Happy New Year
We don’t normally stay up to welcome in the new year and last night was no exception. We were however, woken at midnight when the revellers at the Limekilns pub counted down to the start of 2016 which was accompanied by the customary fireworks. Eventually the fireworks stopped but the pub party was still in full swing as we dropped off to sleep once more.
There was a period of calm weather forecast for this morning, low wind speeds between two weather systems. We were up early to take advantage of the short window of opportunity that would allow us to get Caxton easily back into the marina and safely tied up. The eastern sky started to get light around 7.45 so we untied the frost hardened ropes and started on the final leg of our trip. The forecast had been spot-on and our mission was completed just under thirty minutes later. By 10.15, we had done the chores and cleared all of our bits and pieces into the car. Our week’s break on board was over and of course so was our final trip of 2015. A little bit different to last year’s Christmas cruise.
We don’t really know what 2016 will bring us but we hope that we’ll get a lot of time out and about on the cut.
Back to the Lime Kilns
We were up and about early this morning since we wanted to get close to home before the temperature drops in the next few days. A few months ago! we found out the hard way that it is not possible to wind Caxton at Wash Lane in Nuneaton so it was on to Springwood Haven before we could turn and head for home.
It was 10 am before we returned to the spot where we had been moored for the previous two nights. We turned on to the Ashby just before 11am and cruised northwards in the sunshine. It was cool and windy but under blue skies, our journey was very enjoyable. We pulled up opposite the Lime Kilns pub where we have moored for our last evening out on Caxton. The wind is forecast to drop overnight so first thing in the morning we will return to our berth in the marina.
Happy New Year everyone!
Storm Frank
Our sympathies are with those in the north at this time, here in the midlands we are just on the southern edge of the ravaging effects of storm Frank so we have a lot to be thankful for. Overnight, the wind picked up to gale force levels but with Caxton secured on springs fore and aft, all that we knew about it was the odd creaking of the mooring ropes.
We awoke to an overcast morning but the wind was still blowing hard so we had a slow start to the day. After showering, we walked into town and couldn’t believe how strong the wind was as it helped blow us along our way.
We were on a mission to visit one of the local carpet shops so that we could order some flooring for the hall in the apartment and we just managed to do this and then walk to the local Wetherspoons before the heavens opened.
We had lunch in the Lloyds No1 pub and then watched the rain pour down outside for a couple of hours. Sue took a short shopping break and after returning to the drinking den, we made our way back to Caxton (in the rain of course!) where we have once again settled in for the evening.
The wind has already dropped so tomorrow we plan to move on, turn around and then return to Hinckley or at least somewhere near there.
Short hop , short blog
We didn’t travel very far today, retracing part of our trip yesterday as far as Marston junction and then on to Nuneaton where we have moored until Thursday so that we can sit out tomorrow’s storm. Today’s weather gave no hint of what is on its way and we enjoyed an excellent cruise under blue skies and sunshine. We only encountered one boat but that provided plenty of entertainment when it was driven at full speed into the bank on a right angled bend. The crew seemed unhurt with perhaps the only damage being done to the steerer’s pride. Once we had passed him it was easy to see what had happened, he had been blinded by the low sun and its reflection on the water’s surface and hadn’t seen that there was a bend!
We tied on the visitor moorings and after a shower, walked into town where we had lunch here at Saints Bar. Afterwards, we ambled back to the towpath where we have settled in for the evening on board Caxton.
It’s Miner Bill!
After spending our fourth night in Trinity marina on board Caxton, it was time to get out on the cut. First of all though we had to say goodbye to our visitors, Sue’s son Brett, his wife Kerry and their two children. They had arrived on Sunday and stayed in our apartment overnight. They were just finishing breakfast when we got to the apartment so we chatted with them for an hour before they set off and we walked back to the marina.
