The Build of Esme No 2 - A New Beginning

[Esme No 2]

Well I’ve finally plucked up the courage to write the story. It is a build blog (I promise). However, I need to give a bit of background first as to how and why we came to be having a new boat built. I’m afraid it is a bit of a mega-blog (rather like War and Peace), so I’ll split it up into Chapters so as to make it easier reading.

 

Once upon a time……….

 

Chapter One – The Prologue

 

Mr “Esme No. 2” and I fell in love with the canals in the same way that many people do. First there was that family holiday that you never want to end, followed by further holidays afloat. Then in 1997 we discovered the Ownerships boat scheme and became proud co-owners of narrowboat “Slipstream”.

 

Slipstream is a 58ft semi-traditional narrowboat and for the next 7 years she became the focus of some wonderful family holidays.

 

 

The shared ownership concept also gave us an insight into what was involved in running and maintaining a boat. Although, of course, having decided what maintenance tasks needed doing each year, we had the luxury of handing over the organisation and management of those tasks to someone else.

 

Like many others before us, we dreamed of one day retiring and cruising off into the sunset on our own narrowboat. The only trouble was with modern day pension funds, or lack of them, retirement seemed an awful long way off.

 

By 2004 we started to think that if we wanted to realise our dream of owning our own boat whilst we were still (relatively) young and fit enough to enjoy it fully, perhaps we shouldn’t wait too long. Also the tragic premature death of a close relative made us consider the potential folly of hoping to fulfil a dream at an uncertain future point in time. So, uncharacteristically, we decided to live for the moment and be reckless.

 

We found a home by Staffs and Worcs. canal, complete with that rare commodity a mooring. We extend………….ed (ouch!) our mortgage (thus ensuring of course that we can never afford to retire) and set about looking for a dream boat of our own.

 

 

Chapter Two - Weatherwax – The short-lived dream

 

Our intention was to find a second-hand boat and we spent many months trawling through brokers’ web sites and visiting boat yards. A couple of times we found boats that we liked and made offers… only to find that someone else had beat us to it. We found that because we worked Monday to Friday this was a disadvantage. We could mostly only view boats at the weekend and suitable boats always seemed to have been snapped up on the Friday!

 

Then we struck gold. Whilst visiting ABNB in Crick to see yet another second-hand narrowboat that had gone “Under Offer” before we arrived, the broker happened to mention a brand new boat that had just come into stock and had not yet been advertised. She was only the second boat fitted by a relatively new business D&J Narrowboats and had been built on spec. that she would find a good home!

 

We fell in love at first sight and, although it meant extend…………..ing ourselves (double ouch!!) even further, in March 2005 she became ours. We named her Weatherwax after our favourite Terry Pratchett character.

 

 

 

Seemingly a dream fulfilled. Weatherwax was everything we could have hoped for. We spent a wonderful summer cruising the Severn to Gloucester and the Avon Ring, followed by several shorter cruises during the autumn. We pottered on the boat (as you do), fixing hooks, putting up pictures, making sure she didn’t freeze in the winter, repairing paintwork and blacking after those minor “bumps”. It all seemed idyllic but the nightmare hadn’t yet begun.

 

Chapter Three – Dark Times

 

Weatherwax survived the winter without freezing up and by March 2006 we were preparing for the first cruise of the season, planned for Mother’s Day.

 

Then around 4am on the morning of 20 March I woke up with a jolt and before I opened my eyes I knew that something terrible had happened. When I did open my eyes I could see that the bedroom was alight with a red glow. Drawing back the curtains we were greeted by the sight every boater fears….. our narrowboat was adrift in the centre of the canal, in flames and sinking.

 

Almost a year to the day after we bought her, Weatherwax had been set adrift from her home mooring, pushed across to the towpath side and set alight by vandals. Despite the best efforts of a number of fire crews, by first light our dream was nothing but a burnt out shell.

 

 

(Related forum link:)

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=3985

 

I can’t really begin to describe how we felt; it’s really too painful even now to think about it. I guess the lasting question is “Why?” We had no real valuables (in monetary terms) on the boat, just many memories, souvenirs… family board games, cruising guides… battered Pearson’s guides with notes on cruises and good places to moor, the embroidery set that I took on every holiday and never seemed to get finished, the book on knots and my amateur attempts at making mini fenders…..

 

The support of our family, neighbours and fellow boat owners was great, but we felt as though we had been physically injured.

