It should have been an easy day - but somehow it wasn't, (again!)

(With both boats - posted by Alan)

Setting off from our overnight mooring in Fenny Stratford

I have gone for more or less the same title again!

Below Stoke Hammond lock.

We are not doing very well, or at least not doing very well at being able to achieve timings we might have in the past with an easier boat.  I am reluctantly starting to think we need to adjust any estimates we make in the future to be considerably more pessimistic.

Three Locks

Unlike yesterday we were started by a reasonable time, but we still ended up finishing unrealistically late.  We are eventually managing to get to where we really need to be on any given day, but the days are proving to be long ones.

"Ajax", which we failed to purchase has got very much dowdier since.

Some of where the lost time is going is obvious, and not all of it is "boating time".  With hindsight we spent longer shopping in Leighton Buzzard than we should have done, and also too long over what we had planned to be a quick meal.

River class butty "Yeo" is much improved already by a new owner.

Boating-wise we had some obvious hold ups as well, including one thorough grounding, where it took quite a while to get "unstuck".  We also ended up wedged between lock gates when trying to run breasted up, because of debris behind one of the gates that was preventing it fully opening, (somewhat daftly, I thought they would just fit - I was wrong!).

Horton Lock

To end by being a bit more upbeat, it was a delightfully sunny day, and the dredging recently carried out by CRT in the pounds both below and above Grove Church lock has made passage with a deep dtaughted boat considerably easier than it previously was.

Between Ivinghoe locks

 

Swan insisted on locking 7 cygnets through with our boats

 

I was informed of swans, and gates not fully opening.

 

We almost went in, but stuck hard like this.

They seemed unperturbed about getting squashed by boats.

Waited for gates to open, and off they went - it appeared planned!

Cath led for the very final part

Fenny Stratford to Ivinghoe
Miles per boat: 14.1, Miles both boats: 28.2, Locks:12
Total Trip Miles: 82.9, Locks: 20

It should have been an easy day - but somehow it wasn't.

(With both boats - posted by Alan)

First lock of this trip.

A slower start today than we should have made, had we realised how long the day's travels would actually take.  The canal planner we use, (CanalPlanAC), indicated something like seven and a half hours to get to where we are now - the reality was more like nine hours.  We are finding we are not that slick at working both boats together again for the first time in a long while.  In particular we seem to have a habit of trying to moor where "Flamingo" will not come close enough to the bank, and it seems no matter how slowly we make the attempt "Flamingo" is very able to become grounded in a way that takes a lot more effort than we would like to get going again.

The dogs are getting quite good when they are told to stay down.

Curiously some areas are intensely busy, others massively less so.  For example there was no viable mooring space anywhere between Cosgrove lock and the Wolverton Trunk Aqueduct.  There was however space that was definitely non-viable for mooring deep draughted boats - as we proved very conclusively!  However here at Fenny Stratford - usually very popular, there are very few visiting boats at all.

We generally use Flamingo as the towing boat when breasted up.

Both boats have held up well, although we are a little surprised that with me leading on "Flamingo", Cath has on occasions found it hard to keep up with ne on "Sickle".  We tend to think of "Sickle" as the faster boat, but not always it seems.

Approaching the last of 7 Stoke Bruerne locks.

Given how much longer today has taken than plan, we are now a little concerned that the target we have set ourselves for tomorrow may prove too much for us - today wasn't supposed to be a hard day!

Cosgrove lock.

Cath leads on Sickle across the aqueduct.

The steerer is a long way away if you are on the front of Flamingo.

Flamingo overtakes Sickle, as we often find it easier with Flamingo in front.

Stoke Bruerne to Fenny Stratford
Miles per boat: 17.5, Miles both boats: 35.0, Locks: 8
Total Trip Miles: 54.7, Locks: 8

Finally Travelling Again

(With both boats - posted by Alan)

Setting off

After all the disappointments and lost trips of last year, we are determined to get some boating in, and not just spend all our time working on the boats.

It actually needed multiple car trips from home to the mooring to get all three of us, including David, and the two dogs, along with everything we need for a proper trip.  But by some time approaching 5:00 pm we had both boats started up, and were finally ready to head off.

Arriving at Stoke Bruerne

We actually worked out that due to everything going on last year, this is the first time Sickle has moved since July.  Cath steered her today, and fortunately everything seems OK, despite the long period of no use.

High House Wharf to Stoke Bruerne
Miles per boat: 9.8, Miles both boats: 19.7, Locks:0
Total Trip Miles: 19.7, Locks: 0

Bathroom Progress 2

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Alan)

Back in early march I was able to report we had managed to spend enough time on board to start on a rebuild of the bathroom - it was covered here.

Other commitments have meant we have not been able to spend huge amount of time on board - in fact on our most recent trip up we were there less than 2 days.

