"Overstaying" again!

 Sonflower lies in Cambrian Wharf. 

Cambrian Wharf looks like a long term mooring. There are ten berths on finger moorings, surrounded by a fence that has a gate on which dangles a padlock, "operated" by a BW key. Except it isn't. The lock is rusted in the locked closed position and the mooring site apparently is a visitor mooring with four residential moorings. So the vacant finger mooring that we moored on thinking we had permission to use under condition 4.10 of the Revised Standard Mooring Agreement Terms and Conditions- April 2021 which states  "4.10 When cruising away from the Mooring Site you may temporarily use any vacant mooring spaces available at any other mooring site managed by us with our prior written consent. You must remove your Boat from any such temporary mooring it occupies when we ask you to do so." is not a vacant mooring.

I had written to CRT local customer support officer giving my understanding of the situation but received a "keep moving" email: a gentle reminder that the boat had been in one area for more than 14 days. I had a very nice conversation with Customer Support  giving my understanding and explaining that I had personal problems at home that required me to curtail our cruise and leave the boat for a period of time. I was very pleased to get confirmation that an "overstay" would be approved.

                                                                         Going nowhere: 0 miles   0 locks  0 hours

 

Warwick to Birmingham, the pretty way.

 Our last bit of boating was actually quite a time ago.


n 29th June we headed to Warwick and boarded the boat just after lunchtime. With a "full crew" which included Sue-percrew and Alex we set off just before 2.00pm to ascend the Hatton Flight. 

We are very familiar with these 21 broad locks. At that time of day it is very unusual to find a locking partner so we expected to be solo and working the near side of the locks. At the first lock we were met by a CRT volunteer who took our instruction not to open the off side paddle quite well, only opening it half way! He was full of information: only a widebeam in the flight and another single hander entering the locks at the top, he told us. Having done his not he left us to get in his car in the adjacent car park and drove away.

His information proved inaccurate. We were met by a widebeam and two narrowboats on the way up. These were a great help and we were soon into the swing of setting ahead and shutting behind. Our only delay was introduced by a boater who turned round our lock at lock 43 dismissing my renoinstrations that it was "our" lock. The Best mate was left waiting and stranded in lock 42 while we waited for their very posh faux rivetted craft to navigate down from lock 44. The skipper was very apologetic about the behaviour of his crew. 

So by  5 pm we were at teh top and thinking about a mooring and dinner. The Best Mate swopped the tiller for the galley and Sue took the tiller for a while. The weather dulled but stayed dry and we decided to get as far as we could before stopping for the night. 

We moored close to Rowington Hill Bridge 62 just afgter 6pm, very satisfied withthe afternoons work and settled down for dinner and bed.

                                                        5.1/2miles, 21 locks    4.25 hours

On the next day, 30th June we had boooked a table for dinner at The Drawbridge Inn, Shirley. So today was a dawdle! We did not set off until 7.45am and were very soon turning at Kingswauud Junction on the Lapworth Link. Joining the Stratford Canal we stopped below Lapworth Lock 19 to relenish the water tank.

The lock flight was ascended in reasonably good time. Here the pounds are short and we had to wait in a couple of locks for boats to get out of the next lock so that an interchange could take place in an orderly fashion. We decided to forgo a breakfast stop for a brunch stop just after the top lock. Bacon and eggs always taste good after a lock flight! 

A gentle cruise after brunch to a mooring just after the Shirley Drawbridge.  We moored onteh visitor moorings and were then surprosed to find a hire boat come and moor onthe drwbridge latby. There was a good reason for it though- a shredded alternator belt that required then to be close to the road. 

We checked out the pub abd decided to go to dinner a littel earlier than booked. No problem form the pub staff. 

A wonderfull meal was had by all. 

After dinner Sue and the yours truly went for walks. Sue did an canal/road circular whilst I walked to the shops near Shirley station for milk, bread and bargains at the Co-op.

                                                            8 miles, 19 locks, 3 lift Bridges    7 hours

On the 1st of July we completed the stage of the cruise to Birmingham, Cambrian Wharf. Only problem was a little veg obscuring the view at a bridge narrows.

 

 Letting go at a little after 6 am we achived the target at 10.20 and moored on a vacant finger mooring. This I choise becasue Cambrian Wharf is a Waterside Mooring Long Term mooring site and as long term noorers ourselves we have permission to moor in accordance with the Mooring Terms and Conditions. Well that is what I thought!      10 miles, 1 open lock     4.1/4hours

We locked up the boat and headed for the Station to return to Warwick Parkway to pick up the car. Our only battle was with the ticket machine! No one there to ask to assist us old people.

                                                

Celebration in Warwick.

 23 June 2021

Today is the Best Mate’s 70th birthday. The boat being in Warwick is for the celebrations this evening at Tailor’s in the Market Square. It is our favourite restaurant.

