New Owners - Autumn Myst

We are delighted to say that our pride and joy, Autumn Myst, has been sold to lovely new owners Kevin and Petra, not forgetting the most important member of their crew Molly.

We wish them well on their future exploits and hope that they enjoy the boat as much as we have done over the last six years. Please give them a welcoming wave if you see them on your travels.

We will miss all the friends we have made on the canal and wish you all well for the future.

Bob and June

AUTUMN MYST IS FOR SALE

Due to advancing years and health issues we are reluctantly having to put our pride and joy, Autumn Myst, up for sale. We will greatly miss the camaraderie of the canals..
Autumn Myst For Sale See Apollo Duck at http://apolloduck.net/513790
Boat Specification:
Autumn Myst is a 58 foot 6 inch modern Trad. built on a G & J Reeves shell and fitted out by the well renowned Sandhills Narrowboats. It is in excellent condition and is suitably equipped for long term cruising or living aboard. It is a conventional layout and fitted out in American Oak in a combination of shadow gap tongue and groove planking, and panelling with all doors and drawers having matching inlays. The floor is in Rustic Oak throughout the boat.
Double Glazing to all Windows, Portholes and 2 Houdini's provides a light and bright living space.
It has four berths comprising a fixed double berth in the stern bedroom and a raised Pullman Dinette converting to a double bed.
The Galley is fully equipped with a CDA domestic Hob and Belling Oven/Grill with extractor fan overhead. A 12 volt fridge with freezer compartment completes the appliances. The Bathroom has a ceramic basin, fully tiled quadrant glass shower and pumpout toilet. There is also a heated towel rail and airing cupboard above the vertical hot water calorifier and opposite is a Bosch Washing Machine.
The pump out toilet empties into a large holding tank sited under the bed with level gauge and warning light.
GSM Boat Security Alarm system
Engine:
Beta Marine 43 hp with Twin Alternators, 3.5Kw Travel Power Unit and Hydraulic pump. Hospital Silencer.
1600 hours
Gearbox:
PRM 150 hydraulic
Bow Thruster:
6HP Beta Hydraulic Bow Thruster.
Heating:
Multifuel Morso Squirrel 1430 stove in saloon.
Full central heating from a Hurricane SCH25 Hydronic Heating system heating a combination of radiators, fin rads, and towel rail. The heating system is also connected to the engine cooling water circuit to provide free heating whilst cruising. Controlled from a multi stage programmer.
Hot Water:
Is provided from a vertical calorifier in the bathroom and heated via the engine, Hurricane heater, or immersion heater.
Electrics:
1 Starter battery and 4 Leisure batteries.
Mastervolt Masscombi 12/2500 Inverter
Masterbolt Masterlink BTM Battery Monitor System
2 Landline connectors, 1 to stern and 1 to bow.
LED Lighting throughout with two way switches at each end of the main units.
Heavy loads such as the washing machine and immersion heater are wired such as they can only be operated when the Travel Power unit or Landline are connected.
Water System:
Fresh water is supplied from a 800 litre stainless Steel tank under the bow well deck, with level gauge, via a pump and accumulator located in the galley.
A Brita 3 way mixer tap in the galley provides hot, cold and filtered water.

Entertainment Equipment:
Samsung 22in TV swivel arm mounted in Saloon.
Panasonic Compact Stereo system with DAB Radio, CD Player and Ipod Doc mounted under TV
Sage Video Recorder mounted in forward cabinet.
Pioneer Stereo Radio/ CD player in bedroom.
TV Aerial is telescopic and mounted on front of cratch board within headlight and horn column.
Bow Locker:
Housing 2 13Kg Gas cylinders.

