Saturday 24th May 2008
We weren’t planning on going to the Crick Boat Show until Monday, along with cousins Roger and Babs. But it was such a nice day and you can never tell what will happen with the weather so we decided to catch the bus from Yelvertoft and walk the last leg from Crick to the show ground.
It was a grey start but as the day progressed it got warmer and the sun eventually broke through. Doing the rounds of the floating exhibits we walked the rows of boats just to see who was there and who wasn’t. Mel Davis was in his usual spot but with a completed boat this time rather than his usual work of art in a grey shell.
Then blow me, we were spotted. Hello, you must be Mo says a voice, I recognise you from the blog. It was Derek M, a blog correspondent and a shell owner hoping to be afloat by the autumn. I had chanced upon Derek’s boat at Braunston a couple of weeks ago as it happens and had planned to meet up with him on Monday not today. We parted, intending to meet again but I took this picture, just in case. You never know what might happen tomorrow.

Apart from fewer hardware stalls and more jewellery vendors there was another significant change from last year. The new marina has encroached on the children’s area which has moved to behind the main marquee and seems to have more than doubled in size.

Outside entertainment meant families were drawn past the Cornish Pasty wagon and like others we took our pastry envelope to the grass in front of the carousel, big wheel, inflatable slide and the sing-along drama group. In my case it was more of a sneeze-along because the hay fever season is under way. Tablets, eye drops and nose spray are having some effect but there’s a trick to be mastered in knowing the right time to re-administer in order to keep the shirt sleeves dry.

We stopped to talk to a solar panel stall owner and it seems our findings are very much in line with his and he seemed happy to talk about the limitations of solar power once he knew we weren’t going to make a purchase.
Mastervolt and Beta Marine got a grilling about battery overcharging. Both pointed the finger elsewhere so we never resolved our problems and now carry several gallons of de-ionised water just for topping up the disappearing electrolyte.

Fortunately ChannelGlaze were on the ball and fixed me up with a replacement double glazed unit for a faulty porthole. We have always found this company most helpful and wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them.

Our trip back to the boat included meeting a young couple from Northampton who were longing to get afloat but hadn’t yet accumulated enough dosh. They were both hoping to make a living off the cut. Yes, we’ve all been there, a few have managed it but most of us are still dreaming of waking up with an idea that turns to gold.

We hadn’t been back long before we had a visitor. V’s cousin Mike was up for the show and called in with the latest news. Mike is looking at the canals and is researching the where, what, how, who and when of buying a narrowboat. There’s so much to learn and his brain must be buzzing after a couple of hours listening to us. He gets to tour the show tomorrow, the soggiest day by all the forecasts, and it will either put him off or confirm that this is what he’s destined for.

Sun 25th
Good job we didn’t have outdoor plans for today, what horrid weather. The boats around us all looked like they’d been decorated for a wedding. Tree blossom filled every nook and cranny and found its way through the gaps in Mr Reeves’ side doors and onto the galley floor. At times the blizzards could have been mistaken for snow as drifts of white petals piled up against the boat’s plank and pole. Every time I scooped a handful off the stern deck and threw it on the canal our resident gang of ducklings flew across the water hoping to find a pile of breadcrumbs.

Mrs Moorhen introduced her eight chicks to the big bad world during a lull in boat traffic and they even ventured across to the galley porthole. But she took exception to my arms appearing out of the window and screamed blue murder when I pointed the camera.

Despite the rain we had visitors. The first lot Ray and Diane from Melbourne, sunny Australia. Planning a narrowboat, way off in 2012, I have to take my hat off to their dedication to the task. A six week cruise from Stone on the T&M took them to almost every corner of the British Empire and now, having done Crick Show, in the pouring rain, they squelched two miles along the towpath to find us.

Lovely people, like most Aussies, they will easily make friends on the cut and turn into perfect continuous cruisers, if that’s not a rude thing to say these days.

The second lot to arrive were Roger and Babs from nb.Megan. Up for the show they’ve left their boat in the middle of galley refurbishment down on the southern canals.

Mon 26th
Today was mostly cancelled.

