A BLACK WEEKEND

Well Friday morning arrived and it was time to caste off and head round to the marina to watch my baby being dragged from the water so i could spend the weekend blacking the bottom.

A narrowboat should be blacked every 2/3 years as rust is the biggest enemy of a boater. As this was the first time the boat had been blacked other than the coat it had when new i was keen to do it myself so i could prepare the hull properly and make sure every nook and cranny (wonder where that expression originated) was well coated with the bitumastic.

I have heard stories of boatyards just jet washing off the slime and then painting on the blacking with no regard to treating any rust that might be present. Do the job yourself and you know its done proper is my philosphy. With this in mind after jet washing the whole surface was sanded down using some heavy duty sanding discs. This was followed by 2 coats of black and a 3rd 6" each side of the waterline as this is the spot where a combination of air and water is a recipe for rust to form.

So this is where i need to go and you can see the trolleys just entering the water. The boat will be floated over the trolleys and the tractor unit will pull her out. Hope it doesn`t hurt her.

The tractor unit is ready.

The front rises up like a plane taking off

and of course the back follows.

Well she seems to have survived being pulled out and i am just holding her to reassure her.

Plenty of room in the shed so on with the washing.


Back

and front.

Here`s the finished product

That ladder was my means of getting aboard.


So job done back in she goes




Don`t know how she feels as she slides back in but i miss the feel of water under foot with that little movement as you walk around inside.

FIREWORKS

Hope you all enjoyed the fireworks. These were some i pictured from the towpath that were part of a display by boaters on the long term moorings opposite my present mooring.

Had a nice surprise yesterday when a chap walked by and introduced himself as Les and just for a moment i was puzzled and then realised he was a member of the canal forum (link on right above) Les will soon be afloat as his boat is nearing completion. So the kettle went on and we had a nice chat.

NB VALERIE comes out of the water Friday morning and i will have the w`end to black the bottom, must get some pics. Luckily the boat will be under cover so the rain and wind forcast for the w`end won`t have to much effect on my work schedule.

Ooooooh!Aaaaaaar!
Whooooooosh!
Yes very nice but it`s chilly and the pubs open.

POWER SAVING

P0wer is one of the most important things to be aware of when living afloat and just lately i have been giving the subject a lot of thought. As you have read already the wind generator is up and running and helps to top up the batteries but whatever way you charge those batteries it`s the way you make use of the stored power that is the important bit.
Onboard i have mains power that is obtained via an inverter from the battery bank but the problem is it`s capacity is large at 3000w which is fine to run the washing machine, although i usually do the washing when cruising, but when all you want to do is use the laptop or watch TV running a 3000w inverter for 40w-60w is a waste. As far as the laptop is concerned i bought a


small 100w inverter from Maplins that as you can see in the picture above plugs into a cigarette plug to which i have connected a 12v plug and the laptop now gets its power from an 100w inverter as against 3000w. A small saving power wise but every little helps those batteries last longer.
Another thing I previously used the 3000w inverter for was watching TV and the 15" flatscreen i bought in Asda works on 240v but the current is stepped down to 12v and in the pic below the
lower box connected to the mains plug is what came with the set and the box above it is the replacement. What it actually does is accepts a 12v input and gives out a stablised 12v. This is important as although the TV will run straight from 12v these flatscreens are very fussy and a rise in voltage input can render the TV dead.
So TV is now watched direct from 12v and as the Sky box also works from 12v there is no need to run the 3000w inverter. Since doing these changes i have noticed a higher battery reading in the mornings which means less engine running to charge batteries.

Right where am i ? Not saying exactly but have moved from Stoke Bruerne through Milton Keynes and L. Buzzard and am at the moment passing some time, before the boat comes out of the water so i can black the bottom, altering the locker at the rear of the boat to make it bigger to accomodate the water hose amongst other things.
Cruising along you see many things and in the pictures below is a boat that appears to have a tent pitched on the front and a summerhouse on the back.

Oh well must go now as i am off to a firework display so i leave you with this sunset a couple of days ago.

