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Does anyone else have to insert in order to form paragraphs in their blog? Blogger seems to have forgotten how to put the code in in response to the return key.

Diesel Leak (again!)

I moored at the water point on Tuesday. There was another boat on it! I crossed over and my boat swayed as I jumped off, swilling the bilge water in engine bilge and activating the bilge pump. A stream of dirty water efused from the boat followed by a rainbow of diesel!

I backed the boat back to opposite Tooley's boatyard and asked them to take a look. It is a leak on the No 1 diesel injector to spill rail banjo joint. It has plagued me since the spill rail was changed to a solid pipe following a boat safety examination that disqualified seperate flexible connections between the injectors.They sent John to take a look and he spent a couple of hours on it finally declaring that his special sealant had done the trick.

I paid the bill and backed the boat to Sovereign Wharf where I turned, pumped out and filled the tanks with diesel. It is best to keep the tanks full in winter to cut down on condensation and the resultant water-in-the-diesel problems.

This morning the director of Tooley's asked me how the leak was. "I don't know", I said. "John said it was OK so I haven't looked since. Shall we take a look?" I am glad we did. I think he is not! The joint was leaking. The problem now is that, with full tanks, the diesel level in the tank is above the level of the spill rail. Diesel leaks now all the time, not just when the engine is running. Having spent over £1 per litre I am not too pleased it is running into my bilge!

Different Outlook

Remembering my post about Tree Worries, we now have a different outlook on the mooring. We see more sky, a stack of portable buildings but have no dangerous trees threatening to flatten us!

Thank you to whoever paid for the tree surgery.

Also for the log that floated across the canal and is now my chopping block.

Misfortune

It is not often that we find a boat in distress on our moorings.

This poor boat was towed from near Harwick Lock and left here to pole themselves the rest of the way into town for Tooley's Boatyard to look at their failed engine. Tooley's were too busy to come out and pull the the boat themselves. A passing boater helped them as far as he could.

Unfortunately we could not help any further even though we wanted to.

I did see them with the mechanic on board under Tom Rolt Bridge yesterday so, hopefully, they will soon be sorted.

It emphasised to me that the subscription to River Canal rescue is worthwhile insurance. I would not want myself or anyone boating in Sonflower to have to pole the boat miles to get attention.

Beautiful Morning

It was!

As the sun came up behind the Mill (Arts Centre) beside the Banbury lock. We used the water point having come throughthe lift brodge in the half light and I watched the dawn from the cratch of the boat. The sun comes up somwhat south of east at this time of year and the dawn has a wonderful yellow glow about it.

Within half an hour it was raining.

We backed back through the lift bridge and are moored back in Banbury Town Centre.

My excuse for being here was that it is handy for the Banbury Folk Festival this weekend where I helped man the information desk. It was a very busy but musical weekend.

Unfortunately the Best Mate was indisposed with a very nasty head cold that kept her in bed yesterday amd today. Very unusual for her!

A very full Morning

This morning the sun shone and it looked as if we would have a great day.

A new neighbour with a brand new 70ft boat, "Willy Nilly", asked me to accompany her on the "water run". She picked me up off the boat at Tom Rolt Bridge No 164. The lift bridge 165 in town has challenges for the single hander but we negotiated it safely. On approach I was hailed by Kate Saffin, of Theatre in the Dock Fame, who wanted to return a book I had lent her. Pushing the boat over to Tooley's side of the canal to collect the volume put us a bit out of centre for going through the bridge narrows. But all was fine. We settled onto the water point and filled the boat, the kettle and had a cup of coffee. Taking on water is just something one has to do. And it takes as long as it takes.

A single hander came up the lock and shut the gate behind him. No problem really as my friend wanted to do all the work she would have to do on her own. I did help him through the lift bridge.