 

Bizarrely ever since we had purchased Weatherwax I had been worried about fire. If I saw smoke over the canal I would say to my husband “I hope the boat’s alright”. On the night of the fire, our daughter, who lives over 100 miles away, was awoken by a nightmare. She had dreamed that someone in the family had been injured in an awful blaze. Thankfully, no one was actually physically hurt in the whole sad affair.

 

Then, if it were possible our nightmare became even worse. Ten days after we lost Weatherwax my father died suddenly after a heart attack. My greatest anger against the vandals who destroyed our boat is not the loss of the boat itself, but the fact that the last conversation I ever had with my father was the phone call when I told my parents what had happened to Weatherwax.

 

The spring of 2006 continued its dark course. In early May, my mother also died suddenly. The loss of the boat somehow paled into insignificance compared with the loss of both parents so soon afterwards. Not surprisingly I was in need of some serious cheering up, so husband, son and daughter took me along to the Crick Boat Show for some canal therapy.

 

Chapter Four – Should we, shouldn’t we?

 

After we lost Weatherwax, understandably I was very hesitant about looking for another boat. With all that happened to us during the spring of 2006 I felt sure that things would continue to go wrong. Although the insurers, Navigator and General had dealt very promptly and efficiently with the total loss claim, we had discovered, in the worst possible way, that narrowboats are not insured on a “new for old” basis. Even during the short time that we had owned Weatherwax the price of a new similar boat had risen considerably.

 

Besides which, if we were to get another boat, where would we get her from? We had already found it virtually impossible to find a second hand boat that exactly matched our requirements. Although we would have had no hesitation whatsoever about going back to D&J Narrowboats for a new boat, somehow we didn’t want another boat too similar to Weatherwax….that would have meant too many painful memories…..it was all perhaps a bit too soon.

 

However, walking around the Crick show, the excitement of seeing all the narrowboats was difficult to ignore. Some wonderful interiors but somehow they made me feel vulnerable: those glass windows and doors suddenly seemed rather insecure. Perhaps we should look at something with portholes.

 

So we all made our way to the SM Hudson stand and looked around a narrowboat called George (belonging to another forum member I think) with a traditional boatman’s cabin, portholes and tug engine. We were smitten. I had a small inheritance from my parents, which together with the insurance proceeds from Weatherwax would just about buy a similar replacement dream.

 

Part of me said that, sensibly, I should forget about narrowboats and invest the money in a pension fund, that way perhaps one day I might be able to retire. But you can’t cruise around the canal system in a pension fund….So, we put down a deposit to secure a build slot there and then and set about sketching a layout for our “Esme No 2”. (Terry Pratchett fans may understand the connection).

 

Chapter Five – A New Beginning

 

In late July 2006 we visit the SM Hudson Open Day to get some ideas for layout. The day wasn’t dampened by the fact that the heavens opened. To say it was wet is an understatement!

 

By now we had decided upon the usual double bed in the bedroom area. But then we saw nb. Tamora (another forum member’s boat) and were taken with the idea of having two single beds and a walkthrough layout. This seemed to maximise the possible permutations and combinations of sleeping arrangements for when we have family and friends aboard.

 

In the coming months we developed the idea and decided to have a removable infill panel between the two beds, which would mean we could have a giant full width bed when it is just the two of us aboard. This would give us a boatman’s cabin (double or single) and bedroom cabin with either twin beds or full-width double.

 

 

 

The build of Esme No 2 began in January 2007, by which time I think I was probably on layout number eight. We decided upon a length of 62ft, boatman’s cabin, tug style engine, rivets, roses and castles…the works. (Yes I know that some forum members seem to be against these features, but there again…… this is our dream……and we like them!).

 

 

Designing the boat and making decisions about mundane things such as “what kind of taps should she have?” has been strangely therapeutic. However, I suppose it is sad that a disproportionate amount of our time has been spent worrying about security features.

 

Throughout this process, Mr Hudson and Mr Webster at SM Hudson Boatbuilders have been superb. They have certainly gone “that extra mile” to help us try to rebuild our dream. In particular, they have listened patiently to my idiosyncrasies when I have panicked about security and they have found innovative ways to place yet another padlock fixing or bolt without destroying the overall appearance of our narrowboat.

 

We visit regularly to see how she is coming on….each visit more exciting than the last as she begins more and more to become “our boat”.

 

[Tried to post some images here...but got message that this gives too many images in the combined posts.... help!)

