Work done so far..

Here are some photos of Bonnie as she was when we bought her. The plan is to completely strip out everything and start again, reusing materials where possible and making better use of the available space. We plan on building a new wheelhouse and so the mezzanine floor will go. As the main salon will be on deck, the area pictured down below will be the galley, dining area and a snug area for those really cold nights when we don't want to be on deck looking at the rain and bleak Essex marshes, although they do have a certain charm even in winter.

We have already stripped out the main bedroom and have spent hours chipping loose bitumen paint off the bottom, ready to grease the hull inside.

The bed has gone (and the chemical toilet!) and, with the surveyor's okay, we have cut a door through to a completely unused space. This will become my office as I have enough books to open a library (occupational hazard for an English teacher). The surveyor has also recommended that we keep the Rockwall, but bag it up before we put it back.

We will also put in a bathroom, a utility room and a workshop. We were planning on a second bedroom, but have decided to keep more living space for us and have a big American style L-shaped settee in the wheelhouse, which will accommodate guests.

However, none of these plans are set in stone and once we start, who knows things may change!