D-Day

Saturday 16th August 2025

This is the boat on 10th August

Here she is on Friday 15th August at around 7pm

This is the boat on 16th August

The opening started at 3pm and right up until that moment Hope & Desperation's crew was running about working like blue bottom flies to get the boat in some sort of shape to present paintings. Peyman, Andy, Helen and codename: 'Rosie' gave their time and efforts to get the boat into a gallery at in time for the opening. It was incredible to get so much help - it wouldn't look anything like this if it weren't for them. I'd probably be crying into my tool bag if I had to do this day alone. I am so grateful for their help.

My role ended up as co-ordinator and I was rarely able to work on site as I had to manage the car and any transportation of materials. I have a lot of faith in the crew and they managed without me. I'd imagine they bonded as a result. Who knows, I wasn't there! WIthout my physical presence on the boat, they managed to complete the framing of the house box, attach the MDF wall panels and curate the exhibition. The paintings started going up at 14:30hr. At the start of the show at 3pm, I was at the tip slinging old bits of wood.

Andy & Peyman working well together (I presume!)

The A-team. So much of the work is shifting bits of wood and trying not to cut your hands or break your back.

Andy jabbed himself on an errant nail and made good use of the travelling medics on site at Coal Drop's Yard. For legal reasons, he had to state into the bodycam that the injury had not been inflicted by the medic!

Rewind to Friday 15th : Andy and I drove the boat from Victoria Park to Kings Cross from 10am to 3pm. The battery went dead 20 yards from our spot. Work started following our re-location and ended at 9pm. Another 12 hour day.

The final parking was done with the emergency punt stick.

100 Tigers is actually more like 22 Tigers. I have only had time to frame the first quarter of them, but don't they look awesome! The next month or so I am going to make the remaining frames. In this photo: on the far left is the toilet cubicle which doubles up as a storage locker. On the right is the outboard trolling motor with the giant red battery sitting by its side.

Peyman gets 10/10 for the pose. I don't know what I'm doing here.

The photos never capture the atmosphere of the boat and only hint at the magic of the evening. It is something that needs to be experienced in person

Sausages!