Time to leave and a known boat

Our time in Coventry Basin was up.  No other boat had appeared since our arrival and we were the only private boat in the basin.  We had a few concerns about being moored there on a Friday night but all was well.  Perhaps due the the frequent showers!

After doing all the pre-start checks we headed…. nowhere.  Until I had made another of those interesting trips down the weed hatch to remove a large number of dead urban jellyfish from the prop shaft.  It was a slow trip back to the moorings opposite the Ricoh Arena in an effort to avoid accumulating more of those pesky jellyfish.  When there are no leaves on the surface the water is quite clear.  It’s amazing what people throw into the canal.

At the Ricoh Arena moorings the edge was so shallow we couldn’t get against the bank.  Jan had to get off at the bow and I jumped from the stern.  It was sprint around the aisles with me pushing the trolley and Jan holding on for grim death.  I’m not much of a browser in supermarkets.

Jan stowed all the vittles whilst I steered Waiouru to Hawkesbury Junction.  There were patrons outside the Greyhound so I made sure I didn’t stuff up the turn.  We haven’t seen a moving boat for two days and yet we met one at the stop lock.  It was in our favour so we went through and then moored on the water point…. but only to fill the tank.  A boat appeared from behind whilst the tank was filling and Jan said she thought she recognised it!

Jan wandered back to confirm her distant observation.  She was right!

Parisien Star her new owners are still enjoying her.

Once the water tank was full we crossed to the other side of the canal on a good 7 Day mooring.  We’ll be here tomorrow as the Sunday roast at the Greyhound is beckoning.  We’ve been spoilt this week.  Four meals at the Greyhound!

Lightening Trip

After travelling at 4mph for the past six months today’s land based trip to Birmingham seemed to pass very quickly.  There were two clear options.  Either use the senior’s bus pass and travel from Coventry to Birmingham free or purchase a £5.30 return rail ticket.  The rail journey would take 25 minutes and the bus 1 hour 25 minutes.  Being retired and with plenty of free time I chose the latter option.  These buses usually wander all over the countryside passing through small villages which meant I’d get the scenic route.  The bus pass can’t be used before 9.30am Mon-Fri and the timetable showing the nearest bus to that time was at 9.28am.  Obviously I’d have to plan to depart on the next bus after 9.28.  There is a regular service between the two cities which meant there wouldn’t be much of a delay.  Unfortunately the online timetable appears to be obsolete because I watched the next bus go past me as I was walking to the Coventry bus station.  But then I’m retired with time on my hands.  Eventually I was able to board the 10.15 bus.  The other geriatrics were just flashing the driver (I mean flashing their bus passes).  However when I tried it he noticed I was a foreigner and directed me to place the card on the e-reader.  Sorry Berkshire Council, I think you are going to receive a bill!  My fellow OAP’s couldn’t manage the stairs which enabled me to grab a top, front seat.  Great views but the seat steadily became more painful to sit on as time passed.  A very thin foam swab!  The circular route went through a number of local villages, including one that had a war memorial to the cyclists killed during WW1.  I hadn’t realised cyclists were used during WW1 and was surprised to read on Wikipedia <here> that the first cyclist units were formed during the Boer War. They were quieter and easier to maintain than horses.

The route took us through Birmingham Airport and Small Heath; where we had attempted to purchase our boating boots last year; before finally reaching Moor St Station.  I then walked across the CBD, stopping at Tesco to buy some lunch, before reaching Old Turn Junction.  My destination came into view and it’s interesting to see the NIA minus most of the scaffolding.

I heard a boat horn as I reached the Malthouse Pub and arrived in time to see a well known boat making the turn towards Sherborne Wharf.

Paul,  You never know who is watching from afar! 