Entering the lock from the water point is an easy sweep. The lock at Banbury is at an angle to the main run of the canal and getting it wrong can mean a scrape down the concrete side, getting the cruiser stern stuck under the raking coping and other nightmares. It is best to keep well back and smoothly enter the lock. My friend did it perfectly:

We checked with the hire boaters at the water point that they were almost ready to go up the lock and left the gates open for them. A Canal and River Trust man walked down the tow-path opposite and told us we had left the gates open. We told him that the hire boat was going up but he closed the gates muttering something about saving water! He obviously has little knowledge of the canal as the water flowing over the top gates will spill through the leaking bottom gates anyway and the pound above the lock is fed by the Hanwell Brook. This brook is the cause of flooding rather than shortages with the recent rain! Ignorance is bliss. He must think he was doing his job. All he did was annoy me and inconvenience the hirers who had to open the gates again.

Thence to Bankside Winding hole to turn. My friend did very well here. Turning a 70 footer is quite a lot more difficult than my 57 ft boat. We passed "Dusty" on the way back and pulled over to the facilities to set the lock. It was full this time, the hire boat having worked up. "Dusty" came up and we allowed him to go first. "Working boats have priority" I said. "I wish everyone would think that" he replied. Just watching "Dusty" work the lock taught us a bit about single handling. Don't get too close to the gates when the lock is emptying, you'll be sucked against the gate and could break them; slow the boat with the gates if it is going into the lock too fast; watch the speed that you let the water in so that the boat doesn't crash against the top gate. etc. etc.

Our turn came and went well. Del and Al from Derwent 6 came up behind and were there to help with gates and paddles.

So through the lift bridge we went. Having let "Dusty" go first we now came to a halt. He was delivering to the boat yard and their collection of vessels meant that the way was entirely blocked. A boat was coming the other way too!

After the way cleared we returned to the mooring. I got off at Tom Rolt Bridge No 164 and let Willy Nilly return to her mooring. I started SONFLOWER's engine and backed her to Sovereign Wharf where I started to turn. In the middle of the turn the boat started to move sideways toward the lock. To my surprise a boat "Zenith" came round the bend and headed between my bow and the bank sucking SONFLOWER toward it as she approached. "Wait up a minute" the helmsman shouted. "Who is turning?" I replied, "Shouldn't you be waiting a minute?!"

Thence to the whaarf for a PUMP OUT. By all accounts they had had a very good Canal Day and the Punch and Judy had been very good. The lack of Punch whacking Judy round the head and the absence of the baby being thrown to the crowd during the performance was noted as a sign of the times.

Then back to home mooring to wait for Dusty and the coal delivery. Good things come to those who wait. 5 bags of Pureheat at £11.00 a 25kg bag. Half what the garages and garden centres would charge.

A busy and very full morning.

Thorns are to be expected

I have just received this email.

I refer you to my post from a while ago of A Thorny Problem

Advice from Canal and River Trust:

Oxford Canal, Hedge cutting South East Waterway

Monday 8 October 2012 - Friday 1 March 2013 We have commenced the annual hedge cutting round, starting on the 1st October running until 1st March. Please be aware this work will result in thorns on towpaths. The specification includes the clearing of cut thorns from the tow path following a cut of the previous year’s growth, our contractors will blow/sweep/rake/clear the thorns off the path, however there will be areas where some thorns remain on the towpath or blow from the hedge onto the towpath following windy conditions. If you are planning a cycling trip please follow link http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/cycling/hints-and-tips for helpful tips. If you have a pet be mindful of tender paws picking up thorns on the path and under the hedgerows following this work.

Enquiries: 03030404040

You can find all stoppages at the url below: http://www.waterscape.com/things-to-do/boating/stoppages

Please do not reply to the email. It has been automatically generated.

SO that's the whole of winter then!

Prep for Canal Day

The town centre moorings have been a little cluttered recently by boats awaiting attention at Tooley's Boatyard. With the Banbury Canal Day fast approaching the moorings were all required for the boats booked in.

The notice from the Harbourmaster indicated that all moorings should be clear by 10am. No alternative then but to haul the boats out of town.

All Tooley's hands were on deck as this group of three unpowered boats were towed away by NB Oxford 1, a tug that was clearly up to the job.

A Log for the log

The water run is not usually very eventful.

