We plan next week and the Save our Waterways Protest at Devizes

Moored Nr Devizes, K&A Canal

Well we have come to the end February and now into March we are going to give ourselves a well earned rest from the re-fitting out of NP2. On Monday she will go into Devizes Marina to be repainted before we continue into the Spring, hopefully moving aboard as we will then make our way back along the Kennet & Avon Canal towards Newbury.

So this evening’s blog is a bit about what is happening in the near future more than the past.  To be honest during the time that my computer has been broken each day has really just been taken up with walking Lucy.. she is super-fine by the way .. trips to Devizes, Focus and Jewsons for bits and bobs and generally getting dreadfully muddy and wet in between doing my bit on the re-fit!

We will be moving down the Caen Hill Flight of Locks on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of next week leaving NP2 here in Devizes .. Here we are at the bottom of the flight in January 2004 curtisy of Ron’s (AKA Foul_old_Ron) camera..

If anyone would like to join us doing locks or having a go at steering NP1 down through a few then you would be more than welcome.  It might be wet and windy though, next week’s weather forecast is not that good.. Then on to Seend, Dundas and Bradford.. don’t think we will go much further.. I found Bathampton too full of boats to be able to moor when we were on this canal three years ago.. I am guessing it will be worse now, but for sure we will be relaxing and it will be a treat not to head my blogs “Moored Nr Devizes” etc!!

But before that we are off to the Save our Waterways protest at Devizes Wharf tomorrow morning.. We joined in the one at Pewsey last November..

But we are only taking NP1 though because the weather forecast is attrocious for Sunday, blowing a gale and pouring rain, and I really don’t fancy trying to turn the 67ft of NP2 at the wharf with all those boats in the way.. could lead to me crashing into one or two of them.. don’t want to do that..

So there will be plenty to blog about hopefully throughout March, NP2 will be sandblasted completely back to the metal, windows out and rubbed down and any areas filled and made good before starting on the undercoats.. a couple of them before the first of the three colours to lay on.. heh.. blue eh? teehee.. maybe, maybe not! 

Furbs, burgundy is a lovely colour but it does tend to fade, that is one reason why we have gone away from that.. plus we would like to ‘steer’ away from the Black Prince colours now that she is in private hands.  The only colour we are unsure about at the moment is the colour of the roof!  We shall have to make a decision by Monday though.. ho hum do we paint it cream to keep cool in the summer or paint it in the main colour(s)!?