of things to do... *runs away* Rath Current Mood: jubilant Current Music: Mikki watching Transformers (9 Comments |Comment on this)
11:58 am	Nooooooooo! Just got refused finance. I should have known actually being honest was doomed to failure (guys, I told you I was switching to a position where my repayments would be lower than what I'm currently paying out! What is wrong with you people?) So I guess that leaves me with the loan sharks... unless I come up with some other place to get six grand. There are various allegedly-low-rate loans out there for people who've been refused elsewhere, but I have no idea of whether any of them are safe or whether all the horror stories are true. I'm hoping with all my heart that my family or someone will be able to help. It's not as though I can't pay the godsdamned money back, is the thing. I'll be able to do so and easily. It's just convincing some asshole at the bank of this. *mutters quietly* I want that boat... Rath Current Mood: distressed Current Music: Dragonforce, The Flame of Youth (2 Comments |Comment on this)
3:32 am	All right, here we go... Well. ( Adventures! ) Which leads me to today's adventures. We went up to the Lazy Otter to have a look at the Lynton's Maureena (yes, I spelled the name wrong earlier) and see if we were interested in her. And you know what? I think she might just be the one. Close to and inside, she needs work. There's no getting around that. She's not a move-in-and-be-snug boat. She needs a calorifier fitted and her wetroom refurbished, not to mention a load of cosmetic work. But under it all, she's sound. And she's got the measurements I was looking for, against all odds - twentynine feet length, and a slightly-over-six-foot beam and low roof that mean she was deliberately built to go anywhere a narrowboat can. I was completely knocked over to realise that, as I'd been assuming that like most GRP cruisers she'd be eight or nine feet in the beam. She packs an inboard two-cylinder Yanmar, she's already got navigation lights, and her paintjob is barely a year old. Basically, she's got the makings of a gorgeous, gorgeous boat. And they want six grand for her. I can afford that. That's less than half my original budget. For that, Ken, her current owner, will fix her up to Safety Certificate standard and service the engine before he gives her to me, and I'll get a small but perfectly formed and ready-to-play-with cruiser. SQUEAK. We're going back up on Saturday next to take her on the river for a cruising test (we couldn't do so today as Ken hadn't run her for a couple of months and the battery was kaput) but assuming she doesn't turn out to handle like an utter pig, or to have any really nasty faults that only show up under way, I think I've found my boat. All I need to do now is find someone who is willing to lend me the relevant money. *deep breath* Wish me luck, gang... Rath PS Let's not mention the part where, after lunch with Ken and his missus (which was dead fun, Ken is a professional mechanic and lover of cars/boats/bikes and dude, he owns a Trans Am!) we bollixed up the buses back and walked about five miles down the A10 to get back to Cambridge. Not my finest hour... >.> Current Mood: hopeful Current Music: Dragonforce, Dawn over a New World (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 25th, 2006
1:39 pm	Yay for messing about in boats! Just managed to book myself the loan of a small cruiser from the hire yard at Huntingdon for tomorrow. Yes, I was supposed to be sleeping, because I am knackered and I feel decidedly shaky, but it was the only slot I could get. I'll spend Sunday in bed. I swear. And besides, if playing with boats doesn't improve my mopey mood, I shouldn't even be pursuing this idea anyway. ^_^ Also harassed the Lazy Otter's poor manager again in a desperate bid to get ahold of the Lyndon's owner. No response as yet but he says he'll talk to the guy for me tonight and someone will call me tomorrow. And tonight when I get in, I need to resist the lure of the internet and instead work on my charges list. I'm currently trying to reclaim a load of money from my bank for the various no-longer-legal charges they've slapped on me over the years (bankcharges.info has everything you need if you want to try this yourself!) Whether I will succeed remains to be seen. However, I have this weird half-awful-half-awesome feeling that if I get back everything they are now technically obliged to repay to me? I could probably buy the Lyndon outright. It's worth doing. *plotplotschemescheme* Rath Current Mood: groggy (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006
11:07 am	Ever heard of the Gypsy Switch? Spent the weekend looking at boats and talking about boats with Mikki, and my parents who, much to my astonishment and generally impressedness, have not in fact gone through the roof at the mere suggestion of their only little girl living with her feet wet on a riverbank somewhere. In fact they've been downright supportive, and Dad's knowledge of technical matters from engine maintenance to fibreglass repair is dead useful. I'm still rather better at all of this than they are, though. I always remember my Dad as a man who wasn't good at putting himself forward, talking to strangers, or diving in head first. So it was I, rather than they, who when we got the the Lazy Otter outside Ely and looked at the moorings there, said "Well, hang on, I'll go and ask at the bar." ( Read more... ) So I'm waiting for the Lyndon's owner to call me back. Obviously, before anyone says anything, I'm not about to do anything stupid. I need to ask him quite a few questions before I commit myself to anything whatsoever, and there are other practical considerations too. But. I've always believed in going where the gods take you on these things, and since I hadn't been at all convinced by either of the two narrowboats I'd looked at earlier, I was in a mood to be open to cosmic suggestions. I'll update you guys as soon as I hear anything more... Rath Current Mood: touched Current Music: Virgin Steele, Forever will I roam (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 17th, 2006
