Cruising Log 2010
January 24th 2010
After the big freeze, I took to opportunity of a predicted sunny day to do a mid-winter check-over. The engine started easily but the alternator booster wouldn't play; the single red led was on but no other signs of life and the battery voltages remained stubbornly at 13.8v. According to the instructions this is indicative of a bad connection somewhere in the system but I figured it was probably just dampness so shut off the engine, left it for a few minutes and tried again. All the correct leds lit up this time so all well and battery voltages rose to the correct levels. But something to keep an eye on because it's not something I would normally watch. Emptied the dehumidifiers - a lot of water had accumulated - and refilled them with crystals. Cleaned the loo and the inside of the fridge. Checked over the stove chimney which Blisworth Tunnel Boats fixed just before Christmas and it looks OK. After a tin of chicken soup, shut shop and left for home at 2pm with the air temperature outside at 10C! Took another sack of coal with me for home and also all the rechargeable units for a top-up.
3 hours battery charge.
Damp crystals £6.40, chimney repairs £85.00
February 20th 2010
A lovely sunny morning. I arrived at Blisworth at 10.30am and was amazed to find 4 inches of snow! For once I had remembered the camera. Plugged in the battery charger after clearing away enough snow to get aboard, then wandered around and took a few photos. Then back on board to do all the usual chores; dehumidifiers (one needed emptying), checked bilges and suchlike. Then cleared some more snow off the cratch cover and also the back hatch because pushing the hatch cover to and fro had the unwanted effect of shovelling snow into the boat.
Sunshine and snow at Blisworth Marina
After lunch I built a battery charger board using two Maplin solar panels to connect across the bow-thruster batteries. For once I'd got all the bits and the job went well - in fact it looks quite professional (I think so anyhow). Then I made an inventory of the food and first aid cupboard contents and chucked a few 'out-of-date' items away. Left at 3pm; the battery charger was in 'float' mode which I think means the batteries are pretty well full so I disconnected it from the mains.
Solar panel charger board to keep the bowthruster batteries topped up
March 17th 2010
A brief visit to collect my fishing gear for a fishing day at Brackley lake with Gary tomorrow. Took the opportunity to make to usual checks; emptied the water out of the dehumidifiers and left at 6pm just as it was getting dark.
April 3rd 2010
We arrived at quarter to ten to prepare the boat for the up-coming re-paint at Blisworth Tunnel Boats. Loaded the boat up with stuff for the stay and drove to the yard to confirm arrangements. Then walked to the Walnut Tree for a drink and on return a 'soup and salad roll' lunch. Walked Tasha down the towpath to Rothersthorpe Top lock and back. Other than a little drizzle this morning the weather has been pleasant. On our return we fired up the central heating but after a couple of minutes it stopped working. Traced the problem to the fuseholder again. Another job on the list is to re-site this fuse-holder, and mount it horizontally instead of vertically so with luck it won't keep coming apart. Then re-filled the water-tank and opened all the taps to get rid of the air in the system. One of the 'o' rings on the Paloma drain-valve looks a bit iffy but I screwed the valve back into its seating and it didn't leak so hopefully all is well. After a few attempts the heater fired up OK so Meg was able to do the washing up! We had a big roast beef dinner and watched a bit of TV before bed at 10pm.
April 4th 2010
Woke at 8am. The inside of the boat is quite cold so perhaps we should have lit the Morso after all. I walked Tasha around the 3 bridges while Meg prepared breakfast. After breakfast we watched the Malaysian F1 race on tv. We caught a glimpse of Gary in the pits with the Mercedes team. Not such a good day for them but at least the got their first podium position with a 3rd.
Then cleared all the ornaments and oddments off the shelves and put them in bags and boxes to take home while the re-painting is done. Took Tasha to the pub and had a couple of drinks. Asparagus soup and rolls for lunch, then Meg took Tasha for a towpath walk while I ran the engine up and checked that all was well. No water or oil leaks found. Topped up the batteries with water and then inspected the bow-thruster well. First shock of the day - the well was bone dry. In eleven years of owning this boat, every spring - and sometimes more frequently - I have had to remove at least 2 inches of condensation water from the bow-thruster enclosure but today it is absolutely dry. How can this be?! Answers on a postcard please! Had a chat with our neighbours Jerry and Olivia from the boat next door (it has a Welsh name that I can't spell, even less pronounce) - and then settled down for a glass of wine in the afternoon sun. The wind has fallen light and it is pleasantly warm. Just as we were about to prepare supper we met up with our next-door-but-one neighbours Malcolm and Susie off NB Lucy Charlotte and had a drink and a chat with them. Then supper (the rest of the beef!) a dog walk round the marina and so to bed.
