The tank at one end was getting low whilst the tank at the other was half full. Time to do something about both of them. Rugby Wharf couldn’t help with the pump out because they had 7 boats returning so we called into Falls Bridge Wharf which is just north of Newbold Tunnel. Jan had read they do a good pump out and we can now confirm that is correct.
Daniel is teaching himself about the use of “depth of field” with his camera and today’s photos are all from him.
The first photo was taken as we passed under Bridge 66 immediately before Clifton Cruisers.
Passing at ‘tick over’ gave us plenty of time to wave to Phil & Victoria. We met a “Yellow Peril” at the narrows just past our winter mooring. The steerer was taking it very slowly and thanked us for our patience. “No problem, it’s not a race!”
We slowly glided passed the boats moored at Brownsover coming to a slow stop under Bridge 58. Yes, we had run aground on something and I couldn’t get over it. Jan and Daniel went to the front of the boat to move the centre of gravity whilst I gave the engine more “wellie” which did the trick.
Newbold Tunnel now has even less working lights but it’s not all that long. Just short of Falls Bridge Wharf, whilst passing under Bridge 48, we got something around the prop. Just what we wanted; trying to moor without centrelines (the anchor point is being painted). Liberal use of the “girlie button” solved that problem.
Rue Yates set up his pump out equipment. He uses a portable 240V pump and a couple of hoses, one of which goes to the sewer main. There was plenty of suction and he also did a good rinse. The cost was £15. There was time for a couple of Daniel’s cold beers.
“Daniel, are you sure you have them chilling in here?”
“Still haven’t found them!”
I just hate it when you go to all the effort to clear the rubbish off the prop only to find it’s already gone! We reversed back off the wharf and put the stern into the disused Arm adjacent to the bridge thus enabling us to wind. Of course I picked up another piece of rubbish around the prop going back through the bridge hole. This time I ignored whatever was around the prop and eventually the leech departed after deciding we were offering poor hospitality. There was a boat on the water point at Newbold and another waiting, so we opted to keep going and fill the water tank at Rugby. The pressure from the tap was quite good but with a three quarter empty tank it took 50 minutes to fill the tank. Shortly after we started to fill the tank another boat stopped behind us. They had an extra long wait.
In the late afternoon I managed to do more of the roof with the TCut and have also masked up around the Houdini hatches ready for the second topcoat. Jan did a trip to Tesco whilst Daniel fitted in another driving lesson.
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