We marvelled at the ease of entry at the Crick Boat Show and the complete lack of queues, unlike last year. The weather was a vast improvement on yesterday and we were soon amongst the exhibits surrounding the marina.

But we’d hardly done a couple of yards when the loudspeakers burst into life telling us to clear off. Vendors must decamp and visitors must get off site – now. How do you like that, the show is cancelled, presumably because there’s not enough rain or maybe because of the wind that drove away the rain.

All that remained was to drag our heels through the marquee, claim a refund at the entrance and head back to the car. What a pity.

Then came queues to get off the site as new visitors blocked our way out. We contemplated our navels at Edwards over coffee and tea cakes while I warned off Derek. Glad I caught him on camera on Saturday.

To be fair it did blow a bit and one or two exhibitors were taking extra precautions with their canvas tents but it never came to gales and the rain held off most of the day.

That evening we stoked the fire and broke out the cards for many happy hours of 15-2, 15-4 and a pair’s six. That bit of tuition by Mike B on the way up to Crick did us proud.

Tuesday 27th May 2008
And so to the end of our saga. Our neighbours with the ultra quiet engine disappeared without us noticing, Roger and Babs packed up and set off south and we went back to studying moorhens.
I swept the roof, worried that I’d never see green again as the blossom turned to brown and stuck like tiny limpets to the paint and, of course, the ducks raced up and down the canal chasing imaginary breadcrumbs.

The next stage takes us into Leicester. First it’s the Leicester River festival on June 7th and 8th (down town on the Mile Straight), then there’s Foxton Waterway Festival June 14th and 15th and between them comes a less pleasurable visit to the dentist. There’s talk of live music in Bridge 61 and a hog roast at the top lock as part of the Foxton experience so let’s hope the dentist is in a good mood.

Monday 19th May 2008
We quit our out-of-town moorings with its little band of DIY boats and a friendly Staffy dog and motored north to the winding point. It takes two hours to get back to the same spot, facing the other way, some might say what a waste of time, and so it is but you get used to it.

A bit further on we called in at Yelvertoft to take on our last water before the Crick Boat Show. Now all we have to do is make half a ton of water last eight days. Sounds easy enough but we’ve extra bodies onboard this week and the only alternative is washing in lager.

Number one son David arrived in the afternoon and I refrained from offering the option of washing in lager. Temperatures plummeted during the day so I lit the fire and we spent the evening enjoying a cosy Taybrite glow. But I’d forgotten to mention that the saloon turns into a sauna during the night and that the answer is to open the side doors to cool the room. Poor old David, he didn’t get a lot of sleep on the dinette.

Tues 20th
A visitor with a car is too good an opportunity to miss so V convinced D that it would be a good idea to nip up the road to Tescos in Rugby. With the shopping done he’s got the afternoon off and what could be better than playing with toys. D brought a helicopter with him (oh yeah, a real one) and Crick’s playing fields are close by. An hour later we were back on the boat looking for the glue.

This set the pattern for the next couple of days, an hour’s play followed by five hours of repairs. Good fun.

By Wednesday night D’s helicopter was looking like something out of TV’s Scrapyard Challenge. Bits of spring, paperclip and blobs of glue adorned this aeronautical miracle as each flying lesson dispersed jagged pieces of plastic all over the football pitch. We did our best to find the missing pieces but gave up and returned to the boat to fashion new parts out of the scraps from previous expeditions.

Again. making the most of D’s wheels we called in on Edwards restaurant at Crick Wharf to sit in the sun, sip coffee and watch the boats heading to and from the tunnel.

Thursday morning everything was back in the box, batteries charged and rotor blades back to original length. And like all good things the fun had to come to an end as D went back on the road heading south to sunny Bomo. Unless he takes the trouble to jump in the car and go to the park he’ll be back to flying in the kitchen and smashing rotors on the fridge again.

As for me, my eyes turned to boat jobs and anything that could be repaired or painted without using precious water.
They forecast showers later in the week so we thought we’d get some use out of the BBQ by setting up on the stern deck this evening. But as it happened the breeze picked up enough to scupper our plans and we settled for sausages a la dinette.

