Persephone was in need of an external repaint and some work on the cratch but was otherwise in a sound condition. I was lucky that Joe Jones had some time available and was able to do the job for me. I have since largely removed the original cabin fittings and furniture with a view to refitting her in due course. The Stratford stove, which was very pretty but far too large for the boat, spent some time on Draco before finding another home. Last year, with help from Connie and Laura, Persephone was repainted internally in cream and apricot as I didn't feel I could live with the original pink and red even while I refitted her. We also added a ton of engineering bricks under her floor to try to make her a little more stable. This has succeeded to a degree and also given her a more pleasing look as she's now a couple of inches lower in the water.

Future plans include fitting a small box-style stove in the main cabin, rebuilding the cratch in a slightly more trad style and building a cut-down version of a boatman's cabin with a single cross bed and a Faversham instead of the Epping.

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