Author: Chris

Saturday & Sunday 22nd & 23rd May 2021

We’ve been at Splatt for a few days now and in between the showers I have made a couple of bike rides to the village shop for milk, nice bread from Dangerfield’s Bakery and new laid eggs which I found for sale at a house on  the way back.

We have had a couple of visitors who have braved the muddy towpath, our ‘old’ friend Jeanette (who unlike me is a very competent musician so I was very brave to play for her!) and Joy’s niece Alison, whose house, but not her, was recently featured on Escape to the Country.

On Saturday Asda brought us groceries and the bridge-keeper was kind enough to let us moor near his hut to receive the delivery, since we had untied and it wasn’t raining we motored up to Saul to get a pump-out, as usual the CRT pump out was not working properly so an email has gone off. We visited the chandlers in the marina and bought two new mooring pins and MORE coal!

We passed Esther on the journey, see top photo (no, not you young Green, but we do hope to see you) the boat which used to belong to our friends Barry & Sue, who have now returned to ‘The Bank’ (dry land).

We returned to our ‘spot’ at Splatt only for it to pour with rain while we tied up, another kind boater helped us and of course it stopped raining as soon as we were back inside.

We had planned to visit 3c Community Church this morning with David & Monica offering to chauffeur us, but have cried off due to the weather forecast & mucky towpath, so we are joining them on-line instead.

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Gloucester Docks and managed a takeaway on Saturday Evening from Greek on the Docks, I organised an appointment with Asda Opticians (on Sunday!) as I had broken a side of my reading glasses, so as we were going there we organised a Click & Collect grocery order too.

We walked out of the Docks to the bus stop and were disappointed to find the service was suspended due to some building work at Primark. A taxi was hurriedly arranged who went to  the wrong location but eventually got us to Asda just in time for my appointment. They sold me a frame from the display and transferred the lenses.

I don’t know if the guy at the Click & Collect point was surprised to see me turn up with a shopping trolley, but he didn’t show it, so we got another taxi back which doubled the very reasonable £15 cost of the frames.

Monday 17th May

On Monday morning we left the docks and made the short trip to Sainsburys where we picked up two Lateral Flow Covid 19 test kits from the pharmacy as we would be meeting a number of friends over the next days and weeks, now that the rules permit,  and wanted to be as sure as we could be we weren’t transmitting any bugs.

We carried on and moored at Saul Junction, we did our Covid tests (not a pleasant experience) but after 30 mins were pleased to have two negative results.

Tuesday 18th May

Tuesday afternoon our friends Lis & John visited and we spent the time chatting and putting the world to rights to finish the evening Joy made a meal of Pastitsio, a Greek version of Lasagne which uses macaroni instead.

Wednesday 19th May

Today we filled with water and headed for Patch Bridge at Slimbridge but were disappointed to find no moorings vacant and I think we annoyed the bridge-keeper by turning back so he had to open  the bridge again.

So we finally found a pleasant spot next to  the wonderfully named Splatt Bridge at Frampton on Severn where this bridge-keeper was at pains to point out a handy spot and our new neighbour helped us to tie up.

Frampton church is just across the canal and the Severn is the other direction and we look across towards the Forest of Dean. There’s road access here and even a small carpark, just no pub or cafe.
Frampton village is only a short bike ride away with a village shop and post office

We were up bright and early and just after 8 am we were headed into Diglis River Lock in the company of nb Eva and soon we were under way.

It was a dry morning as promised, but quite cold and at one time I ended up with a sweater, a fleece and my hi-viz jacket on, while Joy looked far smarter in her sailing jacket, a 50p charity shop bargain!

We made good progress downstream, passing a few landmarks, the sandstone outcrop, the big white house atop the hill and the gravel loading wharf. Perch was loaded to the gunnels and set off behind us but overtook us at Upton-upon-Severn, see top photo (now that’s a barge tell the TV producers).