Goodnight and take care with the fireworks.

BACK ONTO THE MAIN LINE

The Leicester Section joins the main Gd. Union Canal at Norton Jct. so we have to go up through the Foxton flight of locks and down the flight at Watford. Both flights are staircase locks and are both supervised by lockeepers as they use side pounds to save water and if the ground paddles are not opened in the correct sequence a lot of water is wasted. It`s fine for the experienced crews but some of the holiday boaters get it wrong, still we all have to learn and it wasn`t so long ago i didn`t have a clue and needed the lockies help and guidance.
After coming out at the bottom of the Watford flight you pass by the service area of Watford Gap on the M1, so close in fact it`s only 3 steps off the towpath and you could be flattened by a jaggernaught.
At Norton jct. instead of turning south we instead went up to Braunston so that Andys mum&dad could visit. While here i took advantage of the fact that a company called Roadpro were based nearby and decided to get a new skybox as the old one didn`t want to work anymore. I did enquire through another company for a repair to be carried out but as they quoted a price 70% of a new one i decided to buy new. Funny old world we live in everything seems to be to expensive to repair so it gets scrapped.
Anyway that was sorted and worked fine and all i needed to do was phone sky and get my card matched to the new box, easy?. After 5 calls and trying all the tests they said were needed all i had to do was wait for the card to be upgraded so that among the freeby channels i would also get 4&5. So after 5 calls and 5 waits for the sattalite to beam the upgrade to my card they eventually decided to send me a new card as that was the only thing they couldn`t test. One new card and hey presto 4/5 are included in my package.
With the sky box you can view a lot of freebie channels but not 4/5, but you can pay £20 for a card that gives you 4/5. card will last 3 yrs at least. If you want to know more about sky on a boat read Sue`s blog "No Problem" via the link from this page.
So after leaving Braunston and going down through flight of 6 locks it was back on route south for christmas, yes i know it`s only October but it takes a while to meander along and we`re in no hurry and the boat is coming out of the water in November so i can black below the waterline.
Down through Weedon & Bugbrooke stopping off here and there we came to Blisworth where a 10 minute bus ride brings you to a large tesco on the outskirts of Northampton just the job to re-stock the galley. On through Blisworth Tunnel emerging at Stoke Bruerne for a few days rest, well it`s hard work being retired and dragging yourself out of bed each morning and thats just the start, the kettle has to be filled, the bacon taken out of the fridge............PHEW.
In the picture below are a pair of Hotel boats Oak & Ash stopped as i was to take on water. Usually they have a crew of 3 and have 6 guests on board. They are booked up untill the end of October. Now getting further south means i get more visits from the family and this time it was Sons

Steve & Kev with their partners and grandchildren Teo at the top and below him Keirnan sitting next to his little sis Keira. Nice pic this i might print it off and put it on my photo pin board.

So come on you other G`kids grandad is heading south lets be having you.

Have now moored up for a while to paint the gunnels on the boat, there the bits just below the windows and they get scraped and scratched a lot and soon rust rears it`s ugly head so they need regular care. Where i am is handy to get a bus into milton Keynes where among others there was a Maplins store, more later.

Carol sent you e-mail hope you got it.

BIRTHDAY GIRL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEV

WIND POWER

Well i`ve got the wind generator up and running. The Rutland 913 will put a charge into the batteries with a modest wind speed of 5 knots, just under 6mph. With a wind of say 28mph it should put in about 9 amps.
So far since trying it out the winds have not been great blustery but not continuse but still the batteries have gained at the end of the day even after using power all day. Don`t forget on a boat all your power comes from the batteries and the worst power consumer is the 12volt fridge/freezer, then you pump your shower water then pump the waste water overboard. Your cuppa needs pumped water to fill the kettle. The loo uses electric to flush, the radio/stereo all these things are taken for granted on land but on board you have to be aware of a limited supply. Anyway with the wind so far the generator has ended up putting back what i have used during the daytime plus a small amount on top. All this adds upto less running of the engine to charge the batteries. Fine if the wind`s blowing i hear you say, true so my next thing is to do some research on solar panels. The control box i have fitted to the wind genny also allows connection of a 100watt solar panel so no wind means the slar panel will help things along and if i get wind as well so much the better.
In the picture above you can see the mast is held firmly by metal guy lines that go down to the roof and in the picture below you can see the mast is held in place by a heavy duty metal bracket that allows the whole thing to be folded down onto the roof after two of the guy lines have been released at roof level, all done in less than 5 mins.