However, when we arrived at the boat we found that it had been moved. We carefully moored it just after 48 hours visitor moorings so on 14 days! But Kate Boats think they have a winding hole. It is not marked as such but apparently they think that warrants them moving our boat. So we are now on 48hrs and have been since who knows when. I have phoned the local customer support officer to explain what has happened. We have photographic evidence of where we left her.

After a quiet afternoon on the boat we got a taxi to the Market Place and our favourite restaurant for a celebration meal. Tailor’s offer a delicious and imaginative tasting menu with a good value wine flight. Follow that with cheese plate, with port of course, and coffee and a Laphroig for me and Cointreau for The Best Mate and there was a wonderful contented completeness about the evening. 

 

We hailed a taxi from the nearby rank and were soon snug in the boat. 

24 June 2021

After allowing early rain to clear we moved the boat 1.1/2 miles through Cape Locks to a mooring just around the turn at Budbrooke Junction. We met some nice boaters at the locks. One couple of exactlythesame age as us (I share my birthday with the gent who was on the tiller). The lady told me they had come up the Severn and had had this boat 15 years and others before it. This was the worst year she could remember for difficulties with lock operation which included a fall over a lock beam because one paddle mechanism was so stiff to operate. 

The second boat crew waiting were from N Devon and were interested in BCF as I was wearing a sweatshirt.

At the mooring I set about removing  a plastering of duck poo from the roof.

We then locked up and returned home. 

   1.1/2 miles, 2 locks, 2 hours

Sunrise to Sunset

We rose at 0420 as the light was just filing the eastern sky.

Sunrise was at 0444 and we let go at 0447 heading under cloud but in warm conditions. The temperature was about 11 deg C but the coffee that I had put in a thermos mug was still very welcome.  The cruise to Marton Doles was uneventful and very quiet. The scenery along this serpentine top level is beautiful and there is a wonderful vista across the Warwickshire plain at times.

Spot the black sheep

The sheep graze ancient ridged meadows ignorant that the scarred earthworks and heaped piles indicate that HS2 will soon be hurtling across the country side toward Birmingham and Manchester. 

We also passed others who enjoy the peace of this location. A narrowboat on its own pond in a field! Teepees for glamping with their wood fired hot tubs.

We filled water bottles at Marston Doles and then started the descent of the  Napton flight at abot 0730. I walked the first section from Marston Doles Locks 16 and 15 to lock 14 and was saddened by the state of the tow-path: soggy and overgrown. The canal was right to the edge of the narrow footway and the path was collapsing into the canal in places.

At lock 12 Alex was amused by CRT signage which asked us to wait on the towpath for an escort.

There was no work being done and it was thirty feet from the lock on the off side!

We had to be very careful at lock 14. A mother duck was fretting about three of her ducklings who were trapped in the lock chamber.

We used one bottom paddle and kept the ducklings in the bow triangle on the other side of the lock to ensure their safety. There was one duckling floating outside the lock who had already perished, sadly. 

Between lock 10 and 9 we met Sarah and James, on nb Nook and Cranny, returning from two weeks away from Tooley's boatyard. Good to meet friends.

After the locks we cruised to Bridge 113 where we moored for bacon and eggs for a very deserved breakfast at 0900.

Breakfast over we set off again. The next obstacle was how to join in with a conference call to the NABO Council meeting. I got on all right but amused the meeting as Alex impacted the bridge at Wygrams turn while entering the Warwick and Napton canal part of the Grand Union. (It was his first time doing this turn on his own.) I got off the boat at Calcutt locks with phone in hand and tried to continue the conference and work the paddles and gates. It was not very successfull as other boaters kept talking to me! At the middle lock the locking bracket would not stay on the spindle square so I had to hold the windlass and phone to prevent the paddle closing. All fun to be a boater. I soon lost signal all together and had to leave the meeting.

We caught up with another boat at Stockton Top and partnered Daniel and Ella on nb 23a all the way to the Blue Lias where they stopped for lunch. We had a good time together. These liaisons teach us how small the boating world is. They moor at Mid Warwickshire Boat Club and we have friends, who they know, there who also serve on the BCF Executive as do I. 

Having parted compoany with nb 23a we were on our own to The Two Boats where we moored and lunched on Kentucky Fried Chicken and chips left over from the night before. Delish.

After lunch we kept going. Bascote Staircase gives us no problems. There are instructions on a sign board there. However the only ones we saw were for going up and we were going down!

And so we soldiered on. We had small assistance from oncoming boats enabling us to leave gates open at a few locks but in the main we had to do all the work. We stopped after Radford Simele bottom lock and cooked pizza to eat on board. Where could you get a take away with pepperoni, "magharitta", bacon and anchovies? No only available on board!

After dinner all we had was flat water all the way to a mooring, on ring and piling, opposite Kate Boats.

We closed up and rang for a taxi! It started to rain!

Birds had been singing all day and we caught sightings of several birds of prey and heard a skylark on the Napton flight.

