We have contact

Yesterday, I took Kay over to the boat to show her the progress that's been made and to check she's happy with the colour of the paint. Her response was positive on both counts.

While we were there, Mick and his son Peter were making final preparations to fire up the engine. Everything was connected, including the bank of 4 new batteries and sufficient diesel and coolant were in the tanks. After a couple of last minute checks for leaks, the key was turned to heat the glow plugs, we waited the required 10 seconds and it started like a dream. Obviously it sounded quite noisy as it was standing in an open engine bay at the end of a long metal tube but, once it's boxed in and the boat is sitting in the water, we'll hardly be able to hear it. All seemed to be going well. To make sure, we turn it off, checked it over and started it again. I would have been happy to do it a third and maybe a fourth time, but Mick and Peter appeared to have better things to do.


From a practical point of view, we will now be able to check for leaks over the next couple of months both to the engine and heating systems - this will help to avoid problems when we lay the flooring and after we are underway.


So, this was a key milestone and I was glad to be there to witness its first starting. Only another 10 weeks and we'll be starting her again - in the water - for real.

'All aboard the Skylark' - so where did this come from?

Noah and Nelly was created by Grange Calveley, and shown in 15 episodes on BBC1 in 1976. The five minute films depict a world loosely based around Noah's Ark. The story follows roughly the same pattern each episode. Captain Nutty Noah consults his map and randomly picks out a place to visit. After shouting, 'All aboard the SkylArk', Nutty Noah takes the helm. The SkylArk is then shown travelling to its destination by balloon, on wheels, underwater with snorkelling figureheads or occasionally even by sea. On arriving at their destination, the SkylArk's crew find various strange inhabitants such as talking television sets who are suffering some kind of problem they can't solve themselves (for example, the television sets are stuck showing the news over and over again and getting bored). The animals often help in some way, but the day is invariably saved by Noah's wife Nelly, who uses her knitting skills to create machines which solve the problem in some way. Nelly knits everything from drilling rigs to crash helmets; her supply of wool seems almost inexhaustible but she occasionally has to unravel the ship's sails when she runs out. If you don't believe me, look it up on Youtube. It's all true.

So, now you know.