First weeks at Fareham

By the time we received the keys, many items listed on the original advert had "disappeared", most importantly, the new four-man liferaft ! Also, the VHF, Sim card for the GPS, flares, TV and fish finder.
However, some items remained, including Mr Smith's clothes, all in very good condition and neatly packaged "ShipShape" fashion in vac bags. These included his pyjamas and new items purchased by him in Scotland. These were given to a charity shop !
Luckily, we found a large quantity of receipts from 2008, including engine parts, the propeller and invoices from his two month stay at Inverkip Marina on the Firth of Clyde.
Unluckily, in the microwave, were some Mr Kipling Lemon Drizzle cakes, also from 2008 !! I know that food can be eaten long after it's sell-by date, but even I know when to draw the line !

As it would take a while to source hard standing at a yard on the Medway, we spent several weekends at Fareham, stripping out whatever we could. Our plans involved gutting the interior, extending the saloon roof  from 8 feet wide to 12 feet, removing the wheelhouse roof and adding this on to the front of the saloon to give 6' 3" internal height overall throughout.
Although the 18mm grp hull was rock solid, the wheelhouse and main cabin sides were rotten and would need complete replacement. I believe that boat brokers must do the same training as estate agents, as the advert claim of needing a little "TLC" was downright lies.
As our plans required complete removal, this was not a problem for us. the existing roof timbers to the saloon and wheelhouse were made of curved section hardwood and mostly sound, so these would be retained, extended and covered with new 12mm ply.

Pics of initial strip out

Looking aft from cuddy cabin, wheel house up steps

Looking forward, mast stored inside, Open-plan Loo !! 

 
 

Advert pics

For Sale Advert

Power Cruiser Ex Ships Lifeboat SS Canberra Life Boat Conversion Year Built 1961 Boat Name Midnight Oil Length 11.58m / 38ft Beam 3.88m / 12.75ft
Displacement 12 ton Draft 950mm Air Draft 2.6 approx
Engine Cummins (2005) Engine model 6B series
Engine power HP 130
EngineHours 200
Description An opportunity to own a part of Britain's great merchant navy history. Midnight Oil is a converted lifeboat from the famous P&O 'white whale' SS Canberra. Midnight Oil has a recently refurbished Cummins 6b engine with walk in engine compartment, GPS, Sonar, VHF, CD/Radio, Flatscreen TV, 7 Berths in three cabins, Generator, Heating. After some TLC an ideal liveaboard.
SafetyEquipment
1x New four person liferaft 3x Fire extinguishers 1x Fire Blanket 2x Horseshoe lifebouys 1x Danbouy
3x Flares 2x Lifejacket
GeneralEquipment
1x Garmin 230 GPS/Plotter 1x Garmin 340 colour sonar 1x Fishfinder 1x Radar 1x Simrad 64rt VHF
Cummins 6b series in board diesel 2005 Borg Warner 2-1 reduction gearbox 5 blade prop from lancing marine
Separate fuel filtering system 3x Batteries Battery Charger 240v shore power system Inverter
Diesel stove heater Wheel Steering Shaft drive Hull construction Fiberglass/GRP
Location Gosport Marina, United Kingdom Country GB
Cabin Types 5 Berths in three cabins. V berth under foredeck. Two berths in saloon which also incorporates a galley midships. Pilot berth in wheelhouse above walk in engine compartment and aft deck Generator CD/Radio1 Cooker Fridge Toilet

More press reports

Scarborough Lifeboat crew's eerie 'Mary Celeste' style discovery in the Irish Sea

Published on Tuesday 1 July 2008 09:47
SCARBOROUGH lifeboatmen found themselves caught up in an eerie Mary Celeste-style mystery in the Irish Sea.
Training divisional inspector Wave Crooks, Glyn Simpson and Chris Steel were part of the crew helping to take a lifeboat from Workington to Poole in Dorset to be decommissioned when they responded to a May Day message from Falmouth Coastguard.
A Belgian fishing vessel, the Marie Louise, had reported finding an abandoned, seaworthy but crewless fishing boat bobbing about, just 23 miles off Cornwall's north coast between St Ives and Padstow. Mr Steel, of Avenue Victoria, said: "We were the nearest lifeboat to the vessel but a helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was scrambled in the first instance and they requested the launch of St Ives lifeboat to the scene."
He added said: "When we arrived we pulled along side and the mechanic from our boat climbed on board the vessel. Everything was turned off and all he could find was a bag of clothes. It was quite eerie."
HMS Severn, a naval fisheries vessel nearby, was also involved in the for the missing crew of the Midnight Oil, an ex-ship's lifeboat, which was last seen leaving Milford Haven in South Wales on June 28.
A Falmouth Coastguard spokesman said: "It was a wide and intensive search for one male who we believe is missing from the boat.
"There was no trace of the man in the water and the search was scaled down midway through Monday afternoon."
He added: "We know that the boat had previously been towed into Milford Haven when it developed some faults but these were apparently repaired and he was making his way to Falmouth. His son had joined him during part of the journey. When the boat was found drifting everything seemed in order, the engine started with no problems and the man's possessions were found inside the cabin."
The coastguard spokesman said the man's family had been contacted and his disappearance remained a mystery.

