Blackstone is getting longer!

Oops, I forgot to post this one!!

Thursday 1 October 2009. Preston Brook to Bramble Cutting

Well, after much discussion, research, costing and checking of savings, we have decided to take the plunge and have Blackstone stretched. I know we should really leave the savings alone for our retirement, but what the heck. Live for today. The way things are going, the government will have us all working until we are 100 before we can retire!

The man from Swanley has been to see Blackstone and given us a price on the steelwork and said he would start week commencing 5 October. So here we are on our way to Swanley. Lets hope that canal time does not make the work run over as the winter stoppages start on 2 November. We would like to be back before that.

We are having an extra ten feet put in just past the galley. This will give us room to have a dining area and extend the saloon a bit. Carl has spent time stripping out the interior woodwork from the saloon area as the more we do, the less it will cost! We haven't yet finalised the plans for the refit as it is hard to visualise when you look at plans drawn on paper. We intend to draw on the floor, which will give us a better idea of the space everything will take up.

On Wednesday, Carl went to check that everything was OK for our short cruise to Swanley. He checked the engine etc and when he went to wash his hands, before returning home, there was no water in the water tank. Strange - he was sure that we had left the tank with water in it. On investigating further, he found that there was a lot of water in the bottom of the boat! We usually remember to turn off the water pump when we leave the boat, but we had forgotten the last time we were there. There must have been a leak somewhere and the contents of the water tank were now in the boat.

We arrived at the boat on Thursday to sort it out and set off. Carl pumped out the water and we made sure that the water was turned off between the tank and the pump and that the pump was turned off. We filled bottles with water to see us through until we could sort out the leak. We then checked the tunnel light as we had three tunnels to go through. It wasn't working. We began to wonder if Blackstone was trying to tell us that she did not want to be stretched! Luckily it was just a blown bulb, which we replaced at midland Chandlers.

We were finally on our way about 10:30. This of course meant that we missed the passage through Preston Brook tunnel as it is on the half hour for ten minutes and we were about 15 minutes away from it. Never mind, we were not in a hurry, we just waited until the 11:30 passage. While we were waiting at the tunnel, Carl checked a few joints in the plumbing. He couldn't get at them all as some of the screws were so rusty, they wouldn't shift. Something to sort out when we get the boat back, as you never know when you might need to check the plumbing.

We put some water in at Anderton and turned on the water at the tank. No leaks that side. We then turned on the pump. It started running, so we turned it off again so that we could listen along the pipes to see if we could hear water running. When we turned the pump back on again, nothing happened! It has been fine ever since (all fingers and toes crossed that it stays OK for the rest of the journey). We never found the source of the leak. Perhaps we had a ghost on board.

After these minor problems, we had a good day. The sun was out, the sky was blue, the clouds were fluffy and white and it was quite warm for the time of year. We moored up just before Bramble Cutting for the night.

Friday 2 October 2009, Bramble Cutting to Barbridge.

We had intended to set off early, but we had forgotten that it doesn't get light very early at this time of year!

By the time Carl had taken Maccs for a walk and we had eaten breakfast, we finally got going about quarter to eight. It is a lot colder today, grey and cloudy. It tried to rain a bit this morning, but not enough to warrant putting on waterproofs.

We had a quick stop above Wardle Lock to go to Tesco. Maureen came out to talk to us at the lock. She is a very interesting lady. We enjoy chatting with her.

There were plenty of boats moving on the Middlewich Branch. I think we must have met them at every bridge, narrow point and blind bend today!

Church Minshull moorings were empty! We have never seen them empty before in all the years we have been cruising this part of the canal. It was only dinner time, but there are usually boats here what ever the time of day.

We had just gone through bridge three when the engine died. Up came the boards and out poured masses of steam! When that had cleared, we found that the drip tray was full of water. Oh no! We had visions of a blown head gasket and seized engine. Luckily we are members of River Canal Rescue. So Carl pulled the boat to bridge two so that we were as close to a road as possible and Liz phoned River Canal Rescue.

As usual, the girl who answered the phone was lovely. She took the details of our problem and then asked if we needed any provisions or if we needed to get a message to anyone. A short time later, we were told that there was an engineer who could come out to us. He was just finishing another job. About an hour later, we received another call to say that the engineer would not be able to get to us before it got dark, so he would come out first thing Saturday morning.

Saturday 3 October 2009 – Going Nowhere.

