Secret Garden

That's the one

There was a guy around in 2009 when I last looked that could trace Gardner engines through their serial # Mine was apparently used previously as a deck winch from a vessel c1947. Long since had to sell the boat (Secret Garden) but hope it's still going strong.

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

Burying cables takes me back to my first ever site inspection in the summer of 1987. BICC (Erith Kent) were supplying 400kV national grid lines as part of Didcot power station expansion, to be buried under Goring golf course. Hugely expensive but the land owner simply wouldn't let the cables go overhead, a certain HRH if I recall correctly. A good decision in my opinion but I can only conject as to who paid the cost hike.

That takes me back a few years, Banbury, Aynho & Lower Heyford (possibly Thrupp too) no better place to winter.

There was a study done years and years ago that calculated an average car (which at that time meant 30 mpg burning petrol and lasting 100,000 miles or 10 years), would take 3 times more energy to manufacture than that vehicle would have burnt. So if we are truly interested in reducing greenhouse gases the immediate short time answer is to make the vehicles last longer. And they have, there are 10 year old cars in the scrap yard now that I would have given my left arm for 30 years ago, nothing really wrong with them other than "we the consumer" want new and better and to hell with the environment or worse still, we think we are doing the right thing by replacing "old" cars and going for first diesels to increase the mpg and then silly hybrids because diesels kill everything, and now electrics. The only sensible place that I can see for an EV is in the town/city because of the no point of use pollution, but will that really make any difference when the biggest polluters of all in cities are, building heating, buses, diesel trains, delivery vans and taxis, I doubt it...

I used to work almost opposite one of those too, but in a heavenly smelling chocolate factory in Banbury.

We were frozen in for ~ 6 weeks at Furness Vale early in 2010, friendliest place I've ever been.

Crime can't crack itself

I fell head first into Bristol harbour when tied to the pontoons by that strange lift bridge, quite pleasant water really compared with your average canal. Don't recall tasting any grey bits...

Your name is in my little black book, Wolfie...

Stowe Hill Marine as said previously, Secret Garden (sadly not mine anymore) was one their later hulls to match that profile I think, and she's a 1999 model. Got wet feet whilst steering on the Thames & Severn and had to tape up the doors too. I like the distinctive profile, would love a tug deck version next time. Steve.

I had to dismantle theirs once to clear ummmn let's say bits that had stopped the NRV seating properly. Didn't get discount for doing that either... Had a very unhappy & cross legged partner onboard at the time otherwise I'd have moved on to those nice folks at Ventnor who do it for you & don't require you to service their kit either.

Just demonstrate how much you loved it, oh and be honest about the foibles becuase very boat has them.