This week we started quite early, as soon as the engine was started in fact. At about 0700 we (I) start the engine to heat water for our morning showers. I moved from our overnight mooring in town to the lift bridge with the crew asleep. The Best Mate popped up to steer SONFLOWER through just after I had raised the bridge and re-joined her so could not get back off. Still she showed willing. We then settled on the water point and started our fill.

This takes about 45 minutes so there was ample time to fill the lock. We were obviously the first craft of the day and there was a huge amount of debris above the lock gates including a four by two varnished plywood panel which would have prevented any gate opening. I cleared this and a few hook loads of reeds to make sure the gates would not be impeded.

Having finished watering, we entered the lock and emptied it. Unfortunately The Best Mate could not open the bottom gate. "Something must be behind it!", she called. I moved the boat as close to it as I could and, armed with the boat hook, went fishing. What I found was a submerged log. It was far too heavy to lift out so I manoevered it free from behind the gate and through the gate opening. But my work was not finished yet. This log would have jammed us in the lock entry if it had been allowed to get between the bow rake and the canalside.

We moved forward very slowly and I prodded it onward ahead of the boat until the canal began to widen out and we were safely away.

"Do you have to do this often? asked a gongoozler from the footbrodge overhead. "No we aren't often troubled by debris" the Best Mate replied. "No, I mean do you have to use the lock much?" he said. "Oh, yes ALL the time".

The rest of the run was uneventful. I was single handed back through the lock and lift brdge as The Best Mate was meeting a friend for coffee but I did not need to worry. By now the lock pool was full with boats coming down and I didn't need to get off to close the lock gate or raise and lower the bridge.

On then to Sovereign Wharf for the PUMP OUT and chat. Is Dusty really giving up the coal boat this month? Then back to home mooring without incident, noting that Canal and River Trust had trimmed the willows opposite our mooring. They haven't touched the dead trees though. Apparently they are not a danger to navigation.

2 locks, 2 lift bridge, 2 miles, 3.1/2 hours

Pumped up!

I thought I would get the bike out to pop into town and give myself a little nmore exercise. Unfortunately the rear tyre definitely would not support my bulk so I got out the footpump to put a bit of air into the tyre. I bought a new footpump from Aldi.

I bought it on one of our routine grocery shopping trips and it has been in its box now for about six months, unused. I attached the dual pumpo head to the shroeder valve on the tyre and trod on the footplate. A large hissing sound greeted me but the tyre, instead of inflating, went flat as a pancake! The special dual head on the pump, designed to service small "dunlop" type bike valves and larger "shroeder" car tyoe valves, was letting air out of the one not in use and not letting any air go down the one in use! Vorsprung dur technik as they say in Germany but no use to me! Of course I had no receipt. The grocery shopping receipts had long gone in the shredder.

I emailed the manufacturer in Germany. Initially I receved a kurt reply saying NO RECEIPT - NO WARRANTY! I then asked Customer Services politely whether I could purchase a new pump head. This time I got the pleasant reply that a new pumphead andphoto instructions would be sent to me. They came today. Here they are:

In German.
Thanks Google translate.
They say: STEP 1 Remove the black plastic cover at the end of the hose
STEP 2 Solve using pliers and loosen the little metal piece the pump head from the hose
STEP 3 Now set the new sheet metal piece on the end of the hose cal and the new head on it
STEP 4 Than last press the sheet metal piece with pliers together, so that the pump head is hard.
However, how one removes a pressure crimped securing ring (the "little metal piece") I do not know so at Step 2 I cut the old pump head off with a sharp kitchen knife.
The new one is fitted and works perfectly.
RESULT! The footnote says "Nun steht der Nutzung nichts mehr im Wege :)"
"Now the use of nothing more stands in the way :)"

Tree Worries

During our "water run" on Friday (See "Boring Routine" post below) we had to do a bit of manoevering around the remains of a willow bough that Canal & River Trust personnel were removing from the canal near our local turning point. The bough had dropped from a seemingly healthy willow in Spice Ball Park.

It made me think about these trees.

These are directly opposite our mooring. I spoke to the CaRT man with the chainsaw who advised me that they can do nothing about these until they fall because they are on private land. He thought the land might be owned by Hanson Trust. "Not just three men in an office somewhere", he said, "they will have agents working for agents."