Mythe Bridge came into sight, signalling we were at Tewkesbury, but at Tewkesbury Junction nb Eva turned off towards the Avon, which was a surprise as they were making for Gloucester too. (I later figured they had been listening to the lock-keepers VHF channel) We soon found out the reason as at Upper Lode Lock we were told the stretch down to Gloucester was closed due to rising water levels and might be closed for a couple of days … AGAIN!

We therefore turned about and headed for the River Avon where we were able to go up the lock and the helpful lock-keeper found us a flood-safe overnight mooring for a fiver despite the Avon being  on the verge of closure too.

We recommend that all boaters stay moored up to flood safe moorings and do not attempt to navigate until levels and flows reduce to GREEN. 

We had some lunch and resigned ourselves to a stay at Tewkesbury but decided to phone Gloucester Lock to see if we could get any information as to when we might be able to get there, we were surprised to hear that the Severn had been re-opened for the rest of the day as the level had fallen slightly.  so “Come on down, NOW!” was the message. So at 2:10pm off we went, back down Avon Lock, swiftly on to Upper Lode Lock and we were on our way!

As the Gloucester Locky predicted we made good time with the flow in our favour, at times approaching 7 mph! (the downstream speed limit is 8 mph).

Joy prepared a beef casserole as we travelled and we took turns in steering. The weather got warmer and I was down to shirtsleeves at one stage, a really pleasant afternoon’s journey. Many of the riverside pubs had vacant moorings, but we weren’t stopping!

Some pictures from the journey.

By ten past four we were at ‘The Upper Partings’ and rang Gloucester Lock, “I’m just locking a boat through” he said “so come down slowly and I’ll have the lock ready for you.” He was as good as his word and locked us through and was most solicitous, making sure Joy was happily roped up before raising us up into the docks, she did get mud on her nice yellow jacket though.

We got a pontoon mooring in front of ‘Greek on the Docks’ restaurant, sadly there were no tables available for a Greek meal tonight, so it was a short walk for me to ‘The Black & White’ chippy, Joy said it was the best piece of cod she’d had for a long time!

A total journey time of nine hours today, no wonder we fell into bed early and watched Britbox.

On calmer waters now for a few weeks and as of Monday we’ll be able to welcome visitors, inside or outside the boat, according to your preference and the weather.

 

Tuesday 11th May 2021

Never being able to be idle, a continuation of the upholstery project was begun.
The lockers in the bow have always been awkward to open as they were designed to be locked with a padlock. We have never felt the need to lock them and the arrangement just made them difficult to open.

So… The front area was cleared again and with my angle grinder fitted with a cutting disc, I soon sliced off the pieces where the padlock was intended to be fitted. This produced showers of sparks and Joy insisted on being on standby with a can of water, just in case. Removing them alone made it far easier to open as it didn’t now require the heavy metal lid to be pulled forward.

Not content with that, I cut off the retainers on each lid and fitted hinges instead. This brought my engineering training into play with drilling, tapping and fixing the hinges into place.

I was quite pleased with the result and have some further improvements planned to do in due course.

Wednesday 12th May 2021

This morning we took a short walk to The Commandery Garage, which has a Londis shop, for some milk, cooking oil and various other impulse purchases. On the way Joy had spotted a hairdressers so we called in on the way back as it’s over a year since she last had her hair done and was delighted to be offered an appointment straight away. Her hair is now back to collar length and she tells me, feels much better.

An email arrived with good news today:

Please be advised that river levels have fallen sufficiently to allow passage from Gloucester Lock 2 to Diglis lock 5.

Please take extra care when navigating the river and be aware of the possibility of floating debris.

So we thought we might move on early next week.

Thursday 13th May 2021

This morning Joy had a baking session, producing a sausage & vegetable quiche for lunch and a Victoria Sponge for tea.

After lunch Joy was preparing for her art lesson, so I went to take some rubbish to the bins and met two of the C&RT Volunteers. We got talking about our travel plans and one of them said “I would go tomorrow, as the forecast is fair, more rain is forecast over the weekend and  the river level may rise again” I went back to tell Joy and she agreed it might be as well.

I reversed down to the locks and turned around the right way (thankfully there was no wind to speak of) and the drizzle even stopped for us. The two volunteers ‘worked’ us through the locks and we found a place waiting for us on the floating pontoons which are safe if the water level rises. And we were even tied up in time for Joy’s art class.