Fri 23rd May 2008
We’ve been reading Chris Wells’ account of the disappearing ducklings on nb.Belle and have dreaded the appearance of five little moorhen chicks opposite our boat. I say dreaded as it seems there’s something lurking in the waters in these parts because fish leap out at 90 miles an hour, moorhens scream and rise into the sky for no apparent reason and the reeds rustle when no one touches them.
Our little moorhen chicks have patiently waited in the nest since we arrived on Monday but they are now getting restless and keep leaping into the water only to get scolded by the parents. Mother pops over to us for food and takes it back to the nest, father scoffs everything we throw at him and takes nothing back and all the while the chicks stare out of the nest as if to ask why can’t they go out and play.

With just one day to go before the show we are seeing increased traffic on the Leicester Line, shiny boats now outnumber scruffy ones and those who grabbed the best moorings are sitting tight.
True to form the weather is changing and clouds have filled every patch of yesterday’s blue sky, it’s even spitting as we speak and memories of brown slimy towpaths from here to the marina come back to haunt us.

But no matter what, we’re going to join in the misery with an assortment of cousins and Aussies that are expected to call in on their way to the show.
You can’t stop the Brits celebrating one of their most famous treasures – water. Not that you need to catch it or drink it but its enough to enjoy the mess it makes and the feeling of it seeping into your boots.

More about Solar Panels
Observations continue to show that our lives won’t be radically changed by the addition of a single 130 watt solar panel.
If we consume 80Ahrs from the batteries over a 24hr period (230V fridge, two hours of TV, water pump, LED lights and phone chargers) and our 130 watt panel delivers 45Ahr during a 90% sunny day with no tree obstructions then we shall need two panels to replace what we’ve used (three panels if you follow the rule that one ought to put back 30% more than was taken out).
On cloudy days with no tree obstruction we collect on average only 15Ahrs from the panel which equates to 6 solar panels to keep the batteries charged. Some days we’ve only collected 9Ahrs due to 100% cloud and it just isn’t worth doing the sums.
Tilting the panel early in the morning and late afternoon under cloudless skies gives a small improvement to the low currents produced at those times of day, but an hour either side of mid day gives us the full 8 amps even with the panel lying flat on the boat roof.

I see someone has invented an infra-red solar panel, works just as well on cloudy days and even delivers power at night from the earth’s heat radiation. Now why didn’t that bit of news come my way a month ago. Dooohhhhh.

Tuesday 13th May 2008
Still moored at Bridge 14, north of Crick, we spend most of the day running to the utility room to see what the solar panel’s charging rate was. We called out to each other as the amps went from 0.4 to 1.0 then 1.5, then 4.0 and back down again. It’s not going to be the sunny day we’d hoped for and our expectations of a cure for flat batteries have been dashed. But there’s always another day.

Making the panel secure takes up some of the day and there was just time to play with tuning aerials using Graham’s magic box.
The evening was cool, not cold enough to light a proper fire but needed something to take off the chill before we retired so I filled the fire with paper and cardboard that was hanging around in the cratch waiting for a use and burnt the lot. We sweltered for a few minutes and then shot off to bed before the cold caught up with us again.

Wednesday (to Thursday) saw us move down to Crick Wharf to the services point and while the water tank filled I wandered off to ABNB’s office to see what was on offer.

Two surprises – Barry is working here (previously at Debdale) and our sister ship Sorrel 2 is on the For Sale list. She was part of the reason we commissioned Balmaha at Sandhills and many of her features can be seen in our boat. She has cruised a lot less than us, just over 2000 hours against our 3700 but I still thought asking £98k was a bit ambitious.

Mike and Jo called in with shopping (lovely people and so, so helpful) with news of the repaint of Sarah-Kate. I’m always interested in their boating news, things like vibration cures with Aquadrive, gearbox ratio changes and solid fuel stove techniques because in the back of my mind I’m always expecting something to go wrong and the more I know, the faster I can fix things.

The jolly ducks round here are bit too tame for our liking. Day or night, it’s all the same to them, they plod up and down the roof, fighting more often than not and pecking the water on the roof hatches.