2 hours
April 5th 2010
Up at 8am. After the dog-walk, breakfast and so on, we loaded (or - more accurately - I loaded) the car with stuff to take home; cushions. curtains, bedding, ornaments and so on. Set off for Blisworth Tunnel Boats at 10.30. A cloudy dull day with a strong chilly south-westerly breeze. Arrived at 11am. After tying up and a brief chat with Michael Clarke (who is going to give us a quote for some extra work; tidying up some of the discoloured wood-work and fitting a new, bigger alternator) we walked back to Blisworth Marina along the tow-patch. The path is very muddy in places so we took a short cut by leaving the canal at the road bridge, walking up the hill to the Walnut Tree, and then back to the marina over the railway line. So - no more boating for a month until the work is finished.
1/2 hour
April 18th 2010
A quick visit to Blisworth Tunnel Boats to take pictures. The boat is looking very good in a nice shade of green. Called in to see Gary and Becky on the way home; went to see their new house and had a very good lunch at the Red Lion in Tingewick.
May 8th 2010
Being now based at Blisworth we could not make our regular trip to the IWA Cambridge Branch boat gathering at Reach Lode on Tambourine - however we were able to go to the event as guests of Jonathan and Gail on NB Safina. I will shortly add some photos of the event - which was a great success.
But - back to the Cruise Log.
We arrived to collect the boat from its re-paint and settle the bill. Blisworth Tunnel Boats have done a fair job and the boat looks very smart. There are one or two paint runs and a couple of missed bits and two of our stick fenders and the spot-lamp are missing. Photos to follow, they are all on Meg's camera and I haven't got around to uploading them yet.
We left the boatyard in the rain - there's a surprise - and trickled back to the marina. Pulled in beside the diesel pump and loaded all the stuff from the car onto the boat - then slid back to berth 68. Both our neighbours have moved to other berths in the marina; one to the other side to be nearer the car-park and the other to the canal-side beside the bridge. Was it something we said?!
We spent the rest of the day and the evening re-fitting curtains, making the bed and generally cleaning and tidying up. Chicken tikka and rice for supper in front of the stove chuckling away, washed down with a bottle of wine and bed at 11pm.
1/2 hour + 2 1/2 hours battery charge. External re-paint £4000
May 9th 2010
Away to Gary's house via Blisworth Tunnel to see if they could find the missing bits. No luck so we will call back on our next visit to see if they have turned up. It has not been possible to fit a new alternator to the boat at a cost-effective price so we will have to give that some more thought. Blisworth Tunnel will have a look at the woodwork after the Crick Boat show.
May 21st 2010
A scorching weekend is forecast. We arrived at 6.30pm after a quick visit to the Walnut Tree. It was still very warm indeed. A chicken-drumstick-and noodles supper washed down with a bottle of plonk and bed at 11pm.
May 22nd 2010
We were woken quite early by the noise of the various ducks, geese, swans and other water-fowl that swim around the marina. Walked Tasha and breakfasted and all was done by 8am! We made a list of things to collect from Blisworth Tunnel and I drove there via the paper shop ant 9.30. All items recovered except for the front door-mat. But never mind it was knackered anyhow. Back at the boat, various tidying-up jobs; put the tunnel light back, refitted the centre rope, and similar odds and ends. A chilli lunch and a quick visit to the pub then off to the marina hog-roast at around 3.30pm. A good time was had by all; we met lots of new people and drank rather too much white wine. Home and bed around half-past ten.
May 23rd 2010
Up at 7.30 and did all the usual morning-type things. By 10am it was already very hot so we set up camp by the mooring and basically stayed there with Malcolm and Susie for the rest of the day. Steak and salad lunch at 2pm by which time it was very, very hot! After lunch we re-positioned the bump-tyre - something that has been bugging me for ages. Had a chat with Claire and Steve and passed them the keys of the boat so they can let in the fire advisors who are coming to the marina next week to do fire safety checks on the boats. They will keep hold of the keys for the 'Narrowboat Nanny' scheme that we have signed up to. At 5.30 we started to pack up; said our goodbyes and left Blisworth at 6.30. Drove to Gary and Becky's house for a splendid evening bar-b-q in the evening sun and eventually got home at 10.30pm. We have a long list of things that must be done before we go back to the boat next weekend!