Total distance:  21.1/2 miles       Locks:32    Bridges:60    Elapsed time:15h39m48s    
Average speed:1.34 mph (3.38 lock/mph)

A short trip

 On Friday evening. 18th June, the rain that had been persistent and at times heavy all day lessened and we thought deeply about our options. We need to be in Warwick on Wednesday. The Best Mate suggested that Alex and I could leave her at home and take the boat as far as we could on Saturday. To do that we decided to go to the boat on Friday evening. 

As we drove to The Wharf Inn, Fenny Compton the rain stopped.

When we got to the boat we found the front mooring pin had been pulled out and the mooring line was dragging in the water. Thank goodness we had also moored with a centre rope. But rather than attempt a more secure mooring we decided to start the engine and cruise to a more place where we coould safely moor agaist Armco with piling clips.

We cruised for 45 minutes to just past Griffin's Bridge 131 where we stopped and settled down to watch England v Scotland. What a disappointment.

We retired for the night just after the full time whistle.

                                                                                                  2 miles, 0 locks  45 minutes

Summer, step one

 On Thursday (17 June) Sueper crew joined us to take Sonflower from her home mooring on the first step of her Summer cruise. We stopped for lunch at Cropredy but apart from that there was nothing that stopped progress to our goal of The Wharf Inn at Fenny Compton. We arrived at 5.30pm. It was a lovely day. The only downside was the inn was closed for refurbishment. As we drove away and we were considering our take away options, it started to rain. Heavily.

9 miles, 12 locks, 7 hours.

 As the weather was set fair we decided to take a day trip. 

Our expected crew of son and two grandchildren could not come but Alex decided to come along. We were glad of his enthusiasm as the temoeratures soared.

We let go at 1030h and stopped at the Castle Quay water point for a top up and a quick wipe down. Willow mast makes a mess. Getting inot the basin was interesting this morning. A boat's crew had already lifted the bridge but the boat master decided he did not want to exercise his priority and waved us forward. He backed toward a Naotin hire craft that was against the wall between the water point and the lock. I managed to avoid the congestion and neatly took up staion at teh water point and moored leaving the others to sort themselves out. 

After watering we drigfted over to the bridge landing to wait for the Best Mate. She joined us shortly bit not before another confised boater had entered the basin. We assured him we would let him go first . There was plenty of llock usage, up and down, and the wait was monimal. Plenty of gongoozlers too!

We moored just short of Samuelson Brisge to get provisions from Morrisons and having done that we sat down for a sald lunch.

After lunch we set off to The Pig Place. This is at Nell Bridge and we enjoyed a wonderful event free cruise in glorious sunshine. 

On the way we passed several moored boats whose crews were enjoying the sunshine under umbrellas and on the towpath. There is little room on an Oxford Canal towpath these days. The Best MAte asked me to look for a spot where we could stop for a cup of tea. There were no real opportunities. There were so many boats out today and most were sensibly mooried against the midday sun. We continued as "mad dogs" do!". At Kings Sutton Lock (Also apparently known as Tarvers Lock according to the signage) a single handed lady was deep insode when we arrived. It looked for all appearances that the lock was empty. I had forgotten how deep it is. The brave little lady opened the bottiom gate and proveeded to descend the ladder to her boats roof before dropping to her trad stern. She was so diminuative that she had a folding stepup and a box to stand on so that she could see over the roof of the boat!

We coversed with a Kings Ground boat  as we passed and I met with the lady of the crew again int he afternoon for a chat. Although KG are Oxford Canal based this couple had moved away to be nearer their home in Suffolk and this was a bit of a homecoming for them and the boat. 

The Pig PLace was popular and all the moorings were taken and one boat was breasted up. We turned at Nell Bridge winding hole and moored up just past the pold lift bridge narrows for thew promised cuppa. The single handed lady was taken by the Pig Place but could not see a way to get there. We told her she would need to go onto the main road from the lock and come back down the drive. We decided we did not want the walk in the heat.

 

After tea we decided to return the way we had come. 

I needed some excersise and decided to walk from Tarvers Lock to Twyford Bridge. It was along this section that I nmet the KG Crew again. Our conversation included discussion of the KG logo on the boat and whether the new CRT T & C's would mean they need express consent to leave it there! They said they had not had any advicer or ntice obout hte consultation on the new terms. It was nice to discover that they were NABO members.

I had to walk quite quickly to get ahead of SOnflower top re-board at Twyford bridge but I managed it and here is proof!

Alex is gently bringing her along side the bridge narrows so that I can hop back on. 

We stopped aftger Grants lock to cookl a steak dinner and two enjoy a bottle of Beaujolais. A delightful summer treat.

After dinner all that was reqwuired was to cruise gently back. We stopped at Banksoide Park narrows to recover a football for a group of lads and left them happily practising their moves ahead of the next day's England game.

Back at the hime mooring I met James, a cafe boat trader who was paniocking as sunset arrived. I suggested that he overnoght on the vacant berth inform=nt of Sonflowere and had a nice chat with him. He had come up the Thames from the K & A and a cruise from Bathhampton.He too had stopped at The Pig Place. He had boght a couple of pork chops and some pig's ears for his two whippets!Expensive tast these dogs! He is vegetarian!