I was turned back by one of the construction site safety supervisors when attempting to enter the NIA from the south side.  He informed me I could gain access to the exhibition from the north side.  Walking around to the north side and I still couldn’t find the entrance.  Tried the west and east sides without any success.  By now I was thinking of mentioning to the exhibition management that they need to improve their signage.  Finally I asked one of the construction workers how one gained access to the Caravan and Motorhome Show.  He told me it was being held at the NEC. “Where’s that?”  “At Birmingham Airport!”   Oops…..  I must have passed it whilst on the bus. 

By now the stomach was asking the throat if it had been cut and so I found a vacant park bench beside the Town Hall and ate my chilled Tesco sandwiches.  Across the square some Scandinavian tourists were being photographed.

I wasn’t going to allow the day to be a failure and walked back to the bus station to catch the No 900 to the NEC.  The driver very kindly point out the stop.  After alighting I climbed the stairs and then commenced a very long walk to the relevant exhibition hall.  I was on my own and was anticipating having the exhibition to myself.  It was quite a shock to eventually reach the show and discover a seething mass of humanity.  It covered 12 halls and it was packed.  The South Australian camping and caravan show would occupy less than 5% of this floor space.  Fortunately I had my joggers on and was able to elbow my way through the ambling would-be grey nomads. 

There were so many caravans and motorhomes you would either need to have done prior research and produced a shortlist or be prepared to spend several days here.  I particularly wanted to look at fifth wheelers.  There’s only one UK manufacturer and they have a rather nice unit.

However it has two disadvantages, weight and price.  £56,000 for the base model is rather expensive.  At 3200kg kerb weight it’s also heavy.  Finally, the sales rep put me off by “winging” answers to some of my technical questions.  Yes, I had actually done my research on this aspect of the trip!  Note to myself:  If I do this again allow a full day!

The journey back to Waiouru was uneventful, but at least more comfortable, as the seats had better padding!  Jan had more success and managed to buy in the Coventry Market the enamelled roasting dish she has been looking for.  A very good price too!

To Coventry Basin

A number of boats passed us early this morning and by twitching the curtains it was possible to identify them as probable live-aboards doing a 14 day shuffle. The morning was looking very promising and Jan suggested we move whilst the sun was wearing its hat.  Time to leave Hawkesbury Junction!  Nothing on the exterior of the old pump house suggests anything has happened in the way of restoration since we were last this way.

Attempting to find more information about the engine pump house I read it was built to drain the local collieries and the water was emptied into the canal.  However two sources stated it was built to provide water for the canal with a 100 year old engine being installed in 1821.  The engine came from one of the local collieries and was named “Lady Godiva”.  The pump extracted water from an underground stream.  However this water source eventually proved inadequate and a deeper shaft had to be dug in 1937.  This required a second and more powerful pump.  In 1913 the water table dropped further and the pump house fell into disuse.  The second pump was scrapped during WW2. “Lady Godiva” remained in place until 1963 when it was moved to Dartmouth, the birthplace of Thomas Newcomen (designer of the pump), as the centrepiece of a memorial museum.

Looking back.  Pity about the cable in the foreground and the high transmission pylons in the background.  Abracadabra

That looks much better!

The canal to Coventry Basin is mostly good cruising however there are a few places that need the attention of a dredger.  We decided not to stop at the Tesco adjacent to the Ricoh Arena.  Something we might do on the way back.  The water point is located just prior to the basin and one boater appears to have scored the best mooring in the area.

Can’t do much better than bollards and your personal tap.

Actually it’s not quite as bad as the photo suggests.  There is a second tap with room for one boat to moor.  On entering the basin we discovered there were only two moored private boats and one of these belongs to the boater looking after the moored Valley Cruiser hire boats.  So it’s just us and one other boat in the basin.

In the afternoon we walked to the nearby retail park to see what was available.  There’sa large Morrisons supermarket, Staples, PCWorld, MacDonalds, etc but nothing that interested us.

Left arrow – retail park.  Centre arrow – Canal Basin.  Right arrow – Sainsbury’s supermarket. 

We wandered back to Waiouru via the city centre stopping at Sainsbury’s to purchase a few items for dinner.  We need to take the trolley back and do a larger shop.

