Narrowboat Journal

Monday 19th to Sunday 25th January 2009

Leaving Blaby behind we stopped over at Kilby Bridge for a few days. V, having caught the ancestor search bug big-time, bussed into Wigston to use the library computers. What a pity she couldn’t use my bus pass.

Exeter-Steve dropped in for the night on his return from a trip up north which was nice. And what was really, really nice was he treated us to a meal at the Navigation after we’d sampled gifts of quite expensive wine. He’s a kind lad and he thoroughly spoils us.

Had a slight panic one day in the week when I couldn’t find my phone. Searched the boat, of course, looked along the towpath (yes, I did go outside – once) and asked around but nothing surfaced, not a single clue. Even wondered if it had slipped out of my pocket when I walked the gunwale to get something off the roof so you can see how desperate I was for answers. Got the SIM card blocked and tried to forget it but that sort of loss preys on the mind and I couldn’t shake this feeling of losing a close friend.

As it happened, five hours later, we moved to the services across the other side of the canal and as V sat in the cratch keeping an eye on the water pipe dangling in the tank filler tube she noticed my phone staring at her from behind the bow door curtains. Joy oh joy, was I smiling from that moment. Shoving it behind the curtain is an occasional cure for poor signal and I’d completely forgotten it.

Of course I had to convince O2 I wasn’t the thief before I could get the SIM card unblocked but here I am, up and running again, my two best friends beside me, trusty V and trusty phone.

This week we’ve had two poo deliveries. Mike and Jo brought an owl’s cough which was most interesting and apart from feathers and fur it contained tiny orange stones, lots of them. I wonder what ate stones, was it the owl or the owl’s breakfast, anyone know?

The second ‘donation’ was a fox’s doo-doos and contained 99% fur. There were a couple of small bones, one was long curved and ridged lengthways which could have been a rodent’s front tooth. Fascinating, not the poo, but the things people do to amuse themselves on boats.

Anyone else into scatology?

If I’m not careful I might get carried away looking for owls and other things that go bump after dark. We occasionally have something land on the boat pole and it makes a distinctive rattle as it leaves the perch. Somewhere on the boat is an ex Cold War Russian night-sight and if I can get it to work I might treat myself to an evening on monkey island to see what goes on out there.

Like most of the country the rain has become predictable. Wet mornings and dry afternoons prodded us into moving east along the Leicester line so we upped sticks and crept up hill to last November’s mooring. The journey was cold but bright and most locks were in our favour thanks to a BW boat’s return to KB from Foxton way.

Frequent heavy rain in these parts means the normally docile R.Sence has turned into a raging torrent. This river joins the Soar a few miles west of us and completely messes up the cruising plans of those heading for the R.Trent.

Our sympathies go out to those boaters in Loughborough waiting for a ‘window’. The same thing happened to us two years ago and ruined our plans to head down the Trent to the northeast.

The first snowdrops are up. Our local churchyard is plastered with them.

We might be miles from anywhere but you’d be surprised how many walkers pass our window. Some bend down and have a look in, particularly children and dogs, and a few discuss what we might be “doing in there” not the dogs, the children. This has obviously inspired V who donned boots and walked the circuit to take the air or get away from me for half an hour. I understand it’s important for people to have some time to themselves and whilst I don’t need to get away I can sense V’s need to talk to someone sensible now and again.

When it gets busy around here you have to wait for a walking slot and avoid cramping other walkers, particularly dogs otherwise you trip over the things. V stopped at the far end of the field and took a picture looking back at the boat and the queue behind her plodding towards the gate.

The gate catch handle bears witness to the human traffic as it gleams a shiny silver colour from the rubbing of so many hands.

We’ll stay here another day then move on down towards Foxton. There’s some business to be done in the area before we clear off for the south but our minds are set on the Kennet and Avon and hopefully our arrival in Bristol Harbour in time for nice weather. But we’re not unmindful of last year’s floods and the year before when braver souls than us did battle with Old Father Thames.

11th to 18th January 2009

Stoppages in front of us at the Leicester football ground and stoppages behind us at Braunston have restricted movement this week so we’ve taken to lounging around, at Blaby mostly, walking to the shops, eating out with friends (thanks Paul and Dawn) and chugging here and there for water.

With restrictions on our movement in mind V spotted a statement in a boat magazine where a British Waterways ‘suit’ was quoted as saying something along the lines of continuous cruisers, by way of nature, may stay up to 14 days but then must continue on their way around the navigation system, not returning to that area for 12 months. How silly. That statement was subsequently modified by another ‘suit’ but not before it caused heartache for one couple I’m sure.

