The best made plan can fail.

The plan was to make an early start moving onto the services mooring in Shireoak Basin for a pump-out and water refill before heading back towards Retford.  The first part of the plan went well and we were on the services block mooring before 9am. 

However the pump-out hose is very short and we had to move back positioning the stern in the boat ramp in order for it to reach our outlet connection.  The control box swallowed our card (and money) before starting the electric pump.  There was no suction!  We’ve experienced this before and immediately placed the end of the hose in the canal to create a vacuum.  Unfortunately this didn’t work and a local boater came over to explain the end of the hose has to be raised to shoulder height and filled with water from the ‘rinse’ hose.  We did this and there was still no suction.  The local boater departed wondering what had gone wrong.  Meanwhile we went inside Waiouru and waited until 9am before phoning CRT to advise the problem.  CRT were very helpful and phoned back within 10 minutes to tell us the contractor should arrive at noon.

At 4pm I phoned CRT back to ask when the contractor might be expected and was informed around 6pm.  It’s now 6.50pm on a Friday and somehow we’re not expecting anyone to arrive.  Looks like we’ll be making another phone call tomorrow morning.  Either the pump will be repaired tomorrow or we will be here for the weekend.  Of course we are on the services mooring and no doubt one or more of the local boaters will want access to it during the weekend.

Waiouru moored on the services in the distance

I have to thank blog reader Steve-the-Wargamer who left the following useful tip about my screw heads and the body filler.  “Cover the screw head with a disk of plastic before you bung the filler in as it will save you hassle next time you have to do it”.  An excellent suggestion!

More interesting information from reader Rojer

“The boat you caught up with was Nb Robin Hood, a hire boat from West Stockwith; C&RT have hired it not CC Trust.”  CRT must have hired two boats for the survey as we saw nb Maid Marion yesterday.
”The engine house was once the pumping house for the sewage station. It's listed.”  So not used for a coal mine.

“Sherwood Forest was an area of general countryside - not only woodland. Apart from the built up areas it was probably much the same as now in the thirteenth century.”  If that’s the case then the Sheriff of Nottingham must have been damned incompetent in not being able to track down and capture Robin.