tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85999512012-01-27T17:20:03.514ZA blog about my 70' Narrowboat Sirius and anything related to Narrowboats.Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.comBlogger801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-67544077427711367952010-07-05T11:59:00.000Z2010-07-05T12:01:01.301Z

I have finally managed to bring Sirius back to Berkshire after being moored for almost a year in and around London on the River Lee, Regents Canal, Grand Union Canal and of course the Thames.It was good fun staying in London, but now Sirius needs some TLC and a good amount of DIY to get her back into shape. I am not looking forward to the painting!Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-71937842560224092432010-01-28T00:41:00.002Z2010-01-28T00:53:01.554Z

Well, my diesel heater was finally fitted near the end of November, a couple of months after I had hoped it would be, I wouldn't recommend Lee Valley boat yard if you want anything done quickly that's for sure, I was told the same by a fellow boater who had been living aboard moored near them for almost a month and in the end gave up waiting, I don't blame him.I was somewhat stuck though, as they

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-78429586994196930152010-01-08T14:52:00.001Z2010-01-08T14:55:48.733Z

Hi All,It's been a long time since I made a good post about my Narrowboat as I have not been on her for such a long time, hopefully next weekend will be the first time back on board for about 4 months, fingers crossed she is ok!I just came across this blog post of a narrowboat breaking through the ice which I thought was worth a mention :)Watch out for some new "heating being fitted" posts in the

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-12119692220967141342009-12-24T14:52:00.004Z2009-12-24T14:59:07.186Z

Hi All,Well I don't have any Narrowboat news today as I have spent the last couple of weeks over in Brazil, no sign of a Narrowboat over there ;-)As it's Christmas time I have been shopping for my family and of course you always see things you would like to buy yourself. I have had an iPhone for nearly a year now and it's the best phone I've had.I came across a very good site which sells iphone

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-13293549927133348042009-10-16T13:04:00.001Z2009-10-16T13:09:04.499Z

Wow, time flies when your having fun :) I have not updated my blog for ages it seems and lost has happened since my last update!Sirius has been moored in London for most of the summer continuously cruising along the Regents canal, staying at places like Little Venice, Camden Town and Victory Park to mention just a few :)Current she is moored at a boatyard and having a decent diesel fueled central

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-81141148925927021342009-08-10T14:07:00.002Z2009-08-10T14:21:43.131Z

I have spent the last 3 weeks living on board Sirius, it's the first time I've really lived on board for any really length of time, and I am really enjoying it. What I have found is that by living on board, a lot of the little things that don't really matter if you are only using the narrowboat occassionally at weekends, suddenly become more important.Like for example the amount of electricity

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-17269608182528028562009-05-27T12:16:00.009Z2009-05-27T12:54:43.226Z

Over last weekend I thought Sirius had an exhaust leak until I realised that it was infact a fuel leak. The seal on the fuel filter had failed and hence it was dripping (well at one stage spraying) diesel onto the hot engine and then it was smoking.I have ordered 3 new filters from Online Auto Spares who are a business selling engine parts via eBay, excellent service and Graham who has been

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-88312339759056805062009-05-26T21:44:00.002Z2009-05-26T22:03:18.147Z

There was an article on Times Online today by Terry Ramsey about his five favourite canal holiday routes. I wonder how they compare to others? Feel free to leave some comments about your favour canal routes :)

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-7588740465477822832009-05-26T16:51:00.006Z2009-05-26T17:06:59.643Z

As you may have seen from a previous Narrowboat Wardrobe post one of my many DIY jobs to do on Sirius was to mend the wardrobe doors, well you'll be glad to hear that I have finally finished and the repaired doors are now hanging :)The only problem which you will notice if you look at the photo below is I have some how managed to loose three of the slats, so there is a small gap at the bottom of

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-60077756146058990812009-05-21T08:32:00.006Z2009-05-21T08:45:14.350Z

The Duchess of Cornwall is to open a newly restored double bridge on the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal next Tuesday (26th May 2009) I actually found this article on Twitter and the original article can be found on the This is Wiltshire website.You can find more information about the event on the Wilts and Berks Trust website, the following page might not exist after the event: The Official