Not only are they noisy but their pooping on the solar panel messes with the battery charging.

Tried thumping the roof beneath them but it had no effect whatsoever. Threw bread onto the canal which got them off the roof but they were back in minutes arguing with each other.

It rained on and off for two days which didn’t help with the solar panel experiments but at least it cleared most of the duck poo from the roof.

Talking of clearing things up, we were buffeted by a BW convoy heading down to the tunnel behind us. Hydraulic grabs, wooden posts and an empty barge were motoring, we supposed, to the landslide at Braunston tunnel. One hopes they are clearing up the mess at the tunnel entrance before boats flock through Braunston to the Crick Boat Show.

Signs have gone up warning boaters to clear off because they’ve sold off our 14 day ‘free’ moorings for the boat show but not everyone appreciates the benefits and today we noticed many posters were looking in a right sorry state.

Friday was moving day, back to the countryside and yet more rain. The sight of boats along the way with smoking chimneys warmed my heart so I swapped our chimney cap for the black pipe and lit a proper fire. Snug inside we passed the day in peace and slept well without ducks dancing over our heads.

Saturday came and went. Exercises at the galley stove while breakfast cooked (only a weekend treat – cooked breakfast, not the exercises) did something horrible to my back so I went back to bed for a couple of hours until it was sorted. I rarely if ever have back trouble so this must be the onset of old age. The sun came out to play for a while and so did the Staffy dog from three boats away. Not sure about this breed ever since one bit me on the tummy. Don’t ask. But this one seemed OK so I stroked him at one end while watching the waggly thing at the other. When it stopped wagging I said my goodbyes and moved off as one would the Queen, without turning my back.

Sunday 18th May 2008
We are half expecting a visit from No.1 son today. One can’t be too sure when he’ll arrive, depends on what time the eyes open I suppose. Then came the call to say it will be tomorrow and that’s our moving day. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to bridge hop until we catch up with him.

Our minds are turning to water top-ups and shopping visits as the count-down begins to the Crick Show. Every boat that passes is viewed with suspicion, are they innocently cruising up and down the Leicester Line or are they grabbing the best moorings for the show? Tomorrow we must leave to fill and empty tanks and look for a spot where we shall sit until Tuesday 27th. No one wants to hang on to a crumbling towpath or step off into the reeds and in my case I don’t want to be more than a short walk or, better still, a car ride from the show.

Looking forward to meeting Australians, a future boat owner, cousins and old friends next weekend, lets hope the weather is better this year.

Solar Panel observations
For those who are considering buying a solar panel and, like us, haven’t found sufficient practical information on its usefulness I include our experiences so far.

Our previous practise was to charge batteries after breakfast to replace the energy we’d used the previous evening (TV) and overnight (fridge). If we had been reasonably economical we could expect a deficit of 60 to 80Ahrs by 8am.

We would then run the engine for 3ish hours in the morning and again for up to an hour before the evening to get the batteries back to a fully charged condition ready for the evening.

But we have had to rethink our charging routine now that we have installed a 130 watt solar panel because the panel can’t really begin doing its stuff until after breakfast.

For quite some time after dawn there is no charging current. At 7am the panel’s output current is a mere 1 to 2amps. At 9am the panel produces about 4amps and reaches its best about 10.30am with a maximum of 8amps. Drop-off begins about 4pm and by 7pm it’s down to a trickle of 1amp.

That’s on clear sunny days with sun direct onto the panel. Any obstruction like clouds, trees and dirt immediately reduces output to 1.5amps.

So what does one do with a discharged battery at 8am? If it’s sunny then we can wait until 4pm as it reduces the deficit by 10Ahrs which means the panel has supplied all the boat’s needs (fridge and pumps) during the day but hasn’t significantly reduced the 60 to 80Ahrs deficit. If it’s a cloudy day then we might just as well run the engine to remove the Ahr deficit and hand the batteries over to the solar panel to slow the discharge rate through the remainder of the day.

