Return to Stoke Bruerne

Flooding the dry dock

Apologies but I didn't take many photos today - some more may be forthcoming from either Rob or Steve in the next few days.

Sculptor is now back in Stoke Bruerne after an 8 hour trip from Braunston.

We had the opportunity to thank Tim Coghlan for his hospitality before we left at 09:30.  We were gongoozled by Julia and Richard (Towcester, Bideford and Lactodorum) as Towcester was in dry dock at Union Canal Carriers.

There's still a little work to do but mainly some gloss paint and the like.

Link to images of refloating Sculptor are here.

Dry Docking Day 3

The tunnel bands looking resplendent in
Deep Red and White

The 'black hand' gang having their
Sunday breakfast L to R Steve, Richard
and Phil

All going according to plan.  The front cants have been undercoated in blue (final colour midnight blue).  The planks have had a second coat of Raddle Red - final colour will be midnight blue in the spring, the tunnel bands have been painted and the hull has been given a second coat of blacking - in the difficult places a third coat.

We are ready for refloating on Monday morning at 08:00 and hope to be back at Stoke Bruerne around 17:30.

Link to day's images is here.

Volunteer hours 28 (total 532 to date).

Dry Docking Day 2

All the preparation of yesterday turned into action today.  Blacking was the order of the day with attention paid to the guards and any gaps around them to be filled with blacking, followed by rolling on blacking to the flatter areas, including of course the rudder and the area around the swim.

At the same time undercoat was applied to the tunnel bands and the fore end rubbed down and primed, as were the planks.

We will need to undercoat the fore end tomorrow, put another coat of blacking on the hull which will leave us to put a glass coat on the fore end when we arrive back in Stoke Bruerne.

A link to today's images is here.

Volunteer hours 32 (total 504 to date).

Dry Docking Day 1

And all you can see when Sculptor is
in the water is the little piece at the top
of the rudder

It’s some years since Sculptor was dry docked and re-blacked so we decided to book her in to Braunston, who look after us so well.

26/27/28-September were the dates available so she was booked in.

On 25-September Rob, Mike and Steve left Stoke Bruerne at 08:30 to take her to Braunston – a trip of about 8 to 9 hours.  They timed their arrival perfectly to find the dry dock ready for them so Sculptor was left in the dry dock over night but floating so as not to let all the muck on her sides dry out overnight and become much more difficult to remove.

Volunteer hours 27 (total 432 to date).

On Friday morning ‘the boys from the black stuff’ (Steve Dean, Mike Gardner, Richard (Tunnel Band Man) Cox and Rob Westlake) were there and drained the dry dock and set to to:

• Inspect the hull and the wooden bottom - pass
• Pressure wash the hull
• Rub down the cants at the front of the boat
• Remove all the paint (tunnel bands) from the rear of the counter and prime

It’s all been done and tomorrow we plan to give Sculptor a coat of blacking and attend to the undercoat on the tunnel bands and the front cants.

Sculptor is due back in Stoke Bruerne on Monday afternoon - 29-September

Volunteer hours 40 (total 472 to date).

A link to my photos of today is here

Sculptor in the news - ITV Anglia

One of the air shafts shown on the video

Recently Steve Dean and myself took Sculptor through Blisworth tunnel on behalf of the Canal & River Trust in order that ITV Anglia could produce a news item; this was following Dr Nigel Crowe's (CRT Head of Heritage) interview on Radio Northampton in which he was interviewed about the Red Wheel unveiling.

If you click here you can see the news item - apologies for the startled faces of the crew in the tunnel but television lights in the darkness, when trying to see where you are going, is quite a challenge! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did.

The slide is now blue again

The slide on Kathryn's kitchen table

After what seems quite some time when the slide was painted in primer (and following a lot of preparation work from Phil) the slide is now back in its old colour of Mason's P Midnight Blue - I have undercoated it - undercoat kindly supplied by Mike Partridge of Stock Bruerne Boat Co and finally glossed it (2 coats each of undercoat and gloss). Woe betide anyone who puts a hot cup of tea or coffee on it!