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-36637722086948664342009-05-18T21:45:00.002Z2009-05-19T00:46:36.031Z

I am currently building a new website which I am hoping to launch in July 2009 which will be available on the following URL:http://www.NarrowboatDirectory.comAs you can probably tell, the idea of the website is to be a directory of all Narrowboats in the UK. I have the current listings from BW, EA & the Broads Authority which are all pretty poor when it comes to database design. E.g. The BW

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-81535416350098891482009-05-14T10:13:00.002Z2009-05-14T10:18:54.737Z

The next phase of my DIY on Sirius is to repair the wardrobe door and give the wardrobe a good clean! As you can see from the photo I took yesterday, it really needs both :)The left hand wardrobe door fell apart a couple of years ago, but I have all the bits and a couple of clamps and some wood glue, so hopefully I will be able to put it all back together again. Then the cupboard will need a

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-55077770587180444922009-05-13T21:45:00.001Z2009-05-14T09:48:48.066Z

I have been using Remember the Milk for a few months now for trying to manage my tasks, both related to my job working for Ava (who produce Temporary Staff Agency Software) and also for day to day tasks like repairing the floor on Sirius!I saw today that Google have announced they are now providing Task Lists in Google Calendar which I am sure will effect companies like Remember the Milk.For me

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-83869220510727836812009-05-13T09:04:00.004Z2009-05-13T09:20:19.272Z

I have been meaning to upload a couple of photos for over a week now! I have been busy as my younger brother decided to beat me to it and he married Linda over the bank holiday weekend, they were very lucky with the weather!A friend Dave and I ripped up the very rotten flooring in the bedroom on Sirius and built a new supporting structure which is fixed down onto the Narrowboat steel. Most of the

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-61460320319371885712009-04-24T14:49:00.001Z2009-04-29T16:23:07.728Z

Well the DIY is going to continue this weekend, I will hopefully post some photos tomorrow. The plan is to rip up some of the flooring which has unfortunately rotted away by water leaking into Sirius through a currently un-known source.After the old flooring is up, obviously stage two will be laying some new flooring, I'm not sure yet what sort of wood to use, it will probably depend on what I

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-61954667254158221682009-04-06T10:17:00.003Z2009-04-29T16:23:24.745Z

I thought this was an interesting Narrowboat related bit of news from the This is Wiltshire website. The Royal Navy have bought themselves a 70' narrowboat! I wonder which of the following gadgets it has:* bow thrusters* Anti-GRP torpedos ;-)* Helicopter Landing Pad? ( Something I was considering if I every become good enough at flying my model one :) )In all seriousness though, they have bought

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-51120338225802728082009-04-02T14:34:00.004Z2009-05-14T10:19:14.209Z

For the last couple of weekends I have been giving Sirius a decent spring clean with help from a couple of friends of mine. Two weekends ago we jet washed the outside (both sides) and gave her a good scrubbing down, she looks a lot better now, but the down side is this exposes all the areas that need a re-paint, and on a 70' narrowboat, that's quite a few places!Then last weekend it was time to

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-39020256693891832262009-04-02T14:15:00.003Z2009-04-02T14:31:31.460Z

My girlfriend has been persuading me to read more recently, by more, I actually mean in all honesty that I have not read a fiction book for the past 15 years! So, as we had a long flight Marie bought me Hold Tight by Harlan Coben which turned out to be just the right sort of book for me, I'd highly recommend it! And following on from that I am now reading Tell No One which has proved to be

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-10126673261656796412009-04-02T14:01:00.007Z2009-04-02T14:30:58.488Z

I thought I'd have a play around with the Amazon associates scheme and see how well their automatic book adverts actually work. In theory after 4 or 5 people visit each page on my blog the books or products advertised should be relevant to the content in my blog.So far I have noticed that the books advertised on the home page are definitely narrowboat related, so maybe it will be of interest to

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-3839766994597256152009-03-05T13:14:00.006Z2009-04-29T16:24:47.924Z

Hi All,It's amazing how time flies when your having fun. I have now had the windows replaced by Marine Windows, they also added new sealant to the other 10 windows (at my cost) so hopefully that will stop a bit of the water that gets into Sirius, and maybe keep out a few of the spiders :)I've also moved Sirius, but not very far and the Thames is now back on Red boards and stream increasing again,