With 24/7 CCTV coverage of the basin it’s unlikely we’ll experience and problems.  Actually it was rather quiet when I wandered around to take some early evening photos.

It seems a canal engineer’s working day is particularly long!

Local cruise

The day started with a few hours of tidying up the boat before our visitors from yesterday returned for a short cruise on board Waiouru.  We decided to go back to Marston Junction as the trip would include some countryside and pass Charity Dock. 

Mel took the tiller after I’d winded at Hawkesbury Junction and did a very good job for his first time.  However he quickly returned the tiller to me on arrival at Marston Junction and almost as quickly reclaimed it after Waiouru had been winded.  He made an excelled job of getting the boat back against the edge on the mooring.

We then all retired to the Greyhound for a slightly late lunch.  David and I tried a half of the Shipwreck Coast.  Obviously this English beer is an acquired taste.  After saying our farewells we returned to Waiouru to find the Smartgauge had an E03 error on the display.

The error message means there has been high voltage reading on the batteries.  It’s the second time the error message has occurred since fitting the reconditioned 175A alternator.  My guess is the Smartgauge is correctly identifying the high voltage produced by the Sterling PDAR.  The PDAR has a software routine that regularly forces the alternator to produce a short period of high voltage to de-sulphate the battery plates.  Well I hope I’m right!

There has been a change of plans and we have decided to go to Coventry Basin for a couple of days before proceeding further south.

Overseas Visitors

It’s been a busy day, hence the late post.  We were both up early and before 8.00am had moved down to the water point at Hawkesbury Junction.  A boat was already using one of the taps and fortunately our hose was sufficiently long enough to reach the other.  However the pressure was woeful and it took almost an hour to fill the half empty tank.  The boater moored behind us approached me and asked if he could borrow our gas spanner.  He went on to explain that he hadn’t actually lost his because he knew where it was…. at the bottom of the canal!  I suggested to him that it was moments like these that you need a powerful magnet.  He then told me he had a powerful magnet but it was with the spanner because the string broke!  After all that excitement we moved off the water point finding a good 7 Day mooring just before the junction.

At 11am the first of our overseas visitors arrived.  David and Lynne are currently in the UK on holiday having just completed a transatlantic cruise.  Whilst they live in Australia they are dedicated cruise ship devotees.  We all retired to the Greyhound Inn for a few drinks whilst waiting for the second couple to arrive.  Mel and Sandra also live in Sydney, albeit they originate from the UK.  The way Mel tells the story was part of his marriage proposal included an overseas honeymoon.  What he didn’t tell Sandra was he’s done it on the cheap signing them up as £10 poms.  He claims that the plan was for a two year working holiday before they would return to family in the UK.  Well the two years ended quite some time ago and it appears they have no interest in experiencing UK winters.

Whilst Mel was raised in Colchester I suspect there might be some Scottish or Yorkshire blood in his veins.  When collecting the rental car he decided the cost of renting a gps was unjustifiable and consequentially he and Sandra made the 11am meeting at 1pm. 

Jan, David, Lynne, Sandra & Mel in the Greyhound with Hawkesbury Junction in the background 

After a delicious late lunch  in the pub (Jan and I both had the pie) we all retired to Waiouru where the boat was given a thorough inspection.  David & Lynne had last seen her two years ago when we were living aboard in the tent at Aldermaston.  It was a first visit for Sandra and Mel.  The plan is for them to return tomorrow and go on a short local cruise.

Bloatware

WARNING – Nerdy non boating post

I get rather annoyed when you purchase a device such as a mobile phone, tablet or pc which is full of “Bloatware”.    Bloatware is defined as:

software whose usefulness is reduced because of the excessive disk space and memory it requires.

or

unwanted software included on a new computer or mobile device by the manufacturer.

Several months ago I removed all the bloatware from our new laptop.  It took me a couple of hours, but that was actually easy compared with the task of removing the bloatware from the new Samsung Galaxy S4 phone.  Much of today and part of yesterday was spent stripping out all the un-necessary “crud” (unwanted applications) that filled the phone storage space and slowing it down.

