The Launch Party!

 It was not really a "launch" more of a "naming".  I am most grateful to my friend Angela Billingham - known by many as Baroness Billingham of Banbury, and regularly doing her stuff in the House of Lords - for taking time out to trog up to Saul to do the "God Help All Who Sail in Her" speech! 

A spit roasted pig was sacrificed, and several barrels of real ale, lager, wine, spirits etc..joined in the fun!  For live music, I was also lucky to engage the services of Chris Jagger on vocals and washboard, Ben Waters on Boogie Piano and Robbie McKindo on fiddle, who were all brilliant. Chris is regularly heard on Radio, and some of his work is included on his brother's "Steel Wheels" album. (As in "Rolling Stones"). I look forward to getting them back on board at a future date!

Not every day do you get a Jagger playing live in your living room! Many consider him
the best musician in his family.

Due to a lack of pictures from our party...see drinks schedule, I show Angela (left)  and daughter Caroline, both in fetching pink ermine fluffy ears at a Kenwood concert. Along with daughter Caroline, she is a several times winner and runner up of the Mother and Daughter European Tennis Doubles Championships.

         ....and now some credits!      

                              Saul Nomad as she was on the 8th April 2003

Hull designed by Tony Tucker; Fabricated by R.W. Davis & Sons,( www.rwdavis.co.uk ), Junction Dry Dock, Saul, Gloucestershire; Hull build started March 1st 2002; Moved from Terra Ferma to Dry Dock for Keel fitting July 6th 2002; Azimuthing and Bowthruster drives and the Cummins CT6 diesel suppled by Kort Propulsion ( www.kortpropulsion.com ); Power Generation supplied by Beta of Stroud ( www.betamarine.co.uk ); Hydraulics by Rotec ( www.rotec.net )completed November 2002; Chromed Brassware by Peter Dufficy of Brenmarl, ( www.narrowboatbrassware.co.uk ); Wheel house by Pete Marriott ably assisted by Don; Named by the "first mate" The Baroness Billingham of Banbury December 17th 2002 at Launch Party with music supplied by Chris Jagger ( Mick's brother) supported by a similarly talented lineup; Mastervolt Electricals by Keith Meadowcroft of VoltMaster; Furuno Navaids by Cactus Navigation installed by Insight Marine - completed April 2003.(www.cactusnav.com ); Webasto Central heating by Bryan Kaye, ( www.boatheating.co.uk ), but since became so unreliable it was relegated to backup only;  Mechanical fitout continues through to 2005!

Barge transport.  Cooper Works four speed "S" Sports. Still only 7500 miles on the clock.
None of it underwater yet. Purchased along with number plate "Nii....own", but "X" registered really. One of the very last classic mini's built.

Lulu supervises things.

I did send that cheque off for the insurance, didn't I!!?

Never in doubt.. thank god!

With equipment fitted, we need to get "Saul Nomad" worked up as soon as possible. Saul Junction is roughly a twenty mile round trip from Gloucester Historic Docks. Ideal for testing, and with the renovated docks a most pleasant place to spend some time in. There is always a busy programme of events going on, and the Bank Holiday was no exception.

Saul Nomad slips along the Sharpness.  The Sun had finally come out to play, after spending most of May 2003  in hiding! The folding "ClamBoat" tender sits on the saloon roof!

We have found that at engine set at 1800 rpm, and with the stern thruster running at around 1000 psi ( 4000 psi is maximum), we achieve around five mph -  but Nomad can be steered using only the bowthruster. However when manoevering at close quarters, the stern thruster can position her very accurately.

There is always quite a bit of movement in the docks.

...and fine old ships outside Nielsen's Yard.

Tied up opposite the National Waterways Museum.

Close to an interesting collection of historical craft.

.....Including the rather ugly concrete barge (foreground).

Time for a couple of Beers and few Sandwiches, before setting off back to Saul.

We arranged our first Sea Trial on the weekend of the 13th July 2003. We travelled down the canal to Sharpness on the friday evening, so that we would be ready to lock out into the Severn at seven am the following morning. We had two qualified crew, and Chris Morris as our volunteer grease monkey! A detailed passage plan to Ilfracombe on the North Devon coast, had been prepared. The schedule was based on us making and average speed of 10 Knots. This was heading into the great unknown, because of the speed limits on the inland waterways, we had no idea what Saul Nomad would do. What we found out very quickly is that for some reason "Saul Nomad" could not get much over seven knots. It could be the pitch of the propeller or a problem with the power setup..this was our first major Sea trial after all.  Hence We had to rework our sums, and calculated that we could get to Ilfracombe at by High Tide at 7pm.

Sharpness Lock at 6.45am, despite preparing Nomad for sea since 5 am
we still feel chirpy.