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1236976487643955602009-02-12T14:34:00.002Z2009-02-12T14:39:46.492Z

Well as those of you who living in the UK (and who actually read this in the next week or so) will know it has been raining cats and dogs over the last few days. The K&A is at it's highest point this year, the water was flowing straight over the weir on Tuesday night in the centre of Reading by the Loch Fyne restaurant.I don't think there is a hope for me moving Sirius this weekend, for a start I

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-14213540519379357382009-02-04T23:11:00.003Z2009-04-29T16:25:24.455Z

Craft Insure, who are the insurance company who I have my Narrowboat insurance with have given me the go ahead to replace the smashed windows and repair the window frame.Apparently they are not sure I should be claiming for new carpet and bedding, I would be interested what you all think? I had two windows smashed on top of the bed and over the bedroom carpet. The glass shattered into thousands

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-29219942526516632362008-12-11T13:14:00.002Z2008-12-11T13:30:38.409Z

I placed a bid on a BW mooring this afternoon to see if I could get myself a mooring. I am in two minds about having a mooring at all, because I just feel if you pay a fortune for a mooring, you should use it.. but then that means your not cruising around the network visiting all those nice little village pubs and meeting lots of fellow boaters :)So, my plan was to try and get a cheap mooring

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-22180040417766971422008-09-18T08:49:00.000Z2008-09-18T08:49:35.702Z

Now this is pretty cool, Google Maps for mobile now has walking directions. The question is when will they buy a site like Canal Plan, who have a lot of photos of the canals and then produce a boating directions guide with boat eye photos :)Official Google Blog: Google Maps for mobile now with Street View and walking directions

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-51035285398362633822008-08-12T22:17:00.004Z2008-08-12T22:26:06.662Z

Hi All,I've no idea how many people actually read this blog, maybe it's just my mum.. infact, maybe she doesn't read it?! Anyway, for those of you who have read it, thank you, and do leave some comments so I know your out there :)As you will have seen from my previous post Sirius was broken into, since then I have tried to spend more time on Sirius, the problem is, as I work in IT I have a

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-45828129545515384572008-07-30T21:47:00.003Z2008-07-30T21:49:42.525Z

A couple of days ago I ran out of Diesel, miles from a filling stop, so I thought I would try and get hold of a couple of Jerry cans ( the big 20 litre fuel containers ). I decided to put a note onto Freecycle to see if someone had one they would like to give away, and low and behold, 24 hours later, I now have three!!I am going to use them to give Sirius a good drink and then I will probably

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-22907793625810426562008-07-23T21:41:00.002Z2009-04-29T16:24:27.184Z

Sirius was unfortunately broken into twice this week, I think by some local kids from the Theale / Reading area. They were apparently spotted a couple of times, the first time was after they smashed a window for the second time, and the second time they were spotted they were again hanging around Sirius, looking like they were about to cause trouble.2 white boys and 1 black... all on bikes..

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-67001932844470464242008-01-24T00:32:00.000Z2008-01-24T00:32:50.362Z

I just noticed the following post on the Blogger Buzz Blog. You can now create your blog with the user interface in one of 37 languages! I thought I might post my next few articles in Manderin, Arabic and Jedi ;-)Blogger Buzz: Three new languages and a whole new direction for Blogger

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-66591125082980615492007-11-13T21:44:00.000Z2007-11-13T21:46:17.575Z

Well, a quick update for you all. It seems the reason Sirius was not starting very well ( or eventually at all ) was due to water damage to the starter motor. I took the starter motor off last weekend and have now been told by the service company it will cost me about £100 to get it fixed. Fingers crossed they do a good job and i'll be able to get Sirius moving again at the weekend :)

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-69479057287496667042007-10-09T22:11:00.001Z2007-10-09T22:11:39.035Z

Yes, it's true. I have been so busy this summer that Sirius has been rather neglected. So much so that I have not cruised anywhere for over 2 months! I need to replace the starter motor, and have a diesel heater to fit. If anyone has any spare time and would like to help with some boat DIY just let me know...  Form an orderly queue please... one at a time... no pushing I know you