For those of us who can’t help planning things to the last detail (V) the winter is fraught with problems that have to be avoided like lock repairs and ice. Amateur weather forecasting, amateur canal management, wash days and onboard water management struggle to get along with each other in the cold winter months. If space wasn’t such a problem a blackboard down one end of the boat would come in useful to show rest days, standby days and high risk of moving days and the likes of me could free up a few brain cells for other worries like leaking water pumps.

On that subject I have to report that our Shurflo water pump didn’t need a new set of valves, neither did it need a diaphragm kit. The plastic end cover was found to be bowing between the screw holes but after a good dose of ‘flattening’ on sandpaper it has resealed, at least for another couple of years. The man at the shop has three solutions for leaky pumps, each costing money but take note boaters, there is a fourth solution.

Back to the subject of Blaby, there is a notice on the railings outside the County Arms announcing yet another planning application for housing on the site. Someone once suggested knocking the lot down and building a marina but that seems to have disappeared off the planning map which is a shame. There’s also talk of reopening the Blaby railway station and as if to remind people a little steam engine has appeared in the field next to the railway bridge. There probably isn’t a connection, it’s more likely to be the land owner exhibiting some of his collection of old vehicles of which more can be seen from the canal west of Whetstone Lock.

When the time came to move to a water tap the journey was made so much easier by signing on fresh crew in the form of Mike and Jo. When the blackboard said it was time to go we found our movements fitted in perfectly with their availability and despite a touch of drizzle first thing and a cold breeze outside the city limits the whole thing was effortless. At least it was from where I was standing – the tiller of course.

But the fun didn’t end at the water tap, we discovered another absorbing boat hobby – researching the family tree. Jo showed us some of the techniques of searching the wicked web and over the following days we’ve done little else but chase ancestors. This fascinating subject has us totally absorbed and while names come spilling out of the computer we have found the list of questions gets ever longer. The only trouble is we’re not sure we’re storing it all in the right way because we’re complete novices on family tree software programs. If anyone knows of a free downloadable solution for ancestor data that can be shown altogether on one single chart then we’re all ears.

The one down side to web crawling for ancestors is there’s only space for one of us on the computer. I’ve only got to leave the thing for a moment to fill the coal bucket and V’s there, logged in and hunting for dear old Uncle Albert.

Now that the weekend is here my attention is drawn to the old wireless set in the corner. Braving the cold I clambered out on deck and poked the 30 foot glass fibre rod into the clouds and hoisted a 66 foot aerial wire. I hadn’t been at it an hour when the wind picked up and the whole lot swung across the canal threatening to strangle passing boaters. Not wishing to strangle or zap anyone with a dose of RF energy I pulled it all back down and just in time as gale force winds and stinging rain came in from the west.

There’s nothing for it, I’ll just have to find V another hobby so I can get back on the computer.

Now that Caxton and Matilda Rose have left the area there’s no one to play with. It’s always quiet at this time of year. An old Thos’ Clayton working boat went through just before Freeman’s Meadow Lock closed and someone went the other way yesterday but what we need is a hint of spring to bring out the early cruisers.

By way of a reminder this is everyone’s last chance to respond to the Leicester waterways questionnaire closing 20th Jan 2009 (Soar Strategy).

Quote: “The vision of this strategy is: ‘Through partnership working and shared commitment realise the full potential of the River Soar and Grand Union Canal to enhance the wellbeing of Leicestershire residents and visitors.’

A 16MB downloadable PDF document explains the situation as the Town Hall sees it wherein it outlines briefly some of the issues that boaters have to contend with.

The photographs give credit to someone’s early morning capturing and filtering, or airbrushing, scenes on the waterway that make you want to rush out and buy a property on the waterfront.

Apart from a couple of tiny pictures sandwiched between more positive text nothing of the vandalised factory windows, building dereliction and floating pollution north of Limekiln Lock is shown in its natural brown, grey and black as boaters see it, instead there are flat calm blue waters, immaculate boats and buildings and happy smiling faces. I couldn’t find a single photograph of Leicester’s inner city taken from a boat.

Contributions to the discussion on what visitor’s want in the way of improvements to the waterways between Kilby Bridge, south Leics, to Loughborough, north of Leics are invited by email: info@riversoarstrategy.com

The scene as we left Kilby Bridge for Blaby last week:-

1st to 10th January 2009

2008’s cruising ground to a halt on a pontoon at Market Harborough. Using Union Wharf as a base we popped out to visit family over the holidays and did many things we wouldn’t normally do like eat caviar and smoked salmon washed down with champagne for breakfast (thanks Kass) and scoff a-la-carte at restaurants out in the country (thanks MiL - 89th birthday).