None-the-less we have been making slow but steady progress, and now have most things in place, other than cupboard doors, and also there will be no replacement of the current ceiling until we are finally ready to do it for the whole boat, (this is probably many months away yet).

Much of it still needs painting, but we managed to get some vinyl flooring down on our latest visit, and finally it does start to look more like a bathroom than a workshop.

It's probably easiest just to post pictures to give a general idea.

Bedroom Refresh

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Alan)

Eventually, I think, we will probably completely refit the bedroom area on Flamingo.

Mostly new paint and new bedding.d caption

However in the meantime we have been living with the previous owners unfinished efforts.  Where anything was painted at all, it was mostly in primer, and generally in patches, with no overall areas covered.

Also the removal of the failed heating system had created quite a bit of additional damage, and we also found that false backs in cupboards were wasting quite a bit of potential storage space.

Some weeks back I spent some time repairing and improving the cupboards and adding an extra shelf to the main one.

Looking towards bathroom, which we are refitting.

We decided that even if we do eventually do a full rebuild, it may not be for some considerable time, given all the other priority jobs that need doing.  So we decided it was worth painting the current arrangements properly, even though it would take quite a while, and we might spend a fair bit on materials.

We are well advanced with that now, though there are still areas around and below the bed to tackle.

We even decided to buy some new bedding to replace the rather tired old stuff we were using, that had seen much service on the previous boat.

We feel the make over has been worth the effort and cost, particularly when we no longer have to wake up looking at a patchwork of primer and unpainted wood!

For comparison, this is what we bought......

There were no lights fitted - just a few hanging cable ends.

The part painted look.

Well stuck, and then rescued.

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Alan)
Friday 6th April

Setting off

Well last night we decided to delay attempting to get "Flamingo" through Lock 9 of the Napton flight.  I'm very relieved we erred on the side of caution, and took that decision - we would not have wished to be trying to deal with last evening what we have ended up dealing with today!

No issues in Lock 8

We waited until early departers had left their moorings, and set of deliberately at a quiet point where nothing else was moving.  After a stop for "services" we set off up the locks.  The bottom lock (Lock 8) was passed fine, though the margins are a lot less than in many other narrow locks.

Going in?

Lock 9 was readied, and the decision was to drift in very slowly on no power, so that if we did stick we should not actually jam in, and should be able to reverse out easily.  It looked to be going well as the boat nosed in, but suddenly when the bows were only just past the open bottom gates, we stopped very abruptly indeed.  I still thought we should easily be able to reverse out, either with the engine, or by pulling on ropes.  How wrong could I have been!  After some time running the engine hard, and tugging, and trying to flush out with the upper paddles, it seemed fairly obvious we would not solve this on our own.

NOT going in!

Fortunately I had just enough phone signal to ascertain a CRT emergency number, and call it.  As expected the call taker knew little of canals or locations but took my details and promised to phone South East Waterways.  That call back, (from Milton Keynes, presumably?) came quickly.  Louise understood the problem and the location, and promised me a local team was nearby, and would be with us quickly.

The problem.

Good as their word, soon after Steve arrived.  He thought sufficient well timed flushing coupled with heavy reverse gear should get us out.  The brief version of that story is that it didn't, and very surprisingly, given how gently it had been jammed there, "Flamingo" didn't budge even a fraction of an inch.

From above

Very fortunately a CRT tug and hopper were in the same pound, and the enterprising Steve was able to make a few phone calls and seek permission to commandeer them.

More muscle required.

It was decided to use CRT's rope rather than ours - a good outcome, as after several violent attempts to "snatch" "Flamingo" out, (with two other CRT men sending down flushes of water), the rope broke in spectacular style.  I was very glad I had moved away from the stern by then, or I think it could have damaged me quite badly.

This rope didn't suvive.

The immortal line "we are going to need a stronger rope" eventually produced something much more substantial, but by now I was wondering just how well attached the "dollys" on the back of "Flamingo" actually were.  As the attempts to snatch us got progressively rougher, (with a bigger "run up" each time, I had visions of a large projectile launching itself at somebody, (by now I was not going anywhere near).

Much bigger rope.

Suddenly it occurred to me that whilst everybody had thought it best to keep the pound at maximum level, it was actually now a lot higher than when we stuck.  Observation showed the bow was being held low, and the back end therefore somewhat out of the water to compensate.  Steve and I agreed that lowering the pound a few inches might help, (though by now there was no certainty the tug could extract us at all!).

Free.

So another attempt was made with the water level in the empty lock now reduced.  Suddenly the boat was lurching up and down at the stuck point for the first time.  Not actually moving out, but at least moving, though when it jammed with one side high and the other low, it was momentarily a bit scary.  Then almost without further warning, we were suddenly pulled out.

There was a bit of further delay because the reduced level in the pound made it impossible initially for Steve to get the tug and hopper moored up sufficient out of the way.  Once clear "Flamingo" was reversed though the lock we had so hopefully gone through in the other direction more than two and a half hours earlier.