Little hope of telling them my worries then!

2 locks, 2 lift bridge, 2 miles, 3.1/2 hours

Mooring stealth fee increases

We have a new moorer on our site. Temporarily their brand new craft is moored on a short term one month permit while they take part in the latest mooring berth auction. CaRT know that they need a local mooring and have all their details.

The latest Vacancy issued, Vacancy 4229, is as large as they come on the South Oxford and has a Reserve to match of £1607. This works out at £73.05 per metre. The level of this surprised me so I have done a little research.

When I bid for my mooring in August 2010 the Reserve was £59.61 per metre. Hence there has been an increase in what the site says "The Reserve Price reflects British Waterways' cost of providing the vacancy. It is the price below which it would not be economic for us to let the vacancy" of 22.5%. Inflation over the same period was 5.2% per year according to the Bank of England so the reserve has increased by double the rate of inflation.

I have written to CaRT to ask them to examine the basis of the Reserve. I think it is to maximise revenue as they know that there is a demand for the mooring at this time. Historically there hasn't been. A third of the Vacancies auctioned on this site since Jan 2010 have resulted in no-one bidding for them.

We will see how we get on.

Quick off the Mark

This is the first boat that I have noticed with the new Canal and River Trust logo painted onto the boat. Looks very smart. Interestingly it also sports a CaRT logo on its license which runs to 10/12 . Assuming the license was for the conventional year would this mean that the logo was being used prior to vesting?
POST POST NOTE: The boat is less than two weeks old, registered for BW waters and has been issued with a one month license. It will be based on the River Thames (EA controlled waters)
Opposite is a brand new boat that has no number or license, although the owner has applied for one. It is held in abeyance until a home mooring is found. (I did not think that a home mooring was a requirement for a boat registration.)

Unusual

The sweetshop is not unusual. Traders of this commodity often stop in Banbury to sell their wares. This one though is interesting. The zebra acetate graphics add an interesting touch but the most unusual thing is the roof.

It is covered with 'turf'. Why turf? To feed the zebra!

Of course it is not real turf. But it is, in itself, a bit special because it is genuinely part of the Olympic Hill from the opening ceremony of London 2012! One of the perks of being there and helping out as a volunteer, I understand.

Boring Routine!

With a title like that I expect most of my readers have gone to the next blog!

For those of you who read everything, we have just executed the "water run" again, exactly ten days after the last. The only difference was that it took longer this time. I departed home mooring at 0730 turned at Bankside (Tramway) winding hole to mor and take on water at 0830 but this time we could not have breakfast while filling. We had NO BACON!

With water tank replenished we moved north to Samuelson Bridge and moored so that I could get bacon at nearby Morrisons. Rindless Wiltshire Cured Smoked Back was on offer at two packets for £4 so that fitted the bill. I do miss the crispy rind having no rind does mean that the bacon stays flatter under the grill.

After the true English breakfast we went back to do battle with the rush hour in Banbury Town centre. As we approached the lock which was set in our favour the Best Mate abandoned ship to go to the gym. Through the lock and without incident to the Lift Bridge. Us going north and three boats coming south, just as Tooley's staff manoevered a boat out of their dock, made the trip through the museum bridge very interesting. NB (Napton Boat)Louise discovered that narrowboats do not steer in reverse and vered toward the boat in the dock. A crew member jumped to Castle Quay with a rope to retrain it. We waited alomgside double moored boats outside Tooleys forthem to sort themselves out. We then weaved our way through the melee. The crew of a moored boat said they enjoyed watching the fun. "No boats were harmed during the performance", I commented, "thanks to the RYA boat handling training available at Tooley's boat yard!".

Thence to Sovereign Wharf for the pump out. The management was on the phone when we arrived. The chat here today was about the monopoly position of Calor in the Boating and Leisure Gas supply business. Good for share holders but not good for us according to the oracle. Centralisation means delivery to Banbury comes from Hinkley and delivery times vary from three to five days. In order to ensure supply to the customer this means small orders frequently made and hours on the telephone. Not like the old days when the local depot was Oxford! High Prices and poor service!

