To Bristol for a survey

Hello again, nice to see you

On Wednesday we rented a car and went back to Bristol, as the out of water survey of our new boat was due on Thursday morning.  We spent a couple of hours measuring up and trying to work out where we're going to put all our possessions for the first few weeks while we personalise the boat and fit new cupboards and wardrobes in the spare bedroom.  I'm sure it's going to be chaos but I really can't wait.

At 8am Thursday they craned her out onto hard-standing ready for the survey.

We weren't going to bother with a survey as the boat is only 5 years old and at £500 we thought it was a bit expensive...................but boy were we glad we changed our minds! It turned out to be possibly the best £500 we've ever spent.

The surveyor was Ben Sutcliffe who came from South Wales and took almost 6 hours going over the boat with a fine tooth comb.  We'd already spent 3 days back in June while we were moored in Bristol Harbour going over every inch and thought we'd found all the faults, but Ben found quite a few minor ones that we'd missed, along with a couple of potentially serious ones hidden below the water.  These faults will now be rectified by the vendor before we pay our money and take possession. He also gave Roger lots of hints and tips as he went along which will be invaluable in the future.

So here she is...... I can finally present to you "Out Of The Blue" which will be our new home very very soon

She's a replica French Peniche and will mark a new stage in our life's adventures.  I CAN'T WAIT

Bye for now, have a great Bank Holiday weekend