Joy says it’s a conspiracy so I don’t have to take her shopping in Worcester city centre like we were planning to do tomorrow!

We were moored behind narrowboat Felix and in the early evening the owner, Brian, came to warn us that a fallen tree was floating towards our boat, however it stopped before in reached us, so introductions were made and we discovered he was a retired vicar.

We spent a peaceful night but when got up found that the water was over the towpath, the river level having risen overnight and that the tree had moved closer and was now touching the boat. I had moored so that I could slacken the ropes without getting my feet wet, but the tree meant that we could not get out forwards.

I rang Diglis Lock for advice, but he called back saying his supervisor was not on duty and it would be best to call Canal & River Trust’s national number. I did that and was eventually put though to someone who promised the Area Manager would call back. Someone did call just less than an hour later and said it was not their responsibility but Worcester City Council’s I pointed out that they were unlikely to have suitable equipment (e.g. a boat)

I did phone the city council but a voicemail promised a callback within 48 hours.

An hour had passed since first contacting C&RT so after conferring with Brian on nb Felix we decided to take our salvation into our own hands. I would try to reverse away from the tree and ‘breast up’ (tie the boats together) to go downstream.
We both managed to get away and turn and after going through the arches of Worcester Bridge we breasted up to go down past the weir to the river lock and turn around.

Brian was a bit nervous as only yesterday he had been swept onto the weir and had to be towed off, but the manoeuvre went OK but on turning back into the current both boats listed at quite angle, Brian suffering the loss of a bottle of red, which smashed on the kitchen floor, we fared better with only the cutlery drawer landing upside down in our kitchen.

The current was now against us but the power of both engines ensured we made (painfully) slow progress.

As we passed Coalboat Roach Brian indicated we were going back onto the canal and, bless them, the crew ran up to the lock and opened  the gates so we could both go straight in. They worked us through both locks (for which we were very thankful) and we were once again safe on calm waters.

When we were in the lock Worcester City Council rang back but I was able to say the emergency had passed but they did report it matter to the County Council for me.
It was not until much later that C&RT phoned back basically to say that it was a buck-passing exercise having been ping-ponged from one department to another.

Meanwhile a generic email was received from C&RT saying “CAUTION STRONG STREAM Red – Do not proceed. We advise users of all boats not to navigate because the strong flows make it difficult and dangerous (Locks may be closed)” 

I think it’s appalling service when they don’t respond promptly to what could have been a life-threatening situation.

Meanwhile we had tied up safely and enjoyed a restorative pint of Wainwright ale and some lunch with Brian at The Anchor. Being just too late for the breakfast menu we settled for Tomatoes & Burrata, (a bit like Capri Salad we’ve had in Italy, but we thought it a bit bland) while Brian enjoyed Dirty Fries  (with Cowboy Chilli, Habaneros & mozzarella)

Thank God for keeping us safe!

 

Thursday 6th May

As planned we had a rest day on Diglis river moorings, Joy produced a beach scene in her art class, while Chris did some jobs on the the boat.

Friday 7th May

I decided that a trip upstream would test if our problems of Wednesday had been solved, so we gave the engine an hour’s ‘workout’ up past Worcester Racecourse & back with no problem, we turned again just before Diglis River Lock and approached the junction with the canal.

We tied up on the pontoon and Chris went up to prepare the lock which is a broad one, as he was opening the gates a couple of volunteer lock-keepers arrived and offered to ‘work us through’. He brought the boat in without incident and was grateful of the lockies’ help through the second lock as well.

Once on the canal we thought it prudent to fill the water tank, so stopped at the first tap, another boater asked if we would mind using the next one as he wanted to bring his wide-beam boat over for a pump-out. Being the obliging soul that I am I complied but our hose was just too short so I had to improvise an extension, which led to wet feet, trousers and muttered cursing. The mood was not improved by discovering a crack in the stove door glass.

