Saturday 23 July 2016

Narrowboat Millennium Falcon

Yesterday nb Derwent 6 with Del and Al went past us at Brownsover.  I didn’t grab a photo and only managed a few words with Del who told me they were heading down the Oxford Canal.  This morning we left Brownsover squeezing past the breasted up boats at Clifton Wharf and arriving beside the Rugby Golf Course where we moored behind Derwent 6.  A slightly longer conversation this time where Al told me (to my amazement) that Derwent 6 had never been washed in eight years.  For an eight year old boat it’s spotless.  Al then informed me Del just chamois it dry after every time It rains.  The paintwork looks marvellous.  They were the sensible boaters who moved off before all the Rugby based hire boats past.

On one occasion nb Millennium Falcon came around the bend towards us halfway through activating their hyper-drive to make the jump to light speed.  I guess their destination was Tantooine!  Shortly afterwards a “Yellow Peril” went past with the steerer on his mobile phone.  He managed to grind his boat all down the side of our port gunwale.  No apology; too busy talking on the phone (which I’d like to have stuffed sideways up somewhere painful).

It became obvious additional mooring lines were required and I reset the ropes to include a spring.

However it wasn’t all bad.  The pirates were amusing and unusually dressed.  Jan has seen plenty of “man boobs” during the recent hot weather but this is the first time she has seen them in a bra.

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One boater was so quiet we didn’t hear him arrive and he even hoovered alongside calling out to let us know he was there.

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Well known boater Maffi and ‘Molly’ who always looks happy.  Maffi wasn’t on the “Milly M”.  He was moving another boat.

The maintenance task for the day was to empty and clean the starboard cratch locker before giving it a new coat of paint.

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That’s the last of the painting in the cratch.  Now I need to start on the cockpit area.

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