So the end to a beautiful day.

The Best Mate was sunburnt!

Ship shape and ready

SONFLOWER is looking in real trim for cruising again.

We have been shuttling between dry dock and wet dock this Spring. Since March she has been surveyed, blacked, re-fendered, and had her gunwales treated to a nice matt black finish. 

While she was not being worked on over the late May bank holiday weekend we managed a short outing overnight to Cropredy and back. Here she is (with the gunwales half painted.)

There we had tea with a friend and at a meal with her on board. Sovereign Wharf's wet dock is only 45 ft long so Sonflower needed to be turned round to paint the gunwales at each end.

She was finished early in the day on Thursday and this gave an opportunity to take two grandchildren for a short ride to the turning point and back. 

Then, on Friday we came out of dock looking all spruced up. She was wiped down and Pumped Out. 

Now back on home mooring.                   9.1/2 miles, 6 locks           appprox 7 hours

On the button

 Our front fender was past its useful life and used to always move to port from a central position especially when coming into contact with lock gates.

Our good friends at Tooley's Boatyard have fixed a new support arrangement and supplied a beautiful new button.

Doesn't she look smart?

No smoke without FIRE!

 Mayday! May Day! We should be boating of course today. We decided to head for Cropredy just for the fun of it. On arrival at the boat it was still very cold so I decided that a fire was in order. One needs a nice fire in the boat to warm oneself up in a very chill factor 10 or 11 degrees. When the sun was out it felt a bit warmer but the air temperature remained cold. So a fire was set. 

My Villager Puffin has just had a new glass fitted to the door which looks very smart with a new white rope seal around the outside. However the seal leaked and the boat soon started filling with smoke. All windows and doors were opened, the houdini and swan hatches  were opened wide but the boat filled up very quickly. The best mate evacuated and I started removing sticks from the fire and throwing them through the swan hatch into the canal. It took about ten minutes for the fire to die down to smouldering embers and a lot longer for the smoke to clear.

We decided that a cruise was not on without a fire and turned at the winding hole to return the fire door to the boatyard. Being wonderfully accommodating they fitted a thicker seal while I waited. The door could not be re-fitted immediately as the glue needed an hour to set fully. We moved on throught the lock to Tramway. Passage through the lock was delayed because the boat ahead of us, which will not be named by us, had a crew member who only opened one bottom gate paddle "because it empties so fast". . .not! The Best Mate offered to wind the paddle gear up for her but her blunt refusal to use a second paddle led TBM to withdraw and wait. When we got to Tramway LT Moorings the said boat was occupying the Calthorpe winding hole. And it was occupying it for a long time. I stood to and waited for a while then decided to pull into a vacant mooring space and we had lunch. 

After lunch the fire was out and cool. We decided to inspect the flue to see whether the state of it was the reason for the smokyness of the fire. It was not that clean so I decided to pull a rag through it to remove some soot. This did not do much so The Best Mate suggested the hearth brush. The handle had a hole in it so I could attach the rope. I inserted it and promptly got it stuck, just inside the flue. The stiff brush bristle bundles were pointing rearward so I could not budge it to bring it back up. I tried hard but was defeated. Fortunately I carry length a 1" heavy wall galvanised piping for difficult occasions. Applying this weightily behind the brush and with The Best Mate inside pulling down on the rope removed it through OK and brought a bit of soot out with it. The Best Mate then came up with the idea of a  shower scrunchy. That was attached to the rope and worked a treat.

Our flue cleaned and the fire cleared, I re-fitted the stove door with a lit lantern torch inside the fire. We could see light through the seal! So still no working stove.

We moved on, turned without any problem and returned toward Banbury lock meeting Maffi's boat at the Town Wharf (ex lift bridge) narrows. Thence to the lock. We locked through without any problem and entered the pool to find an Oxford Hire Boat and our friends on Nook and Cranny. We left the lock gates open for the  hire boat to crash into the lock, and  chatted with our friends. I lowered the lift bridge after Sonflower as Matt emerged from Tooley's, after locking up for the day. I told him about the light I could see and he told me he would order some even thicker rope seal. Great service.

We returned to home mooring, surprisingly tired. We are out of practice at this boating thing                                                                                                    2 Miles, 2 Locks, 2 lift Bridges 5 hours

Into Dock

 

SONFLOWER went into Tooley's Dock this afternoon. The water will be drained tomorrow morning. She will be jet washed ready for the quadrenniel survey and routine bienniel hull blacking. The survey will be undertaken on Friday and any work arising form that will be undertaken over the weekend. Strictly speaking the survey is only required by the insurance company every five years but as the blacking is every two, it is expedient to do them together.                                          1/2mile    3/4/hour

Water IN the boat again!