Lazy days at Blisworth Marina
May 28th 2010
Took the afternoon off and arrived, via a quick pub visit, at 3.30pm. After dog-walking and loading up I emptied the gas locker of its assorted contents and scraped the rusty bits off the floor. Hoovered up the dust and shale with the marina's 'Henry' hoover. Then applied a coat of Rylards phosphate paint to the floor. We found that the gas bottle hose is actually long enough to reach the cylinder parked temporarily in the cratch so we were able to have a cooked supper after all. Chicken drumsticks and noodles again - hooray for my old favourite. It has been a pleasant sunny day but rain is forecast for tomorrow. Bed at 10.30pm.
May 29th 2010
We got up at 7.30 and the rain started shortly afterwards. I got extremely wet walking Tasha around the bridges. After breakfast we left for Crick Boat Show and arrived at 11am. It was raining steadily but despite the wet and the cold we enjoyed ourselves and bought lots of stuff; makeup for Meg, and a new smart Helly Hansen waterproof; some rubber mats for the gas locker floor to stop the gas bottles scraping the paint off and gathered up heaps of leaflets for future reference. Had a most interesting chat with the guy on the Rylards paint stand - apparently the protective power of paints is logarithmic - so a second coat of paint affords ten times the protection of one coat! Amazing and will remember that for gas locker painting.
We left the show at 4.30pm as the rain was easing up but it belted down again when we got back to Blisworth and Meg got very wet walking round the bridges! Sat in and read for the evening after a supper of ham in mushroom sauce with asparagus and new potatoes (Jersey Royals - nothing but the best for us!). Bed at 10.30 as usual after a final dog-walk.
Deck mats £21
May 30th 2010
It was a really windy night; the first time since we came to Blisworth Marina that we have been kept awake by the wind chucking the boat about. Anyway, up at 8am and after all the usual chores (showers, breakfast, dog-walk and so on) I set to work putting the second coat of anti-rust primer on the gas-locker floor. Then washed up, dumped rubbish etc while Meg took Tasha for a towpath walk. Also cleaned and re-positioned the central heating burner fuse-holder and put some sticky tape around it. Hopefully this will arrest the corrosion which has been so troublesome and the system won't keep stopping for no apparent reason. Walked up to the pub for a drink followed by a ham sandwich lunch and a quick siesta. Then emptied the loo and it's flush tank, took both to the BW yard and chucked them in the skip.
Back on board I commissioned the new loo I got from Limekiln Chandlers last November. Next job was to tighten the alternator drive belt and take pictures of the alternator at the same time. I will send the pictures to Adverc to see if they can come up with a larger capacity replacement. While the wardrobe was empty, Meg did a clear-out and binned some unwanted clothes. Lastly, checked over the bow-thruster operation and ran the engine for an hour to top up the bowthruster batteries (the others are supplied by the shore-line charger). Chatted to Malcolm and Susie from NB Lucy Charlotte, pan-fried some steaks for supper and bed at 11pm.
G
Central heating burner fuse-holder Alternator Another alternator picture - exciting, eh?!
1 hour charge
May 31st 2010
Up at 8. A chilly overcast and windy morning. After the usual chores Meg took Tasha for a long tow-path walk (all the way to Blisworth Tunnel and back). I fitted the plastic decking mats on the gas locker floor and put all the contents back in again. I will re-inspect the locker floor next time we come down; a couple of coats of Hammerite might be a good idea. Then rubbed down the stove flue with wire-wool and re-painted it with stove paint.
When Meg returned we went round the boat sales area and looked over a boat for sale - fabulous; almost new but eye-wateringly expensive!! During the morning the central heating burner started cutting out again; cleaning the fuseholder hasn't worked; I guess it needs a service. Ham and hard-boiled egg salad for lunch and as the weather wasn't up to much we packed up our bits and pieces and left Blisworth at 3.30pm.
June 4th 2010
A very hot evening and we left home rather later than usual; got to Blisworth at 7pm. On arrival we were invited to a bar-b-q with some of our neighbours! Meg cooked a dozen chicken drumsticks in the oven which were finished off on the barbie and soon disappeared! Too much vino of course but a good fun evening and bed around 11pm. Steve the marina manager has checked the boat over; cabin and starter batteries are good; bowthruster batteries are 'fair' (mind you, they're 11 years old!). However, the engine antifreeze is weak, protection only down to -7C. In the autumn it will have to be drained down and re-filled with 50-50 mix.
June 5th 2010
Another hot day! After all the usuals I set to work to put a coat of Hammerite on the gas locker floor. It was so hot that the sweat was running down my forehead and onto the locker floor! When I'd finished we strolled to the pub for a pre-lunch pint. A salad lunch back at the boat; then sat under the sunshade and read for a while. This was followed by a second coat of paint on the locker floor, a dog-walk around the bridges and a short siesta. After a cottage pie supper we wandered over the the Blisworth Bar-b-q gang and had a drink with them. After dark we could see flashes of lightning all around and some distant rumbles of thunder - at which point we said our 'goodnights' and turned in.