One thing we have noticed is that the batteries charge a little faster when the engine runs and the sun shines. Both alternator and solar panel feed the batteries, finishing the task sooner.

But overall if the sun isn’t shining directly onto the panel there’s nothing to be gained by leaving the batteries discharged, we must run the engine in the morning.

On cloudy days the panel would keep a lightly used battery bank topped up but it can’t cope with a mains fridge (even with the inverter set to power save mode) nor will it manage the needs of live-aboards using the water pump, phone chargers and the like.

Even on sunny days a 130 watt panel can’t recharge exhausted batteries at the same time as feeding the fridge and minimal domestic power needs, at best it holds its own. The engine is essential for clearing the overnight battery discharge.

It’s still early days for estimated savings but so far it looks like we are saving an hour and a half of engine running on sunny days and perhaps half an hour on cloudy days.
If we estimate the engine uses one litre of fuel an hour then we save £1.20 on sunny days at present diesel prices which means we pay off the £550 cost in 460 sunny days. Without looking at last years diary for sunshine figures I estimate paying off the solar panel and its controller in two and a half years. Rising fuel costs and global warming will help so, for once, I am grateful to our Government.

Thursday 1st May 2008
We’re moored at Osney Bridge again and this time the Thames is behaving itself.
Checking out the noise down the road I discovered Morris dancers at the Waterman pub on corner of South and East Street. Then I remembered it was May 1st.

It’s a crew change day and when Mike B arrived with my new solar panel I let V go so she can house sit for No1 daughter. Taking this boat single-handed up the Oxford Canal wasn’t my idea of fun so when Mike offered to crew I couldn’t resist. We set off before the sun disappeared and took the easy ride up the Thames to Duke’s Cut and onto the Oxford Canal.

I’m sure we got funny looks from some people along the way, you know what they’re thinking, two guys alone on a boat…..

Anyway, we reached Kidlington and took the last space amongst a dozen boats on what V and me had always thought was an empty and neglected stretch of piling.

Mike and I walked miles (I know he didn’t think it was far, it was nothing to the average dog walker) to a local hostelry. And then all the way back again. V hasn’t been gone a day and here I am being made to walk again.

Later that evening we set about demolishing the curry that Mike brought to the boat (thanks Pat – delicious).
When we weren’t talking about boats we played cards and I was allowed to win enough to keep me coming back for more. I wouldn’t normally play for money and I certainly wouldn’t play Mike for money, I’d be skint in minutes.
When we’d had enough, we slept - Mike took the dinette (sorry, but you’re a guest) while I got the luxury of a bed to myself for a change. And if I’d had any clothes I could have used the wardrobe if I’d wanted, there was space in there – first time in years.

Friday 2nd – Kidlington to Somerton
A little rain fell during the journey north but not enough to cause any bother.
The shop at Pigeon Lock seems to be getting bigger, not longer but certainly higher.

We moored on meadows before Somerton Deep Lock. The field was occupied by several cows and two bulls with no wire separating us. They checked us out, licked the boat and got shooed off before they ate the cratch cover.
This evening we started on V’s assortment of readymade and part finished meals stacked in the fridge.
This gave us an added advantage of making space in the fridge for other essentials like cans of pop.

Sat 3rd – Somerton to Banbury
We had a reasonable day today, considering miles, locks and bridges.
It was my turn to lift paddles, talk to other boaters and peep into houses and gardens by the locks.
I forgot a couple of essentials like which way the gates open and tried pushing them the wrong way and I once started closing the bottom gate as a boat left but before Mike had started in.
The chap leaving the lock looked back and asked “Aren’t you going into the lock then?” “Too much liquid refreshment last night” said his partner at the tiller. Alright, alright, I don’t do this bit very often and now I know why.

We moored opposite the bakery at Banbury after the usual scrutiny by the locals as we passed through the town’s lock. A wedding was in progress as we pottered through and the happy couple waited patiently as I lifted and lowered the bridge between the shops and the car park.

It’s the first time I’d seen the “Closed” sign at the diesel pumps a little further on. Makes no difference, never found anyone in attendance even when it was open.
That evening Mike treated me to a pub meal, actually it was a hotel meal, and the kitchen did a grand job with home made beef and ale pie. Thanks Mike.