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-54853935844180364212007-03-21T09:13:00.000Z2007-03-21T09:12:35.999Z

Hi blog readers I am currently skiing in la plagne and the snow is great as you can see.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-50020818380058803692007-03-07T09:19:00.000Z2007-03-07T09:26:26.655Z

Hi Sirius blog readers :)I have today changed the URL for my blog, hopefully the old one is also still working. The new blog address is:http://www.narrowboatblog.com/I was thinking that I could set the domain up with Sirius's name as a "subdomain" and hence allow others to also use the domain... eg. "sirius.narrowboatblog.com" etc... if enough other Narrowboat bloggers are interest I could be

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1171413708210084172007-02-14T00:41:00.000Z2007-02-14T01:05:37.990Z

Hi there blog readers!For those of you who have subscribed to my blog, (which I was surprised about) I am sorry I've been so quiet over the last few months. As you have probably guess I have not done a lot of boating on Sirius over the winter months.The good news is that during the last month Sirius has been to the Narrowboat equivalent of a health farm, aka. A boat yard! She has hopefully by now

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1157725269509727372006-09-08T14:21:00.000Z2006-09-08T14:21:10.143Z

St.Mary's in the Scilly Isles. A great place to visit if any of you blog readers are interested. We have just spent the week camping on Bryher which is the smallest inhabited island.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1156533127529793042006-08-25T19:12:00.000Z2006-08-25T19:12:09.516Z

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1156527939337691532006-08-25T17:45:00.000Z2006-08-25T17:45:47.353Z

I am Travelling on my own to the beale park festival.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1150769267396528272006-05-29T11:03:00.000Z2006-06-22T21:46:23.943Z

Gently travelling along the Oxford canal we passed Granny Buttons a couple of times. I don't seem to have much time to update this blog, but here's a photo of Granny Buttons.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1147780469761073832006-05-16T11:51:00.000Z2006-05-18T09:02:16.643Z

I thought some of you might like to see my friends blog about their little boy Nicholas... Matt, Mia and Nicholas' Blog

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1135337927437801472005-12-17T17:00:00.000Z2006-04-01T15:54:39.856Z

First of all, Happy Christmas everyone!The plan for today was to leave Theale in good time so that we could go through the Oracle shopping centre just as it was getting dark. Unfortunately we didn't take into account that we'd all like to stop for a pub lunch on the way, so by the time we got to Fobney Lock it was already getting dark.As you can see, as we were waiting for Fobney Lock to fill up,

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1135304609307998302005-11-26T18:22:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:08:47.040Z

As you can see from this photograph, when you go through the Oracle shopping centre in Reading there is a traffic light controlled one way system.As mentioned a couple of days ago, here is Fobney lock, you can see the annoying weir on the right of this photo.Has anyone any idea what this is beside the lock? Please leave a comment if you do!Nice hat Alex :)

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1135300804206033262005-11-18T18:19:00.000Z2006-03-05T04:08:59.696Z

This is where we moored last night, it's beside the old abbey ruines and Reading prison.Although it was cold today, it was also gloriously sunny when we stopped in Soning for lunch so we got a couple of chairs out and sat on the bank in the sun.This was the sunset as we travelled back to Reading.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1135299978713384482005-11-17T18:02:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:10:53.763Z

We left the Thame Water HQ mooring at about 11ish, as you can see it was still icing on the top of Sirius as we went through Caversham LockWe decided to go along the Kennett and Avon, with the intention of heading towards Theale. Blakes Lock has quite an interesting mechanism for opening and closing the sluices.Just after Blakes Lock you go through the centre of the new Reading shopping centre,

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1135299668297121142005-11-16T17:00:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:11:33.643Z

Last night we had a meal in the John Barleycorn Inn the food was excellent!Today we headed back to Reading as Cleave lock is closes so we can go no further north.The photo on the left is the Railway bridge between Goring and Pangbourne.Just past the bridge there is a long straight section running along side Beale Park, you can moor at the part if you wish to visit.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1132538150265510032005-11-15T05:53:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:12:27.020Z

Today started off as a bit of a grey morning as you can see, here we were moored out side the Thames Water's new offices.A photo of the very smart looking Thames Water offices.About a mile away from Reading bridge is Caversham bridge, notorious for traffic problems of the four wheeled variety.Melanie at the helm :)Just coming up to Whitchurch lock, where I had the joyous task of emptying the

