Wet stuff.

0 Locks, 2 miles, now moored at Rugby.
Total of 272 locks and 333 miles and 16 Tunnels since 5th Nov 2006

Surprise, surprise it was raining this morning and had been most of the night. With the rear deck cover on it meant that I was able to get into the engine hole and remove the Mikuni heating unit without getting soaking wet. It’s now ready to be couriered to the manufacturer for overhaul tomorrow.
Clifton Cruisers engineer came and had a look and listen at the engine and thought there was not too much wrong with it and will make some phone enquiries tomorrow as to what options are available without breaking the bank.
Another visitor this morning was a follower of our blog who rang us yesterday just after we left Braunston. David Elcome is also a caravanning fanatic like ourselves and was staying at Braunston in his caravan. We had an interesting chat about differences in caravanning in the UK and NZ. Among topics discussed was free to air TV which we will investigate further.
Before lunch Paul from Clifton cruisers came to say that the boat that normally moors where we were was returning and we could breast up with him. However we decided that as we needed to visit Tesco’s and Homebase we would move up to Brownsover by the park and return to CC tomorrow. I got a bit stroppy at Homebase because they had the BBQ that we had been looking for with a sign on it saying “Available today” As we could not see any packaged up in the display we asked if they had some out in the stockroom. After a lengthy wait we were told there was none available. I remonstrated with the sales assistant about the Buy Today sign but got nowhere. Next stop was the manager who was no more helpful than her junior staff member. When I said I would take the demo model they said that they couldn’t or wouldn’t sell it to me but they could order one in for me. How long would that take? Three weeks, by which time we will be on the Thames so that’s no help. Why do they advertise “Available today” if there isn’t any? The least they could do is remove the sign or is that too much like hard work. Customer service, poppy cock, they don’t know the meaning of the words.

Rugby railway stations old bay platforms.
There were many of these but only 4 tracks remain.
The missing tracks were generally used for train or carriage storage.

A convoy and novices.

3 Locks, 9¹/₂ miles, now moored at Clifton Cruisers.
Total of 272 locks and 331 miles and 16 Tunnels since 5th Nov 2006

There had not been much movement of boats around Braunston when we left this morning but by the time we reached the Oxford canal junction which was only about ¹/₂ mile we ran into traffic congestion. Just past the junction is a narrow bridge on an angle which means you cannot see if any boats are approaching. Sure as eggs the boat ahead of me had to do a rapid reverse as there was a boat in the bridge hole. I too had to beat a hasty retreat to avoid a collision. Safely through the bridge we had a slow crawl past all the moored boats and it turned out that we were 4^th in a convoy of 5 boats. This convoy lasted right up to Hillmorton locks. The first boat had put some distance between us but the remaining 4 stayed in close contact all the way with varying speeds. Going through the locks split us up and a couple stopped for lunch.
Going through the locks was an education with all the novices on hire boats trying to work out what to do. We even had a woman try and close the gates in front of us as her boat left the lock. Majority of the boaters were helping each other so that they didn’t get stuck on the centre island between the 2 locks.
Along the way we checked out the 2 swans sitting on eggs but neither of them has hatched yet. We also passed another Heron boat “Goosey Gander”. The paint work certainly out classed us but that will change given time.
Upon arrival at Clifton cruisers at Clifton wharf we moored up so that I could talk to them about getting the injectors serviced. The service schedule says that they should be serviced at 1500 hours and 3000 hours and as I am unsure whether or not the 1500 service was done, I want to be certain in my own mind that they are OK. The engineer was not working today but will be here tomorrow so we were given an overnight mooring to await his arrival in the morning.
As the weather was still dry I did some more painting outside and while I did this a Black Prince hire boat tried to wind in the disused arm just ahead of us. Well they either were not told how to turn properly or they didn’t listen. They nosed into the arm instead of the bank and then tried to reverse out again with a very strong side wind blowing. The young lady at the helm got it all wrong and slammed the boat back into the concrete wall and dislodged the rudder. Now she was blocking the canal with no steerage. I managed to get hold of their front rope as they came forward but they had no way of turning the boat so a passing boat took his stern rope and pulled him around so we were able to secure him across the arm and leave the canal clear. An S.O.S to Black Prince and an hour’s wait for the rescue man who was able to put the rudder back into the skeg and get them under way again.
Now this morning our Mikuni heating unit shut down in an unusual manner after a short run. Late this afternoon when the temperature started dropping we thought it strange that the unit had not started working. After pulling half the electrical cupboard apart I found the fuses for the heater and one was blown. After finding a spare fuse we put everything back together and switched it on. The unit started to fire up then suddenly shut down. I checked the fuse and it had blown so it looks as if we will have to take the unit out and send it back to the manufacturer for a complete overhaul sooner than planned. At least the weather is warmer and we can easily put on extra clothing or if necessary use the electric heater sparingly. At least we have a couple of weeks to get things sorted before our next NZ visitors arrive.