Whilst Samsung would tell you they pre-install these applications for your benefit, I’m convinced they actually get paid by these third party application providers to install them on every new phone.  They also make them very difficult (but not impossible) to remove.  Our phone came with 16GB of total storage.  However more than half had already been used by these unwanted applications when it was taken from the box.  After several hours I’ve reduced the number of non essential applications from 286 to 56.  The used storage space is now just over 3GB.  Google was my friend, but you do need to be careful as it contains a large amount of conflicting advice. 

I didn’t remove this bloatware to recover the storage space, but rather to reduce the risk of inadvertently giving away personal information.  Many of these applications want my location, my email address, mobile phone number, ability to track me, waist size, inside leg measurement.  Well maybe not the last two!  Having harvested this information they sell it to people who want to bombard me with fantastic offers.  Frankly I want the phone to make phone calls, and send the odd text message.  Google maps helps me move around cities and the camera is good for the odd photo.  But I’ve never taken a “selfie”!  I use the alarm clock and the calculator. Even do the odd bit of surfing the web.  I don’t need Samsung Hub, Samsung Wallet, Google play, Google+, BBC News, The Weather, A health monitoring program, voice recognition, etc, etc.

The only good thing I can say about the entire process is it filled in a miserable wet day. 

Maps and a misty start

Blog reader Gerry on NB Dash left a comment asking where I obtain my maps from.  I use six different types of maps and five are free. 
For canal cruising we use Paul Balmer’s excellent canal maps (Waterway Routes).  They provide all the detail we need to safely navigate around the network.  These are the only maps which have to be purchased.
For casual walking around the area in a city I’ll use Google Maps.  As we don’t have a data plan on our android phones we tend to download the required portion of the map and use it offline.
I use Google Earth to check some of my planned longer rural walks to ensure the footpaths actually exist.  It can also give me a better idea of the terrain.
I like to upload missing data to the Open Street Map project.  What I will do is look at the online Ordnance Survey (OS) website map (free) of the area I’m in and check what footpaths are on the OS map but not on the OSM.  I then make a trace of these missing paths and upload them to my gps.  When I’ve walked the paths and captured the data on my gps I upload the paths to the OSM website.
If I need to find a post code I use the Post Code Finder website.  By zooming in on the area of interest I can see all the relevant post codes.
The maps I use for general browsing and planning my routes along with vehicle routable (voice direction) come from Talky Toaster.  The owner of this website uses the OSM data to produce maps for Garmin Gps devices.  I use his maps on my handheld Oregon GPS and Nuvi car GPS.  If you only want to view the maps on a pc then it is also possible to install his map onto a Windows or Mac pc using the Garmin BaseMap program.  Both the BaseMap program and the Talky Toaster maps are free.
This is how you do it
Download the BaseMap program from Garmin here and install it only your computer.  Go to the Talky Toaster website and scroll down the list of maps until you find the follow version.
“Mapsets For Use With PC ONLY (MapSource or BaseCamp)
140816-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-MapSource.zip”
Download the above zip file and install it.  Talky Toaster provides some additional instructions on how to install the mapset in his FAQ section here.  Scroll down to paragraph 2A.
I find the combination of BaseCamp and Talky Toaster maps have more detail than Google Maps.  I also find the map layout much easier on my eyes than the electronic Ordnance Survey maps.

Change of subject

As usual, Jan was up with the sparrows and thought the condensation on the porthole glass was unusually heavy.  It took a few seconds to realize that there was nothing wrong with the double glazing, it was very misty outside.  Eventually she woke me (still waiting for that cup of tea and biscuit in bed…….. a small voice in my head tells me it’s going to be an unusually long wait) and I made the weekly call back to dear old mum. 

Meanwhile Jan could hear a thumping noise and looked out the window to see a working boat appear from the mist.

Eventually I stuck my head out the rear doors to have a look.