I have to thank daughter in law Bevs dad Alan for making the bracket from a picture of something similar and a few rough measurements i supplied. Thanks Alan it works a treat.
All that needs doing now is to tidy the cable by putting it into some plastic pipe and fixing same to roof.

FOXTON

Foxton Locks are on the Leicester Arm of the Gd. Union Canal and consist of two lots of 5 staircase locks with a passing pound in between. The rise is 75 feet and as you can see in the
picture from the top you get a panoramic view of the countryside. The locks opened in 1814 and passing through the flight takes about 45mins. Behind me at the very top stands what was once the lockeepers cottage, now a coffee shop, and next to it the original stable that gave the boat horses a well earned rest for the night. Nowadays it is used for school visits when it has information boards and seating for visitors to eat their sarnies.
On the right of the picture can be seen the museum that once housed the old boilerhouse that provided power for the Inclined Plane Boat Lift.

In the picture above that i snapped in the museum you can see how the boat lift operated.

Two metal troughs each carrying 2 narrow boats counter balanced each other taking boats up and down the slope. the power was via a steam engine.

The lift opened in 1900 to help speed up passage through the locks so that canal companys could compete with the railways for cargoe carrying. Sadly in 1911 with road transport being a huge competitor the lift closed to save money and boats reverted to the lock flight.

Below is all that`s left, just some of the track bases that carried the rails. It is hoped that with

fund raising and Lottery grants the boat lift can once again operate. A lot has been done around the site including clearing the slope so the tracks can be seen and at the bottom all the trees have been cut down so now the canal can be seen.

So i leave you with this view of the Foxton Locks Inn. Behind me the canal goes to Leicester, to the left Market Harborough and to the right is the entrance to the lock flight. Below the same view at night. The boat on the left nearest camera used to give horse drawn boat trips at w`ends but now sadly only for private bookings.

Night all.

WHAT`S HAPPENING

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OZLEMOzlem is one of my 3 lovely daughters in law.

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After a wet summer and all the flooding that made our cruising plans change we now find ourselves to far south. The plan each year is to come south to Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire to see the family at christmas time plus i am getting the boat out of the water early November to black the bottom but this year having to change the route a bit some time had to be used up.
So having gone down the South Oxford canal to just below Banbury we winded (turned round)
and as we came back through Banbury i took the above picture as i saw this same scene in a newspaper showing flood water rushing past Woolies back in June/July. Can`t remember the exact date as time means nowt to me.

Back up the Sth Oxford to Braunston stopping off at some lovely villages,Cropedy and Fenny Compton to name just two, then through Braunston tunnell and up the Leicester arm where i

spotted this bridge in need of some TLC but i suppose after the 200 plus years some of these structures have been around they will fall apart eventually.
Carrying on past Crick you can see below the new marina extension for 80 berths is well under way. Pity they hadn`t dug it earlier in the year the weather might have helped fill it.

Carried on to the outskirts of Leicester before turning back to Foxton and at the bottom of the locks turned onto the Market Harborough Arm. Two hours of twisting and turning through some beautiful countryside brought us into M.Harb` basin and a chance to stock the galley from the supermarkets in the town.
So returning to Foxton we stayed about a week which gave me a chance to have a good look around and get the wind generator installed. I`ll get some pics done for next time.

Goodnight all, sleep well, i always do.