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1132537232428009422005-11-14T17:28:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:12:43.796Z

After trying to start a weeks holiday all weekend, it eventually started half way through today!Melanie and I had planned to take a trip from Reading up to Lower Heyford, but, unfortunately this plan had to change...The down side to a slow start in November, is the amount of daylight hours you have, and added to that having to stop for disel and water for over 30 minutes. We were lucky that the

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1130152175567636942005-10-23T17:15:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:13:46.223Z

See my route on a Google MapThe weather forecast for today was not very good, but I did not want to leave Sirius in Marlow, so time to press on! Melanie said she would give me a hand which was great, as it's always more fun with someone else around.We had a couple of interesting moments, the first of which was when Melanie tried pushing the from of Sirius away from the lock edge, and almost

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1130143086008498482005-10-22T18:24:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:16:48.953Z

Well, I have left Sirius in Maidenhead for too long, due to being very busy at work etc etc. This weekend was time to move her on, ( A letter from the Environment Agency reminded me ;-) )Jeni, Rupert, Jenny, Alex and Melanie all came along to help move Sirius. After we had all arrived, we tried to start the engine, and, nothing...After a little bit of tinkering around and remembering what I had

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1127682593081022942005-09-25T21:09:00.000Z2005-09-25T21:09:53.086Z

My friend Alex and I spent Saturday cleaning out the starboard window frames and re-sealing them with silicon sealant. Hopefully we will have fixed the leaks! Thanks for your help Alex!

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1123455535837833842005-08-06T17:57:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:17:32.686Z

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1123455846853579652005-08-05T19:00:00.000Z2006-05-24T13:58:52.553Z

This evening I was invited by my company (SpinVox to join some of the rest of the team on a Global Challenge yacht for a corporate entertainment evening. Which involved cruising out into the solent from Southampton over to Cowles on the Isle of Wight.This was in time for the final evening of the Cowle's festival and the fireworks display, there were hundreds of boats in the water ranging from

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1122249300929363972005-07-24T23:37:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:18:52.890Z

We woke up this morning to find it was raining, and not just a light shower, proper rain :(After deliberating for an hour whether to go or not, I decided to get up and start our journey towards Maidenhead. Yvonne stayed in bed, so I single handedly turned Sirius around, and headed along the Henley Regatta stretch, with an unbrella in one hand, and the rudder in the other.Yvonne decided to get up

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1122248217983361162005-07-23T21:30:00.000Z2005-07-24T23:36:57.990Z

Today was a glorious sunny day, it's day's like this that make having a boat worth while. Yvonne and I took Sirius from Kings meddow in Reading down the Thames to Henley on Thames.We moored the night along the edge of the park, it said on a sign that it cost £8 per night for mooring, but no one came and asked us for any money (the last time I stayed there, for the regatta, they swooped as soon as

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1121638541337103162005-07-17T22:11:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:20:04.583Z

Today was my birthday! OMG.. the start of my 30's !This weekend has been a weekend of parties; a BBQ at my friend Alex's house on Friday night for his 40th Birthday, a joint Jive party to celebrate both Alex's 40th and my 30th last night, and finally today to finish off the weekend another BBQ at my house.To top it all, and make it oh so relevant for my blog, check out my cake given to me by

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1121174946634805152005-07-11T19:25:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:20:19.736Z

My friend Roxy owns a narrowboat called "Dancing Bear". Roxy is off on travels around the UK for 3 / 4 months, lucky girl! As she was going through Pangbourne she spotted Sirius and decided to moor next to her :)After a few phone calls, Roxy, her friend Mark?!, Maggie and I all met up and had a squash curry made by Roxy, thanks Roxy!We spent the next few hours just sitting watching the sun set

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1121077488129287042005-07-11T01:21:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:20:50.573Z

Today Paula, Mark, Yvonne and I all went for a trip along the Thames to Goring. We were aiming for the Catherine Wheel pub, but we must have missed it, as we ended up going to the Queens Arms pub near the railway station. It was a glorious day, we spotted a novel means of sailing, and I think Mark spotting was the best, he spotted a turtle (terrapin?) sitting on a log on the edge of the river, a

