Author: Steve Carter

 

Shall we, shan’t we? It was a bit too hot doing all those locks yesterday and we have ten more today. We prevaricated and procrastinated, we umm’wd and ar’ed too! In the end we set off at midday. Again luck was on our side as a hire boat full of some lovely North Americans (three generations of  Canadians and Americans!) agreed to tackle the ten locks together. The first generation had a birthday, not sure how many years but Grandpa Ed was celebrating and steering too. Their children had children and all were very good at doing  cartwheels as well as working the locks. We were very grateful to them,  Cheers!

They stopped for lunch and we managed the last three locks ourselves, just open one paddle and one gate,  no waurez. Got to the last lock and then moored up , maybe only 3.7 hours but it felt longer. We did promise Toby a swim but the river Leam was too tricky to get down to, so a watering can had to do. We also met up with some of the Kate hire boats, in particular a nice couple from St Leonards School in St Andrews. We had met before at Cuttle where I noticed that he was a fellow pipe smoker and correctly guessed that was a teacher in a boarding school! Our paths crossed some three times, as you do in this linear boating life? The last time was whilst moored up for the day. They shared a few G & T ‘s and some yarns about teaching and alcohol production. Nice.

1900 and it feels like we’ve had a hard day! This way of life may only be fleeting but its most enjoyable at the moment.

 Time to call it a day. Thanks to our friends for sharing and working the locks! Bless you.

Enjoy Grandpa’s birthday!

 

With a forecast of Scorchio and the prospect of doing thirteen locks, we boldly went! 0900 departure from near bridge 103, up to Wigrams Turn and a right turn into the Grand Union proper, noting that it was originally a narrow canal (Warwick & Napton) but got modernised back in the 30’s with giant locks but all with hydraulic paddle gear. This has two advantages: it is easier to use, just wind the handle and they lift very smoothly plus they are giant paddles, so locks empty and fill pretty pronto. Luckily for us we teamed up with other boats (a wee aluminium Otter boat, 30 foot? Called Dragonfly, nice folk, Graham & Josie) which makes the ten Stockton locks a pleasure, well almost. It was getting more and more Scorchio, with boat temperatures nudging 30! 😎😎☀️☀️☀️☀️.

At the bottom of this flight was the Blue Lias pub, named after the famous stone that was quarried nearby and used for most of the Thames Embankment. Our lock sharing chums decided that was enough, it was their first day out, but with just two more locks to do and a bigger choice of pubs, we pressed on to moor just before bridge 25 at Cuttle, near Long Itchington. Two pubs here, the Two Boats and the Cuttle Inn, which we visited for a pint of Timothy Taylor, Landlord. £3.70, to which i remarked, we obviously haven’t gone far enough north yet to get cheaper beer! It was a bit busy here and there was a river further on (the river Itchen), so we moved the boat all of 300 yds and gave the Boggle a run and a swim.

Too hot to mess about in the galley, so we investigated the village and decided to visit the Harvester. They had three real ales on plus a pizza oven out in the courtyard. Choose your toppings for £7.50, sorted. One Piri Piri chicken and one chorizo/chilli/mozzarella! Nice friendly place even if the beers were a little cloudy. We met Karen , a local lady, out on her own like us, not fancying cooking so we shared a table with her. Only a 4.2 hr sail but it felt a lot longer, the heat not helping at all. A pipe and a Black Grouse to finish, bed around ten!

 Note the hydraulic winding gear and colour coordinated outfit (the only thing is coordinated!)

Six miles, thirteen locks, 4.2 engine hours.

 
Just a 4.2 hr jaunt today. Thru that wretched Braunston Tunnel – the one with the kink! Met several boats coming thru! Then its six big, heavy locks. Luckily we teamed up with some holidaying Germans who had hired their Pintail boat from Rugby for 3 weeks. They had done a big ring down to London/Oxford/Thames and were now on their way back! I said we were on day two and normally do only 4 hours! He did raise both eyebrows at this! But understood that we live on our boat and were in no hurry. They managed to get into a lock ahead of us, that already had a boat waiting, so we let them go. Took us ages to get thru the last two locks but that’s the way it is. It was getting hotter and hotter but we puttered on past all the busy workshops and hire fleets, the Gongoozlers Rest cafe and made the left hand turn at the iron bridge. Not done this for a long time. Past more moored boats and finally had enough at bridge 102. A was too hot and we did promise our panting dog a swim!

Here’s the light at the end of the tunnel (2042 yds!)

And Viv working the last of the heavy locks

The opposite had bees inside – not a sign you see often!

Goodbye to Braunston!