MUSEUM VISIT

The Bygones museum has been created by Andrew Fox at Butlin Farm Claydon. It is easily accesed from the South Oxford Canal at bridge 145 and a walk of just a mile into the village will take you back in time.
The museum overlooks adjoining farm land and the views are fantastic. Also on site is a gift shop and a licenced restaurant.
Andrew Fox has gathered this wonderful collection of items from our past, and i saw tools that my dad had when i was a boy, from towns and villages in scrapyards and old stables, barns, attics, cellars and what were once thriving tradesmens workshops that like so many of our past skills have gone to sleep and to the far east!

Above is the old Granary now home to amongst many things a large collection of old Typewriters and Telex machines, that hit a note as my late wife Valerie was a Telex operator for Kodak that also springs up in a picture below.

Above rows of old shops have been re-created in one building at the museum and the windows of each shop are filled with the goods they sold as in the photographers window below. Also in yet another building that was once a milking parlour for 16 cows several different scenes are created and below is a 1920`s kitchen/scullery and other rooms include a carpenters workshop, an electricians repair room with some wonderful old appliances you thought you would never see again. In all 6 scenes even a Boatbuilders workshop. In the Barn pictured below can be found a Traction engine, road roller and many farm tractors.
Next to the barn another building houses many stationery steam driven engines and a collection of old machinery of all types.Well i`m certainly glad i discovered the Bygones museum and it was well worth the £2.50 entrance and after a relaxing sit down with a coffee i was ready to walk back to the boat.

LITTLE PEOPLE

Well here they are my new crew for a week, Jordan and brother Jack seen here on one of our walks at the top of Cracks Hill in Crick. They arrived with mum&dad (Andy/Bev) at Braunston








with enough clothes for a week and a half (wise mum) plus computer games, DS i think there called but then gramps is old, isn`t he Jordan!, and so they might be make up cases for all i know. So below we have Jack helping move the boat along to a gap in the hedge where they can get into the field and old grandad can watch them while they bravely venture to within 1/2 mile of some cows. Wish i was young and brave.


The picture below came about when grandad told them about boats being pulled by horses but nowadays the boats had engines, my big mouth, so what do they want to see?, the engine and then what? yes to get in the engine bay.
I told Jack boats had to be washed every week, cruel i hear you say, rubbish he couldn`t get the bucket filled quick enough.

Now this thing about female drivers, i can tell you this young lady was a lot better than her brother. Jack tended to push the tiller one way or the other there didn`t seem to be an in between position but Jordan had that gentle bit at a time touch.
So off we went up the Braunston flight and through the tunnell heading for Crick. Jack loved the tunnell but Jordan after showing her face briefly went and played on her game machine inside. Anyway after stops on the way of our months of cruising, well at the end it felt like months ok i was just plain tired and as Jordan said old we arrived at Foxton where i was due to be relieved of duty by mum & dad well in about 24 hrs time.
So off we went to the canal museum that sensibly only charges adults and lets 3 children in for nowt. Jack enjoyed operating the model of the inclined boat lift and they both had fun on the
mock up of a butty boat and after the pair had run around the museum and had a go at getting the boat through the model lock we had lunch at the top of the flight in the old lockeepers cottage that has been turned into a cafe.

TRADERS ON THE CUT

Well it`s been a hectic week as i have had 2 of my grandchildren on board. Children near water is a dangerouse mixture and i spent all their waking hours watching them and i can tell you i was exhausted at the end of the week when mum&dad arrived to rescue me, but a near future blog will reveal the angels.
Also i am at present in the process of installing a wind generator, again more on this later.


This is one of the more common traders on the cut selling handpainted canal ware. Also stocked are boaters requirements like coal and rope fenders all made on board. Unusually this boat doesn`t sell diesel.

Graham Philips on board NB Tia sells Environmentally Responsible products. These include everything from washing the dishes, the boat and yourself. http://www.tiacares.co.uk/

Graham Varcoe has set up a bike shop on board NB Pennyfarthing and sells not only folding bikes but also your bog standard comfort cycle. He also does repairs and among the accessories he stocks are thorn proof tyres. He also has a land based shop in Leamington.

The floating bookshop on board NB Frenchlands II. Rosemary&Colin sell many second-hand & new books. Even found a book by one of my favorite authors Linda La Plant.