Cowes Week

How disappointing, even after a big splash in the county press no one wanted to come on a paddle steamer for cowes week-in Newport recently we have been getting full boat loads, but down here there just isn't any trade. Lots of pictures taken, but without punters we may as well stick a diesel engine in Monarch and leave it at that.

Alan Titchmarsh

Hooray for us!!

OK, so she didn't work immediately......

Our High Sheriff, Alan Titchmarsh (not a namesake....the actual one) was booked to join the Monarch at East Cowes Marina with some of his other civic chums to launch the Isle of Wight Walking festival. We couldn't get the blinking boiler feed pump to prime after fitting a super duper new filter to the feed line. Luckily Richard Morris from Thetis Taxis passed by and bought us some time by offering to pick him and his mates up and bring them to Island Harbour-if we managed to get Monarch working by then then they could jump off and join us, if not then he would take them into Newport. Guess what......

WE DID IT!!!!

Much whistle blowing and excitment from Carol (our MP's other half) and we landed our precious cargo at Newport Quay. We didn't tell them it was our first time as we think they'd have abandoned us!!

They sauntered off to make speeches and be posh, and we made preparations to leave.

She broke down again.

Luckily, Richard came up to Newport for a bit of a nose and he gave us a tow back to Binfield. Alan was making a speech so I don't think anyone noticed!!!!!!


Work continues.......

Problems Problems

We've gone for several runs during which we have had the layshaft bevel gears come free (they were never tightened up in Kent), the water pump filter get blocked which gave us a low water situation resulting in burner cut out (thanks to Sally Taxis who helped us out whilst we drifted for a bit during which time Ian cleared the filters and pumped the boiler up by hand....he's good at that) and everything that holds water leaking.
We'll never be able to carry passengers at this rate!!

We've already had to cancel a couple of charters.

Work goes on....

Electrics

To put it mildly, I have been miffed. The electrical control box melted the other week and I have rewired, and slightly redesigned the way the Monarch works.

The builder came down to help a little, which is what he did and we seem now to be back online. Was very hard work as we were working at odds to each other, I wanted to improve the circuits whilst he wanted them as they were....all ended amicably over a pint in the Anchor!

We've moved the control box out of the engine room which I think is a great improvement-it did used to look a little like an old fashioned coin operated electric meter, one might wonder if the paddles would stop turning if the 50p ran out!

The Launch

Well the press launch went very well, we had a couple of guys down from the radio, one from ITV and the team from Cowes Online. I've spoken to the Editor of http://www.cowes.co.uk/ quite a few times, but have never met him-so it was nice to finally put a face to a name (was hard to see his face I must admit; he's about 8 miles tall and I just about come up to his knees!). The Austin 7's car club came out in force, and a small locomotive was on display courtesy of IW model engineers. All lovely, except for the bloody wind which killed the marquee and any chance of sailings....indeed the awful weather prevented the boat from being fully finished in time either! Hopefully we'll get out in her soon!

boiler test 2

After much silver soldering on Ian's part and lots of tightening, repacking and servicing (all of which we were told had been bloody done) the boiler finally passed. Not with flying colours I must add, as there were still some minor fizzles from a couple of new joints but we'll let them cool down and tighten them a little tomorrow.

At least we've got a certified boiler before launch day!!

Weather is looking appalling for the event itself though!

boiler test

Well, she failed.

Previous owners never serviced the guage glasses and inspection of the pipework to the float chamber has uncovered an awful truth; domestic copper pipe with compression fittings being used to carry full pressure steam from the boiler to the floats.

Basically, when asked I could not isolate the guage glass cocks sufficiently and the boiler inspector (even though he's been looking at the boiler for the last 5 years) has never bothered to ask what was under the lagging re: pipes to the float chamber. I'm cross and so is he.

Back to work!

Lift in

Shes in now, looks marvelous, even though we have still not managed to get the paddle boxes on-never mind should be easy enough on the water. Boiler tester is coming shortly-very tense!

Hull

Ian's birthday weekend-loads of people have turned out to help, Debby and I are getting ready to finish the hull painting, the aft lockers and seats are basically in, Christine has come to help with Laura and work continues to progress quickly.

We painted the paddles bright red today, they look fabulous-the bearings aren't bad either. All of the nuts and bolts are rusted in place and there is a messy weld on one of the feathering arms-I think next winter they will need some attention.

