GH Marina

Engineering completed:

Blacking (£600)

Tunnel Bands refreshed (£60)

Four new anodes ((£216)

£876

Erin Mae back on the mooring

GH Marina

Engineering collected Erin Mae from the mooring, to start blacking.

Tixall Wide to GH Marina

Second coat of gunwale paint on the stern – cabin end round to cabin end. Got it done early enough to be touch dry by the time the rain arrived. Cruised back to the marina late morning in light rain.

Bought washing and drying tokens and 2 25Kg bags of Supertherm (£12.50). Shopping in Rugeley later.

1 mile, 0 locks, 0.8 engine hours

Tixall Wide

Another sunny day, the warmest of the week.

Put 1st coat of gunwale paint on the stern counter. Used a roller and that didn't go very well. Need to use brush tomorrow. But roller on the sides of the gunwales to repair travel damage worked very well. Swung the boat and did the other side as well.

Ran the engine in the evening.

0 miles, 1.2 engine hours

Tixall Wide

Sunny and, eventually, warm. Second coat of undercoat on the stern counter.

With SG at 50% overnight, engine and Webasto in the morning. Ran engine again in the evening, which gave SG of 100, and still 90 at bedtime.

0 miles, 2.9 engine hours

Tixall Wide

Ran the engine and the Webasto first thing for a couple of hours. Cool, windy but dry conditions made it OK for painting after lunch, if not ideal. Put black undercoat over the stern counter, including in the engine compartment down to the drainage channel. Went on well. Decided at the last minute to do the dollies as well. The venting dolly had a small amount of corrosion on top, so didn't paint that –rubbed it down and applied Fertan instead.

A brightish afternoon had the solar panel contributing, but I think it is thoroughly confusing the SG, which, at 78 after engine charging, was reading 95 by the end of the day. About 2.3 hours TV was the main extra, but it was back down to 65 by bed-time (and 50 by 8.30 next morning).

0 miles, 2.1 engine hours

Tixall Wide

Very cold overnight. Ran the Webasto from about 7 a.m., and got the fire going at the same time. Joined in with the engine at 8 a.m.

Walked to Shugborough for coffee and the Canalside Café for lunch. Bought some more kindling from the shop as we stopped by for veggies.

Expected to paint in the afternoon, but it felt as though it was a really too cold.

0 miles, 1.7 engine hours

Tixall Wide

Raining overnight and through the morning. By early afternoon it had stopped, and I was able to put a second coat of primer on bits of the stern counter.

Ran the engine and the Webasto first thing, and then the engine again in the evening.

0 miles, 2.9 engine hours

Tixall Wide

A bit concerned that the SG was reading only about 65 this morning, even though we've been on the landline for the last few days. Had used the TV a fair bit in the evening – but even so…

Applied primer over yesterday's rust converter on the stern. Removed the weed hatch cover so I could turn the prop while applying more silicone grease to the seal on the water-lubricated transmission. Since the weed hatch was showing signs of corrosion, applied Fertan liberally to that while the cover was off. Left for four hours or so before replacing the cover to avoid accidents when running the engine for charging / hot water.

0 miles, 2 engine hours

GH Marina to Tixall Wide

Ran a wash-load first thing, and used the marina dryer. Needed a pump-out, and then decided that the weather forecast might just allow painting to continue. So carried on out of the marina. On the way realised that we hadn't filled the water tank, so stopped at the GH services to do so. Tied up in usual spot at Tixall Wide.

Rubbed down the slight corrosion on the stern and applied Fertan.

1 mile, 0 locks, 1.8 engine hours

GH marina

Keith Wilson came to measure up the pram-hood panels. Drizzly and a bit windy, but he seemed to think it would go OK. Expects it to take inside three weeks.

Jennie from Engineering rang to say they could black the boat starting 8th November. So we can probably winterise after that. Also have to decide when to get the BSS certificate done.

Ran the Webasto for 3 hours in the morning.

0 miles, 0 engine hours

Tixall Wide to GH marina

Came back to the marina in the morning. Now have no neighbours, with Dave and Jo having moved out onto the cut, and John and Abi not in residence.

Re-fitted the pram-hood frame supports onto the stern rail, so that the hood could go up.

1 mile, 0 locks, 1.4 engine hours

Tixall Wide

Engine and heater in the morning, then walked up to the Canalside Café for lunch. In the afternoon I put another good coat of varnish on the stern rail.

0 miles, 2.5 engine hours

Tixall Wide

SG down to about 55 in the morning. Ran Webasto and the engine for 2.5 hours from 8 a.m. Afternoon sun meant batteries should be fine tonight.

Rubbed down the first right hand section of the stern rail mostly to wood, because applying the new varnish was giving problems. Put a coat all around the top and inside edge, and the outer part of the problem section.