Volunteer hours 6 (total 405 to date).

Getting rid of a bad smell

For some reason the ballast tanks by the back end boards started to smell (really quite badly) recently. Today Steve D and Mick G pumped around 75% of the content of of each ballast tank out, poured 3 litres of bleach (lemon scented!) into each ballast tank and refilled them.

Smell gone and things are much better now.

Volunteer hours 10 (total 399 to date).

A time for a bit of fun at Village at War

This last weekend (13/14-September) was Stoke Bruerne Village at War weekend.  The crowds flocked in on what was a lovely weekend so we decided that Sculptor should have a wee bit of exercise.

Prior to the weekend we took CRT's head of Heritage (Dr Nigel Crowe), CRT Press Office in the form of Sarah Rudy and an ITV Anglia film crew through the tunnel for them to film an 'episode' of their 'On the Water' series.  It was a slow trip northbound (about an hour) whilst the crew did pieces to camera and obtained the footage they required.  We then dropped our passengers at the northern portal and continued to Blisworth village to wind and return to Stoke Bruerne.  We have been promised a full copy of the video they took.

Steve Dean on the front of Sculptor
watching the tow with Cath Fincher on
Sickle's front deck

On the Saturday of the Village at War weekend we took Sculptor into the top lock and connected her up with Alan and Cath Fincher's Sickle to re-enact the tow that Sickle undertook with Sculptor, Sagitta and Scorpio in 1948 when the three boats were towed by Sickle to the northwest.  We are endeavouring to get all four boats together at an event (possibly Braunston) next year.

On the Sunday we worked down the flight to the A508 and back up again in conjunction with Nutfield and Raymond - the lockside at the top lock was crowded for both events and some excellent publicity was obtained for Sculptor.  Our thanks for Norman Mitchell for his usual excellent commentary and Neil Owen, Senior Waterway manager South East for his help on the Saturday.  Also to David B for making up some cross straps at a moment's notice.

A bit more maintenance

On Saturday (6-September) Phil kindly rubbed down and primed the slide whilst Steve fitted a new clamp to the exhaust where it exits the engine 'ole.  There are now no exhaust gasses escaping back into the engine 'ole so well done to the design team Mike G and Steve.

Volunteer hours 8 (total 389 to date).

An exhausting time

On Tuesday this week Mike G and Steve D wrapped the exhaust with new material.  Sculptor has been without exhaust bandage for a week or so and it was noticeable on the very short trip up to the tunnel and back and down to the A508 to wind.

At the same time Mike and Steve located the unpleasant smell that seemed to come from around the ballast tanks at the back of the cargo hold.  The water has 'gone off' to coin a phrase.  I understand the plan is to drain these tanks just prior to dry docking so that we a) reduce the weight in the boat b) have the ability to put some small bearers under the tanks to allow the shuts to breathe over the winter.

Sculptor loaded just south
of Skew Bridge - image ©
Julia and Laurence Cook

There's some more work in the pipeline.  CRT have agreed that Julia Cook may store some solid fuel on Sculptor for a couple of months or so the current plan is to go to the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne flight with Jules on Sunday 5-October and let Jules and Richard load the boat (18 tons to 20 tons) and then we'll bring Sculptor back to Stoke Bruerne on the Monday - a great opportunity to take some photos and video as my understanding is that the last time Sculptor was loaded was in late summer 1988.

In the week after Sculptor gets back from Braunston we'll need to remove the IBC ballast tanks and the barrels to make way for the solid fuel and store them - hopefully down by the container in the car park.

We are going to need to put in a new bilge pump (we'll make a removable submersible 12v pump) as the intention is to load Sculptor slightly 'head down'.

Volunteer hours 12 (total 381 to date).