1 litre green Hammerite £9
June 6th 2010
We messed about today cleaning, tidying and packing up. After a coffee with Malcolm and Susie we drove to Braunston to book a mooring in the marina for our 'boat handling' course in August. Met Gary and Becky at the Admiral Nelson pub by Braunston Top Lock and after a good Sunday lunch we set off for home. Just as we left a huge storm set in which seemed to follow us all the way home from west to east. Interesting driving conditions! Arrived home at 5pm.
June 25th 2010
Another very warm afternoon. Arrived just before 6, carted our stuff across to the boat, had a new words with neighbours and enjoyed a bottle of wine sat at the mooring. Chicken for super and after a final walk around the marina we turned in at 11.
June 26th 2010
Up at 8.30; Meg walked the dog and got some eggs from Arm Farm. I went to Tesco for some last-minute items for the food store. After breakfast we did a bit of planning about the changes we have in mind for the interior of Tambourine; new cupboards, shelves and suchlike. Finally set off from Blisworth and 11.30am. A pleasant run in hot sunshine but rather slow going, finally hauled into the moorings at Stowe Hill at 2.15pm. A bar snack in the Narrowboat Inn and then back for a leisurely afternoon. Malcolm and Susie arrived at around 5pm, we had a mug of tea then showered, changed and wandered up to the pub for a very pleasant supper. Home for a nightcap and bed at 11.30. A most pleasant day
2 3/4 hours
June 27th 2010
Another very hot day in store. We were up at 8 but by the time we had breakfasted, dog-walked, tow-path chatted and so on it was 10 before we left Stowe Hill. A pleasant journey to Whilton (about 11/4 hours). I. was surprised how quiet the canal was considering the glorious weather. We winded in the marina entrance and reversed back to tie up on the bollards of the 48-hour moorings below the lock. Visited Whilton chandlery and purchased two big bottles of loo fluid, sat by the lock and had an ice-cream and wandered back to the boat again. Left Whilton at 1.15 and stopped at Weedon at 2.15 for a salad lunch. Meg walked Tasha and we left Weedon at 4pm. It was still very hot.
This part of the trip was marred by two extremely slow boats in front of us; we were catching them up on tickover. This is just damned selfish; it keeps happening and is starting to irritate me. The sanctimonious 'you mustn't be in a hurry on the canal' grows tiresome; some of us have to get home on Sunday evenings for work on Monday. If people want to travel so slowly that they're barely moving that's fine - but at least have the good grace to pull over now and then so those who don't want to can at least get by and get on.
Journey's end at 6.30pm. Did a lot of tidying and shifting things about inside, then a chicken tikka supper and away for home at 9.15pm.
5 hours 2 x 2 litres Aquakem Blue £18
July 9th 2010
We arrived at 3.30pm to meet up with a couple of lads who are going to give us a price for some internal woodwork. We made a quick visit to the boat on Monday last for a similar visit from another cabinet maker. Dipped the diesel tank - just over 1/2 full.
The lads arrived at 5pm; Tony and Sylvia arrived at 5.20. When we had sorted ourselves out and settled in we enjoyed a lamb casserole supper and then strolled up to the cheese and wine party by the marina office. This was a lovely event but most of the cheeses the Cheese Boat had on offer were just too strong for me. We returned to the boat at 11pm when the party was more or less finished although we learned later that the stragglers didn't turn in until after 3am!
July 10th 2010
We had intended to go through the tunnel today and down to Cosgrove but made a last-minute change of plan; instead of Cosgrove we decided to head north again to Weedon so the girls could visit the antique shops. I had hoped to moor at the church moorings but they were full up so we stopped at the Heart of England pub mooring at around 1.15. After lunch the girls went antique-hunting; Tony and I cleared up and strolled to the pub. In the evening we collected a big chinese take-away from the carry-out in Weedon for supper. A pleasant day indeed.
3 1/2 hours
July 11th 2010
A late start; we left Weedon at 10.30. Dropped the girls off at the 'Heart of England' shopping outlet and travelled on to Whilton. Winded in the marina entrance and headed back to the shopping outlet, tied up and strolled up to the shops to meet the girls. After a look around the shops and a coffee we made our way back to the boat and set off again. A random stop near Bugbrooke for lunch was followed by a gentle wander back to Blisworth, reaching the mooring at 6.30 pm. After our visitors had gone we tidied up, emptied the loo and left for home at 9.30pm. Delayed supper until we were home. Another hot weekend but lovely on the canal.
