She's back

A warm reception...

A floatilla of swans clear the waters...
Massive Redcliffe bridge and the even grander St Mary Redcliffe church...
A great Bristol picture...

The harbour master does well to ease her back...

Return leg

Moored for another 20 years...

Spy Glass welcomes Glass Boat back...

The flag still flies...

Sliding doors..

A new rear view..

Last Sunday was the set date for the boat's return, an early sail to avoid keeping Redcliffe bridge closed for to long and also the winds are calmer in the morning, 9.30am and we're off. The dry dock became a wet dock on Saturday and was a true test to see if the new hull had been sealed on good and tight. The ballast was positioned accordingly a mix of 20kg weights and rocks and the water let in, up she rose and level too. The wind was alot calmer that when we went so the Prince Bridge and Redcliffe Bridge we're not too much of a problem to navigate, the guys on the roof we're ready with tyre fenders just in case, they played an important role in mooring back to our docking slot, one of the most tense and exciting parts of the project so far. The newly painted glimmer and the new glass walls on the stern end gave a dazzling sight to watchers on, alot who had come out with cameras, every one agreed that she looked as impressive as ever and totally reinvigorated, that it was a big improvement so far. It was two and a half months ago that she left but seeing the Boat slowly being tugged by the Lloyd's building and past the same naval friggit, that had also disappeared and returned, it didn't seem like long at all. It felt strange that this could most certainly be her last sail for 20 years. Once she was back the process of lashing her back onto the dock wall began, first the ropes, then the steel cables and then the metal A frames. This took a few hours, the freshly painted and newly roped gang planks to follow soon. It was a very strange day at work, moving location and for the first time seeing how the future of the boat would look back in it's old spot, slightly nerved I was overcome with the feeling that the real work was about to begin, cosmetic decoration is crucial as there's a lot of anticipation and getting the operational cogs up and running was now at the utmost forefront of my mind.

FREE CHAMPAGNE

CELEBRATE..

Who would like a FREE BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE then? Were giving it away. Just mention this blog offer when you book Tel; 0117 9290704. A whole bottle of Jean Moutardier Champagne, which has just won a gold medal in Paris my suppliers Great Western Wine have told me, is complimentary from us to you to help celebrate our 21st birthday and also the grand return of our beloved Glassboat. We will send you a voucher by post or email when you book to swap on the evening. Minimum of 4 dinners any Monday to Thursday dinner. For use in JUNE only, one bottle per table. Get in there. Quick. Book now. Bubbles. Phones open from Tuesday 8th May 0117 9290704.

HMS Victory

Aft foot print..

Victory..

Last December whilst I was working the silly Santa season a rather inebriated customer feathered his dismay at me regarding any changes to be made to the boat in the near future. ''Steel all the character '' he said, ''rip out its soul'' he spluttered, wobbling from side to side as if we were crossing the channel in a force ten. I assured him that it was just a gentle lick of paint with some slight modifications and thought I would win him round by explaining the new Aft, with opening riverside doors, panoramic views, conditioned glass as opposed to scratched perspecs, ''you what?'' he said ''a glass box on a boat, your gonna turn it into a f****** New York office on water?'' If your reading this you know who you are.. Now bottle of wine, Cognac and port aside I could rather see his point, this is a fabulous old boat in historically fabulous old surroundings and any unsympathetic design would look very much out of place. If were not care full, these pricey floor to ceiling glass windows and the sliding doors in a square shape could look very much as a modern day add on that didn't quite fit. From inside the room would be vastly improved and aesthetically much better to dine in, not to mention the attraction of this area for private parties, weddings, meetings,etc but could we pull it off from the outside? I voiced concerns. After deliberation and lots of sketches the idea of a classic historic naval ship stern was an obvious answer, in fact it was screaming out to us. What we would do is to fix in the stern elevation on an outward slant as designed and used in the old English naval battle ships. This will give a fantastic classic visual appearance as its one of those designs that every one sort of knows about, like the HMS Victory, the pride of the English navy with one of our best commanders ever, Nelson. Plus with the docks being so historical it will fit in great, with the Mathew a real touch of nostalgia. Having seen the Aft footprints I'm now wholly convinced and very excited at this new feature and also very confident that the character will not be stolen and the soul ripped out. Bring it on.