We were up early again. We have no choice. Maccs must have swallowed an alarm clock at some time! He gets us up at 6:00am every day. He doesn’t care that we are on holiday. Well we expected “first thing” to be 8:00am or 9:00am. But no, by the time the engineer had got through the traffic and then realised he needed diesel, it was more like 11:00am. He soon found the problem – a split bowman’s end cap. (I think that was what he called it). He didn’t have a spare, but he had some magic tape, which he used as a temporary repair to seal the split. Hooray! We started filling the engine with water. Several kettlefuls later, as the water level reached the water pump, we discovered that we needed a new water pump as well. Not surprising really as operating dry for a while before the engine died would not have done it much good. No chance of a replacement water pump on a Saturday, so we had to resign ourselves to staying put for a bit longer. The engineer told us that the parts would be ordered and we should be fixed on Monday. He offered to take us to get our car, so that we could go home – Liz was due in work on Monday – but we decided not to bother and hoped that Liz’s boss would understand.

Sunday 4 October 2009 – Still at Bridge 2

We only put enough water in the tank to get us to Swanley. We didn’t want any extra weight when they pulled the boat out of the water. So of course we were running low by Sunday. We had intended to be at Swanley by Saturday lunch time. This meant that Carl had to keep walking to the water point at Barbridge with a 10 litre container. Still the exercise was good for him. Carl worked hard, finishing of stripping out the saloon ready for the stretch. Liz took the opportunity to sit around and cross stitch.

Monday 5 October 2009 – Oh no, we are still not moving.

We must have misunderstood the engineer. When Liz phoned RCR for an update about 11:00am, she was told that the parts had been ordered that morning and hopefully they would arrive on Tuesday. Well, it’s nice to have the chance to sit around all day on the towpath, but it would have been better if we could have chosen the time and place for ourselves. Luckily Liz’s manager was great and allowed her to have an extra two days off.

As we had set out on Thursday expecting to arrive in Swanley on Saturday, we were now running out of provisions and clean undies. Carl remembered that there was a garage near Calveley that sold groceries, so off we went to buy bread and coffee (and crisps and chocolate). And of course the engine hadn’t run since Friday, so the power supply was running low and no hot water. Still, we had plenty of coal and logs, so we were nice and warm.

Tuesday 6 October 2009 – Barbridge to Swanley with Chas Hardern’s help

The fridge finally gave up first thing this morning. We now know how long the batteries last.

After phoning for another update, RCR told us that they had the parts and they had found an engineer nearby to fit them. Someone was taking the parts to the engineer and he should be with us this morning. At last we spied someone in overalls, carrying a toolbox, walking along the towpath towards us. We were about to be repaired. It was Chas Hardern from Chas Harden Boats, Beeston come to rescue us. Just as we thought that we would finally be on our way, Chas opened the box containing the water pump and declared – this is the wrong pump for your engine. By now we were wondering what else could go wrong. Chas was great. As well as phoning RCR he phoned a local supplier to see if they had a pump in stock.

It turned out that RCR had picked up two water pumps and given the wrong one to Chas. An hour later, the right one had been delivered and Chas was back on the job. So, job done, we filled the engine with water, crossed our fingers and started the engine – success! Our thanks to Chas and we were on our way again.

We set off at 2:00pm and not long after the heavens opened. By the time we reached to top of Hurleston Locks, we were drenched. Of course the bad luck had not completely ended – we were in the first lock, going up; there was a boat in the third lock, coming down; the lock in between was set in our favour so of course the crew from the boat coming down turned it against us. Tired, fed up and very wet I’m sorry to say we shouted at them. We do normally try to keep our tempers, but sometimes it is not possible.

We finally moored up in the marina at about 4:00pm.

What do you think – is Blackstone trying to tell us she doesn’t want to be stretched? Will our luck change for the better, or will anything else go wrong?

Short Escape

Liz's brother John stayed with her dad Friday night and all day Saturday giving us the chance of a very brief escape on Blackstone. Carl went to the marina and cruised to the playing fields near our home. Liz joined him around 7:45 pm and we cruised back to Dunham for the night. We had a leisurely cruise back to the marina on Saturday. It was a lovely relaxing day after the stresses of caring for Liz's dad. Saturday wasn't as sunny as the rest of the week, but it was still warm.

We have decided that we will try to do this as often as we can. We may not get out for a proper cruise, but at least we will get some enjoyment.

Maccs enjoying the cruise!

Well, it's been a long time since the last blog. Mainly because we haven't been anywhere. We had intended to go out over Easter. Carl went to check everything was OK on the Thursday. The engine started straight away and everything seemed to be OK. Carl then noticed that oil had appeared in the drip tray. It turned out to be gearbox oil. A seal had perished. Although Carl does basic engine maintenance, we decide a mechanic was needed for this. Unfortunately our mechanic was not free over Easter, so no cruise.

After spending four months in hospital, Liz's dad was finally discharged. The problem was that by the time he got out of hospital, his mobility had deteriorated so much that it was not safe to leave him on his own. Liz has therefore become his main carer. Thus scuppering any cruising plans for the time being.

So we had to make do with going to the Middlewich folk and boat festival by car. We were a bit disappointed. There were not very many working boats there.