 

 

With the ensign hoist, the wee ship fully vittled, we slipped our lines and sailed serenely from our friendly shores into the not quite unknown. Aaaaargh, we be orf! Through Crick, through the tunnel, and down through Watford locks minding the Gap and mooring just beyond bridge No 3, outside Welton Havenmarina. Three and a half hours – that’s it. Seven locks and 5 5/8 miles.

Are the conscripts happy? I’ll have to lay on extra rum rations methinks!

Past Crick marina

Past Shaun and not so Shaun

Under the M1 motorway, wryly watching the scurrying commuters.

The most pleasant Watford flight, little public access here, so very few gongoozlers. You have to seek out the (volunteer) lock keeper and “book in” the system. One hire boat just zoomed past the Q and went straight into the lock – the lockie made em come out again! Good for him. Had a good 30 min wait as three boats came up.  Steve drove – Viv wheeled that windlass and Toby, well, just supervised.

Four staircase and three narrow locks here. 45min to an hour to get thru.

It does help to have the volunteers on.

Thru these trees is the infamous Watford Gap services – we creep past, they are totally unaware of our presence. Good.  It is very busy today – nothing at first and then maybe a dozen or more boats all chugging past our delightful mooring. Some boats a little too fast – Steve puts his “Slow Down – or Else” notice embarrassingly in the window!

A little image of the guide book – showing our vast trek today – all of one and a half pages, from the star on the right, to the very bottom left!

Yelvertoft to Welton Haven: 5 miles, 5 furlongs, 7 locks. Engine hours = 3.5 Water=Full, Gin stock = Full! State of ship’s company “good spirits”.

 

Bit of a change of plan. Not London but t’other direction – Chester:

See the Canalplan website:  http://canalplan.org.uk/journey/5847_1Fg7O$9A5F

And this CRT, zoomable map!  https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network

We’re planning to leave Yelvertoft (just to the left of Rugby on the map) and head down thru Watford locks to Braunston, then head down to Napton, towards Warwick, north Stratford canal and then to Wolverhampton and onto the Shropshire Union (Shroppie) all the way north. Popping to Chester, Ellesmere port (boat museum) and maybe travel down the Montgomery, as far as we can. Maybe do some walks on the yet-to-be-restored sections.

Leaving probably 4th July, back in September.

P.S. only allowing registered & logged folk to post comments – sorry but I get tooooo much Spam.

 

 

We left MH on the Monday, stopped just before Foxton locks for the night. This is where Viv dropped her glasses off her nose and into the drink. I wish I’d taken a photo of her fishing – for hours = but to no avail. New specs please.

After a long day, up thru the locks and on and on to our favourite place, bridge 27 (Mountain Barn Bridge). A few days here and the weather is good – chust sublime!

Time to get the Kindle out & chill. I know, only old fogies do this . . . but then we are!

The ever-watchful mutt is keeping guard with “that toy”!

A circular walk took us through a nice bean field – but what’s that lurking? Not blackfly?

Yep, Steve playing silly B’s. Back to marina land tomorrow. John & Christine (and Tilly) are due to visit – such larks are afoot!!

 

Poor David managed to snag a nasty cold and so couldn’t join us for a short trip to Welford & Market Harborough. So we went anyway – sort of trial run plus it’s what the boat’s for . . .

We went straight to the Welford junction and down the arm for a night there (plus a jar in the Wharf Inn – learnt that they had a beer festival, 22-25th!! Get better David and let’s see if we can make this!)

Lots of dog roses out at this time of the year, whites, pinks and reds.

No pix of Foxton locks, we’ve done all that many times before. But the arm off to Market Harborough is very scenic and usually very full of Kingfishers but not today . . .

It is however, full of chicks – moorhen ones . . . .

Viv gets to drive and always seems to get the tricky bits, like a boat coming towards her, awkward bridges etc . . . but she does do very well!

After an hour of rural bliss you suddenly come into suburbia, with large mown lawns and trees through hedges?

Final resting place, the very well laid out visitor moorings

This is just before the basin, with facilities, hire boats & permies  . . .

One of the must-see places is the newish micro-pub, not so micro with 10 real ales and six ciders – the Beerhouse!  Bit of a stroll from the Wharf but well worth it. Viv ties the Kalika & then Pull the Other One!

Very busy (it was Saturday) but a lovely friendly atmosphere.  Toby got a lot of attention:

 

Ah, that all-consuming topic with boaters – toilets!

After the “let’s throw the hop & yeast residue down the pan” mishap, I got to know the ins and outs of the Jabsco macerating, flesh flush toilet system quite well. Brand new these babies are £652 !!