Nope… not much to see around here!  Jan managed to take a photo in the mist of an elderly, fat, grey haired, nefarious individual interfering with our bow rope. 

I didn’t see him, however Jan rather cruelly suggested he look similar to me!

We decided to move to Hawkesbury Junction and headed off very slowly in the mist.  Visibility was about two boat lengths and after crossing with the first boat decided to turn on our headlamp to provide some early warning of our approach.

There were a couple of suspicious characters on the bow of a boat at Charity Dock. 

These don’t look like the actions of normal people.

Blog reader Ade had sent me an email in which he mentioned his interest in following the canals on Google Earth and that he had seen an old arm at Bedworth.  He also sent a link to some information.
The location of the arm can be see on the following to extracts.  The first is from Talky Toaster’s OSM and the second from Waterway Routes gps canal maps.

Looking at the names of the surrounding location in the first map give a hint that this area used to be mined.
Ade’s link had a photo.

Basin Coventry Canal Coal pit fields Bedworth, 1968.
Above photograph by Geoff Edmands, from the Nuneaton Local History Group Collection

And this is what the entrance to the arm from the Coventry Canal looks like today.

Warwickshire Countryside

We’ve had a slight epiphany about Nuneaton.  After a more extensive walk around the town much of it is very nice.  However we still have two concerns.  The most obvious is the large quantity of dog faeces along the stretch of towpath most used for mooring.  The second is the rather restricted access to the town from the moorings.

Today’s 15km walk though the local countryside was rather interesting, despite the occasional light shower.  The route took me down the Coventry Canal to Marston Junction and then up the Ashby Canal.  We haven’t been up the Ashby and it looks rather interesting.  The route then cut across the fields via public footpaths to reach Nuneaton where I shopped for some essential food items before returning to Waiouru.

Dear Reader, it is at this point that I need you to close your eyes and visualize all the beautiful photos I took during the walk.  Tranquil canal scenes.  Still water with overhanging trees and a quaint brick arch bridge in the distance.  Buttoned down boats with wisps of smoke drifting from their chimneys.  Newly ploughed fields and the small grey squirrel whose curiosity got the better of him.  He approached within a metre of my feet to examine my face (well actually the camera lens).

The reason why you have to imagine all of this is because the damned device decided to throw one of those hissy fits on my return, resulting in me having to erased the firmware and reinstall an original vanilla copy.  A consequence of this was the deletion of all the photos.  <grrrrrrr>

Oh No! Some Blog Readers

No the panic wasn’t over the blog readers we met.  More on them later!

This morning I decided to check the reinstalled 175A alternator and duly climbed back into my favourite compartment.  After ensuring all my appendages were clear of hot or moving parts the engine was started and the green LED illuminated on the PDAR… all good!  Then I asked Jan to check the ampmeter and tell me how many amps were going into the battery bank

“12”

“What!  are you sure?”

“10”, “9”, “7”, “6”

Hells bells we have a major problem.  I turned off the engine and checked the wiring, finally disconnecting the Sterling PDAR wire to the alternator field coils.  Turned the engine back on.  “Jan, what’s the amp meter reading?”

“10”, ‘'6”

Thinks to myself….. This can’t be right.  The smaller alternator should be producing at least 40 amps on its own.

“Jan, where’s the decimal point?” 

Reply “I don’t know, it’s too dark in here to see the display without more light and my glasses!”

Engine gets switched off whilst wife finds glasses.  Engine then gets turned back on.

“What’s the reading?”

“120”, “101”, “90”, “85”

Relief……  Amazing how much difference a simple dot can make to your blood pressure.

It took less than an hour for the Bulk stage on the domestic battery bank to finish.  A significant difference to the previous charging regime.  Obviously the big alternator has been slowly failing over the previous months and we hadn’t noticed it.

Now for the blog reader part of the post.

