Build Day 77

Day 77 of the build of "Alanne". This is D-Day for our narrow boat. We Travelled up to Liverpool to see Alan and Garry. They appreciated we have been let down on so many occasions and were desperate to put things right. My main concern was the lack of communication, so many phone calls being ignored, also the state of the hull. When we last visited it was in a horrible condition, sand blasting had not been carried out correctly and most of the lower portion of the hull had been almost missed completely. Alan and Garry were keen to put the poor workmanship right and agreed it would be sand blasted again. To be absolutely sure it was done correctly I want to be there when the work is done. This was agreed and we then adjourned to the workshop were "Alanne" is being fitted. The first thing that struck me was the cabin sides and roof were looking good after a base coat of paint, but the lower hull sides are looking very sorry for themselves, however a good sand blast and "blacking" will put this right. The inside of the boat has been cleaned out, but a lot of surface rust remains, another job which needs sorting before they ballast the hull. We took a different route home , via the M62 and M6. Journey still took 2 hours. I think we will stick to the scenic route in future. I phoned Garry as soon as we were home and to my amazement he answered within one ring. Lets hope this is the start of good relations and a happy ending.