Bow Well Deck:
Removable glazed Cratch Board with Kinver Canopies Cover with side windows.
Fresh water tank underneath.
Side Bow Seat Lockers with storage under.
Front Seat Locker with access to Bow Thruster and built in storage for Anchor and chain.
Saloon:
Morso Squirrel stove to port side.
Large curved cupboard to starboard side
Tin/book Cupboards and shelves surround entertainment systems.
Covered Radiator and finrads provide heating.
2 leather Captains Chairs and stool with inlaid coffee table/seat stored in side pocket provide the seating.
Dinette:
Raised dinette with views out of side windows.
Storage drawers and cupboards below seats.
Below raised floor is storage for further folding chairs.
Finrad Heating
Galley:
Black Granite worktops with sunken stainless steel sink and grooved drainer.
Plenty of drawers and cupboards for storage with wine rack.
12 volt Shoreline Fridge with Freezer compartment
CDA 3 Burner Hob
Belling Oven and Grill under.
Overhead extractor fan with lighting.
Brita 3 way tap supplying filtered water.
Finrad heating.
Bathroom:
Walk Through bathroom with glass quadrant shower and mixer tap.
Top mounted ceramic oval basin with chrome tower tap on a curved storage cupboard.
AquaT electric Silent ceramic pump out toilet
Heated Chrome Towel Rail
Airing cupboard over vertical Hot Water Tank (calorifier)
Bosch Classixx Washing Machine with storage cupboards over.
Bedroom:
Inline bed with 3 drawers under
Large double door wardrobe with storage shelves.
Dressing Table with drawer and cupboard under and Mirror over.
Overhead locker storage with two reading lights under and radio/cd player.
Covered Radiator
Bi-fold door to engine room.
Engine room:
Extra wide Hatch together with stern taff seat provides excellent social area whilst cruising.
Plenty of hanging space for wet gear etc.
Control Panel with all electrical switches, RCD's, battery monitor system, heating controls and water gauges.
Travel Power unit and Inverter behind inlaid cupboard doors.
Side Locker for mooring equipment etc.
Tool storage in removable exit step plus more storage below side steps.
Easily removed engine covers giving easy access to engine for maintenance.
Easy access hatch to batteries.
Engine bay is sound insulated.

Friday 7th April - First King Fisher

A lovely morning so we made an early start motoring through Polesworth and passed Pooley Hall where we spotted our first King Fisher flashing past with the sun glinting of his lovely colours.

At Alvecote there were lots of old working boats moored looking very smart with their new paint work and blacking.
We stopped at Glascote Top lock to fill with water having passed through Amington with its weeping willow trees dangling across the canal.

As we had made good time and it was still only late morning we continued on through Fazeley Junction passing over the River Tame aqueduct and then the Wine Boat and stopped at Bone Hill Bridge for a catch up chat with Tracy and Kim off the Little Chimney Boat. Kim kindly welded a loose arm on the top hat whilst Tracy and June chatted away putting the world to rights. Their son has taken over the business now but Kim still helps out with the more specialised products they make.

We continued on through Hopwas which was unusually quiet with only a couple of boats moored where there are normally so many it is difficult to find a mooring. The army must have been using the firing range as the Red Flags were flying but we did not hear any shots as we motored through the wooded hillside.

We finally moored up for lunch at Whittington and decided to stay the night. In the village on the pub car park there was a Fish and Chip Van which operates on a Friday night from 5 pm, unfortunately we already had a dinner organised so could not take advantage of its services.

These Poly Tunnels on the approach to Whittington appeared to be growing Asparagus as we could just see the small stalks rising from the tilled soil.

Thursday 6th April - The Atherstone Flight

Still feeling pretty rough after a sleepless night we made a later start in cool misty conditions and moored up in an almost deserted Atherstone to go and do some shopping. As we returned a boat was just coming up the last two locks so we quickly packed the produce away and moved off to the top lock. There were several Volunteers on duty and they kindly helped us through the first 5 locks giving us a good start to the flight. At the top lock the Volunteers were operating a Book Swap so a took advantage of it to get myself a couple of new books to read.
We made good progress through the rest of the locks with only one of them against us where we helped a single hander on a Braidbar boat through. June did the locks so that I was able to take it easy for the trip and we moored up little further on for the evening.

Wednesday 5th April – Pump Out Talk Again

This morning we left the marina in lovely calm weather with the daffodils at the exit still in fine bloom and the swan sitting on her eggs.
We motored on through All Oaks Wood and passed under the recently renovated Easenhall Bridge with its luxury Bat Boxes on both sides.

We continued on to Hawksbury Junction where we stopped for lunch. Perhaps, because the winter moorers had recently left, there was only one boat moored on our side and very few on the other side of the junction. In the lovely afternoon sunshine motored on towards Nuneaton passing the iconic Engine House

The garden figures at Charity Dock seem to be expanding with even a lady in some Stocks overlooking this hulk.

All seemed fine until I went down with violent stomach pains and had to spend the rest of the trip on or close to the loo. June had to take the helm as we passed the recently tilled allotments ready for spring planting and we decided to moor up just through Nuneaton in order for me to continue to fill the tank. I suspect we will need to have a pump out in the very near future as it continued on through the night

Tuesday 4th April - Spring Cruise

We arrived at the boat at lunchtime, planning to leave the marina and make our way towards Hawksbury Junction. However we had a call from our friends to say that they were stuck at Aston Lock on the Trent and Mersey as the ground paddle is blocked, requiring the lock to be emptied to effect a repair. Navigation will not be open again until the 7th April. We decided to stay in the marina and wash the boat as we would not be able to wash the port side again until we were well passed Fradley Junction.

The Daffodils which line the entrance road to the marina have been a beautiful show over the last month but are almost at the end of the life.