2:23 pm	No boats please, we're weekend users. Well, my walk up to about the halfway mark of the Railings revealed that everything that isn't "No Mooring" is chock full with a range of boats, of which a large percentage seem to be corroding old junkers that probably aren't in regular use. There are a few that look to me like old coastal boats, some narrowboats (most of them in better condition than the other types) an odd barge or two, and a bunch of those white executive-bath-toy motor cruisers. It's sad, really - there are some beautiful craft tied up and rotting away there, and if their owners only took more loving care of them, they might not only look better but also get more use and not spend all their time taking up mooring slots. So, my chances of getting a mooring anywhere close to the town centre appear to be buggered. I'm planning to search a bit further out, just in case (I don't mind walking/biking/skating to work down the towpath of a morning) but it's still a setback. I can't afford to let it stop me, though, because apart from anything else, I really want to get out of living in houseshare. So, today I'll call the owner of that boat in Huntingdon, and go for a look further down the river. It'll work out somehow. What's really annoying is that the swanky Eights Marina, which as far as I can tell consists of moorings attached to the apartments built beside it, sits empty except for one narrowboat and two cruisers. Why in the name of Chaos build something like that and then not at least rent out the unclaimed spaces? Maybe I should try and find out who administers it. Rath (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 16th, 2006
1:33 pm	The boat hunt progresses! Well, I emailed the Council, and there's a waiting list of fifteen for the regular moorings. Which when there are only seventysix moorings total, is quite a lot. My next step is to check the famous Railings and see how the space on there looks at the moment. The Railings, for those who aren't familiar with Cambridge, run along the stretch of river that butts straight onto the road, and are under control of the County Council instead of the City Council. Since the County Council don't charge for or control mooring, the Railings are a good place to lurk while your name is on the waiting list - or indeed indefinitely, if you can't or won't pay the City Council's mooring charge. Other than that, I've glanced at the prospects for getting a boat insured, which doesn't look too difficult or expensive, although if I go for something more than twenty years old I may need to produce rather more pieces of paper; and, on a hunch, done some searches for marinas in the local area. It turns out that, yes, there are a number of local marinas (marinae?) which deal in boats of various sorts, and one or two of them do have the occasional narrowboat. They're not generally very well Web-enabled, though, so I foresee a browsing tour of Ely and environs, possibly on Saturday when my parents and their magic box on wheels are in town (can you tell I've been doing without car access for the last half decade?) The boats-I'm-considering list has been updated to include this one which is just outside Huntingdon. However, I'd need to ask the owner a fair few questions, and I can't shake the mental question of just what "good first boat" means in an advertising context. Does it mean "this boat is nice and will not give a novice any undue grief", as it implies? Or does it really mean "this is one bleeding dodgy floating bathtub and we don't stand a chance of palming it off on anyone who knows what they're doing"? The Huntingdon one does have a new hull survey, though, which reassures me a bit. At least, assuming the results of said survey look okay. Otherwise, my current big priority is that for all my enthusiasm, I've never physically handled something the size of a narrowboat. All my navigational experience has been gained on smaller things, a number of them sail-powered, and while I know I can deal with concepts like which way the tiller should go and not steering for anywhere where you can see the bottom, I'm not confident enough to step onto a narrowboat and work both tiller and engine with no prior guidance. Let alone manage locks. Ideally I'd do a narrowboat course, but the place nearest to us isn't running any until late September, which isn't ideal. Alix, if you're reading this, do you think that you or any boaters you know would be willing to accept a charter to train a couple of novices for an afternoon? I'm willing to pay for this favour, assuming that it wouldn't cause offence to offer to do so. Right. I'll call that guy in Huntingdon this evening, I think. And possibly go for a scamper up the railings and then duck home through Chesterton. See you all later! Rath Current Mood: busy (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, August 14th, 2006
1:57 pm	First post in the Narrowboat Chronicles! [I'd say Saga, but in my family tradition, that word carries unfortunate connotations of long-running situations that aren't worth the effort.] Anyway. Welcome to my journal. I'm nobody, really - just a girl who got sick and tired of paying through the nose for the privilege of living in rented accommodation, holding down a job I don't much like so I can keep paying through the nose so I can stay in this town to keep doing my job... you get the idea. By inclination and choice I'm a musician (electric bass guitar in local band Fire & Forget, and currently training as a DJ with volunteer station 209 Radio) and creative writer (nothing formally published, but I've got a few nonprofit pieces around the net, mostly fanfic). I'm also a practising pagan, a heavy metal fan, a horror/fantasy buff, and a self-styled full time dreamer! ^_^ I'm currently in the process of working out how I can buy and move onto a houseboat in Cambridge, having been struck by the idea like a bolt from the blue and then realising after some research that it's not just possible, it's an excellent plan. I'll post some details about that later, but for starters, here are some boats! ( Some boats I am considering. ) Anyone who would like to critique/comment, please do! Rath (25 Comments |Comment on this)