Clothes changed we moved along through Sidbury, The Commandery (something to to with the civil war, the bridge is decorated with pikes & helmets) and Blockhouse Locks. We needed a few items of shopping and had been searching Google Maps & our guidebooks to find a nearby mooring to no avail.

Just as we were approaching Bridge 5 (George Street) we spotted St Martins Quarter shopping centre, where Asda is located, and realised we had just passed some mooring bollards which weren’t marked in any guide. A quick application of reverse and a little encounter with some shallow water and we were tied up and Chris was dispatched to do shopping while Joy prepared some battered courgette slices & halloumi for lunch, a favourite Greek dish.

A phone call to Worcester Marina revealed that they had a new stove glass at an excellent price so we stopped outside their entrance leaving Joy with the boat tied to a lamppost while I tried to find the way in on foot. After an abortive trip up a footpath to nowhere I phoned them again and was told a BW key would give access through a locked gate. On our way once more we found that we had got a complete jacket wrapped around the propeller and another stop was needed to remove it through the weed hatch.

Another three-quarters of an hour and we found Lowesmoor Visitor Moorings, where we called it a day. We found no TV signal there but excellent internet so we had an early night watching The Persuaders and The Saint on YouTube.

 

 

 

The work having been completed in dry-dock we decided to go for a short ‘shakedown trip’ on the following Tuesday to see if all was OK before starting our summer trip, so we went up to Kidderminster and back without any issue except getting a piece  of carpet tangled on the propeller.

On return to our mooring I noticed the oil pressure gauge wasn’t working, so a delve into the bowels of the engine bay was necessary and a broken wire repaired. Anno domini doesn’t make the contortions required any easier!

The fuel tank was filled with diesel, coal was restocked (in May!) and shopping trips to obtain provisions for a year, or so it seemed!

Wednesday 5th May

We had thought of leaving on the Friday but it had escaped our notice that it was the start of the Bank Holiday weekend and therefore the weather was bound to be foul, which is indeed it was on the Monday. We therefore delayed our departure until today, Wednesday.

We waved goodbye to our neighbours before 10am and we were soon at the staircase locks where a one of Starline’ hire boats was on the lock moorings, they shuffled out of the way for us as a boat was ascending the locks too.

The volunteer lock-keepers asked if we would like their assistance which we gladly accepted and we were out onto the River Severn in good time before half past.

There was a brisk flow on the river and we made good speed but photo opportunities were limited as it was a dull morning.

Joy looked out for the ‘Amstel Inn’ which her art teacher, Barry, had spoken about but it turned out that that was the Black Country pronunciation of Hampstall Inn!

 

All the Severn locks are manned and we were at Lincomb Lock before 11 and were passed through once the locky had cleared a branch  that was in the way. We were through Holt Lock before 12 noon and then it was a down to Bevere lock in another 40 minutes.  It started to rain so Joy deserted me to make a hot cup of tea but it wasn’t too bad, apparently a lot better than back at Stourport where they had thunder and hail!

 

We tied up opposite Worcester Racecourse for lunch, but decided to move on to Diglis Visitor Moorings as a) The racecourse moorings charge a fee and b) The phone/internet signal there was abysmal.

There was one space left at Diglis so I turned to face into the current and a kind lady off one of the boats grabbed a rope and helped us get into the space.

A couple of photos stolen from Leigh

On checking the engine bay after tying up I was alarmed to find a lot of oily water in the bilges (I guess it was something to do with the problems I had with the oil cooler O rings) I used the WetVac to clear it out and our good friends Malc & Leigh brought two 5 gallon containers down by car to dispose of it.

We decided to have a rest day tomorrow, Thursday, Joy can do her on-line art class and we’ll give the engine another test on Friday.

 

It doesn’t seem possible that it’s nearly three years since Wrens-Nest was dry-docked to be ‘blacked’ (painted below the waterline) at Langley Mill at the top of the Erewash Canal, see blog post here but it’s a fact and the time has come around again as two to three years is the recommended frequency.

So it was arranged for Jer & Louise to share the dock with us here at Stourport. They arrived on Thursday with Iona who had joined them for the journey as it was half-term and on Friday morning bright and early we went into the dry dock and the water was drained we were ready for the boats to be pressure washed, which is part of the docking arrangements.

