Dussnt fink it looks like a wheelhouse ..... yet - part 21

Hello ma pals. Is me again. I am tellin you all about da new wheelhouse wot dad decided to build. We is still in 2009 by da way but the wevva is fast improvin meanin dad can spend more time on da wheelhouse. The frame is welded and ready for dad to start putting in the walls and roof. Ere dus be a pic of all da frames:

Dad welded all da frames in place and made sure everyfink was straight. He has to be very accurate wiv dus coz we dussnt want a wonky wheelhouse!  First he dus put up a coupe of panels wot will be da roof and a large sheet  wot becomes da back wall of wheelhouse. Dis will have door and annuva secure locker in it when is completed. Ohhh look it's blue skies too! 

Dat is big sledge hammer wot he dus use to make sure the wall be straight wot you can see in da foreground. An also there on da left is red fing that does be hydraulic ram wot he use to push da metal in if it need moving a bit.

These plates is only held in place wiv clamps so dad has to get welding fast! First he does tack weld. Dis very impawant fing to do as quick as possible so dat the plates is made safe. Also, it gives dad da chance to move any panels wot need movin before he welds more bigger welds. He uses a combination of da crane, da clamps, da ram an da sledge hammer, oh an of course mum! Ere he dus be wot will be the inside doin some tackin.

He gets up on da roof and dus some tacks up there too. You never knows, there might be a strong wind wot could pull the sheets off da roof and decapitate someone! Most likely dat wud be da mum wif her track record! Ere dus be dad on da roof preparin for some welding. He dussnt bovva wiv weldin jacket no more, he tells mum, his skin used to da burns pppfffftttttt!!  Is dat mediterranean blood! He looks more like he gonna start up his chainsaw eeek!!

Dis photo dus show you view from wot will da front of wheelhouse. Course, that bit not on yet! heehee. Dad and mum boaf commented on how much bigger dis wheelhouse is compared to old one. Yesssss, well, dat is wot I fort ;).

Dat all looks good so dad puts on da next sheets on da wot will become da overhang - a comfy area wiv shade for dose hot mediterranean days. Underneaf there will be some seatin and entrance to da wheelhouse. The old wheelhouse never had a door in it! You had to go down the stairs and out frew da galley so dad is appy to have a new door for easy access!

There will still be stairs in wheelhouse down to the new galley but they will be proper stairs wot you can walk up and down wifout aving to go backwards. Dis also mean da Lexie (dat is me) can go up and down em wifout assistance.

The uvva fing wot I point out to you is da width of wheelhouse. Dis one much wider dan the old one but dad has made sure we still has enuffs room to walk around it. As you can see there be plenty of room. There will be handrails all around there (stainless) for safety (mum forbidden from goin down there surprise surprise). You can see the overhang at da front too which will add extra support for da front of wheelhouse which will be angled in.

Time for a quick check from ashore to see how she is takin shape. I fink you can see she is ..... errr .... well ok maybe not quite yet!!! You dus need vision (luckily that is somfink dad has in abundance). *whispers* looks like a box to us! But we dussnt say to dad ;).

Time for a quick check of da yard while they dus be takin photos. All in order! I fink I saw a rat so I jus gonna hang out here for a bit!

Is very safe up there now so mum is allowed to wander round on her own (apart from going down the side). They has a little drinky on da upper deck and we dus all enjoy da sunset over .... well ok it's not DAT romantic, bein in an industrial wharf, but they dus be happy! Easy pleased!

Dat is it for now ... tune in next time when you will be under no illusions, it's definitely a wheelhouse!! Fanx for readin ma pals.

Congratewlashun and jooobliashuns - part 20

Well hello ma pals … is me … Lexie … ow fings? Today dus be very impawtant date for us. It is da anniversary of mum an dad buyin and steppin aboard Atlantis. Or as a pal on twitta said it’s Atlantis’s Gotcha Day.  So to celebriate I fort I dus some highlights from our bloggy for ya!

Yes pals, 8 years ago today mum an dad paid the shipbroker an stepped aboard Atlantis as owners for the first time. I wud like to say I did too but I wasn’t even born then! Pffttttt how inconsiderate of them not to wait for me ;).

Here is a bootiful paintin of her as she wod of looked back then. She was originally registered on da Small Ships Register as MV Janettje in 1965 (she is younger dan mum but not dad hee-hee) in Holland where she was built.


Atlantis painted by a local Brixham artist
when she was Janettje

 















Anyhooooo, back to the Gotcha Day. It was a very hot day an mum an dad waited anxiously by the quayside in Gillingham, Kent waitin for the tide to come in. Atlantis was moored in the middle of the river and had been there overnight where she'd come straight from Kilmore Quay, Ireland across da Irish Sea an round Lundy Island! The crew brought her over in a Force 7 but she didn't find that too troublesome they said. They was more worried about their roast chicken flyin out of da oven! Here dus be ow she looked back den.



Atlantis fishin in da Irish Sea in 2003

















But Lexie! I hear you cry. What made da mum an dad decide to do this venture? They had only been togeva bout 16 munfs and were still in da honeymoon period (dad: what d'ya mean were? We still are!) so they were all lovey dovey and finkin let's do somfink mad wiv our lives! You can read all about their romance (barf barf) if you dus wish on da Twisty Turny Fing post wot tells you how they come to buy Atlantis.