A boat came down the flight and moored behind us late yesterday afternoon.  I was in a hurry to get to Cox’s Automotive and when the steerer stopped to introduce himself as a blog reader I didn’t spend as much time in conversation as I would have liked.  Sorry about that reader!  I’m also rather embarrassed about forgetting your name, particularly as you mentioned you’ve previously left blog comments.  Just goes to show how fixated I was about the alternator.  But the person in the family with the memory remembered and so I can mention Kees.  I did manage to take a photo of your boat before we slipped away this morning.

nb Indulgence

We headed for the last five locks just before 9.00am with Jan walking ahead.  A boat had gone up in the dark last night which meant they would all be against us.  Well we’re not in a hurry!

However when I reached the lock landing I was slightly peeved to see Mr Tupperware had decided it was a great place to leave your boat.

At the third lock we met a boat coming down and a volunteer lock keeper.  The first of two we saw assisting on the flight. Waiting above the fourth lock was a hire boat with a German family aboard.  They were doing the Warwickshire ring and with thee healthy and active teenagers aboard making short work of the locks.

As we started to fill the top lock a boat appeared from the opposite direction.  Good timing!  The lady introduced herself to Jan as a blog reader and that they had also started a blog.  Of course we asked for their blog details. <blog link here>  Nice to meet you Sharon and Richard.

We then crossed another boat we’ve seen before.  NB Swamp Frogs.

There are always some interesting sights on the canals

The last pump out was in York and whilst the tank hadn’t reached half full we decided to stop at Springwood Haven Marina to lighten the load.  Jan also took the opportunity to buy the latest canal boat magazine and a map of the inland waterways.  We must have bought a number of these maps but always given them to relatives so they can follow our journey.

I also asked for the central heating diesel tank to be filled thinking we might have consumed a significant amount of fuel during the last two weeks.  It took 7 litres _

A very nice narrowbeam dutch barge passed whilst we were stopped and the couple called out they read the blog.  Thank you Chris & Elaine.

Despite having previously decided not to; we stopped and moored in Turdsville (AKA Nuneaton).  We were both quite surprised to see the moorings empty.  Last time we passed this way it was hard to get a vacant spot.  However the dog faeces are still there!  Jan put the washing out to dry whilst I did a few small tasks.  During the afternoon Jan baked a shortcrust apple slice and a pizza.

My precious……. with ice cream of course

We had just finished eating the pizza when Jan said “You know I’ve seen a number of groups of youths walking past the boat and it is Friday night!  Do you think we should stay here tonight?”  No we shouldn’t!  So we packed everything away and moved out of Nuneaton stopping just short of Bridge 18.  Hopefully there will be less chance of yobs with a skinful now passing us in the early hours.

One day – out and in

With showers forecasted in the afternoon it was an early start this morning.  An additional bonus was all but one lock being in our favour.  We must have started about 15 minutes ahead of the two boats moored in front because their crews appeared as we passed.  The plan was to only go as far as the moorings below bridge 43A and stop.  This would do a partial recharge of the batteries before removing the 175A alternator which has only been operating intermittently.  Cox’s Automotive is located in Atherstone and very close to the canal.  The plan was for me to embrace the hot engine and remove the alternator for them to test and; if necessary; repair.

Time spent in planning is seldom wasted and therefore I took a number of photos of the existing alternator connections before starting on the task.

This isn’t a standard alternator installation.  We have a Sterling Pro Digital Advanced Regulator (PDAR) wired into the alternator field coils.  As I disconnected each wire it was tagged and photographed.  The alternator was then removed and I again laid out the nuts, washers and bolts in the exact sequence they were removed.

There were two wires for the PDAR protruding from the removed alternator.  Only one is used and if the wrong one is reconnected then there is a strong possibility both the PDAR and alternator will be damaged.  I took particular care when marking these.

Paul (nb Waterway Routes) had sent me some information regarding a shortcut from the canal to Cox’s.  I managed to follow his instructions and the route shortened the distance by half.

Route in blue

Cox’s Automotive had asked me for details on the alternator.  There is very little in the way of visible markings on the alternator however some Google searching provided what appeared to be the technical data.