Nigel Rowe arrived today to properly set the burner up, there is no smell of diesel from the funnel now and the smoke and lumps of soot that caused so many problems in Kent are gone...I feel rather smug! Nigel seems a helpful enough guy...even though he persists in calling me Matty (I hate being called Matty) - much lip biting today!

Hull

Work has started to the outside of the hull.

Debby and i have found great pleasure in the breathing in of 'Primacon' fumes-magnificent stuff. We've been under the boat for about 5 hours, it felt like 20 minutes; all the time giggling talking rubbish and being very childish to passers by.

Got a headache now though....

Plumbing

Oh my God, everything needs tightening, replacing, ripping out-the lot! An April start is not looking possible, but fingers crossed hey?

First Steaming

The new burner has been bolted in, the float chamber has been attached to the boiler (this makes the water level control automatic...it looks like something that's fallen off a spin dryer though!) and we have managed to raise steam for the first time!
Ian took great pleasure in being the first to blow the whistle on the Isle of Wight!
There seem to be leaks EVERYWHERE on the plumbing, that's tomorrows job to look at...can't help but think all of this was supposed to have been done already *slaps wrist*

refit

Forward deck is rotten, far too rotten to keep. Ian thinks that now the wood has had time to dry out it has shrunk. A big construction type person came aboard to have a look at the engine and it was bowing under his weight....it has got to go, and quickly. Debbie's other half, Dave has promised to relay the fordeck with fibreglass for this year-at least it won't rot again and will be safe for passengers!

Refit

Debby and I have got the aft deck 'void' treated with anti rust paint and have cleaned out all of the duck mess, black goo and leaf litter that accumalated in every hidden part of Monarch. Bloody backbreaking!

Ian is working hard on rebuilding the wooden seating, deck and supports to replace what has been taken out. Luckily the aft deck plate came out in one piece so that a template can be made.

Barry, the cameraman is still here ever day-he reckons that he'll stay until the job is done as he thinks a half decent documentary could be made out of this...we'll see! He's a lovely guy, and he's got plenty of funny stories to keep us amused!

Refit

The aft deck, the lovley aft deck, the best bit of the boat, the only piece that we knew for sure would be ok to leave.......well it's buggered! The plywood substrate is totally gone and mould is hanging off of it like an amazonian spiders web.

Barry Jones, the ITV cameraman who came to film Monarch coming off of the ferry has been coming to see how work is getting on EVERY DAY!! Debby from Brent Marine has also been coming every day, can't really believe that she is prepared to help rebuild the steamer for free; to be honest we don't really know her that well but it seems as though she's been around forever already! She had bad news given to her the day we started ripping lumps out of the boat insofar as her Dad was found dead, I guess she's working off the grief-dunno, but she works like a bloody trooper and she is great entertainment!

Aft deck is ripped out now, as well as the seats and lockers, looks like a bigger job than any of us could have imagined!

Refit

The paddle boxes are buggered, we've srtripped all of the wood off and found loads of sodden car body filler. It looks like the foredeck needs some attention too!

Bad news on the burner-it doesn't work, I've been dispatched to find a new one.

The arrival

After exploring 4 lfting sites and the practicalities of transporting a 14 foot wide paddle steamer through 9 foot wide streets, we finally decided on Richborough Quay-a derilict WW2 site owned by Raymac Holdings...not sure what they really do, but they have saved our bacon on this one as I've heard horror stories about steaming accross Pegwell Bay to lift out at Ramsgate!
Rob Kingswell, the absolute marvellous man that he is has orchestrated everything brilliantly-I think that if we had used any other haulier we would never have got Monarch out of the Kentish Stour and onto the Isle of Wight!

She arrived late on the ferry and we had to wait about 4 hours at Fishbourne for her to finally roll off, but the light had faded and it was decided that for safety on the roads she would remain over night in the marshalling yard. Dave and Debby from Brent Marine in Newport came with a bottle of Champagne to Island Harbour, but had to come back the next day to finally see her arrive to the hardstanding!

When the day came, she trundelled down the lane into the harbour and after much photograph taking she was lowered down onto blocks for the repainting and refitting to begin. We went over for a closer look and horror of horrors the paddle boxes were totally rotten along with most of the superstructure....things are not going to go to plan methinks!

Planning

She's nearly here, so I'm starting this blog as a momento of what is to come with the joys etc of owning and running a paddle steamer..............gawd this is exciting, I can't sleep!!

Let's see if I can keep up the postings!