Another rare indulgence is proper electricity. With our Christmas mooring came several bags of 230 volts which were very welcome for charging batteries and running a fan heater (luxury). Now I can see the attraction of marinas with pontoons and water taps and shore power, its just soooo convenient.

My parting words to the lady in the office when I checked in to pay my dues was “kick us out when January arrives, otherwise we’ll be putting down roots” and it was beginning to feel like that when I reluctantly coiled the power cable and said goodbye to the water tap just three feet away from the boat.
But it all faded within 5 minutes of pedal to the metal and my cornering at bridge 14 showed I hadn’t lost my touch and once we’d passed the travellers camp I was singing my usual song in praise of England’s brown and pleasant (canal) land, followed by “Oh for a life on the ocean wave….”

But by the time we reached Foxton I was frozen and the song reverted to my version of “I want to be a lighthouse keeper” with apologies to Geoff and Mandy at Dryadpoint.

I guess the ice messes up the swan’s feeding schedule but this fella has a way of getting bread from a moored boat. They may be mute but they can still get your attention.

The holidays were over and we had shifted a pile of Christmas presents that had to be climbed over every night at bedtime and replaced it with two smaller piles of pressies that now needed homes.

New Year’s day was full of good wishes from family and friends and from other weird people who live in England’s ditches. Thank you every one of you, we do appreciate your kind thoughts.

We cat-sat Maisy for a day or two which meant de-furring the boat before we could be seen in public again. Jumpers, trousers and jackets attract fur like magnets and the lint roller was red hot by the time we’d got ourselves straight again.
She’s not a boat cat by any means but she’s moved on a lot from the last time we had her. This time she wandered about the boat while the engine was going which is a vast improvement on running for a corner under the bed every time the key was turned. She used to belt down the corridor as soon as the ignition bleeps rang out but by sticking tape over the sounder on the back of the door panel I put a stop to that. Poor little thing.

Whilst refuelling at Debdale we bumped into nb.Harnser and exchanged greetings. She’s a distinctive boat and pops up all over the place.

Back on the cut we began our ice breaking cruise to Kilby Bridge with a fresh crew in the shape of Mike and Jo off Sarah-Kate. Thanks guys your help was really, really appreciated.

Black paint on the bow got replaced by silver streaks as we moved through ice up to 22mm thick. The silver has since turned a nice shade of orange which means I’ve made a note for the diary to splash on some fresh bitumen.

I’ve tried the old trick of tying up at side weirs where I can get down to the water line with the paint roller but we need a serious paint job this time so I’m making up a lorry strap and hook arrangement to lift one side further out of the water to expose the rust.

The trip to KB threw up a couple of surprises because we bumped into the crew of Caxton and Matilda Rose walking the “yellow arrows” in the field next to the canal. Sinking into the next slimy lock chamber I heard voices above and hundreds of legs reappeared at the lock edge as crew and dogs passed by.

Just beyond the lock lay the two boats and cameras flashed like crazy as both sides let loose with a salvo of digital shutters.

Our 48 hour stay at KB turned out to be a fun 120 hour stay through no fault of our own.

“The ice like a vice held boats by their throats,
and all boating was stopped as temperatures dropped”.

“Our new friends had made it before the chill hit,
and to make matters worse it started snowing a bit”.

The following few days were made interesting by dinner with Claire and Ter, trips to the dentist and Midland Chandlers c/o Mike and Jo and socials with boaters Joe and Lesley on Caxton and Graham and Jill on Matilda Rose. As sometimes happens the camera was brought out too late so you’ll have to use your imagination when I mention names.

We bumped into Derek (nb.Clarence) purchasing pipe fittings at the chandlers. My heart goes out to him and Sheila as they do their best to complete the boat when they really should be relaxed and cruising in their new home.

A slight thaw before the weekend meant we had a short cruising window so after waiting for Caxton and Matilda Rose to set off towards the north we followed before the ice reformed.

Though we’re heading in different directions we shan’t forget our new friends and the chats we’ve had over these few days. Graham’s BSS (Boat Safety Scheme) experiences have put me in a mind to prepare early for our boat examination next winter and the shine on Caxton’s paintwork and her beautiful interior might provoke me to tidy up the utility room and maybe polish the outside if the weather turns.

Just to give you a taste of our Christmas here’s us enjoying ourselves.

and some more…….