0 miles, 2.5 engine hours

Tixall Wide

Rubbed down the rail with 320 grade paper and applied another coat of varnish. There didn't seem to be anything in the air when I did it, though I could see a fair bit of flotsam in the sun's rays later. When I checked late afternoon there were some bursting bubbles, almost as if there had been moisture which them evaporated. Have to leave tomorrow's coat until the sun has been on it for a while.

Ran the engine for a while because the sun is getting weaker. Home-made soup and bread for lunch!

0 miles, 1.7 engine hours

Little Haywood to Tixall Wide

Set out mid-morning to come up Haywood lock. Tied up briefly just above the lock so I could check the Post Office for Keith Wilson's package. Still no sign of it. Took on water at the junction – good pressure. Then reversed to go down the S&W. Tied up LHS to the bank to get the windows on that side cleaned, before turning so the hatch faces outwards.

Bought 2x20Kg bags of Supertherm from Halsall @ 9.25 a bag – slightly cheaper than the marina's price. Had some conversations with Harworth Heating about the washers between the air conductor and the glass. One of their exploded diagrams shows them, while the other one doesn't. They have never sold any, and their fitter doesn't think they matter. So we left it at that.

Rubbed down the back rail and put on a coat of varnish.

1 mile, 1 lock, 1.7 engine hours

Little Haywood

Stayed put. Went for coffee to Shugborough and ended up on a good walk finding the Lanthorn of Demosthenes and climbing up to Hadrian's Arch.

Ran the engine for hot water for an hour in the evening.

0 miles, 1 engine hour.

Fradley to Little Haywood

Ran the engine and the central heating for an hour in the morning.

Nice sunny day for cruising. Since we didn't yet know when Keith Wilson would be coming to Treat Haywood, we decided to push through to within striking distance, just in case. Stopped in Rugeley for some shopping. Wolseley Bridge was pretty full anyway, so we tied up half a mile short of Haywood Bridge, overlooking Shugborough.

11.5 miles, 4 locks, 1 swing bridge, 7.6 engine hours

Hopwas to Fradley

Chilly but dry and sometimes sunny. Set out mid-morning. Uneventful journey and tied up, as before, on the mornings below the swing bridge.

8 miles, 0 locks, 3.4 engine hours

Fazeley to Hopwas

Ran the engine for just over an hour in the morning.

Decided to leave Fazeley when everyone else did, since the sun was shining, against the forecast. Rain came as we neared Hopwas where we had decided to moor. Tied up on the unmarked Armco before the first bridge.

2.7 miles, 0 locks, 2.3 engine hours

Fradley to Fazeley

Set out early as rain was forecast from about 11. Cold but OK. Light rain came as promised, shortly before our arrival. Tied up in Fazeley behind NB Jubilee.

11 miles, 0 locks, 4.3 engine hours

Wolseley Bridge to Fradley

Cold and wet, though not quite the constant rain forecast. Stopped briefly in Rugeley for shopping. Found a good mooring below the swing bridge at Fradley.

10 miles, 3 locks, 1 swing bridge, 4.4 engine hours

Great Haywood to Wolseley Bridge

Very windy. Left marina about 4 p.m. after the rain stopped. Once out, travel was reasonable, but the folded pram-hood side panels blew off the roof at Little Haywood and were lost below the water. Searched for 20 minutes without success, before carrying on to Wolseley Bridge.

2.7 miles, 2 locks, 2 engine hours

Great Haywood

Wasn't as rainy as promised, but no bad thing to have a day in port. Took off the Squirrel's fire door to replace the glass, and went down to Penkridge to purchase the replacement. Decided to fit proper screws as well, though they had only one of the longer ones.

0 miles

Cross Green to Great Haywood

Because of the weather forecast for tomorrow, decided to do more than just half the journey to GH marina today, and ended up doing the whole lot. Cloudy day. Got into some queues at locks, but the journey made more bearable with TMS.

18 miles, 12 locks, 10.1 engine hours

Wheaton Aston to Cross Green

Got away about 7.45 in order to get to Brewood for Café Church. Tied up there just before Bridge 14, where the steps go up to the Bridge Inn car park. Couldn't get nearer than a foot to the back – but I didn't want to stress the gunnel paint anyway.

Café church was good – chatted with Adam and Natalie who were there to talk with the vicar about getting married, and then formed a foursome with them for group discussion during the talk.

Decided not to have lunch in Brewood, and came all the way to Cross Green, tying up just before the Anchor. Perfectly dry, with sun in places. Hope to eat in the Anchor tonight.

