nb 'ELEMIAH'

[TeeELL]

Don't get too excited, nothing dramatic just yet I am afraid. (In fact nothing much at all). I am pondering whether to 'Blog' directly here or to use my shiny new blogspot site. I think I need to decide which is going to be the easiest to administer, up-load pictures to etc. Just to prove I am indeed in two minds if any of you are at a loose end please try:

http://nb-elemiah.blogspot.com/

 

As you can see, there is not much there at the moment either.

 

However, creating the 'Blog' did while away 20 mins over lunch and, if I e-mail stuff to work, I can be productive during lunchtimes populating either this site or the blogspot. Standby to standby.

[Pirate]

Don't get too excited, nothing dramatic just yet I am afraid. (In fact nothing much at all). I am pondering whether to 'Blog' directly here or to use my shiny new blogspot site. I think I need to decide which is going to be the easiest to administer, up-load pictures to etc. Just to prove I am indeed in two minds if any of you are at a loose end please try:

http://nb-elemiah.blogspot.com/

 

As you can see, there is not much there at the moment either.

 

However, creating the 'Blog' did while away 20 mins over lunch and, if I e-mail stuff to work, I can be productive during lunchtimes populating either this site or the blogspot. Standby to standby.

 

 

 

Mmmmm it`s a good idea and yours looks very similar to mine at the moment ,lol.

[Moley]

I am pondering whether to 'Blog' directly here or to use my shiny new blogspot site.

If you want my personal opinion, I've read and enjoyed all the build blogs on Canalworld but rarely go to any cross-referenced elsewhere. Ours is easy to use, and you know straight away when anything has been updated. I'm not over-keen on that other blogger site, don't much like the presentation and think the text is too small.

 

But the choice is yours, and I'd be interested to read your story.

[TeeELL]

I have managed to get a photo on my 'blogspot' site because it was easier that the photobucket/resize etc method. (Actually it was because I had a photo on my work PC which I could upload to the blogspot but not to photobucket because I can't remember my password etc and I don't have any software to resize.

 

Take your point Moley, I may well stick with this site having uploaded all the photos I need to photobucket from home.

[TeeELL]

'ELEMIAH' the story begins.

In Sept 2004 I reacquainted myself with narrow boating after a 17 year absence. A week on an Anglo-Welsh hire boat out of Alvechurch rekindled a suppressed enthusiasm that had first appeared in 1961. Having left the boat at the end of the weeks holiday my partner and I took ourselves off around various boatyards and marinas looking at boats.

During Oct and Nov we both scanned the various web-sites looking for something suitable, it was my partner who found ‘ELEMIAH’ and the advertisement is still available at: http://davesnarrowboat.blogspot.com/ I don’t know what it was about the boat but, even as I drove to see her I knew that I was going to buy.

The hull of ‘ELEMIAH’ was built by Blackmill Boats Ltd of Orston Notts and fitted out by BlueBird Boats (from the various receipts one and the same) with Dave, the new owner, undertaking the full fit-out. Unfortunately (for Dave), his circumstances changed and he was obliged to sell and, of the 30 odd people who viewed the boat, I was the first person he prepared to sell to. On Fri 26 Nov 2004 57ft narrow boat ‘Papa Lazarou’ plus a whole list of ‘to be fitted’ parts was mine and the fun began!

 

The extended trad stern with Dave the previous owner looking disconsolate!

 

On mooring at Longwood Boat Club on the day I saw her for the first time.

 

The front (but then you probably worked that out for yourselves.

 

Club rules precluded selling boat with moorings so I had to move ‘ELEMIAH’ to new moorings at Alvecote Marina nr Tamworth. My crew and I set off on the evening of 20th Dec 2004 moving just a short distance to the top lock of the Ganzi 7 where we met Albert the Hobbler (of Water World fame) who was going to help us down the Perry Barr Flight the following day. We locked up the boat, with the temperatures falling, and retired to a local hotel for the night.

 

The boat on the public moorings being prepared for the move the following week

 

Next day found us trying to unlock a frozen padlock and then try and break enough ice to be able to enter the top lock of the Ganzi 7 (the lower group of the Rushall flight of locks). Progress this first full day was slow and cold – remember that, at this stage, ‘ELEMIAH’ was little more than a ‘sail away’ and the OAT was minus 2-3ºC, all we had was cold food and a flask of hot water for soup/coffee. Nevertheless, we found time to stop and give ‘ELEMIAH’ her name.

 

The morning of day 2 with the sun shining off the name and junior crew member wrapped up for the day ahead.

 

We stopped that night at the Marston Farm Hotel north east of Curdworth (the less said about the food and service there the better). The following morning we continued and finally made it to Alvecote at about 3.30 with the light fading. That second full day had been a bit traumatic as the engine kept stopping and was becoming increasingly reluctant to start. Needless to say we were pleased to be able to lock-up and leave for a bit of warmth.

 

Just for something completely different - this is me doing what was my day job - I am in the rear cockpit in this particular shot - flying near Cader Idris.

 

Having just previewed, I see I need to 'up the quality' a bit on the pictures - I'll sort that in due course.

 

Next…. Finding the name ‘ELEMIAH’.

[charles123]

Don't get too excited, nothing dramatic just yet I am afraid. (In fact nothing much at all). I am pondering whether to 'Blog' directly here or to use my shiny new blogspot site. I think I need to decide which is going to be the easiest to administer, up-load pictures to etc. Just to prove I am indeed in two minds if any of you are at a loose end please try:

http://nb-elemiah.blogspot.com/

 

As you can see, there is not much there at the moment either.

