Even Keel again.

Well, we’re back afloat at last after a luxurious drying time for our blacking over the weekend.  Doug left fairly early this morning(travelling by bus and train) to collect our friend Birgit, who was flying into Birmingham from Germany today.

The launch this morning went extremely well -  ‘Chance’ slipped effortlessly into the water. Rachel was asked to take photos of the launch, which she tried very hard to do, but with a flat battery in the camera we’re sadly lacking in slipway shots of today. 

However, we soon got ‘Chance’ on the visitor moorings to get things finally ship-shape.  It was a case of lots of little things which seemed to take all day – including washing down to remove all the spider poo from our time under cover on the slipway.

With new rope and rolling fenders, and the blacking as black as black, ‘Chance’ was looking splendid.  At 4:30pm Doug arrived with Birgit after a tiresome return railway journey from Birmingham.

After she’d settled in Birgit presented us with some wonderful German Christmas decorations straight from the early German Christmas markets and small enough to use on a narrow boat.

We took Birgit on a guided tour around the boatyard, giving her an insight into the strange world of boat building.  After that, as we will be leaving in the morning before Mark, Martin and Rachael arrive for the day, we said farewell to them before they left work this evening.  MGM have been so very helpful over the last three weeks we’ve been with them – nothing’s been too much trouble and we thank them very much indeed.

This evening we tucked into a fish and chip supper before having an early night – we’re all very tired from our various and productive activities today.  Tomorrow will be an early start for us, as at last we can start cruising again!!