Aftermarket P/N IA1196

Voltage 12 V

Current 175 A

OEM P/N 11.204.252

Description AAN8164

Cross Reference

CLAAS 106 465 21  CLAAS 77 00 074 533   RENAULT AGRICULTURE/CLAAS 77 00 074 533

BETA 200-05261

The alternator was placed in my backpack and off I went to Cox’s, arriving around 11.00am.

They placed the alternator on test and after a few minutes told me it wasn’t producing an output.  I explained the fault appeared to be intermittent.  The helpful staff told me to leave the alternator with them and they would phone in an hour to provide an update.  Good as their word, they phoned at 12.30 telling me that the stator windings and regulator were both defective.  I accepted their verbal quotation to recondition the alternator and was advised to call back at 4.30pm to collect it.

Arriving slightly early, I had a short wait whilst they finished with the alternator.

I was quite surprised by its visual condition and initially thought it was a replacement.  Everything had been cleaned down and it had been given a new coat of paint which was still slightly damp.  New studs, washers and nuts!

Whilst there I asked for the price of a “spare” alternator and was informed about £300 +VAT.  I don’t believe we require a spare.  We have the second alternator on the engine which is connected to both battery banks via the SmartBank.  We also have the suitcase generator.  Cox’s also told me they could turn around an alternator in a few days.  However if anyone is looking for a spare or replacement 175A alternator for their Beta 43 then the cheapest supplier I could find was Auto Electrical Parts UK with a price of £207.50 +VAT

Once back at Waiouru I donned my “onesie” (overalls) and climbed back into a much cooler engine compartment.  The alternator was carefully reinstalled in reverse order.  My major concern were the two PDAR wire sticking out the back of the alternator cover and I had carefully questioned the staff at Cox’s to make sure they had labelled them exactly as I had when removing the alternator.

As you can see, the alternator is now grey rather than the standard Beta green.

I double, and then triple checked the wiring, before tensioning the belt and turning on the engine.  There was an initial panic when the PDAR Bulk charge LED didn’t illuminate and less than 30 amps started going into the batteries.  Then I realised the batteries were already 96% charged and in the Absorption stage.  I’ll need to check the output of the alternator tomorrow morning to confirm everything is working correctly.

A surprise meeting and good planning

Apparently it rained during the night.  Well that’s what Jan told me.  As usual, I slept like a log and was only woken by a pair of cold hands being run over my cuddly warm body.  Someone also puts their cold feet on me.  Reader you might be forgiven for thinking I’m a bit of a door mat.

By the time I’d fed myself it wasn’t raining; but then it wasn’t sunshine either.  Last night’s plan was to walk to the adjacent retail park and top up the pantry.  Some bread would negate the need to keep taking penicillin.  Unfortunately Halfords didn’t have the engine oil I wanted and B&Q didn’t have a suitable replacement garden hose.  We’ve had the current hose for almost three years and consequentially have been thinking it’s probably time for a replacement.  The trip to Sainsbury’s was more fruitful, although Jan did complain about the size of the bill.  I mentioned the largish joint of beef she had purchased carefully avoiding mentioning the two packets of vanilla custard filled doughnuts.

Back at Waiouru a decision had to be made whether to stay or go.  I’d like to get to Atherstone before the weekend and have Cox’s Automotive look at the 175A alternator so we made the decision to go.  I asked Jan to take a photo of Peel’s Wharf as we passed.  Two reasons; everyone else takes a photo; and it looks a nice mooring spot.  However they are long term moorings only.

An approaching boat pulled across to the towpath and started to moor.  It wasn’t until the lady at the bow started to wave that we realized it was Judith & John on nb Serena.

We first met this lovely couple after coming down the Napton Flight in 2013.  Our last meeting was at Hillmorton where they were having a new engine fitted.  Unfortunately we had limited time and consequentially not much of an opportunity for a chat.  However we were informed they are again grandparents and were off to take up their winter mooring close to family (and granddaughter)

The new residential development at Fazley Junction has progressed since we passed this way in early June.