We were ready to start our trip just after midday and despite the strong wind, we managed to exit the marina and point Caxton in the direction of Marston Junction. The mild weather is continuing but the wind makes it chilly after a while. Luckily for me, Sue has bought me some new thermals and knitted a sort of polo neck capelet that can be worn under a coat which keeps my neck warm and draught free. Fully insulated, I was able to steer Caxton along the six miles of the Ashby canal that leads to the junction with the Coventry canal. We passed a handful of boats along the way including Mister Pip, skippered by one of our acquaintances, Phil. Two hours later and we reached the junction so Sue went to the front to look put for any traffic on the Coventry canal. We were in the narrow section approaching the bridge when the bow of a narrowboat came into view from the direction of Nuneaton, it was the unmistakable “Miner Bill ” with Ralph at the tiller. Ralph indicated to Sue that he was turning on to the Ashby and she signalled back that we intended to turn left. This turn can be interesting at the best of times with Caxton being 68 feet long but with a bit of wind and a misbehaving bow thruster it looked like a perfect nightmare was about to unfold. In the end it wasn’t too bad and we all ended up where we wanted to be. Nicki appeared, camera in hand and took these photos.
We pressed on and made our way to Hawkesbury. Along the way, Sue stoked the fire up with some peat but unfortunately this coincided with us entering the cutting that is the Bedworth straight. We were suddenly protected from the gusting wind that had been clearing the smoke from the chimney and now it was just drifting in the almost still air. After a few minutes of being smoked like a kipper, Sue returned to the fire and removed as much of the smouldering peat from the fire as she could. The smoke subsided pretty quickly after that and then a few minutes later we were out in the open again. The smoke still hung in the cutting behind us but we were breathing fresh air again!
We reached Hawkesbury just before half past three, winded under the bridge then found a mooring for the evening. Neither of us fancied the walk back to the Greyhound so we settled down and had a bowl of home made soup that Sue had made as we had travelled along.
Christmas Again!
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since we spent our first Christmas on board Caxton. We were moored at Market Bosworth at the time and after living aboard on Christmas eve and day, we started cruising on Boxing day . The following day saw us mooring at the Lime Kilns but then overnight, the canal froze over and there we remained until New Year’s Eve.
This year is completely different. For a start, Caxton lives in the marina across the road from where we live. The weather has been more autumnal than wintery and the mild temperatures are set to continue, so it looks like a Christmas cruise is a real possibility. We’ve been keeping Caxton warm and dry by regularly lighting the fire so this week it hasn’t been difficult to prepare for our time aboard. We are expecting visitors on Sunday and we had hoped to have a short “out and back” cruise between now and then but a fierce wind has put paid to that idea. Undeterred, we still moved our remaining bits and pieces on board this afternoon and after a short walk to the Wharf Inn, we returned to Caxton and settled in for the evening .
Our plan now is to sit tight until Sunday morning when we will move the boat out of the marina and then moor out on the towpath overnight. On Monday we’ll be able to start our Christmas cruise properly so watch this space!
Caught on Camera
Canal by Amanda Littlewood
Tornado strikes the Severn Valley
Yesterday we drove to Kidderminster to visit the Severn Valley Railway, specifically to see the A1 class “Tornado“. The first train of the day was hauled by “Royal Scot” which left Kidderminster at 10.30, arriving at Bridgnorth just over an hour later.
Royal Scot
We caught our first glimpse of Tornado as we passed through Hampton Loade, the penultimate station on the journey.
Alighting at Bridgnorth, the northerly terminus of the SVR, we walked into town and had some lunch at “Bamboo” which sits next to the bridge over the river. We both had pie & mash and then we went to explore the town, first Lowtown and then Hightown which we reached by means of the funicular railway.
Funicular Railway
After walking around in the late October sunshine, we made our way back to the station and waited for Tornado to arrive. Authenticity is important on this heritage railway and sure enough, they even had the trains running late! Eventually Tornado steamed into the station, ran around the train of coaches and prepared for the trip back to Kidderminster.
The light was starting to fade when we arrived at Kidderminster but there was still a lot of interest as once again the engine was uncoupled and moved to the other end of the train.
Sue steaming with excitement!
So that was it, we had finally caught up with Tornado with the bonus of seeing Royal Scot into the bargain.
Service Time
It couldn’t be put off any longer, it was time to do some maintenance work. Having availed myself of the Halfords special offer on oil which gave me 10 litres and two sets of screwdrivers for forty quid (Many thanks to Sue on No Problem for highlighting that on the blog), all that remained was to get cracking.
First off I checked the bow thruster and its dedicated battery at the pointy end of Caxton, all was well but I topped the battery cells up with a little de-ionised water. At the blunt end I did the same with the starter battery and while I was there I went down the weed hatch and cleared a few bits of crap that had wound around the prop, nothing serious but it might as well be removed whilst I was in the mood.