 

When we winterised the boat we removed the new water pump and in doing so discovered that there was an inch of water in the cabin bilge. The water pump is approximately midships and there was no evidence of water at the aft end of the bilge where I have an inspection hatch. I tried using a small bilge pump to remove the water but had little success. I decided the best way was to use the aquavac. Unfortunately we only have a 750W inverter and the aquavac is rated at 1100W.

I approached the nice people at Tooley's Boatyard to see if I could avail myself of their 240v electricity and they said that would be ok. They were chocker block with boats and work queuing back down Castle Quay so they said they would contact me when there was a space. That call came on Friday and told me I could moor across the dock on Monday. "There will be someone hear to sort out the leads".  I said I would be there at about 10am.

So I got to the boat and reversed SONFLOWER down to Tooley's Yard. I reversed because I wanted the port side to be against the dock so that I could heel SONFLOWER over a bit and get the  bilge water to flow to where I could access the bilge with the vacuum tube. It was a beautiful but cold morning. Because of lockdown there had been no boat movements and the canal was placid and calm. Ideal conditions to reverse a narrowboat passed 40 moored narrowboats on a narrow canal! Fortunately 15 of them are on the finger moorings of Sovereign wharf. I could still feel the "what on earth is he doing" stares of some off the moorers on my 70 ft passage past them.  When I arrived and moored up I found the gate locked up. A ring of the bell eventually stirred James the blacksmith to come to the gate. He was on his own, in the middle of something and did not know I was coming even thought it was his wife who had called me on Friday telling me John would be there. John had been called out on a breakdown. Plans were not looking good. James informed me all the extension leads were being used in the dock. Could I leave him for an hour and he would look for the special adapter that he knew existed that would convert the blue Commando CEE form plug system to the square pin 13A plug system that is used by the aquavac. I agreed

At this point I discovered that I had left the solid vacuum tubes for the vac in my car, back at the mooring. I used the hour to walk back home to divert Alex, who said he might help, and thence to the Canada Close car Park where I retrieved the tubes and walked back down the two path to return to Tooley's yard. Access to the part of Castle Quay at the back of Tooley's is restricted by the Castle Quay construction work so I had to swing myself out over the canal past the construction fence that is blocking the access at the access under Tom Rolt Bridge. 

On return, the adapter had been found and an extension had been provided to the back deck of SONFLOWER, I was in business. I pulled the mooring ropes tight and doubled one up, inserting a mooring pin between the two leads and twisted the ropes together as a turnbuckle to heel Sonflower over to the port side. I soon had removed two bucketfuls of water from the bilge but noticed that as soon as the slight depression on the rusty bottom plate was emptied that it refilled from both fore and aft directions. I went aft to investigate. There is another entry to the bilge beneath the port bunk, just forward of a disused poo tank. I removed the bedding and mattress and lifted the bed frame to get access. I then got to work on this deeper accumulation of water! 

By this time it was lunchtime. I gained access once more from James to the boatyard and asked for permission to go through to Castle Quay in search of some takeaway food. Not as easy to find on a Monday during lockdown as it initially seemed as the bakery and wholefood shop in Lock 29 were closed. I settle on a Philadelphia kebab from Mr Saulvivki's stall. I then walked back to Tooley's to find that the padlock on the gate had been snapped shut. No bell at this end! So I walked back through Castle Quay, round the multi story car park across the road to the Compton Road Car Park and back under Tom Rolt Bridge, swinging out over the canal round the fence once more and down the towpath to the back of Tooley's. As I passed another customer, liveaboards who are having an engine change, he asked why I was coming from that direction. I said the padlocks had been latched. Sorry he said, that was him when they returned form shopping. Do I want a cup of tea? Yes please I said and spent a nice time with him over a cuppa!

John returned from the breakdown, a serious engine failure nearby.  He enquired how thigs wer with the boat. I told him there was water everywhere including to much coming throughthe stern tube gland! I said that the gland was installed 90 degrees out so I could not reach the bottom gland nut! He told me he had done that because the gland housing thread to the stern tube would not tighten enoughto stop eakage when the stern gear was changed! He told me he would adjust it while I was here. Another job out out of the way. In chatting too he asked why I was running the engine while moored. I told him the solar panel was not keepoing up withthe charge required. He said he would incestigate the drain on the batteries as they wer nearly new and he had checked them in the Summer. Another job for Spring time.

Then back to the water which had drained down and re-filled the rusty depression in the baseplate. I removed as much as I could, about half a bucket more and called it a day. Leaving the hatches open and the bunk in disarray for another day I took the extension leads and adapter back to James, telling him that I would need to return another day.

So, I let go and returned to hime mooring. As I was positioning the boat to moor up, I was engaged in conversation by the owner of nb Black Velvet who had seen me reverse past in the morning and noticed that the boat was still pointing the same way. He was very complimentary about boatmanship and told me he would never be that brave! I told him that I had a particular reason, conditions in the norning were particularly kind and that I would not try it in a wind. It was good to get to know him as he was a new continuous cruiser who had stopped where it was most convenient for the month of lockdown2.