The sharp eyed among you might notice that we are next to a fairground, Stouport’s Treasure island which has been run by the Danter Family for many years and Iona enjoyed a brief visit before going home on Sunday.

We had a site meeting where a couple of faults were identified. The cup which holds the bottom of our rudder was badly worn so Ben, the welder, proposed a course of action which we agreed upon, the propeller was also deemed to be too near the rudder.

During the afternoon both boats were wire brushed & loose paint removed, we opted to pay to have ours done, but Jer did his himself but wished he hadn’t!

Ben then welded on new anodes (which help to prevent corrosion) meanwhile I discovered that the propeller shaft had slipped in it’s coupling and that was the reason it was too near the rudder. I was able to correct this and hope that it will improve the heavy steering experienced while under power.

The weekend and Monday were spent applying three coats of blacking, the first coat came out of the tin like treacle, so we learnt to keep it inside the boat overnight to raise its temperature.

On Tuesday Ben arrived to perform surgery on the rudder and a new section of lower rudder ‘stock’ was grafted in and a new cup welded on. Much cutting, grinding and welding  took place and the video below shows just how much wear there was.

https://youtu.be/91TjFU0gFsQ

The rest of the week was spent painting the ‘Tunnel Bands’ which Jeremy helped me with and Louise did a fantastic job repainting the decoration on the bows.

The dock is equipped with hand-railed walkways to safely get on and off the boat but Joy was upset that she couldn’t manage the steps to get down to the bottom of the dock to help with the painting, but she was able to paint the back deck with paint we had mixed for the purpose.

I also had the routine task of fitting new O ring seals to the gearbox oil cooler, I always have spare ones in stock so thought it would be an easy if messy job, but I struggled to fit them and ended up with a worse oil leak than before. Eventually I concluded that the O rings (purchased from eBay) were the problem and as Jer had to go to Gloucester on Tuesday he picked up some genuine replacements from Beta Marine, which did the job with no problem.

A lot of work was done during the week and I fell into bed early most nights and by the end of the week I was aching all over!

We very much appreciated the help from Jer & Louise and early the next Friday morning we were ready for the staff to flood the dock and us to return to our mooring whilst they headed back up the canal.

https://youtu.be/kHh7pkqlP74

A few days of warmer weather has encouraged more activity!

Engine Servicing

This week’s project was to service Wrens-Nest’s engine anticipating some cruising might be possible after the end of next month. I purchased oil & filters and the job was completed  in a few hours. Last year I purchased an electric oil removal pump from Lidl which worked slowly but surely to suck the warm oil out via the dipstick tube.

Encouraged by this I decided to use the pump to remove sediment from the bottom of the fuel tank as it said on the box it was suitable for diesel too. Unfortunately the pump stopped working after pumping a couple of litres out.
I took the pump back and exchanged it for another which worked for all of 30 seconds.
Being of an inquisitive nature I dismantled the unit to find the pump had seized up due (I imagine) to there being little lubrication properties in diesel fuel, and this in turn had blown an internal fuse.
Another visit to Lidl secured a refund but I had to continue the process with a hand pump whilst another pump was sourced from eBay.

[Edit] Our dear friend & neighbour, Leigh has reminded me that a disaster befell me whilst doing this.

The diesel filler cap slipped out of my fingers and descended to the depths of the waters, so a complete shiny new filler was purchased and fitted (with a retaining chain for the cap) More paint to touch up!

More Woodwork

The wicker basket wherein our logs are stored was looking the worse for wear and decent replacements were upwards of £50

So I decided to knock up a storage box out of odd bits of decking and a sign one of my colleagues at Banbury College made me from a piece of salvaged hardwood some years ago.

 

Little Visitors

A clear out of junk from the top boxes revealed what looked like a lot of wood-shavings which I hadn’t put there. It was, in fact, the remains of some barbecue lighters which a mouse had requisitioned to make a nest, so a thorough clean and hoover out was in order, but no meeces were found!