Meet the Content Creator and their Weather Clock - Christina & Rohan

This week we are meeting Christina & Rohan from @thisonefloats

Can you tell us about yourself?

I’m Christina, my partner is Rohan. In 2018 we bought our first home: an industrial cargo ship in Belgium. We sailed it through Europe to Holland for the major steel work, and then home to the UK where we converted it into a 3-bed floating home where we now live with our toddler and dog. We document renovations and river-life on our instagram page @thisonefloats

How did living on your 1965 converted ship come about?

Rohan spent a lot of his childhood on his parent’s sailing boat so he’s got that boaty gene. He’s always longing to be by the water. This project came about after a walk along the Thames when I pointed out a big rust bucket and (jokingly!) asked Rohan if he’d live on something like that… He saw that as his green light and off he went and found a grain ship in Belgium!

I never really saw it as a boat – I just saw this big blank canvas and an exciting opportunity to design our own home.

How long did it take you to convert the ship?

15 months – which I know sounds like no time at all now but it was an achingly long process at the time! Renovations take it out of you don’t they? We were camping out at friend's places to keep costs down, and we got so fed up with delays that we moved on without heating on the boat. No regrets… We were so happy to be here!  



Where do you hang your Weather Clock and why?

We hang our clock as part of the gallery wall in our living room. I love illustrated screen prints so it looks part of the family in my collection.

Can you sum up your Bramwell Brown Weather Clock in three words?

Magical, Chic and Unique!

During lockdown we've all spent more time at home, have you tackled any lockdown refurb projects?

We moved in just before the first lockdown and the boat was in no way finished, so we inevitably had a lot of jobs to do in our new home. We spent pretty much the whole of Lockdown #1 with a paintbrush in hand. By the time we reached the third lockdown I promised Rohan we could spend this one on the sofa!

What's the best thing about living on a houseboat/ship?

It has to be the ever-changing landscape outside your windows. And that’s the case even with us being moored in the same spot. The light, the tides, the wildlife, the trees... it’s all constantly changing throughout the year and it’s so wonderful to be so immersed in it.

Finally, we love mechanical/analogue objects (as you can probably tell) what mechanical/analogue items (record plays, analogue cameras etc) do you have in your home or remember from your childhood that you love(d)?

I’d say the boat in itself is pretty mechanical! The boys seem to get pretty excited going down to the engine room and seeing the 1965 Mercedes 300hp engine.

Rohan certainly grew up surrounded with analogue tools on his father’s sailing boat. Though I’m not sure the barometer from his childhood would have made it to my gallery wall today!

Thank you to Christina & Rohan for speaking with us. You can find out more about their ship renovations @thisonefloats