 

 

We were rather pleased to be asked whether we would allow SM Hudson’s use Esme as one of their 2007 Crick show boats. We are already very proud of her and it somehow seems rather fitting - as last year’s Crick Boat Show was such an important turning point for us during a dreadful 2006.

 

If other forum members are around at Crick, please say hello. We will be the slightly nervous looking couple buying up replacement supplies of cruising guides, knot books and extra strong padlocks!

 

We’re hoping to visit again next week to see Esme for the last time before the show and then I’ll post some further build photos.

[Moley]

Hi Kathy,

 

If you post again within 15 minutes (I think), it adds to the previous post, so this should just break your blog and allow more pics.

 

It's making great reading so far,

 

Ade.

[Bullfrog]

Well done for "picking yourself up, dusting yourself down, and starting right over again"!

 

Great reading, and I'm really pleased you are to continue boating.

 

Regards

 

David

[Esme No 2]

The Build so Far

 

Thanks to all for the kind wishes. Hopefully the pics will work this time. Not much of a photographer I'm afraid. I'll try better next visit.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Barry]

Kathy I congratulate you. You have a wonderfully clear and simple writing style - my eyes filled when you described the fire and its result

 

Esme No 2 looks beautiful - I hope you and your family have many many happy times on board

[charles123]

Interesting read, excellent choice of builder and style of boat, good luck and keep us posted. More photos please

 

Charles

[DHutch]

Yeah, just read you post, a very sad and emotional story.

- But as the others have said, congratulations being able to move on, and good luck with your future boat

 

As for the photos. There is indeed a set limit to the number of photo that can be embedded into each post.

- However as moley has pointed out, there is fudge, which by subsquent postings submited within 10minutes of the prevous will automatical merge with the prevous post (assuming no one else has posted between them).

- Alternativly, you can just construct you blog/thread/log of more than one post.

 

And welcome to the forum!

- Nothing wrong with castles and roses eather. (we've got our share down each side)

 

 

 

Daniel

[Tommo]

Hi Kathy,

 

I can remember talking to you last year, I’m sure you have made the right choice.

 

No doubt we will see you around sometime.

 

Ian (Tamora)

[allybsc]

Hi Kathy,

I'm so in love with your boat, what a cracker, you soooo deserve it after what you've been through. I hope it's everything you've wished for.

[Esme No 2]

Progress Visit – 4 May 2007

 

First, thanks to everyone for their kind comments.

 

Last Friday we visited to see how Esme was coming along. Each visit is now more exciting as the boat nears completion.

 

However, only three weeks to Crick and still quite a bit to finish, so Esme was a hive of activity, with carpenters, tilers and varnishers all at work when we stepped aboard! I didn’t want to disturb the activity too much……so only a few picture I’m afraid.

 

 

The cabinets in the saloon area are almost complete and everything has had a first coat of varnish.

 

 

We have these roof prism things in the saloon and galley to give more light. We were a bit concerned about the security of Houdini Hatches and these seemed a good alternative. It’s amazing how much light they bring into the boat. We will also have inner windows in the two side doors in saloon and galley. So hopefully this will all balance out the restricted light from the portholes.

 

 

The galley is looking good already, even though the doors are not all on yet. The units will eventually be painted in cream and the inner windows over the side doors will concertina over to the right.

 

 

This is the view looking aft through the bedroom cabin, with the bathroom and engine room beyond. Originally we had planned to have the door on the left, but this had to be shifted slightly towards the centre to give a clear “walk through” in the bathroom.

 

In the end this has worked out very well, as we have been able to fit in a new shelved cupboard unit to the left of the picture. The radiator will be underneath with a grille over and the cupboard on to top will become a kind of linen/airing cupboard. The door to the bathroom will be a double panelled door – oak on the bedroom side and painted to match the bathroom on the bathroom side.

 

 

 

We’re really pleased with how the bathroom is looking. Originally, we couldn’t decide between a standard or “Walk through” layout, but eventually decided to go for the latter. It has certainly made a relatively small 6ft bathroom seem quite spacious.

 

We’re also pleased with the “space saving” bath, which is a standard 1700mm length, but narrows to just 600mm at one end, allowing room for the toilet to go alongside. The other end is 700mm, curving out to 750mm to provide a shower area.

 

 

Finally, the boatman’s cabin is really coming along, and the scumbling has been done and looking good.

 

We’re hoping to fit in one more progress visit before Crick, so I’ll post some more photos as soon as I can.