Of course that was not the end of my boating day. Because I am now getting old and my memory is not too good I had to return later in the evening to close and lock the swan hatch and look for my mobile phone!

Silencers and stuff

 A boat needs to be kept in good condition. This goes without saying but there are soe things that we do not examine often enough. The engine exhaust just goes out the back and disappears into the ether. Until the pipework of indeterminate age, but over 17 years, breaks and the exhaust goes into the engine bay and blackens everything in carbon!

We allowed friend to take the boat out for a few days. Of course we had an obligatory "water cruise" before the main event to familiarise the skipper to be with Sonflower and her foibles. One thing that puzzled me before that cruise was why the water tank was completely empty and the leisure battery was almost completely empty too. We decided to fill the tank, run the engine for a few hours and charge up the battery. Our friend, who has crewed for us before, could skipper the whole way. So, through the lift bridge and mooring at the water point. Taking on water, navigating down the lock, through narrows, round a bend under a bridge, winding the boat, navigating up through the lock and lift bridge to moor back on home mooring.  A succesfull four hour cruise and all seemed ok.   They went to Cropredy without incident. But on the return trip, three locks from home we received a phone call to say that the engine tone had changed and there was smoke coming form the engine bay. All indications were normal but the water level in the Cropredy pund was very low. I thought the boat may be labouring in the shallow water so I told her to slowly cruise back to home mooring where I met her and discovered the broken exhaust.

Last Friday I took Sonflower down to Tooley's Botyard where John could work on her and fit a new exhaust system. Unfortunately her engine bay is too cramped to upgrade to a hospital silencer so we have a new system of conventional variety.

This Friday we took her away from Tooley's and on a little trip down to Nell Bridge and back. When we got on her and turned on the battery isolator switch the water pump started running. There were no taps open so I had visions of a bilge full of water. However the bilge was dry as a bone. The engine bay bilge pup started and doischarged clean water into the canal. I opened the engine bay to check the stern gland and the greaser and found that there was no undue leakage formt eh sdern gland but there was a discharge from the clorifier releif valve which discharges into the engine bay bilge. We had found the reason for the empty water tank anmd the low batteries! Unfortunately exercising the relief valve to clear grot from the seat did not reseat it so we turned the water pump off except when we needed to fill a bowl or the kettle and filled eight litres of empty coke bottles with water for our drinking needs.

Nell Bridge and back went fine and brought the battery voltage back to 12v. Our only "problem" was very heavy showers that soaked us to the skin on the way back at Kings Sutton lock where there was a queue of three boats. It rained. We left Sonflower in town under Tom Rolt Bridge because it was tipping it down and took her back to home mooring 36 hours later to wait for more attention to the calorifier relief valve. 

                              Since last blog post:

 Water Run    2 LB, 2 Locks, 2 miles; 

 Cropredy and back  9m, 6 locks,   

 Nell Bridge and back  10m,  6 locks 2 LB                                                          12 hours total

Because we have to

Monday 13th July 2020 We must get away. Lockdown is taking a toll on land so we slipped off the home mooring at 2 this afternoon and headed south to Samuelson Bridge and the supermarket. The essentials were bought and loaded: eggs, bacon, ham, cheese and yoghourt. We had already checked the ballast on the boat so knew we had wine, beer and whisky.
Then to Tramway to wind and return. There was a queue at the lock. It had already been reported that there were hire boats everywhere today. After our wait we moored outside GF to wait for The Best Mate. Dinner of bigos  and homemade bread was served and we opened a bottle of Fleurie.
We the headed out of town to discover a nap tonight hireboat was on our mooring. They denied knowledge of the long term permit holders only sign, said they had only stopped to go to a pharmacy and were moving on anyway. What? At 6.45 pm? I gave them permission to moor overnight, but not CRT’s, and told them we were getting out of town.

A short hold up occurred just past the Hennef Way bridge as Titanic II was trying to turn where there is no winding hole (actually Shakespear Boat, Titania II). I directed the skipper throughthe bris=dge to where the turning place actually is before they were too firmly wedged in the silt.

I relaxed on the way past the plot for sale by Malcolm and Dink’s cottage. But the £120k price tag and no building consent is an immediate off putter.

So through rain, Hardwick and Boughton Locks to an overnight mooring below Slat Mill Lock. UNO and Yahtzee accompanied by single malt completed an interesting trip.
                                                      4 locks, 2 lift bridges, 4 miles, 4 hours on the move.

Tuesday 14th July 2020.

After a lay in this morning we let go our overnight mooring at 0900 and advanced at Slat Mill lock.

We actually had the help of a boat coming down and then continued in cloudy but warm conditions to pootle along to the winding hole at Cropredy Wharf. A neat turn and we reversed through the bridge to moor adjacent to Bridge Stores. We shopped for bread and coffee, the two necessities, and then breakfasted on bacon eggs and mushrooms.

We entertained two close friends on board at social distance for coffee and chatter. It was great to see them for the first time in lockdown apart from a difficult attempt to connect by "Zoom". It is difficult for villagers with limited signal and computer skills to get connected.