We now faced a considerable reverse back to the winding hole, round a sharp bend and past a long line of boats.  However Steve went the extra mile, (or perhaps half mile!), and worked patiently with us, until we were turned around and ready to leave.

The long reverse.

I simply can't fault the service we got once we had progressed to something we couldn't handle ourselves.  People were on site quickly, (though I can't believe the luck that a tug was available only a few hundred yards away).  Permanent staff and CRT volunteers worked courteously together to get the problem sorted, calmly and with minimum fuss.

And the turn.

However why this should be necessary in the first place is a quite different matter.  This lock has a growing history of such issues, and it is well known that many other historic boats that once could have passed it without difficulty no longer can.  This situation has existed for years, but it seems that because only a small percentage of all narrow beam craft are affected, there has never been sufficient priority to consider rebuilding the affected part of the lock.  Not only are boats such as ours excluded accessing one of the most popular and picturesque canals in the South, they are also denied through access to Oxford and the Thames, and hence can't do the popular "Thames Ring", (this had been our original objective, if we could get through).  Of course we will raise this as a formal issue with CRT, but they drag enough boats back out of this lock, it seems, that they must be well aware of it anyway!

Anyway, beaten and bruised, we decided only to go back as far as Braunston today, possibly for an unplanned for evening in the pub, possibly with friends.  We hoped nothing else could go wrong on such a short trip, and fortunately nothing did!



Long Buckby to Napton Bottom Lock to Napton Lock 9, then back to Braunston
Miles: 7.7, Locks: 2 (same one twice, once backwards!)
Total Trip Miles: 25.9, Locks: 15

New territory for "Flamingo" under our ownership.

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Alan)
Thursday 5th April

So having started our trip out yesterday in fairly damp conditions, we were pleased to wake up at Buckby today with some reasonable sunshine.  We had gone to bed with concerns that the highly unsuitable 230 volt pump that our central heating pump relies on was trashing our batteries far too fast, and they might be depleted enough by morning to do damage.  Fortunately the situation was not as bad as feared, but the full time reliance on this horrible thing certainly limits our options with winter boating.  It had been planned to rebuild the central heating to use a less power hungry 12 volt pump last year, but this is another plan that had to be shelved because of Michael's accident.

The excellent tug "Lead-Us" owned by a former Willow Wren boatman

We made a fairly relaxed start, and unusually, given how busy the canals are, managed a passage of Braunston tunnel without passing a single boat coming the other way.  The descent of Braunston locks, mostly shared with another boat was very slow, largely due to the slowness of crews on the boats we were following.  We never seem to get lucky and get through Braunston locks quickly any more.  A hold up seems to be the norm these days, and although there are volunteer lock keepers they seem to never be anywhere in the flight but the bottom lock!

We urgently needed a replacement stove chimney, so I called at the chandlery at the foot of the locks.  However all suitably sized chimneys either looked unlikely to last, or were expensive, (or both!), so I pressed on to Midland Chandlers.  I'm not sure what I bought there will last any longer, (few of them seem to), but at least it was cheaper!

The stretch of the Oxford Canal that is shared by the Grand Union was passed fairly slowly, with lots of having to stop suddenly at obscured bridges - there really was quite intensive traffic, some of it hire boaters struggling a bit with the basics.

Finally we turned on to the Southern Oxford proper, and it came as a bit of a shock.  It is very much shallower and "muckier" than what we turned off from, and progress for the first couple of miles has been pedestrian, to put it mildly.  Once again we are forced to accept that whilst default time estimates using the excellent CanalPlanAC journey planner could easily be matched with our old leisure boat "Chalice", it is almost inevitable that any trip in "Flamingo" will be a lot slower than those estimates.

Braunston locks - nearly at the bottom.

We had intended to tackle Napton locks this evening, (and hence find out if "Flamingo" will go through them or not).  However we arrived tired, and later than expected, and decided to grab the one mooring that looked long enough for us while we could.  The broad plan was to walk up for a reconnaissance, and perhaps then take the boat up.  We watched a modern leisure boat descend through what is reputed to be the narrowest of the locks in the flight.  It certainly is narrow, but it didn't look impossible, even for an old boat, maybe some 3" wider.

Then the "Folly" lured us in, particularly as dogs could go inside, (with "well behaved owners", it said!).  The plan was one drink - the reality was multiple drinks, and another meal out we had not actually planned to buy.  Very good actually, and clearly doing well, with most tables having reservations on them, even mid week.

So the question 'will "Flamingo" fit through Napton locks?' is actually going to get answered a day later than originally planned.

The internet signal here is patchy, so it remains to be seen if I can upload this blog entry from here.

Long Buckby to Napton Bottom Lock
Miles: 12.0, Locks: 7
Total Trip Miles: 18.2, Locks: 13