Mum an dad knew was a long road they were heading (mum: what d'ya mean were? We still are!) as they prepared themselfs for some orrible jobs ahead. Like *shudder* cleanin out da fishhold! You can read about that particular activity under da Smell-o-Vision post. I dussnt like da look of wot dus be down there ;).

Maybe you wud like to read about how da Lexie (dat be me) comes to be wif mum an dad if you dussnt know bout it already. Now I gonna tell you, a number of pals did get upset bout da events wot unfolded but I like to let you know dat everyfink worked out pretty ok!! As you can tell ;)). You can read about it on dis post wot dus be called Reasons To Be Cheeful. Ere dus be picture of me back in 2005 when I was lickle. Who could resist me? hee-hee. Mum cuddn't and she telled me I was really cute back then (lexie: what d'ya mean was? I still am!).

We moved Atlantis annuva moorin wot was much nicer and betterer for us coz we could make lots of noise and use our brand new crane too! Read about how we went all super-posh and dad put windows in da saloon (probly a good idea dad!). Not that they has any glass in yet! You can see bout dat in ma post wot dus be called Frew Da Round Window!

Life took a turn for the better again when dad finally was able to finish a basic bedroom for us to sleep in. We'd been sleepin on the floor of the wheelhouse for 7 years. Seein as dad was gonna shellfishly remove it they had to have a bedroom! So he built one (as you do) and they moved into it in September 2010. You can read about that in dis post wot dus be Down The Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire.  Here dus be the bed (wifout da blankies and all that of course).

Well, I better get on wif dis highlights fing as it gettin a bit long! Ok, the wheelhouse! Dad decided to build a new one, but first, he had to get rid of the old one. And so he did! You can read about that under The Disappearing Wheelhouse. Now you see me, now you don't:

Course as always, we has to stop fings for winter but dis time dad has back-up plan of fings to do. He goes spray-foam-tastic and recreates santa's grotto effect frewout boat! Time To Move Inside tells you bout dat!

Well pals, in terms of da bloggy, we is almost up to date! Da next phase was buildin the new wheelhouse. Somfink dad was keen to progress quickly so we could move to a new mooring we had found. But dat is annuva story. Believe it or not dis the beginnings of hooj wheelhouse!

Fanx for elping celbriate our anniversary. Mum an dad still has a lot of work to do but they can see the light at da end of the tunnel (is a tiny tiny spec i fink). Happy Gotcha Day Lady Atlantis!

Bob errr I mean Dad the builder - part 19

Hello ma pals. Ow fings? In ma last post I did forget to tell you dat we is now seeing what went on in 2009. Mainly buildin the new wheelhouse as you will see! Once da weather was gettin bit warmerer dad decide is time to build the new wheelhouse! We also heard some worrin rumours bout the marina where we woz moored and fort was time to get wheelhouse done or we wuddnt be able to move Atlantis if we needed to.

First dad did work out ow much steel we needed to be able to build wheelhouse. Here be da first delivery from our pals wot dus av steel fabrication workshop nearby.

Dad also had a load of box steel delivered too that dus be a steel toob type fing wot dus be used to build the frame dat the steel gets welded to.  Dese is da steel sheets close up wot will became da walls and roof of da wheelhouse. Dem wooden blocks is there so is easy to get da crane hook under da plate and lift em up - clever eh?

I won't bore you wiv more cranin pics there's been enuff of dem already! So, once everyfink safely craned on board, time to start building! First, dad dun lot of measuring and checkin and measure and checkin to work out where da back wall will go so he cud use dat as the reference point (hey I am gettin quite technical these days ;)). Here is the first frame up! Was horrible day as well, rainin and cold brrrrr.

In case you dos be wonderin wot dat chimney-lookin fing is ... is a chimney! hee-hee.

Next fing was to get all the frame built all the way up to where the front of the wheelhouse wud evenshully be. There was lots of measurin goin on coz is impawtant to get the wheelhouse on straight. Wuddn't want a wonky one wod we? So da routine .... measure, build, weld .. next frame, measure, build, weld .. next frame and so on! You get da piccha!

Dis took dat bout a week to complete. Was still early in the year so quite damp and frosty. Even though we had lots of sunny days, dad wud have to wait until the frost was gone and the sun had dried out the roof enuff so he cud weld.

He was also weldin angle iron on da sides of where the uprights and crossbeams meet to add extra strengf and also keep the structure from bucklin. You can also see the angle he welded on about halfway up to make sure each upright was in line wiv da last.

As you will of course recall, this mirrors exactly how he build the main deck structure too hee-hee dussnt worry pals, dis aint a test. If you dun wanted to see dat, you can go ere: http://dogstoyevsky.blogspot.com/2010/04/lexie-discovers-bbq-sausages-part-6.html.

Frame is comin along nicely I fink you dus agree! As usual, me an mum in awe of dad and wot he dus - he go vishun dat for sure cos we dus be avin trubble seein a wheelhouse! Not that we tells im dat, it be our little sekrit shhhhh!!

See you nex time ma pals when walls and roofsies start bein built! Believe it or not, I dus be in one of dese picchas. Can you tell which one ... Spot Da Lexie! First correct answer on a postcard wins a sossidge ;).