I did a bit of sketching at Cropredy lock. It was very busy

After a lunch on board we set off back to Banbury, making the home mooring at 1545. I was concerned by every Napton Boat that came toward me inm case we came face to face with the errant moorer of yesterday. There were many hirers out but that boat was not to be seen.

                                                                 4 miles, four locks 4 hours.

Beautiful days of Boating

Friday 13 September 2019: Crew: Captain Eeyore, Best Mate and Soopercrew

We are free and we set off with two cars. One left at Hawkesbury Junction, our target, and then one back to Braunston. The crew boarded and we let go imediately. The Best Mate busied herself restocking and rearranging and Soopercrew took the tiller to navigate north to Hillmorton Locks. These are manned by enthusiastic volunteers but no sign of them at the top lock. It was set for us and we had a good passage to the bottom. The locks need a lot of tlc and red and white tape abounds effectively turning the double locks into a single flight.

We were on a mission to try and make contact with a boater here. Enquiries at the Café revealed that the boat had already moved south. We let colleagues in Braunston know.

After the locks there was nothing to do except continue to cruise along the straightened N Oxford toward sunset. It was a lovely afternoon and we moored just after sunset at All Oaks Corner. Here we enjoyed a meal aboard and  a traditional game of UNO.

Saturday 14th September 2019
We let go at dawn. A lovely one too. Another wonderful September day. Our target was soon met and the smoke alarm indicated that breakfast was cooked as The best mate navigated through Sutton Stop and handed to the Skipper  for the turn. We moored on the Coventry Canal water point,   replenished and ate a hearty breakfast.

Here we hatched a plan. The girls would navigate to Atherstone Top lock while I drove to Atherstone and whiled away some time sketching.

In the event I left my wallet on the boat, could not buy a refill  of ink and spent the time as a waterways chaplain helping an injured boater up and a single hander down then helping a few hirers, chatting to passing boaters and CRT volunteers.

Time passed quickly and Sonflower caught me up. We went strait down the first five to s mooring just passed the A5 Bridge. Sadly it was signed 48 hours.

We concluded a wonderful couple of days boating with a beautiful bean balti, prepared by the Best Mate.

Sunday 15th Seotemebr 2019   Crew: Captain Eeyore and Youngest Son

The 48 hour was a problem. We have a very busy week. So we drove back to Atherstone this afternoon and navigated the six locks to complete the flight. A dove took a lift some of the way!

Here he is at Lock 9. 

We moored at Bradley Green Bridge 48 opposite the services. Pumping out is the next thing to look forward to!

36 miles, and 15 locks     17.1/2 hours over three days    ///shudders.linked.year

We walked back to Atherestone town centre in glorious evening sunshine. We talked for a time to the skipper og narrowboat Sir T Fiable, who I had helped down the locks the day before. He is struggling to keep his drive shaft coupling tight and we discussed various possible bodges to get him through to the Spring when he is booked in for blacking. He said taking the boat out of teh water just to replace the prop shaft was far too expensive and he would do the two at teh same time. The probable solution is shimming under the coupling clamp with a split piece of rotary drier stand. Needs must!

Sunshine and showers

3-4 September 2019 Crew: Captain and Best Mate, Sooper Crew and  youngest son

Ideal boating weather.

On top level of the Oxford there was a breeze. When the canal runs north west it is behind us when the canal runs north east it is across us and when we are turning from one to the other it is anywhere it likes. And the top level of the Oxford Canal is a serpentine waterway with many twists and turns to confuse the navigational mind. It can make staying in the middle a bit tricky and approaching bridges on bends interesting when others are coming toward you. For most of the way the towpath is backed by a very high hedge. Possibly over 12 feet in places and this shields the canal form teh wind wuite effectively where it is windward.

As we ar effectively heading north the sun does not affect vision this way but it certainly effects the vision of those coming toward us!

We enjoyed the boating. First a couple of hours in the evening to moor at Stoneton Farm. No cows in the byre at this juncture and it looks like thay have ceased using sillage pits in favour of plastic bales so the smell of sillage is not there either making this stop more pleasant than usual.


The second day we started at sunrise and had a very gentle and pleasnt criuse to Marston Doles where the water was hot and replenishment available after our showers. We took breakfast here. CRT had adjusted water levels and were walking back down the flight as we started off. We had the aid of a few boats coming up and made good progress to the bottom without undue effort or any delay or mishap. The crew of a  tug, on hire from a Rugby company, were concerned by the level in one pound but CRT were on hand to let some water down to give tham more confidence. A volunteer told us this was his last week of the season. See you next year!

We deposited refuse and then continued to a lunch spot at Shuckborough,  Jacksons Bridge 104. Here we hoped to view the church which is nearby but it was locked. Such a shame. We re-boarded and boated on to moor on 14 day moorings just around Brauston Turn. ///chats.spillage.fell

                                                                                  
                                                                                   16miles   9 locks 7hours

Dinner was taken at The Boat House, a Marstons House.

