Step installed

I came up to Brinklow this afternoon as I'm doing a boat test in the morning near Derby, and spending the night on board Briar Rose means I don't have to do all the driving in one day.  It was a fairly easy journey, although the A34 during the day is a real test of patience, thanks to the 55mph lorries overtaking the 54mph ones.

Once at the marina, the first job was to put a coat of varnish on the 12ft pole we bought at Braunston at the start of our trip last month.  There was just enough varnish left over from building the step to cover the pole.  It could do with another couple of coats, but that's a job for another time.

I'd brought the newly-built step from home, so it was time to try it in position at the stern, and fix the cabin hooks to hold it in place.

It fits better than I could have hoped!  I know that shouldn't be a surprise as I'd taken the measurements, but the style of construction (ie amateur) doesn't really lend itself to great precision.  But it's exactly the right height, the cabin hooks hold it very securely, it feels very solid to stand on, and the anti-slip tape is great.

While I had the screwdrivers out, I added a couple of plaques to the collection.  One was the Leicester Ring, which the previous owner had bought but hadn't got round to putting up (we have done the Leicester Ring, although obviously not in this boat); the other was the River Avon, which we bought from the lock keeper at Tewkesbury.

While all this was going on, I filled the water tank (as we're up in a couple of weekend's time, and won't want to spend time doing it then).  I've also pointed the dish at the satellite, made the bed, made dinner, and found a Magnum Mini in the freezer for dessert.  In other good news, there's sunshine forecast for tomorrow morning.