Basil Brush look alike.

13 Locks 10 miles, 2 tunnels now moored at Braunston.
Total of 269 locks and 321¹/₂ miles and 16 Tunnels since 5th Nov 2006

We set off earlier this morning to clear Crick tunnel before the rush started (bank holiday week-end for those that don’t know) and got through without meeting a soul.
Our arrival at Watford flight was not as lucky as there was already 2 going down and 1 coming up so we had a bit of a wait. When we eventually reached the bottom a queue was starting to form. We moored up here for a while and went and had a look at the caravan dealer’s yard next to the bottom lock. We have passed it 4 times without having a look so we thought we had better in case we don’t come back this way again. They had a very well stocked accessory shop where we bought a few bits and pieces including a new caravan and tow vehicle.

We did have a look at their latest motor home which was on a Renault chassis. It had very nice leather upholstery and swivel chairs. I commented that it was a shame that it only had single wheels on the rear axle which would make it a bit unstable. The salesman told me that they have a new suspension which they also fit to their caravans which makes them very stable. I am not familiar with the make or brand name but anybody interested can check them out on http://www.davan.co.uk/motohomes-adria.html and http://preview2.namesco.net/broadlane.co.uk/
When we had seen enough we returned to the boat and headed off for Braunston. It was lunchtime by the time we reached the Braunston tunnel and thought that like last time we traversed the tunnel at this time of day it would be quiet. Fat chance, we knew there was 1 boat in the tunnel as we ventured into the darkness but by the time we reached the other end we passed 6 boats and lost a bit more paint on the brickwork. Ho hum such is life.
Going down the Braunston flight we did the first couple solo but then got held up because 2 boats coming up didn’t apply the golden rule of giving way if the lock was set against you. They emptied the lock just as we got there and Dot had a few words to say to them about that. By the time they cleared the lock another boat had caught up with us so we completed the flight in tandem.
We cruised on to a mooring between the bridge and the visitor’s entrance to the marina as these were the only moorings available. Within about an hour there wasn’t a mooring left and by this time there was a boat passing our window about every 10 - 15 minutes.
While sitting in the boat having a coffee we were looking at a moorhen sitting on her nest opposite, just then we spotted a fox walking through the bushes just above her but by the time a camera was found it had disappeared. We have been keeping a close watch to see if it shows itself again but no luck so far.

Total contrast

0 Locks 15 miles, 1 tunnel now moored at Crick.
Total of 256 locks and 311¹/₂ miles and 14 Tunnels since 5th Nov 2006

What a total contrast of weather. It was back to winter woolies this morning as we set off. We had hoped that as the day wore on the weather would improve like it did yesterday but alas it was not too be. We got all of our washing up to date while cruising so when we reached Yelvertoft we stopped for water and a quick trip down to the local store. What a character the shop keeper turned out to be, not only is he the local postmaster, but grocer, baker, and greengrocer all rolled into 1.He also had a wicked sense of humour which keeps the locals amused and coming back for more. From what I saw of the village it still has that old world feel about. Even the old village water pump still has pride of place.
Because of the weather we decided that it was not worth mooring up early because we would not be able to do any painting or cleaning. Instead we motored on to Crick where we are nicely placed to go through the tunnel first thing in the morning hopefully before boats start moving for the long week-end.

Along the way we saw 2 herons and numerous broods of Moorhen chicks which are recently hatched. They look like little balls of fluff at this age but are very good at disappearing into the reeds especially when there is camera pointed in their direction.

Al Fresco.

10 Locks 3 miles, now moored near bridge 52.
Total of 256 locks and 296¹/₂ miles and 13 Tunnels since 5th Nov 2006

A couple of cheeky ducks followed us up through the lock flight and
got on the boat with Dot while we were filling up with water, hence the hose.