Holes

Tuesday 27th August 2019 1600h
We have finally moved off the mooring and headed north toward the wonders of the BCN.

The first stop on any cruise up the South Oxford from Banbury has to be at Cropredy and this time was no exception. We made good headway and met quite a few boats on the way. We were followed by an Oxford hire crew who were enjoying the wonderful sunshine and showers and then came up behind NB The Lucky Duck with a very novice crew who were having difficulty with handling the craft on tickover! They rattled into Boughton Lock ahead of us and we advised them how to avoid being thrown forward inthe lock by the incoming water from the ground paddles. It always amazes me how little people tell their crews when they lend them their boat! This crew really were learning on the job the hard way. They let us pass just after the lock bridge and before Slat Mill. We moored on the 14 day moorings behind NB So Long that had single handed up from Banbury and we had helped through Slat Mill lock. We moored at 1830 and prepared to have dinner at the Brazenose Arms.
                                                                                        3 locks, 4 miles, 2.1/2hrs

Wednesday 28th August 2019

We had a meeting this morning so moved forward toward the Winding hole. We entertained a friend to a late breakfast between 1130 and 1230 and then started on our way again. There were quite a few boats on the move: The Lucky Duck, the Oxfordshire Hire boat and NB So Long had all passed us and we had to queue at Cropredy behind Napton boats. Here we discovered the holes in the bank behind the piling by almost falling into them. I reported them as dangerous. At Broadmoor lock a heavy shower interrupted our cruise and we sheltered for about half an hour or more before going on. We joined queues again at Claydon Middle lock and eventually cleared the locks at about 1630. Not the quickest of journeys. Our youngest crew member decided to walk to The Wharf and took photos of the holes that abound between Claydon Locks and Fenny Compton. Other indications that the canal is not as well mantained as it used to be were the crumbling bank stonework and the broken cill protection beams at two of the locks.

The lock beams at Claydon Locks all bear a blue sign detailing the water saving code and ask that we report all leaks. Well CRT all the lock gates are leaking. The local CRT manager is Mr Lee King so we can expect little else! Much of the paddle gear is also stiff to operate and needs more grease. Off side veg could do with a really good cutting back this coming winter or visibility problems will abound next year. There are quite a few intrusive hawthorns and willows on the off side and trees self seeding on the near side.

We moored tightly on visitor moorings (///reactions.tribes.needed ) and went to The Wharf for a lovely dinner. Chilli, steak and ale pie and a full rack of ribs satisfied our need.

We had pre-prepared for this by leaving the car at The Pub so we went back to the flat.

The first leg to the BCN completed:                                  9 locks, 9 miles, 4.1/2 hours

Friday 30 August 2019

Had to move off 48 hour moorings so progressed forward to the Water Point outside the Wharf  Inn and filled the tank up.
Then through the bridges  to moor on the first ring of the 14 day moorings. ///polka.performs.tangling
                                                                                        1/2 mile      1/2hr
Here she will stay until we navigate the top level to Marston Doles next week and thence down Napton Flight.We have to arrive in Napton on the Hill, somewhere near the marina to get to The KIng's Head to catch the 9.22 am bus back to Fenny Compton. It only runs on Thursdays.
  

2019 is here!

It is now May! 2019 has already been eventfukl for SONFLOWER.

She has been blacked! That wewas at the end of March. Of course we went into Tooley's Boatyard dry dock and let them do all the dirty work.  They gave her hull a briliant wash down and removed some wild life: fresh water sponges who were hitching a ride. 4 days later she came out looking good and protected with another pair of anodes to replace worn out ones.

She has also had a new starter battery. They never seem to last as ling as I expect and this winter it has been hard to keep it fully charged. Our boat mechanic thinks that there is a drain on the batterey system that is beating the solar panel in the winter time.

We have done a couple of day trips since returning form our big cruise on the Rhine/Rhine Danube Canal and Danube in April.

Cropredy and back on Easter Bank Holiday when the sun shone and we enjoyed the fresh air.
                                                                                                                  7.5 miles, 6 locks, 6 hours

And today we went to The Pig Place at Nell Bridge. We bought some pork for dinner on Thirsday and had a wild boar hotdog with inions in a soft bap and a drink at their open air bar and cafe. They are serving local beers and cider now.  We waved to nb Barocha as they passed on their way to Emslow. Back on board we meandered back and stopped for a cupper at Grants lock. Here we were hit by a craft exiting the lock at speed having left it with gate and both top paddles open. The Best Mate says he did say "sorry". We passed the speeding craft moored by Bodicote footbridge later in the day. Ony abot a mile further on! Why the hurry?

We moored between Foxe's and Haynes lift bridges for dinner: a tapas type delight with the Best Mate's foccacia garlicked up a bit with chorizo and mushrooms on top.And on top of mine I had a huevo rojo. (fresh free range new laid from the Pig Place).

Then back to home mooring before sunset.                       11.75 miles, 6 locks,  2LB, 10 hours