 

However, creating the 'Blog' did while away 20 mins over lunch and, if I e-mail stuff to work, I can be productive during lunchtimes populating either this site or the blogspot. Standby to standby.

 

Tony,

 

The quickest and easiest by far is to use your blog, and you get wider exposure, excellent though this site is there are a limited number of members interested in anything to do with building or refurbishing a narrowboat

 

Charles

[Alec Gatherer]

Cool. That last photo - bit of a shock that was! 4mph must be different!

[alan_fincher]

Tony,

 

The quickest and easiest by far is to use your blog, and you get wider exposure, excellent though this site is there are a limited number of members interested in anything to do with building or refurbishing a narrowboat

 

Charles

I'm not sure I agree....

 

I think a lot of interest is generated on the site by people posting the stuff here.

 

I regularly visit the ones by Ade, Chris, Stuart, etc, but feel I'd be less likely to do so if they were separately hosted.

 

I'm only slowly renovating, and partially refitting, so don't think mine would be half as interesting as those doing the much bigger task, (and somehow am never organised enough to do one anyway).

 

But I suspect there are many like me taking inspiration from others, and that those on this site get looked at a lot....

 

I'm not knocking other peoples build (or cruising) blogs, per se, but I find so many of them to be very quirky, and the bad ones probably eventually deter me from ever finding the good ones.....

 

Alan

[TeeELL]

I think I will probably concentrate on poulating this thread and, as an aside, work on the 'Blog' site so there is visibility for folk who do not visit this site - thus a compromise. Is anybody interested in some more historical asides within the main thrust of the blog? Such things as pictures from my first boat trip in 1961, the second in 1973 and others in the late 70's/early 80's? Off topic as far as 'ELEMIAH' is concerned but perhaps of interest - opinions would be appreciated. Perhaps I should start another thread for that?

[Lesd]

[Hi Tony,

Looking forward to seeing your build reports. Personally I like to see older historical information too, but perhaps posting that in a seperate thread would be the best though

Les

 

quote name=TeeELL' date='May 19 2006, 12:13 PM' post='60032]

I think I will probably concentrate on poulating this thread and, as an aside, work on the 'Blog' site so there is visibility for folk who do not visit this site - thus a compromise. Is anybody interested in some more historical asides within the main thrust of the blog? Such things as pictures from my first boat trip in 1961, the second in 1973 and others in the late 70's/early 80's? Off topic as far as 'ELEMIAH' is concerned but perhaps of interest - opinions would be appreciated. Perhaps I should start another thread for that?

[TeeELL]

So why 'ELEMIAH'?

Having found my boat it was essential to find a name that would be unique and relevant. The obvious names such as 'Moon Shadow' are well used (indeed the Waterways World mag I was browsing back then featured a 'Moon Shadow' in one of the boat builders ads!). Independantly my partner and I searched for suitable names and, as is often the case the simple expedient of not Googling quite the same search comes up trumps. My partner turned up some 5 names and ELEMIAH was the one that stuck out.

Elemiah is the Angel of inward journeys. Traditionally believed to watch over and protect those who travel on water. Very apt I though and so the name was chosen.

With the name 'in the bag' and the decision made to have the boat painted during the summer of '05 it was necessary to find a suitable picture of the Angel ELEMIAH (who, incidentally is a 'male' Angel one of the 8 seraphims). I decided that a line drawing would be appropriate and several people contributed designs, some based upon traditional but stylised angels, one using the Hebrew word for water to form 2 angels (which was an amazing creation). In the end I eventually found a rather agressive looking angel standing looking out from a rocky pinnacle, sword to his side and spear in hand drawn by a Japanese artist (which so far I cannot find on the internet to link to - and quite the scariest angel to bump into on a dark night!!!) and that drawing was softened and modified so that ELEMIAH is now standing on a canal bridge holding a boat pole.

I will post pictures but, once again I am during this during my lunch break and I do not have access to photobucket.com.

 

Ha ha - cracked it! The modified picture:

 

and now, the final variation (got rid of the 'Puss in Boots' look!!) as applied to the boat

Edited May 25, 2006 by TeeELL

[Moley]

Tony, many thanks for the explanation, I had been rather curious (but hadn't considered googling it).

 

Put in context that's an excellent and clever name choice, and the artwork is superb.

 

Nice one,

Ade.

 

=================

edit:

 

And it's unique:

 

ELEMIAH Built by BLACKMILL BOATS - Length: 56 feet 11 inches (17.35 metres) Beam: 6 feet 10 inches (2.09 metres). Metal hull power of 45BHP. Registered with BW number 511210 as a Powered.

Edited May 25, 2006 by Moley

[Bones]

Fabulous image! I am looking forward to hearing more.

[TeeELL]

Initially I wasn't going to add the rest of the information about ELEMIAH in case you all got the idea that I was a theologian or had some form of religious bent.

However, here goes:

 

Elemiah is one of the 8 Seraphims (protectors of God) in the Tree of Life in the book of Yatsirah (the Hebrew book of the creation). If you want more information then I would suggest a good Googling!! But it can get a bit deep. (I have done the above from memory – had to learn it because of the number of times I’ve been asked about the name).

 

I guess you had better have a picture of the name:

 

 

I'll cover the paint scheme next week as I'm off to Crick Sat/Sun and doing my Helmsmans course on Mon at Stourport.

Edited May 25, 2006 by TeeELL

[DHutch]

Excelent, i like the picutre!