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1121076008792321952005-07-10T00:00:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:21:08.746Z

Today with Yvonne we travelled from Tesco's in Reading along to Pangbourne. We fuelled up at "Better Boats" in Reading, 80 litres at 42p a litre! After travelling through Caversham, past Caversham Island (Pictured, I think) I dropped Yvonne off in Tilehurst to go and pick up her car, I continued alone through Mapledurham Lock, and had hoped to moor just the other side.Not a chance.. there seems

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1121075681919883842005-07-02T19:43:00.000Z2006-03-03T15:21:40.343Z

My friend John Peachey and I took Sirius along the Thames from the back of Reading Tesco's to Henley, we left Reading at about midday, and arrived in Henley at about 3:30pm, I don't think I have ever seen Henley so busy (I have been to the Regatta three times before on foot)There were boats just about everywhere! It was amazing that there were no major boat collisions (at least, none that I saw)

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1118859989672102052005-06-15T18:26:00.000Z2006-01-13T16:36:49.530Z

I just met Paul from Marine Windows, he had a look at my leaky old windows, and rather than suggesting replacing them, he suggested just changing the seals, and filling a few joints with silicon.If anyone needs window work done on their boat his contact details are:Paul HughesThe Boat YardMill GreenCavershamReadingRG4 8EXTel: 01189482664Mobile: 07836250219It says on his card they are:"

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1117787179874517642005-06-03T08:26:00.000Z2005-07-17T22:22:16.453Z

As my boat was broken into a couple of weeks ago, I remembered someone warning me to look out for a character called Finch who was a serial narrowboat burglar. I just found the following site with info about his history which some of you might be interested in reading.The things stolen from my boat were alcohol, a can of ravioli, and a pillow case, apart from that I think everything else

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1116963955951955052004-12-29T02:22:00.000Z2005-10-31T13:57:59.253Z

Yvonne re-joined me for this part of the trip,

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1116962464066231832004-12-24T18:10:00.000Z2005-05-24T19:21:04.070Z

My mum and I moved Sirius from the British Waterway's mooring in the centre of Newark to the new King's Marina. They had space for us to moor for a couple of days over Christmas Day / Boxing day, as we were going to spend Christmas with my family. Before we left I thought I had a problem with the bilge pump.. (the things you learn about your boat as a newbie!)I have two pumps, one was working and

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1116960468003087892004-12-23T19:41:00.000Z2006-04-06T17:10:20.743Z

Well, after Yesterday's experience we had planned to get up and leave early this morning, but, it was blowing an absolute gale, and we were not sure if we were going to be able to navigate at all. We decide to wait a bit and see if the wind calmed down, which by 10am it had a little, so we set off, being very wary of the corner around Dunham Dubs!We called ahead to Cromwell Lock, and by the time

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1116959821418874872004-12-23T02:15:00.000Z2005-05-24T18:37:30.120Z

Now, the plan for today was to get from Torksey to Cromwell Lock, but, unfortunately luck was not on our side. It was just my mum and I travelling as Yvonne had gone back home yesterday evening. We set off at 9am, on another cold winters morning, by about 9:30am we had reached Dunham Dubs, which is a sort of S bend in the river. We were chatting away, and both noticed what we thought was a duck

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1104176108137904952004-12-22T01:27:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:50:36.630Z

We had thought about setting off at about 2:30am as the tide rose, but I woke up at 2am to find there was a thick fog outside, so I decided to go back to sleep. We woke up at about 9am to the sound of a pile driver thumping foundation piles into the ground. The sun is shining, but there was a cold frost last night, so the top of Sirius is frosty. My mum bought a few bits from the local shops,

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1103627719966466042004-12-20T19:15:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:48:53.170Z

My Mum, Yvonne & I arrived in Goole at about 3pm on Sunday, and spent the afternoon getting settled in. We decorated one side of Sirius with some Christmas lights, and will do the other side when we can reach it safely :)In the evening we went to the local marina club house and had a quick drink before all going to bed.On Monday we spent the morning fueling up, buying coal for the stoves etc, and