Entering the "shoots" on the Severn. Spoken of with respect by many sailors, but Nomad cleared them uneventfully, both ways. We tried it at full power on the way out, and at idle on the way in. She is a very stable vessel for a flat bottomed Barge, and
passed her tests well in this regard. 

Ilfracombe..and looking small tied up alongside m.v. Oldenberg. Originally a German railway ferry, now running cruises to lovely Lundy Island. The Oldenberg crew were not only very friendly and but very helpful. (they also had a licensed bar on board!)

It quickly became clear that our fenders - which were designed for river and canal application, were totally inadequate in tidal waters. The solution was supplied by "Oldenburg", which had a "Yokohama" fender on board. "Yokohamas" are expensive, but two of those would provide protection in most situations. I  ordered two .5 x 1.00 mtr fenders to be flown in from Singapore.

(This is a picture taken subsequently in October 2003, of the two Yokohama fenders sitting on the stern of "Saul Nomad".
The small tyres are alledgedly off a Harrier jetfighter. For the price the fenders cost, I thought we were getting the whole jet!  ..But they do work. During bollard tests, our Barge Association Belgian fenders were shredded at pressures over a ton against the metal cladding along the sides of the Sharpness Canal. The Yokohama's emerged unmarked.) 

I can think of worse places to be marooned than Ilfracombe!

We had had some difficulties with the steering on the way down to Ilfracombe. (On reflection we had been slightly optimistic in travelling so far down to the edge of the Bristol Channel.)  The problem was that Saul Nomad would start veering to Port (The Left!) under full load. In fighting this tendancy, we had managed to distort most of the sixteen mechanical linkages to the drive pod - and I discovered this fact when I first took the helm as we went to Dock at the main Ilfracombe Pier.  I found that left helm and meant right, and right helm meant left. (translated for ye landlubbers!). Disconcerting or what!!  Eventually one got used to it, because the steering is so responsive one can ignore the helm, and watch which way Saul Nomad moves in the water.

Taking the ground is no problem. The azimuthing drive still pointing to port, from our docking procedure. Wheels are "up", on the Clamboat!

The Tide is in, so our able crew get a trip around the Bay!

I had been blessed with the free services of professional crew for the whole trip, but unfortunately they all had to return to their day jobs on monday. So I contemplated life alone in Ilfracombe for several days, with two (pissed off) dogs and a parrot. Rotec Hydraulics were brilliantly quick with their service. Their General Manager Steve Radford, had called me from home on sunday morning in response to my urgent message on his office ansafone the previous evening. Chris Yeo, their diagnostics engineer, was aboard by midday on monday. Five hours of testing failed to find any radical fault on the steering, and we were cleared to return to Gloucester. I was lucky to sign up a local lifeboatman and professional crewman in Carl Perrin. Ably assisted by Crewman Ron, we had a smooth passage back to Sharpness... that was until I managed to have a coming together with the Sharpness pier. Our mighty Cummins had been showing a tendancy to stall under full load and chose inconveniently to stall three times as I made to enter Sharpness Dock. I lost control in the seven knot current sweeping the entrance, and went head on into the wooden slatted pier! The sensation was like jumping sideways onto a large trampoline strapped to fifty tons of steel. The Hull was virtually unmarked, but the inside of the barge was like WW3. Amazingly nothing actually broke..apart from the base of the parrot cage. We finished up with "Bobo" whizzing around our heads swearing like a trooper. In the end she climbed back into the remains of the cage which was lying on it's side, hanging herself upside down on what remained! 

In future I will remember power back up against the Severn tide, as it requires a fraction of the power available. This is standard practise for experianced skippers, but is not mentioned in the pilotage notes.  A serious loss of dignity on my part, but fortunately no great damage to the ship. It is a consolation that dignity does not cost much, but damaged ships are expensive!  Investigations have been carried out by Kort Propulsion regarding the propulsion problems.. ranging from fuel starvation, to Prop pitch, to a hydraulic valve dumping pressure within the system. Eventually after many hours of checking the obvious to no avail, we found that a weight had sheared off the mechanical governor inside the Bosch fuel pump, fitted as standard to the Cummins Diesel and that the external digital Governor was also shutting down..apparently just for the hell of it! We have replaced the Bosch and discarded the Governor, and the engine now runs at full power. Finally as a note of praise to Cummins, they refunded me £ 2000 for my tribulations!

Ron takes the helm, on the way back From Ilfracombe to Sharpness. Carl is out of shot, poring over the charts as usual!

"Bobo" checks out the Severn Bridge. She was not so impressed when we later "came together" with Sharpness Pier. One of the few times that I have heard her swear!  Her cage was in bits, and upside down on the floor!  Not much reason really!  After a couple of flying circuits around the wheel house, she climbed back into the cage.  Although with a slight lack of cage floor, she had to hang upside down from it's roof!