How did Jenny Wren come to have a counterpart do you wonder?
While in the Linton Locks pub back in Yorkshire one Sunday afternoon Colin bumped into his friend Anthony, an engineer, A fellow boater too, who lives on his narrowboat. Over a pint Colin picked Anthony’s brains to see if he could build a Dumb Barge that Jenny Wren could push.
Anthony asked Colin if he had any plans of how he envisaged this dumb barge to be. Colin did. He proceeded quickly to get these plans from Jenny Wren at the other side of the river on his rowing boat, and returned to the pub with his plans to Anthony.
Anthony went away with the plans to price, and rang Colin a few days later to agree on plans and a price. A week went by, and on the Wednesday, Anthony drove into the marina yard at Nun Monkton with what is now The Bird Box on a trailer, with “Floaty McBoatface “ written on the side in chalk. We had to laugh. This was impressive work, turned around in a very quick timescale.
Colin commenced fitting out Bird Box in September 2017, and Andrea carried out all the external painting works. In Spring 2018, Matthew, our son, came to the yard with a Fasttack to put the Bird Box into the River Ouse. She had her new mooring safe at front of Jenny Wren.
Following this, some river trials were carried out with Bird Box on the front of Jenny Wren to ensure all was safe for the journey ahead and the bowthrusters could cope with the additional weight and lenght of both boats.
This was all successful. The plans for the floating shop has suceeded. All that was to do now was to commencing stocking up and marketing the business.
