A bit of help from our 'friends'

As time progresses, we are learning new skills and are able to carry out an increasingly number of jobs ourselves. However, there are still many jobs that we need to outsource. Sometimes this is due to the expertise required to carry out the work, sometimes it is due to the specialised equipment needed, but other times it is because it would take us too long to learn how to do it!

Therefore, we needed a little help from our ‘friends’.

Under Merchant Shipping Law, boats travelling outside of UK territorial waters need to be registered. There are four parts to the register and British pleasure boats are eligible to register on either Part 1 or Part 3. There are lists of criteria to consider before deciding which to choose….under our circumstances, we opted for Part 1.

The registration process is heavily based on historical tradition. There are various forms to complete and procedures to go through, including a ‘measurement report’. This involved an appropriately appointed tonnage measurer visiting the boat to take various measurements to calculate our tonnage ie how much grain we would be able to carry!! We also needed to have a unique name – luckily Escapade of London had recently become available.

Forms completed and fees paid, we received notification of the successful registration of our boat. This then led to the need to have new signage. Again there were rules about size (at least 5cm tall), colour (black) and position (clearly visible on the stern).  Following recommendations from others at the boatyard, we approached Peter to complete this work for us. As you can see from the pictures, he did an excellent job.

When we bought Escapade, the previous owner had invested in new canvas work: spray hood, bimini and full cockpit enclosure. All had spent the last two and a half years under the bed and on top of the wardrobe.

As we worked on the boat, we learnt that one problem with canvas work is that the stitching can be destroyed by UV rays. If we were remaining in the UK, this would not be a massive issue, but as we are intending to travel to warmer climes, it is. We decided to have the sprayhood and bimini ‘oversewn’ with a UV resistant thread.

For this job, we returned to the original makers..,Dolphin Sails.