The next job was to check and tighten the three drive belts and as I did so I made a note of the various sockets and spanners used. I’ve also made a note of the belt reference numbers and will source some spares before they break, thus avoiding extortionate chandlery prices in future.
Next up was the oil. The gearbox has a slight leak, more of a weep really, which collects in a plastic tray in the bilge so I had a pretty good idea of how much I would need to top up by. After that was done I ran the engine for ten minutes before pumping out the old engine oil. Despite the fact that there is a sump pump, it doesn’t sit high enough to accommodate a five litre bottle underneath. No matter, a bit of hose pipe and a jubilee clip soon allowed me to clear the sump of the black stuff. Removing the oil filter proved to be a bit of a challenge, I had a pair of rubber strap type wrenches for the job but the filter was on so tight that I managed to break both. Fortunately, the local branch of Screwfix is next to the marina so after a short walk I was able to remove the offending article with my new pair of oil filter pliers.
I almost managed to get away without dropping any oil in the bilge but not quite, however the small amount that did escape took very little effort to mop up. With the new filter on, it was just a matter of pouring in the new oil, running the engine for five minutes, checking for leaks and then topping up to the mark on the dipstick.
A quick check of the fuel at the bottom of the aggregator completed the service so all that was left to do was just clear away the tools and dump the rubbish and old oil.
I did mention to Sue that because of the cramped space that I have to squeeze myself into to do some of the work, our next boat (should there be one) will have a proper engine room. Her suggestion was to use child labour like they do in other countries!
October weekend
It has been seven weeks since we were last out on the cut and Oh! how we’ve missed it. My little girl Amy (OK she’s 24 years old but she’s still my little girl) told me that she misses the blogs so this one is especially for her!
We did have a bit of a boating fix last weekend when we visited Joe and Lesley on Yarwood when they were moored at Aynho. We had a fabulous afternoon with them, enjoying lunch in the Great Western Arms followed by coffee so good that we have indulged ourselves by buying a Dolce Gusto machine so that we can recreate Joe’s magnificent cafe con leche.
So with the country sitting under an area of high pressure for the time being, we decided to escape for the weekend. I finished work at lunchtime on Friday and met Sue in Hinckley where we had a drink outside the Hansom Cab before going home to prepare for the trip. While Sue gathered some bits and pieces, I went to the marina and released Caxton from the clutches of its mooring. A few minutes later and I was picking Sue up from the towpath near our apartment, one of the benefits of living next to the canal.
Marina, Home, Lime Kilns
With the full crew now on board, Caxton slipped through the water as far as the visitor moorings opposite the Lime Kilns pub on the A5. After securing our mooring we sat out on the front deck and savoured the late afternoon sun, a bit of a rarity for October. On the spur of the moment we decided to have dinner at the pub and then embarked on one of our shortest ever cruises, yes we untied and pushed Caxton all of twenty feet across the cut to the pub garden thus saving the walk there and back. Lazy or decedent- you decide!
No complaints about the food, drink or service, everything was excellent and we only had a two minute walk to get back to the boat.
Saturday dawned and we set sail just after nine with the intention of turning left at Marston Junction and going to Hawkesbury for the weekend. By the time we reached the Coventry canal we had changed our minds and headed north. An hour later and we were tying up in Nuneaton, a town often maligned by boaters but we think unjustly so. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the home of George Elliot before returning to Caxton and moving on to Boot Wharf where we blocked the canal as we shoved 180 litres of diesel into the tank. Fortunately we only inconvenienced one boat for a couple of minutes before we set off again and made our way to Springwood Haven where we moored for the night. After dinner we settled in for the evening and I was asleep before nine o’clock. Like the evening before I slept for eleven hours – proof positive that I sleep better on the water than anywhere else.
The fire was still lit when we got up on Sunday morning so the inside of the boat was still warm and toasty. It wasn’t too cold outside either so we untied and set off, turning in the winding hole just beyond the marina. We had a pleasant cruise back to Hinckley in the autumn sunshine passing a few boats along the way, including Phil on nb Mister Pip and Stuart & Treena on nb Carpe Diem.
The wind had picked up by the time we got back but it did not hinder our entry to the marina. We had enjoyed ourselves so much that we decided to end the trip with lunch at the Marina pub; Sunday roast for the crew, Chicken and Ham pie for me. Suitably refuelled we walked home and reflected on our wonderfully relaxing weekend.