Sun 4th – Banbury to Cropredy
As we arrived in Cropredy we were treated to tractor racing by OAPs. They thundered down to the bridge next to the lock, struggled to get over and bounced off into the distance, never to be seen again.

We walked around the town but there was no sign of a farmer’s meeting.

Notices grace the entrance to Cropredy’s pubs announcing Fairport’s Cropredy Convention music festival from the 7th to 9th of August. I’ve heard it’s a good place to be for young and old like me, but not this year, we shall be miles away.

Mon 5th Cropredy to Bridge 124
It drizzled at first but the sun appeared in time for us to finish our journey in the dry.
Claydon Locks was a good place to meet interesting people. We had a hire boat in front and they opened a paddle for us as they left each lock which was uncommonly kind. Thank you whoever you are, most unexpected.
Bridge 124 is the place for those who aren’t quite ready to tackle Napton locks or who have struggled up and want a rest. It was an excellent place for the night and the fine weather promised a dry start to the next day.
Mike couldn’t sit still and volunteered to clean the brasswork. Appreciated.

Tues 6th Bridge 124 to Braunston
Off early before anyone else, we flew down Napton flight, Mike doing locks, me steering, in brilliant sunshine.
The Wigrams Marina sign said diesel was 56p a litre. We simply must have some at that price. A tight turn, couldn’t have made it harder if they’d tried and just enough space to get a 60 footer alongside the diesel pump. Black Prince boats were breasted up and tied to every spare bit of bankside mooring.
But the price at the pump was 75p/litre so whatever happened to the old ruling that the customer paid the advertised rate?
Mike asked about the Wi-Fi and was told it was off the menu. Problems with something or other, and no assurance that it would be reinstated.
Wi-Fi was supposed to be the public puller but now it’s either no longer required or no longer desired by the marina owners.
Asking for a gas bottle exchange I was told the gas cages were full of empties, with no new cylinders on site. I guess their hire boats don’t go short.
Overall I got the feeling we weren’t wanted.

In a light breeze and brilliant sunshine we sauntered up to Braunston and moored opposite the Millhouse. Walking to town for goodies we found the chippy shut on Tuesdays, rats, Mike was going to treat us to the best fish and chips in town. Walking on down to the Admiral Nelson we found that shut. We walked back to the Millhouse to ‘rest’ our tired feet and throats.

Wed 7th Braunston to Bridge 8/9 Leics Line
Stopping at Wharf House on our way to the Braunston flight we exchanged gas bottles (now £20.17 for 13Kg propane) and hadn’t gone far into Braunston tunnel before realising our tunnel light was missing. Killing the engine and floating in the dark gave me enough time to walk forward and tinker with the plugs and sockets on the bow. While I looked like I knew what I was doing Mike shone “SOS” on a torch at an approaching boat. Fully illuminated and back ‘on-the-air’ again we turned from our broadside-on stance to resume normal tunnel cruising in time to pass the boat safely and catch a comment from its skipper.

Hard left at Norton junction and a brief stop at a weir to slap on some bow blacking we were doing well for time so thought we might as well carry on to the locks. Mike wanted to work Watford Locks and I certainly didn’t object.

With the weather improving all the time we moored in shallow water above the locks and almost out of sound of the M1. My turn to do things on the boat so I check the batteries and used a gallon of distilled water to bring them back to level. Sounds a lot doesn’t it but this happens in warm weather.

Thurs 8th
We didn’t move all day. Not strictly true because Mike moved a lot, washing and polishing the starboard side while I lifted a finger, maybe two or even three. He’s a good lad, can’t stop doing things, would do well with a sail-away, a few sheets of ply and a tin of paint. He was just the same at our bottom blacking, even a dunking didn’t deter him.