The Mary Celeste was an unmanned brigantine discovered sailing in the Atlantic Ocean, towards the Strait of Gibraltar, in 1872. The fate of the 10 people on board remains a mystery to this day.
Theories as to their fate include piracy and underwater earthquakes but, the most respected one, is that, fearing its cargo of alcohol was leaking and in danger of exploding, the crew abandoned ship and either drowned or died of hunger, thirst or exposure.

Concern for missing boatman, 80

Concern is growing for an 80-year-old man whose empty boat was found drifting off the coast of Cornwall on Monday. Peter Smith, from Gosport, Hampshire, was last seen leaving Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire in his boat Midnight Oil on Saturday morning.
A search involving a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from RNAS Culdrose, the St Ives lifeboat and HMS Severn was called off on Monday evening.
Police said they were treating the incident as a missing person inquiry.
Clothing and belongings were found on board the Midnight Oil, a converted former lifeboat.
It was found floating 23 miles west north west from Trevose Head by a Belgian fishing boat, the Maria Louise, at about 1115 BST.
They reported that the engine of the 40ft (12.2m) boat was cold but that they could re-start it quickly.

The helicopter searched the area three miles in every direction from where the boat was found and re-traced the possible course of the boat back to Milford Haven, said a spokesman for the RAF.
Falmouth Coastguard, who co-ordinated the search, said Midnight Oil was towed to St Ives in north Cornwall at 1800 BST on Monday.
Devon and Cornwall Police said the vessel had been experiencing mechanical problems but that Mr Smith had taken it for repairs in Milford Haven and had been making his way back to Gosport.
The RAF spokesman said that over the weekend, winds were described as westerly blowing at about 20 to 30 knots. On Monday the winds were about 10 to 15 knots.
"If you are in a small boat you are going to know about it if the wind is blowing at around 20 to 30 knots," added the spokesman.

Midnight Oil - A Brief History

Following the de-commissioning of Canberra in 1997, the lifeboats were sold off. Some have become commercial ventures operating as ferry boats, excursion boats and wildlife-watching vessels, notably "Taurus", a ferry running trips in Bristol, "Weston Maid" plymouth ferry, "Wingate III" a trip boat in Chichester and "Julianne" a workboat. One of the boats was also made into a roof for a Wash-house in Shetland.
We do not know the reason for naming her "Midnight Oil" but possibly was after the Australian rock band of the same name, who hail from Canberra.
To the best of our knowledge, "Midnight Oil" was converted into a coastal cruiser, including the addition of a 6litre 130 hp Cummins diesel engine , around 1997 / 98, and spent a fair deal of time around the Western Scottish Isles, based around Gourock. She was advertised for sale, which we are led to believe for a price of £24,000.
She was bought by a Mr Peter Smith, a gentleman of 80 years who also had a narrowboat moored at Newhaven. After spending some time at Kip Marina, Inverkip, he headed south in June 2008, down through the Irish Sea, along with his son, then being towed into Milford Haven on the 10th June by the RNLI lifeboat "Sir Galahad" to repair a leak on the Calorifier.

His son then left the boat to continue his journey home and Mr Smith set off on the morning of the 28th June  heading for Falmouth.

He never made it ! The boat was found drifting 23 miles off St Ives, Cornwall, by a Belgian fishing boat the "Marie Louise". Mr Smith's body was found two weeks later, off Morte Point, North Devon.

Press report as link below.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2229519/Sailor-mysteriously-vanishes-from-boat.html#

She was towed into St Ives by the RNLI Lifeboat, then finally was taken round to Gosport.

She was listed for sale on several web sites, where we saw her on Boatbreakers.com, in May 2012 originally for a price of £15,000.

By the time we finally got round to viewing her in June, the price had dropped to £7000, as the broker required the berth she was on in Fareham, Upper Quay.

We struck a deal for the £6000 to include 2 months of free moorings at Fareham while we made arrangements to move her up to Kent