Where’s yer boat?

Before I commit an act of ragged, messy violence on the 100000001st person to ask me that question, I thought it was high time I wrote a little update about the Dock’s search for a boat!

Partly this is to correct some misunderstandings that seem to be out there.  I’ve heard rumours reported back to me as fact that the Dock now owns a boat; in fact someone had even heard (y’know, from a reliable source, on the QT, just so ya know, for prayer) that the Dock not only owned a boat, but had spent so much money on the boat that the company was now hugely in debt and facing financial insolvency.  News to me!… just to be clear, at this point in time, the Dock has neither a boat (aww) nor a debt (phew!).  What it does have, is a vision, and a commitment to this journey – however long it takes.

Because right from the beginning we knew that this was no short term easy thing; we knew we couldn’t just snap our fingers and expect a boat to appear.  The Dock began, just over two years ago now, with a blank page.  No money in the bank, no boat-fund, no twinkly-eyed benefactor, no old boat lying in wait for a good cause to come along.  It’s been an adventure getting this far – and as much as it’s occasionally been frustratingly slow, that pace has also allowed people to get involved, and the vision to evolve, in ways I never could’ve imagined.  Which is exactly as it should be – God really does know what he’s doing, and his timing is right.  This can be seen even in the way the boat has developed from a gimmicky concept – a one-liner – to an idea which seems to genuinely embody the whole Dock vision; a boat looks so obviously different to a church from any of our traditions, and carries so much imagery of neutral waters and new horizons, that people seem to ‘get’ the whole point of The Dock as soon as the boat is mentioned.

The exciting thing is, that after the two years of forging links across the different denominations, founding The Dock as a company, and publishing the Business Plan, we are now in a position to be looking at boats and getting a feel for the market.  You all saw the images of our visit to the Arctic Penguin, and it remains one of our favourite options (though not the only one).  But we’re trying to be sensible and responsible about this big mad idea: you don’t buy a boat – especially not an old boat – without surveys and research and a good bit of thought and expertise; and you try not to fall in love with the first boat you see until you’ve checked out what else is out there!  And, most crucially (so that the rumours don’t end up being true after all), you don’t commit to a massive capital expenditure until there are some pennies in the bank.  (And if you’d like to help on that score, you know where to find me!)

So keep enjoying the journey, people of The Dock – don’t expect to arrive overnight!   Keep your eyes peeled for pictures of the Penguin and of other possible ships on the website over the coming weeks and months.  There are some hugely exciting possibilities out there, and I still dream of the day when the Dock is afloat.  But in some ways I’m even more excited just to be part of the journey; to be in the TQ, part of the Titanic Centenary, walking out the vision, meeting the neighbours in pop-up cafes and coffee shops.  This is Life in the Titanic Quarter, and I’m not going to wish it away in impatience for the next chapter.  I’ve never been part of a story like this – and I’m loving every minute.

2 thoughts on “Where’s yer boat?”

  1. Well said, Sir!!

    Looking forward to getting back to join the fun adventure in the TQ! Seems we missed some exciting stuff since we were away?!
    God bless!

  2. Hilary and I had lunch on board the Arctic Penguin a few years ago. The food was excellent. No doubt you will maintain the standard.

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