10.5 miles, 2 locks, 4.4 engine hours

High Onn to Wheaton Aston

Expecting it to be very rainy but, in the event, it wasn't too bad. Set out early to avoid the worst of the rain, and that turned out to have been a good decision. Tied up just through the bridge in Wheaton Aston. The point was to get within an hour or so of Brewood, fo Sunday morning.

Checked the weed-hatch and greased the drive with silicone grease (nearly 3 years since they did it at Debden Wharf, and it should be an annual event. By then the rain had dried up sufficiently for me to paint with gunnel paint the inside of the hull under the cruiser stern boards, down to the bilge paint line. Just did the left side back to the rear stanchion.

3 miles, 0 locks, 1.3 miles

Shebdon Visitor Moorings to High Onn

Nice day for travel – mostly "sunny intervals". Got a pump-out at Norbury (£20 without blue), filled with water, and then had to walk back over the bridge to buy a new bottle of Blue.

Tied up at High Onn, just after the tow path crosses, in the same mooring as on the outward journey. Put a second coat of gunnel paint down the left side to the rear stanchion, hoping we'll be able to leave it long enough to harden a bit before it gets serious testing in a lock.

Good TV, but very little Three signal this time.

8 miles, 0 locks, 3.8 engine hours

Market Drayton to Shebdon Visitor Moorings

Sunny at 7.30 when we set out, an early start because of the promised rain which duly arrived late morning. Tyrley flight was straightforward. Water at the top was pitiful. Tied up on the ringed moorings above the old Wharf Inn, which is now a private house. Sun came out later, but too late for painting.

7.5 miles, 5 locks, 4.3 engine hours

Audlem to Market Drayton

Sunny day with a nip in the air. Helpful traffic meant we were often going straight in to the locks. 24 lock-miles in about 5 hours is very good going. Back on the mooring in Market Drayton opposite NB Elijah.

6 miles, 18 locks, 5.2 engine hours

Audem – Overwater Marina – Audlem

Grey day with some drizzle. Went down the four remaining locks, taking on water on the way, and on to Overwater Marina for some gunwale paint. 2.5 litres for about £45. Turned there and, back in Audlem, decided to tie up below lock 13, to avoid being in the spot where we had spent the weekend.

Put black undercoat on the left gunwale, between the cabin end and the rear stanchion.

2 miles, 6 locks, 3.2 engine hours

Audlem

Wetter than promised, though dried up later. Fitted the screw cover in the channel of the re-sited window and finally removed the tarpaulin from its position

In the evening went to the folk session in the Shroppie Fly.

0 miles, 2.2 engine hours

Audlem

SG indicate a drop to 65 overnight – may have been precipitated by significant use of the inverter, but it had been on 78 before we went to bed. So we ran both engine and Webasto for an hour in the morning to restore charge and get hot water for showers.

Church at Audlem Methodist. Lunch at the Shroppie Fly. Had to clean more dog-dirt of my trainers after some canine left a fresh deposit just outside the back. Also had to clear our own toilet, where there was a blockage in the pump. Helpful  engineer on the phone advised that it should be possible to clear it with active use of a brush. In the end I used the long-handled paint-roller handle.

Applied epoxy glue to top right-hand corner of the re-sited window to hopefully seal the joint completely.

0 miles, 1 hour engine

Market Drayton to Audlem

Set out just before 8.30 to do the Adderley and Audlem flights. A stream of oncoming traffic made things pretty easy and fast. Tied up on the 48 hour moorings above lock 12, which we had avoided before because of rumours of the shelf. Seems OK and a very nice place to be. Become very sunny and hot and the solar panel is working well at filling the last bit of battery capacity.

Put a second coat of Goldstar varnish on the inner window frame and surround. Curtains can go back up tonight. Also had a go at creating a smoother top external edge with a little more Sikaflex. OK, but proving very difficult to do it neatly.

6 miles, 16 locks, 5.2 engine hours.

Goldstone wharf to Market Drayton

Got down the Tyrley flight very easily. Wanted to shop in Market Drayton. In the event stayed there, on the 48 hour mooring just before the water point. Got gas for £29 from the chandlery opposite.

3.5 miles, 5 locks, 2.3 engine hours

High Onn Wharf to Goldstone wharf

Called in at Norbury for water. Their gas price was about £31, so we didn't buy. Then it was the long haul across the Shebdon embankment. Goldstone wharf comes at just the right time. Put the first coat of Goldspar varnish on the window frame. Worked nicely over the coats of marine varnish to give a satin finish.

15.3 miles, 0 locks, 5.2 engine hours

Wheaton Aston to High Onn Wharf

Wanted gas from Turner's, but it proved really hard to reverse to their wharf from our mooring without hitting someone. So we pushed on, thinking we could always get it on the return journey. Main item today was fitting the window, which meant having the towpath on the right-hand side. Moored at High Onn, just before the towpath switches sides – new to us but a very mice mooring.

