Barge 345 .. Myrtle's missus barge

We have put in an offer (subject to survey) for an ammunition barge as a home for MM's daughter ..in future to be known as MMD, and had it accepted!
This is to replace the 'Resolution' on the other half of Myrtle's plot.
They are going to remove all the water out of her before the survey, and then remove the ten tons of metal plates which make up her floor and then pump all the silt out of her.  They will then put pieces of old timber across her hatch, and cover the whole lot with tarpaulins to stop her from filling up again.
We then hope to get her towed her during April.
Let the adventure begin (with all its ups and downs ..)
Here are some pictures:-
Outside .. we forgot to take good ones! But this is what we got ..

and her top-view .. the blue is netting put there to stop the pigeons getting in

her hold .. the blue is a reflection of the netting covering it ..

and a closer look at the front of the main hold

the crew's cabin in the fore-hold

and less salubrious accommodation in the aft hold ..

Wild and windy high tide!

Frass and jetsam all over the jetty, and bits of wood floated out of place.  Myrtle has moved too far out and I am worried about her drawbridge falling off at the jetty end (it is tied on at the Myrtle end); so I have tied the jetty end on too.  At today's high tide I will see if it is possible to move Myrtle a bit mor bank-wards, but with this high wind I suspect I won't be heavy enough!

Interesting neighbours for the last few days ..

There has been a fair  just the other side of the bridge .. they have had awful trouble with rain, but it was good to watch ..

An OAP moves an 80 ton boat single-handedly in the middle of the night!

M'sM did it!  She got up at 01.22 am, and went out and pushed against the board put there to stop Myrtle moving too far towards the shore, and, lo and behold, she moved back out towards the river!  A few (hopefully) judicious adjustments of the mooring ropes, and she has stayed where she is meant to be .. very satisfactory!  The gang-plank is now back on the platform.

A wandering gang-plank ......

An North/Easterly wind means Myrtle has moved where she shouldn't have done . and she is now lying so that the  end of the gang plank hangs over the steps.  Unfortunately M'sM has squashed the side of her little finger whilst boarding when the end wheel of gang-plank slipped over the step after M'sM tried to get it back.
A little maneuvering with a pole means there is now a board under the errant wheel, making it less likely to jam in that position when Myrtle is moved again.

The drop off the end of the gang-plank!

A strategically placed board to allow the wheel to run back onto the landing.

The mooring ropes are too tight for Myrtle's Missus to get them adjusted at low tides, and she missed this afternoon's high tide, so it will have to be a nocturnal adjustment.  High tide being at 1.28 am. It is all Myrtle's Missus' fault too .. she was trying to adjust the angle at which Myrtle is lying to take full advantage of the view, but now there is the beautiful new window that really isn't necessary, and it is probably best to keep the East/West orientation completely in order to take full advantage of the sun on the decks at both ends, and the view from the lovely window ....  Ah well, it's all a learning curve.. !