There was a CRT barge moored on the offside just before the Thame Aqueduct and we noticed it contained a set of new mitre lock gates.  The only locks near here are Glascote Locks.

There always seems to be a queue at Glascote Locks.  I recall the first time we went up this flight of two locks the queue went around the corner and out of sight.  Today there were only five boats and we were second in the queue.  Jan went off to help and after we’d gone through the second lock she was muttering about “ladies doing lunch”.  I must admit the lady did watch Jan do all the paddle winding. 

We wanted to top up the water tank and the tap is just above the top lock.  After mooring and running out the hose we went back to assist the following boats up through the locks.  The tank had filled before the fourth boat had cleared the bottom lock and he appeared to be a solo boater.  I emptied the top lock and opened the gates for him and he waved his thanks as we departed.

Thereafter the cruising weather became a mixture of sunshine and showers.  There seemed little point in both of us braving the elements so Jan went inside where she fired up the slow cooker to cook that large joint of beef purchased in the morning.  She then attended to the banking and paperwork whilst I enjoyed the scenery.

Funny how I don’t remember the above scenes from our June cruise!  Must be age……

The two boats ahead of us stopped at Polesworth.  One for a paper and the other for lunch.  We ate on the move and eventually reached the moorings below the Atherstone flight around 2.30pm.  Everything turned out as planned.  We have the dot and the DTV signal is so strong the aerial is providing a great picture whilst lying flat on the cabin roof.  Thirty minutes later it hosed down and we smugly watched a couple of boats pass with crews that looked like drowned rats.

I’ve spoken to Cox’s Automotive for a second time and will take the alternator to them around midday tomorrow.

Not so wet and penicillin

After looking at the weather forecast last night today’s plan was to stay moored until after lunch and allow all the bad weather to pass over.  When Jan awoke at 5.00am it was rather misty but looking like it might be a pleasant morning.  Unfortunately the weather forecast proved to be correct and that glimpse of fine weather had disappeared by 7.00 to be replaced with showers.

There wasn’t much of a change in the conditions after midday however we decided to move.  I’d just finished doing all the pre-departure actions when a boat appeared from behind.  It seemed impolite to pull out in front, and we don’t travel that fast, so I waited for the boat to pass.  Little did I realize that they were going to be considerably slower than us.

There was a break in the weather which revealed why we had been able to easily simultaneously record two separate TV channels last night.

We were moored almost directly under the local transmitter! 

It was a very slow cruise, initially through open countryside with fields on the right and the railway on the left.

The scenery then changed to woodlands and at about the same time the showers ceased and were replaced by sunshine.  Hopwas Hay Wood looked rather attractive in the autumn sunshine.

But it might not be a good idea to moor on the offside.

Hopwas village looks like a good location to explore, but not today.  I was actually surprised by the number of boats moored either side of the village.  As I reached the far end of the line of moored boats a CRT work boat appeared to be cutting back vegetation on the offside.  The sound of chain and pruning saws could be heard.  Part of the ‘veg pledge’?

Apparently I was too optimistic.  They were clearing the vegetation around the side sluice paddles.

It’s probably a little frustrating for some boaters to find a line of rurally moored boats with gaps of 50-70 metres between them.  I guess it provides the boater with more privacy and perhaps their running engines don’t cause an annoyance.  We were already going slow so it wasn’t an issue for us today.

The last of five

Jan spent the time inside Waiouru doing more of that boatwork.  No point in both of us braving the elements.  We called it a day and moored after Sutton Road Bridge where there is ready access to the nearby retail park.  We don’t need much, probably only bread.  We might have been able to get away with not buying bread, but Jan noticed at lunch today the last of our bread rolls had little green furry spots on them.  I hadn’t noticed and had already eaten one.  Obviously I won’t come down with flu this winter after my recent dose of penicillin. Jan threw her penicillin away and will likely be sorry by December!