Fri 9th B8/9 to Crick
Before we weighed anchor we nattered with Jeff and Diana on nb.Matilda Blue. Seems he’s got one of those Alexander shells and knows Chris Wells on nb.Belle (another Sandhills boat like ours). There wasn’t time to find out much about them, only that they were from t’other side of the world and had their sights on doing the French canals when they’d had enough of ours.
We said our “G’day” and headed for the Crick tunnel where the headlamp worked but the starboard nav’ light didn’t. Water in the green glass probably didn’t help.

Moored at Crick we spotted Lisa the BW warden doing her rounds with a two stripes colleague. Notices have gone up along the towpath saying we aren’t welcome after the 21st May and only overnight until then.
I presume this is to clear the area of fine weather boaters who can’t cope with the traditional Crick Boat Show deluge towards the end of May.

No sooner had we stuck ourselves to the bankside piling than Mike jumps into action with sponges and rags and gets to work on the port side of the boat. Can’t remember when I last saw Balmaha looking this shiny. I like to think it wasn’t a put up job but a day later we got our first “Nice boat” comment of the year from a passing narrowboat skipper.

All too soon the fun was over, V returned to take control and the men crept back below decks into the chain locker. Whether it was bags of supplies or just bags of new shoes I couldn’t tell but we could hardly move inside the boat until the bulk of it had been stowed. Where it went I have no idea, there wasn’t any room before so there certainly isn’t any now.

As a nice distraction we hailed Dave and Dil as they wended their way south on nb Trundle. Dave manages Raynsway Marina, for those who think they recognise him, and his good lady manages all the important things like Dave and the sites facilities. Today just happens to be Trundles 1st anniversary.

It was a nice end to the day with another treat from Mike up at the Red Lion.

A “No kids tonight” notice on the door unfortunately meant I wouldn’t have the pleasure of someone else’s youngsters yelling in my ear or kicking the back of my chair but I still managed to enjoy a beautiful stuffed chicken with chips, yes, real chips, very much a luxury these days.

Saturday 10th
Like all parties our fun had to come to an end and while Mike headed back home by road, V and me took off towards the countryside and a spot of piling by bridge 14.

Thanks Mike and thanks Pat for lending him, we couldn’t have shifted the boat without your sacrifice and I have to say the company was very welcome. The meals out were best but home cooking was a close second, at least the ones he prepared were. It was surprising just how many naval stories we could remember after all these years and it was nice that the Royal Navy got on so well with the Real Navy.

I suppose I must have done something with the second half of the day but for the life of me I can’t remember what. The lamb's bahhhing and the blackbird’s ceaseless trilling heralded night and I slept when the baby woollies gave it a rest. Two fishermen parked up behind us for a 12 hour stint and looked shattered in the morning. This countryside takes a bit of getting used to.

Sunday 11th May
It’s a day for trying out our new solar panel. We’ve had reports from other boaters of success and failure with solar panels so I shall endeavour to log unbiased figures to show exactly what can be expected from a 130 watt Kyocera.
On its first day’s test it produced much less power than the brochure claimed, a mere trickle (1.5A) under cloudless skies or part shielded by trees and up to 6 amps (75% rated power) when pointing straight at the big yellow thing in the sky.
We collected sunshine from dawn ‘til midday and that equates to 24Ah on overnight discharged batteries. To say we charged the batteries would be optimistic as we only managed to reclaim 4Ah of the overnight deficit (-57Ah to -53Ah) as well as coping with the morning’s demand of water pumps, 230VAC fridge and inverter losses.
From 12 noon the panel is shaded though still under cloudless skies and we are back to charging at 1.5amps. In the end we ran the engine to remove the complete -53Ah deficit and let the solar panel trickle charge the battery bank all afternoon while the fridge continued eating into any gains.
I can hear a few yawns so we’ll let that do for now.

We were just getting ready for our first barbeque of the year when Maggie stopped on the towpath to chat as her family cruised past in nb.Forever Young. Wish she’d had more time and I discovered they would love to live on the boat but circumstances will prevent that for a few years. Next time I hope to find out how, where, what, when and why and get a look at their new boat.

That lovely boat MSC Frodsham, a curiosity with a story behind it, I’m sure, passed us first one way and then back again. Yet another boat I’d love to have a look around.

