Much More Better.

Right.
We can finally visualise the new arrangement of stairs, steps and other nice split level effects regarding the bridge and wheelhouse cabin. Why? Because we spent last Sunday indulging in the long awaited unification of those two spaces. We’d been putting off this event (i.e. looking forward to it) for ages mostly because it necessitates the rendering of our only cabin, yes, the one we’ve been sleeping in for the last eighteen months of weekends- completely useless for it’s purpose. It’s now full of holes. This means we’ll not sleep over at Wendy for flipping ages. Really we had planned to do what we’ve just done when downstairs was all painted and floored to move in- but in the end, fuck it, we both had hangovers and itchy crowbars (I’d taken B out for too many drinks Saturday, ha.) Also our increasingly thorough steel replacement program requires seeing the state of the steel behind a lot of the old lining around the site of the spiral stair.
Let’s face it the fit out that we threw over the side was complete garbage. Looking back, I do wish that I’d taken pictures of the pile before it filled up Saxon’s skip because it really, really, was rubbish. I clearly cannot stress this enough. I shall give two examples.
First, part of the dividing wall between the two cabins was made of an old spot board- a piece of construction ply that has enjoyed a previous life as a surface on which to knock up concrete. So in the cabin we had a nice painted wall, on the back of which was a stunning rendition of the surface of the moon. There was zero insulation. This lunar landscape was nailed (!) to its beams with clouts (!!) That’s not bloody marine construction, heave it over the side right now. As if the first example weren’t bad enough, the next concerns a small bit of internal steel coaming which we’d decide to trim up by gas cutting. We removed its old lining (under the foot of our old and trusty bed platform dad). In doing this we bemusedly discovered a panel that was faced with crappy eighth inch ply, it was glued into place with nothing more than about two inches of squirty foam, badly.
Hey, say what you like about previous owners (ours was at least trying to be creative with very little), this pile of horrors was at best an utter doddle for us to take out.
Anyways, the results of which are now illustrated here with pictures that’ll probably make no sense unless you’ve actually visited Ms Ann. And being taken on a phone-camera have no way to capture such a wide angle as is needed to cram in what to us nevertheless feels like a very large space. Instead just take my word for the fact that standing in the bridge is now an experience that holds marvellous vistas of what’s to become a very useful space indeed in our future.
In other news this week, My dear, dear boys at the construction firm where I work have accidentally overordered on steel angle. Oh dear. Over thirty metres of very heavy, 120mm rolled angle is now all mine for free. All I have to do is get Simon to gas cut it all to my list and get the resulting pieces to Southampton and we’ll soon have (ha) a ton of extra floor bearers for Wendy Ann. These are destined for areas that need them anyway, and will be very very cool. And also moderately heavy. Hooray.
In Even More other news this week, we’re somehow finding the energy in the evenings to redecorate the flat that we live in. Looks good so far. It goes without saying that I’m consuming rather a lot of coffee at the moment, I also more or less live in my overalls, everybody say Eh-oh.