The second ascent of the Foxton flight was a slow affair today as we were 3^rd in the queue and had to wait for a descending boat. The 2 boats ahead of us were both single handed and the guy immediately in front was on his first trip up the flight. The lock keeper helped the first boat through but the other guy was told just to follow them up. Once we got into the first lock I was able to help him which speeded the process up a bit.
Once we reached the summit we stopped to top up the water tank and then we were away. Along the way we spotted several clutches of moorhen chicks but they are very elusive when you try to photograph them.
At one point we slowed down because we came across a pair of swans with 6 cygnets and we were unsure if they were the pair from the Foxton flight because we were a least 2 miles from their nest site. At the same time we saw about 8 Canadian geese but only 1 pair had 6 goslings.
Just at this point a boat approached us which we recognized as Maffi on “Milly M”. The last we had heard, he was on the Northampton Arm so he was the last person we expected to see. We both did a rather hurried turn for the bank and moored up to have a chat and some lunch. The weather at this point was overcast but warm but the cloud rapidly disappeared leaving us sitting in the blazing sunshine and getting hotter by the minute. We even got to use the directors’ chairs we bought a couple of weeks ago. After about 2 hours of chatter and idle gossip Maffi headed off for the flight and we decided to stay put for the rest of the day and do some work.
I have now undercoated the barge pole, hook pole and plank and while I was doing this Dot took the opportunity to polish the brass plank and pole rack.
While waiting for the paint to dry which wasn’t long in the heat I tried my luck with the fishing rod. Being smart I tried the fish close to the boat theory again and bingo the first fish out was a nice sized Bream. After this it was all down hill but I did catch another Ruffe which was bigger than the first one I caught. Its body was very rough and its dorsal fin extremely sharp. I also had a job unhooking it because its mouth was very strong and hard, very different to Perch.
As our chairs and table were still out on the towpath and the weather was still warm we had our evening meal outside, another first. Just like the good old days with the caravan club in NZ. Eat your heart out guys.

Got him this time.

0 Locks 5¹/₂ miles, now moored at the bottom of the Foxton flight.
Total of 246 locks and 293¹/₂ miles and 13 Tunnels since 5th Nov 2006

This morning was a very early start so that we could get Jim and Jean away on an early bus to catch their connection in Leicester to Glasgow. After they were safely on their way we wandered down into town for some groceries and it was great as the supermarket was crowd free which made shopping easier.
Once back on the boat we moved down into the marina basin to dump rubbish and do a pump out as well as refill the water tank. We then cruised out to bridge 14 where we stopped for lunch. Over lunch we worked out what our forth coming commitments are and decided to cover some new territory and make a run for Coventry as we have to be back in Rugby for the 14^th and Oxford for the 21^st.
On the way we stopped at Foxton boat services for Diesel and are now moored just around the corner from the Foxton flight which we will ascend tomorrow morning.
Yesterday in Market Harborough I found the local fishing/angling shop (End Peg Angling) and bought some bait, hooks and a landing net.
Tonight I thought I would try my luck with the fishing and after several reasonable sized Roach I hooked into another good sized Perch and the landing net got christened. The guy in the angling shop told me that Perch like to hide in the shadows under boats so to try just fishing close to the hull and hey presto it worked.

A good sized Perch

Quiet cruise to Mkt Harboro.

0 Locks 5 miles, now moored on the Market Harborough basin.
Total of 246 locks and 288 miles and 13 Tunnels since 5th Nov 2006

As we only had a short cruise into Market Harborough we had a slow relaxing start to the day. The only excitement was a motorcycle dumped in the canal by bridge 12. Luckily it was no danger to navigation.
We arrived at the basin just before lunch and we found only 1 berth available on the 48 hour mooring which was right on a water point. We moored up and about an hour later the boat behind left so we moved back away from the water point.
Our visitors, Jim and Jean went with Dot on the bus to the railway station to organise their onward journey to Glasgow. I walked down to the police station to report the motorcycle. I got there at 1pm to find the police station locked with a sign saying the station was closed between 2pm and 2.45pm. Excuse me but have I missed something here?
Just then a policewoman came along and I spoke to her and she let me into the building and said she would find somebody to take the details. After waiting a few minutes a policeman came into the foyer from another office and gruffly said “How did you get in here?” I explained how I got in and told him why I was there. His response was “I suppose I’ll have to give up my lunch break for this.” To which I retorted that I merely wanted to report a possibly stolen motorcycle but if he wasn’t interested so be it. Public servant or what?
After this I strolled into town to do a quick shop at Sainsbury’s for some essentials and then find the others. When I caught up with Jim and Jean they told me that they would be leaving for Glasgow a day earlier than planned because they had managed to get a very cheap bus ticket from National Express but it only runs on Wednesdays. It worked out a fifth of the cost of the train fare so it was too good a deal to let slip.