Fitting out and a mooring

Having bought the boat, the next step was to find a mooring. Our original plan of keeping her close to home on one of the large reservoirs within half an hours drive of us was now out of the running. We needed a coastal mooring. Moreover, we needed a cheap mooring but one that came with adequate facilities such as tender storage, car parking, showers etc.

After much looking around in advance of the purchase I had been drawn to North Fambridge. The swinging moorings at the Yacht Station, run as part of the marina around the corner, appealed due to their reasonable cost, the use of a 120m pontoon with power and water (free to resident moorers for short stays, a modest charge is levied for overnighting), car parking, showers etc. plus unfettered access to the facilities at the marina itself about half a mile away.

On a rather damp and bleak Monday afternoon in January, after agreeing the purchase of the boat, Jane and I drove down to Fambridge to have a look. Even on such a day there was a certain beauty in the river scene and we had a long and enjoyable conversation with staff from the marina by the end of which we were both convinced this was where we would keep her for the time being at least.

Arrangements were duly made for the boat to take up a swinging mooring at Fambridge from April onwards. Now the question was how to get her there ...

One key criteria that "Anne of Arne" did not meet was that she was not on a trailer. She is small enough and light enough to be towed behind a 4x4 but the cost of even a second-hand trailer was out of our reach for now.

It was very tempting to sail her down from the Deben to the Crouch. However, I had some serious concers. Firstly we would be embarking on a full day plus voyage on an untried and untested boat. We would be doing so with a novice crew. As the journey involved crossing the Deben bar and the Harwich shipping lanes, I felt this was too ambitious.

A possible solution was to book an RYA qualified instructor for the day. Enquries were made with the training company based at Fambridge Yacht Haven who quoted a very reasonable price for the excercise. This would have the added benefit of a days informal training as well as having a qualified skipper on board to keep us right.

That did not however solve the problem of carrying out sea trials in controlled conditions. Although we could obtain a temporary mooring on the Deben, the tidal range of the river coupled with the difficulties of car parking, access from shore to ship and vice versa etc. made this option unattractive.

Plan B. was to engage the services of a boat moving company and this was the solution we adopted.

Before she could go in the water, however, she needed anti-fouling and preparing for the move. So on the weekend of the 26th/27th March, we got together at Woodbridge for some serious work. All went well and by the end of the weekend she was antifouled with a new white boottop, the upper hull had been T-cutted and was looking quite shiney and attractive, she sported a shiney new spirit stove (the existing gas installation having been condemned out of hand by me!) and the mast was down and everything stowed ready for the move the following weekend.

There was only one remaining snag .... that name!