Spent the afternoon fitting the window, with all the nervousness that entailed. Thought it was a good idea to put a bead of Sikaflex along the top edge before tightening, but in the event that used far too much, and resulted in a lot of mess. Next time, probably put on a bead before fitting.

2.8 miles, 0 locks, 1.1 engine hours

Shroppie Bridge 7/8 to Wheaton Aston

Cloudy day, no rain. Came to Wheaton Aston for fuel and water, and hopefully to fit the window. Stopped off for shopping in Brewood, had a coffee in the Bistro (don't ever order a flat white there again) and bought two ham salad subs from the bakery. At WA we queued for an hour for the lock, and then got dog dirt on trainers while re-fuelling, which necessitated a walk back to the water-point for cleaning. By the time we'd tied up on the 48 hour moorings opposite Turner's, we didn't feel like working.

56.3 litres of diesel.

5 miles, 1 lock, 4.3 engine hours

Shroppie Bridge 7/8

Occasional very light shower, but generally dry enough to work on the window. Enlarged the screw holes on the right-hand side of the frame to match the holes in the cabin-side. Re-tapped the hole for one of the screws holding the top-right mitre together. Fitted an M4 machine screw and assembled the mitre with epoxy glue to seal and support. Leaving overnight. Will need to do a final test for fit tomorrow, but not expecting any problem.

SG reading 77% late afternoon so no need to run the engine.

Shroppie Bridge 7/8

Rain and wind made outside work on the window impossible. Attempted to clean off old silicone from the frame.

Used the Webasto a fair bit, so ran the engine in the evening to cover the battery drain, since the solar panel had been giving very little.

2 hours engine.

Shroppie Bridge 7/8

Sunshine and showers, making it tricky to do further work on the window. Took it out, to see how much I could repair. Tapped two angle screw-holes to replace two loose self-tapping screws with M4 machine screws. Also tried to glue the two top corners. The one with the new screws seems OK, but the other is probably not.

Didn't need to run the engine at all.

Pendeford to Shroppie Bridge 7/8

Went down to Oxley Marine at 9 a.m. to get them to sort the window machine screw hole which had been drilled out too far. They said it was now ready for tapping with M5 tap, and that this was the best solution, so we went ahead. Then they went around the window inserting all the other screws, with difficulty because of the alignment issues. Orph talked about fixing the window in place there and then with the sealant they use, but that felt rushed to me. I'll run the risk of fixing it myself.

Tied up at our normal mooring between Bridges 7 and 8 on the Shroppie. Had to cope with some really heavy showers and strong winds. It blew me on to the bows of a small boat as we were coming in. I apologised but she wasn't very receptive.

New batteries seem to be working really well.

4.5 miles, 0 locks, 2 engine hours

Penkridge to Pendeford

Found a lot of bird dirt on the roof in the morning. Nice timing on a lot of the locks with boats coming the other way. Were fortunate to get away just ahead of a rather fussy boat coming up Filance Lock. Got a pump out from JD at Gailey. No rinse, but blue was included in the £18. Then filled the water tank and cleaned the roof with the hose. Uneventful run through to Pendeford, though had to pass an oncoming boat in the narrows. Tied up just after Marsh Lane Bridge as usual – no company.

9.3 miles, 5 locks, 5 engine hours.

Tixall Bridge to Penkridge

Straightforward journey, though rather long. Tied up above Filance lock.

8.6 miles, 6 locks, 4.5 engine hours

GH marina to Tixall Bridge

Picked up contact lenses from the PO late morning, so set out after lunch. Mooring just before Tixall Bridge turned out to be a bit noisy, especially with goods trains in addition to the car horns on the bridge.

2.2 miles, 1 lock, 0.9 engine hours

Roseford Lock to GH marina

Stopped for lunch at Tixall Wide on the way home.

6.5 miles, 2 locks, 3.5 engine hours

Roseford Bridge to Penkridge and back

Iain took the helm most of the time. Winded above the first lock in Penkridge. Local lady did not like Iain coming along to hold the bows while I winded, but necessary because of the wind.

8 mile, 8 locks, 5 engine hours

GH marina to Roseford Bridge

Iain and Glenys White joined us for a couple of nights. Picked them up at Stafford and set out in the afternoon.

6.5 miles, 2 locks, 3 engine hours

Early summer 2018

4th May: De-winterised and fitted new XD31 engine battery

17th May:  Fitted 4 XD31 domestic batteries

28th June:  Keith Wilson mended the velcro on the canopy

July and early August: Started painting, using Tixall Wide for anything exterior: Front paint locker, framework under cruiser stern boards, well-deck surround; gunwale