Nor were there many boating stalls. There were a few canal societies and the boat women's crafts were displayed, but on the whole the stalls seemed to be fair trade clothing stalls.

We saw Liz's sister in law's sister (Also called Liz). She trades from her boat Constance Irene. We also purchased some delicious fudge from the fudge boat. The weather stayed fine and we enjoyed a good day out.

Back to reality

The weekend just didn't last long enough. Oh to be able to take off on a cruise without worrying about when we had to be back home.

We lazed around listening to the radio this morning. Maccs found something nasty to roll in, probably fox poo! Why do dogs do that? He had to be washed before we set off. He got a bath when we got back home. He was not impressed. But then nor were we - he stank.

We set off about 9.40 and dawdled back. It was wet to begin with, but by the time we got to Lymm, the sun had come out. Lovely clear sky, relatively warm in the sun, but bloomin' cold when the wind blew across the fields. I was sad to find out that the Sommerfield shop in Lymm was closing down. We often stop off there for our shopping when we go to Dunham. We always get what we need. Apparently it is going to become a Spar shop. Lets hope the Spar is as good as Sommerfield has been.

We stopped for lunch between Thomason's Bridge and Acton Grange Bridge and got back to the marina around 3ish. Why is the sun always shining when we get back to the marina?

There were plenty of boats moving again today and lots of walkers on the towpath.

Oh well, back to work tomorrow.

First time out this year

Liz's dad has been in hospital for most of this year. He went in on 28/12 and only came out for one week at the end of January. Added to the weekends that Liz has had to work and the weekends that the canal was frozen, this is the first time we have managed to take Blackstone out this year.

It is Carl's birthday today and we were determined to spend it on the boat.

As usual, we chose to go to Dunham. It is not too far and is usually nice and quiet. We always manage to get a good mooring spot.

We set off from Preston Brook Marina around 9:45. We had left Blackstone pointing in the right direction last time we came in to the Marina, so it was a quick get away. It was drizzling when we set off, but it stopped fairly soon and stayed dry for the rest of the day.

Both Lymm and the Old No 3 were quiet. They are always fully moored up during the summer. It's always the same boats. Although they are both 48 hour moorings, the regular boats just ignore this and stay as long as they want. No one does anything about it. It's a pain, because it means other boaters can't get in to moor at Lymm for shopping.

There seem to be a few unlicensed boats around this year. Also some BW licenced boats who have spent the winter on the Bridgewater. The BW licence only allows boats to stay on the Bridgewater for one week, while they travel from one BW canal to another. If they want to stay longer, they are supposed to buy a Bridgewater licence. However, Peel Holdings, who own the Bridgewater, never seem to bother checking up.

It was a lovely cruise, plenty of mallards and moorhens, not too cool and just enough boats on the move. We pottered along and moored at Dunham at 2:30, after winding just through Dunham Town Bridge. We are lucky, as we are only 42 feet long, there are plenty of places on the Bridgewater where we can wind. We don't have to worry about finding a winding hole.

We tried out the water explorer web site and entered our journey as we cruised. It was OK for this short journey. We will have to wait and see how it works out when we have a longer, more complicated cruise.

We also tried out our TV signal finder for the first time. We are not usually bothered about TV, so we just do a quick twist of the aerial, and if we don't get a signal we take the aerial down again and listen to the radio instead. However, sometimes, there is something that we would like to watch. With the switch over to digital, we thought we would have more difficulties finding a signal to tune into. So when we saw the signal finder from Fringe Electronics, we thought we would give it a try. It was certainly quicker and less frustrating.

Signing off now to watch CSI New York, with a brilliant digital TV signal!

Snow

I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will think I've got a screw loose, but I have been looking out of the office window today watching the snow and wishing I was on the boat.

The thought of sitting on the boat in front of a log fire, in the middle of nowhere, watching the snow through the windows, is so much more appealing than working.

Maybe one day.

The licences are due

It's that time of year again. We have to renew our boat licences. As we moor on the Bridgewater, we have to have a Bridgewater licence, issued by the Manchester Ship Canal Company. Although BW and MSCC have reciprocal arrangements allowing licence holders to use each other's waters, our licence only allows seven consecutive days on BW waters and we can't cruise past Harecastle tunnel or Barbridge junction. As we do the majority of our cruising on BW waters, we also need to buy a BW licence. So January is an expensive month for boating.

British Waterways are missing us!

We received a letter this week from British Waterways regarding their National Boat Check. We are part of a "random sample" of licensed boats that they did not see during the period 10 - 21 November 2008 and they want to know where we were!

Well, Blackstone was resting on her moorings on the Bridgewater Canal, which is probably why they did not see her!

It's nice to know that she is missed when she is not on BW waters.