So today was the day for removing the seat and fixing the replacement hinge. Simples. Here’s that rather unfortunately named image, the exploding toilet:

You have to unscrew the four long screws that hold the whole thing down, swivel the whole away from the wall and get at the bits from behind! All done and item No. 2 is now fitted.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t. The exit pipe was kinked and had to be lifted to straighten and then there was a fresh water leak by the solenoid (No 31 in the pic). Hmm, it seemed the fresh water was leaking slowly into the bowl and also from around the exit pipe of the valve assembly. A brief look on the Jabsco website and the item was found:

Hmm, £102.99 ex. VAT ! I don’t fink so! Let’s take it all apart and sure enough the valve had not shut – I could easily blow thru the pipes. I pushed a screwdriver up it, despite Corporal Jones’s advice and found I could push the valve up and down. I then tried to blow thru and couldn’t. Ha! Problem solved. Probably a bit of grit stuck in the valve – reassemble and so far, all’s well. Finito de fretto.

Being a bit of Muppet at practical things, I now tie a folded kitchen tissue around any pipework that I’ve worked on . . . in a “just in case” it hasn’t worked.

Oh, a new towel had arrived. So another job to fit that. The old one was very proud from the wall and we kept hitting it! This one is much simpler and neater.

Please, no more bathroom issues for a while!

 

I know the blog is about the boat & boating but the spare parts for the Jabsco toilet had arrived up at Sawley Marina, only took four weeks! A direct order could have seen it arrive the next day. Another “learn from this” problem. Serendipitously, it meant that we could plan a day trip from Yelvertoft back to Sawley. A matter of a 50 mins drive up the M1. And, more importantly, visit Dave and his magnificent Lock Keepers Rest, micro pub. I asked him how successful he had been in the two lots of Thurs – Sunday openings and he said, very well indeed. In fact, he had sold out of every drop of beer and ciders!

Note he only opens Thurs (4 to 9:30), Fri & Sat (12 to 9:30) and Sun (12 to 4)

Here’s the man himself (with a nice group of kids we called The Famous Five Go Boozing!)

A lot of time & effort has gone into making this one of the best looking micro pubs I’ve ever seen. Love the “what’s on now” beer signs!

All the furniture was hand made by Dave and feels very cosy. Should be good in winter with the ex-boatman’s stove.

The beer & ciders are kept in a separate, cooled cellar. Nice tilting racks!

It’s in an odd but also ideal position. You can not drive to it but as you can see it is at the hub of the waterways and on a popular walking/cycling route.

There’s no web page yet but a good Facebook page that is updated with the beers

https://www.facebook.com/Thelockkeepersrest

We didn’t forget Toby, just around the corner is a lovely beach to give him a nice, clean swim in the river Trent.

 

 

Not really a blog item. It’s another techie bit. Maybe hoping for a reader to pass comment?

When we first bought the boat, we knew that the batteries were the original ones, which makes them getting on for ten years old next year.  I’m guessing that if the engine hours are anything to go by, then the batteries have not really had nearly ten years of being cycled and being Victron AGM’s, they’re quite happy sitting on the shelf, they don’t self-discharge very much. So, perhaps we have a few more years left?

It was the major worry when we first bought her but it’s odd how “worries” sink down below other worries which rise up – like the dripping stern gland. It’s now three and a half years since we’ve owned the boat and there are signs of unhappiness in the battery department. When recharging them via the engine (it has a 230V alternator and so supplies the Victron box with up to 3.5 kW of juice), it’s set at 90A and the Victron used to go through it’s four stage charging – bulk (lots of amps), absorption (constant high voltage ~ 15 V, low current) and then float. Passing through a “battery safe” mode to limit initial current. It used to stay on bulk for a while but now it shifts to absorption after only a short time. An indication of lack of depth of charge? We’re not too worried as it goes and it stops. It never gets below 50% (usually never below 65%), so it shouldn’t be a worry.  I had to turn off the 4-stage charging as it went to float too quickly with the solar panels on.  It now does an eight hour absorption then floats.

One small and probably wildly inaccurate test was to use the Smartguage device which gives me a readout of the capacity in %. It went from 75% up to 90% in one hour. So that’s 90 amps for an hour. Meaning 90Ah represents an increase in 15% charge . . . scaling that up . . . 100% should equate to about 600AH, which is the stated capacity. A bit rough n ready but maybe they’re OK for a while anyway.

The cost of a new set – like for like is around £1200 plus fitting although I found a nice outfit in Market Harborough who would fit them for free (well, recouping the scrap value of £30 a battery covers that!). They will be a pig to get out, weighing in at 65 kg each and in an awkward place . . . .

I plan to disconnect em all and test each one to see if just one is a bit off. That’s for another day!