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1103295050946330832004-12-17T22:46:00.000Z2004-12-17T14:50:50.946Z

Well, it's been a while since I have had any news worth posting on here. Sirius is now ready to be moved, she has had a lot of work done on her, and will now look like a different boat from the outside, I will try and upload some photos next week! I am intending to paint Sirius in a dark red colour, she has been fully stripped down and has had a couple of coats of undercoat, which I have not yet

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1098666002696005352004-10-25T08:57:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:47:46.096Z

This weekend I went up to stay on Sirius for the first time, and Yvonne came too, also to stay, and to see Sirius for the first time! While we were there we saw the rudder that Alan Pease had repaired for me.A before and after photo can be seen below:

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1098063108294754192004-10-18T09:29:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:47:11.846Z

Sirius should by now have had her bottom blacked. Last week Alan took Sirius's rudder back to his workshop to repair it. He sent through a couple of photos yesterday. It's certainly looking a lot better than it did before!

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097846329791928222004-10-15T21:20:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:46:29.963Z

Here are a few of the photos taken which Sirius was in a Dry Dock having a survey.A couple more photos inside Sirius, the Engine again and the second stove (surrounded with clutter) in the Engine room.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097799372569254442004-10-15T06:07:00.000Z2004-10-15T00:18:22.870Z

Well, I drove up to Castleford on Wednesday evening, I had intended to leave work in good time, but in the end I did not leave the office until gone 10pm, which meant I arrived in Castleford at about 1:20am feeling very tired! I stayed in a Travel Lodge (note to self the Premium Inn around the corner was cheaper!) and this morning I drove over to the Hargreaves dry dock. On arrival I found that

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097249287299632062004-10-08T20:28:00.000Z2004-10-08T15:37:16.786Z

These guides seem to be recommended by everyone, I had a look at them today in the local bookshop, and these seem very comprehensive, so I'll probably get Guide 1, 3, 6 & 7 to cover my trip. Waterways Guides Updates

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097148862851098252004-10-07T19:36:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:42:52.616Z

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097148615113551552004-10-07T19:33:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:42:12.293Z

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097146926672828992004-10-07T07:30:00.000Z2006-04-06T16:41:23.503Z

Here are the first few pictures of the outside of Sirius, as you can see, she needs a good bit of TLC.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097104342013036032004-10-07T07:12:00.000Z2004-10-06T23:13:02.043Z

I did a search on Sirius and found this website mentions passing a narrowboat called Sirius! TNC On Tour 2003 Page 1 Part of their tour is also the reverse of the trip I need to make to bring Sirius down from Goole to Reading.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097100965555672872004-10-07T05:15:00.000Z2004-10-06T22:43:26.766Z

I found a site that enables you to plan your routes along a canal, might be of use for my trip. CANALPLAN AC - Canal Route Planner

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097102752590918032004-10-07T04:30:00.000Z2004-10-06T22:46:30.063Z

Lynn has called me this evening to say that the survey has been booked for next thursday, (14th October) so I will need to book the day off work. Apparently I need to be there at 9:30am, which could mean a 5am start :-O

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097059052417082272004-10-02T20:30:00.000Z2004-10-06T12:12:55.433Z

Well, I drove all the way up to Goole, to meet Alan Pease, who is the boatbuilder / broker selling Sirius. We drove from Alan's boat yard to where Sirius is currently moored so that I could have a good look over her. First impressions were that she was in the state already described by Alan and Lynn on the phone, no worse, no better :) As I looked around the boat, I did find a few things that

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097054622956797452004-09-13T17:23:00.000Z2004-10-06T12:12:26.930Z

After a lot of hunting around and umming and arring about it, I found a boat up in Yorkshire called Sirius. Sirius is being sold by the boatbuilder Alan Pease, his website can be found at Alan Pease Boats.

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8599951.post-1097006524269231512004-09-02T04:00:00.000Z2004-10-06T09:43:39.130Z

I have decided to buy a Narrowboat, and thought I would log my experiences from start to finish using a blog! I hope someone finds it to be an interesting read one day :) I have decided to see if I can keep a blog going about my experiences through the buying process, any restoration and then life with a canal boat. So watch this space :)

Vizioz Limitedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00814054517669967203noreply@blogger.com1