Which brings us to Monday 12th May and yet more wall to wall sunshine. The breeze tells us we’ll have a change before long but I’m hoping there’s no rain involved because the barby could be out again this evening.

Graham stopped by on the way from his back door to the garden and left me with a whip to try (that’s an aerial of course ….) and a wonderful bit of kit for tuning aerials. But the best surprise was a morse key, something I haven’t used in anger for over 25 years. Can’t wait to see how much I’ve forgotten. It’s a good job Portishead Radio isn’t around to listen to the rubbish I’ll be sending.

Monday 28th April 2008
Rushey Lock to Tadpole Bridge
Not a bad day as far as weather goes, the sun was spotted several times and I was able to cast off one of my many layers for fear of overheating. V has a saying “Ne’er cast a clout ‘til May is out” which roughly translates as either don’t throw nails or keep your vest on until June 1st.

Rushey Lock’s bush-work boasts a Lock Ness monster, which didn’t photograph too well, and this ‘ere frog. It was too far away to throw money in its mouth so I dropped a penny in Rushey Lock and made my wish (only joking!).

The wish came true as we ground to a halt under Tadpole Bridge and found an empty mooring outside the Trout Inn.
By midday our guests Rip and Dot had arrived.
In the year of their diamond wedding anniversary this couple are still driving hundreds of miles to see old friends. We’ve known R&D for over 25 years and could tell you many funny stories of people and places and problems like missing the boat to England and felling trees across neighbour’s fences. Food has always had its place and today was no exception as we shared a meal in the Trout Inn. Thank you Rip and Dot for spoiling us yet again.

It was sad to see these guys leave because we have no idea when we’ll see them again.
I’ve offered to try and find Rip’s crew mates from his WW2 days aboard minesweepers MMS217 and BYMS2181 so if anyone knows of 80 year old RN types who spent time in Scotland on experimental minesweeping or sailed a new sweeper from Chicago to the Indian Ocean between 1943 and 1945 please let me know.
Not only that but if anyone has pictures of these two boats (ships?) then gissa-copy for my gradually expanding ships website.

Tuesday
Set off from Tadpole Bridge with the wind behind us thinking the road was clear only to see the top of a sail heading towards our next bend in the river. How does one deal with a sailing boat tacking on a blind corner? Needn’t have worried, he’s rowing, phew!!

Pulled in at the little mooring above Eynsham Lock with time to spare so messed about with a single sideband transceiver and an assortment of aerials. The best results came from a 65 foot wire slung over the trees with a fishing weight on the end. Managed to talk to G8LUV (Hi Graham), Malcolm and Trevor with a short link to someone in the Isle of Mull.

Rain stopped play and it turned so cold that we lit the fire. Lit the fire several times because we’re doing solid fuel rather than wood and my skills with paper and sticks, sorry kindling, never reached Year 7 standards.

Wednesday
Started off under a cloud and hadn’t gone far before the sky started leaking. Not severe, not enough to make me wear waterproof trousers, I hate those things, they slip down or feel like they’re going to slip down and they restrict ones jumping distance. I know what you’re saying, you shouldn’t jump, always step not jump. I tell V the same thing but don’t always follow my own advice.

V spotted a mink on the way down river, a moorhen in the bushes was flapping and squawking and when we got close we saw this mink pulling back from a nest licking his lips. Yummy an egg, he said, where’s the bacon?

No lockie at King’s Lock, just builders making a visitor centre. V did her stuff and was soon wielding the giant’s boat hook to shut the far gate. So many talents in this girl.

A very pleasant cruise down the slope into Oxford, only one rower to avoid and we saw thousands of baby geese pecking the meadow grass, yes we’ve seen diddy geese and ducks but no coot or moorhen chicks.

Thursday 1st May 2008
Two things to do today, one is to meet a Tesco delivery and the other is to meet Mike (ex nb.Hyperion) who is helping me move the boat northwards on the Oxford Canal while V house sits in East Anglia.
Thanks Pat for sparing the old fella, glad the decorating could wait, ‘though he’ll need a holiday after this.

There will be more news to follow but I can’t say when it will get done, might be too busy having fun.