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Shore connections

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Safe Hand's mooring in Northwich is courtesy of Northwich Drydock Co . I seriously cannot recommend these peeps highly enough, whatever the scale or scope of your work, the Drydock team are on hand to assist, support and enable.  First on the list was how to get aboard? The wooden ramp made for use at Saltersford locks was more of a nuisance than a help here.   These steel steps were simple to fabricate and are light enough to move single handed. They lock onto the kickboard, and scaffold clamps on the lower stays allow adjustment for hull curvature. Handrails may be added in the future, but so far I have not felt the need. Up to now, AC electrical power has been supplied by a 10Kva 230v diesel generator. Now there is access to a shore supply, I will use this paint storage locker to house the necessary equipment. Disconnect, metering, RCD / overload protection, and a 7Kva isolation transformer, all in a nice compact space.   The transformer is es...
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Motor Barge Safe Hand

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This barge carried up to 138,000 litres of edible oils in two large deck mounted tanks along the river Mersey from 1950 onwards.   Built as the Steam Packet LUX by W.J.Yarwood & Sons in 1950 using riveted steel construction, she became part of a fleet of five similar vessels operating for Lever Brothers of Port Sunlight   After conversion to Diesel power in 1966, she remained in commercial service as SAFE HAND until 2019. A fast and easy to handle vessel, able to heat and pump her own cargo.
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Saltersford to Yarwoods

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After a short stay at Acton bridge over the the Easter holiday, CRT swung the bridge open for us and Safe Hand continued up the River Weaver. Our next stop was Saltersford Locks lower mooring.   Engineering works to the sluice mechanism prevented the lock from being cycled, and despite being near completion as we arrived, complications arose and this picturesque mooring wound up as base camp throughout the summer of 2019. Without access to dock facilities, decent surface preparation is not practical, so the worst of the scale is scraped off and a thick coat of Jotun marine primer gets applied.  This rough and ready paint job will prevent further deterioration during conversion, and I won't mind if it gets a bit scuffed up during the heavy work still to come. Topcoat begins to transform Safe Hand's rust streaked appearance, and also serves as a declaration of intent to restore. Several passers by had commented on her shabby looks, and some pictures turned...
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