Then back to home mooring: turning and mooring pointing south ready for the next boring "water run" in ten days time. We moored at 1145h. 2 miles, 2 Locks, 2 Lift Bridges in 4.1/4 hours.

New Refrigerator

Here it is. After a considerable wait we have installed a new refigerator. I know the web site said this was not suitable for narrowboats but it looks ok to me and fits exactly where the old one stood. Dimensions are identical but this one has 10 litres more capacity because it isn't designed to fit over a wheel arch!

It makes ice too!

Oxford Canal Beauty

,,,

We found this beautiful large moth in our bedroom this morning.

It is about two inches wingspan and the red underwing, which gives it its name, is only visible when it flies.

According to the ukmoths website that I consulted to identify it, it is very common in southern England and its caterpillars feed on alder and willow. It makes me wonder why this was a first for me!

We moor under willows and alders in southern England.

Signage Found

This sign was found floating past our home mooring.

It is now propped up against the "Please slow down" sign just north of Marsh Foot Bridge 163 on the South Oxford Canal if the owner wants to retrieve it.

"The Pratty Flower"

That is the name of a boat! A white rose adorns it's side so I assume that the crew are from Yorkshire.

We left the mooring this morning at 0700h for the first time in twelve days. We needed to do what boaters do again! Off to the turning point at Tramway and mooring on the mooring of nb Prancing Pony (who is away in Lower Heyford) we filled with water, had a shower and then breakfast. Replenishing our fresh water tank after twelve days takes quite a time! Then back to town and on to Sovereign Narrowboats for Pumpout, blue, and diesel before returning to the mooring.                            2 Locks, 2 LB, 2 Miles 3.5 hours

I had to return on foot to drop something off at a friend's place near the station and passed the lock/services on the way back. Here was nb It's Enough taking on water and waiting for the lock. I commented to a boater washing his boat that there seemed more boats here today than there were at Little Venice and the queue built up.  The skipper of nb It's Enough cruises alone. The boat name is his philosophy.He has lost his voice box to cancer. He talks through a mike held to his throat but is unable to make himself heard across the canal. I went over to speak to the skipper of the first boat in the queue, a very nice shiny boat, to establish nb It's Enough's place in the queue explaining his predicament with his voice and that he had finished watering up and was waiting for the lock. The skipper was ok about this but not his crew when I told her I was helping him up! "We will be here all day!" was her response and she went back to confer with her skipper.

The next boat to come down the lock came almost up to the gate on the wrong side of the canal. I pointed out that the boat in the lock would not be able to get out with the boat in the way and they backed up, putting their paintwork in jeopardy on the high conrete banking above the lock. How unobservant some can be! I worked the lift bridge and handed back the windlass receiving profuse thanks for my help.

NB It's Enough minding his own business

I then walked over the footbridge and along beside the car park toward Tom Rolt Bridge. Here I could not believe my eyes. Here came nb The Pratty Flower with its crew remonstrating from the front well deck that there was a boat ahead, maintaining centre channel directly at nb It's Enough! No quarter was given. I imagine that the helmsman had detected that the unfortunate skipper of nb It's Enough was from Liverpool,  Lancashire and the war of the roses was still running.  It struck on the port bow and ricocheted into a moored boat. No attempt to slow down or avoid collision was made!  I wished that I had failed in my negotiations at the lock. The very posh boat behind would have been the target!

NB Pratty Flower heading away after impact

You had better watch out for NB The Pratty Flower!

A day out in the country

Yesterday we took German Friends on a little boat trip. A photo album they posted on Facebook recorded a visit to Stratford-on-Avon with references to their liking for narrowboats so we offered them a ride.

The showery weather curtailed our fun a little but we managed to get to the new winding hole at Twyford Mill. They say that boats of up to  60ft only can turn here. They mean it. Our 57ft turning was tighter than I like. I don't like hitting the bank at both ends!

Our freinds enjoyed the day, They were taking a lot of photos on an iphone so I expect to have a couple to post in good time. None ready now though.

By the way, the fridge is NOT working. We freeze 2 pints of milk and then let it defrost to keep the rest of the produce cool in what has now become a large cool box!