Coventry Basin

Dull day, with rain. Coffee in the basin café, and then mostly indoors. Gave a polish to Erin Mae's RH side – it came up better than expected.

Needed to run the engine late afternoon.

Counter: 428.3

0 miles, 2.1 hours engine

Coventry Basin

Walked into the city centre to see the sights.

Counter: 426.2

0 miles, 1.4 hours engine

Marston Junction to Coventry Basin

Grey day. Patches of both sunshine and drizzle. Taps at Hawkesbury Junction very slow.

Tied on on pre-booked mooring, Jetty C. Bollards just about the right distance.

Counter: 424.8

8.5 miles, 0 locks, 4.4 hours

Nuneaton to Marston Junction

Only a short trip, as we needed to stop at Marston Junction to pick up an Amazon delivery from a shop up the road. Nuneaton water continues to be a lot cleaner than it was the first time we came through here.

Counter: 420.4

3.5 miles, 0 locks, 1.4 engine hours

Atherstone to Nuneaton

Did a bedding wash in an Atherstone launderette, and completed the shopping in Co-op and Aldi. Got under way by 11.30, and had good help up the 5 locks from volunteers and boaters coming down. Cloudy and damp with some moisture in the air.

Stopped briefly at Springwood Haven Marina to get a 25A fuse and a Jubilee clip. Tied up after Bridge 23 in order to walk to Midland Chandlers HQ at Century Park, to pick up the items I ordered over the phone yesterday. Shower pump working again with replacement fuse.

Counter: 419.0

5.5 miles, 5 locks, 3.2 engine hours

Polesworth to Atherstone

Dull, cold day, with some precipitation. On our own for most of the journey, but got in a queue when we came to the Atherstone flight. Good to have some help, but we had to hang around a bit.

Shower pump stopped working. Probably the fuse.

Tied up on the visitor moorings at Atherstone. Big shop at Aldi.

Counter: 415.8

4.3 miles, 6 locks, 4 hours engine

Fazeley to Polesworth

Water at Fazeley.

Not much traffic, just one boat queueing in front at Glascote locks. Dullish day, with some sun. Great to have the alternator stuff sorted and working.

Tied up on Polesworth visitor mooring rings. Added the Blue for yesterday's pump-out

Counter: 411.8

10.1 miles, 2 locks, 3.5 hours engine

Hopwas to Fazeley

Easy run down to Fazeley. Rain meant we stayed on the moorings there.

Fazeley Mill Marina: Pump-out @ £16.50. Diesel: 95.3 litres at 71p.

Counter: 408.3

3.5 miles, 0 locks, 2 engine hours

Streethay Wharf to Hopwas

Nearly first thing, Robin, then Nick and Nigel came to discuss the warning light issue. Then Steve came to check the alternator, and then fit a new one. Ah well, it's 14 years old with never a stutter. Expensive, but too much hassle to source elsewhere, get a re-furb or get this one re-furbished.

That left the bill! We left about 2 p.m. – a wind day for travel but no mishaps. Tied up on the rings between the Hopwas bridges. Got clattered by a boat coming under the bridge. Probably the wind.

Warning light stayed off. Rev counter and engine hours counter seem to be working properly, so the rev counter intermittency had seemingly been due to the same alternator issue as the warning light. SmartGauge reading 100% by the time we tied up. 

Counter: Start 404.0; Finish 406.3.

5.25 miles, 0 locks, 2.3 engine hours

Streethay Wharf

Rob fixed the problem with the stove door not shutting by cleaning out rust from behind the sealing rope. But that's the last we saw of him. Nigel came by around 3.30 to say we weren't forgotten, but the alternator issue will clearly have to wait until tomorrow.

Midland Chandlers confirmed I can arrange for an order to be picked up at their HQ at Century Park in Nuneaton, with a day's notice.

Water tank filled. Engine for charging and hot water.

0 miles, 1 hour engine 

Streethay Wharf

Rob was here early to make a start on cleaning up the roof hole. In the end, the whole flue job got done. Too late to make a move, and I need to ask him about the alternator issue.

Ran a wash-load. Ran the engine in the evening as there was less sun today and some use of the inverter.

0 miles, 1.5 engine hours

Streethay Wharf

Sunny day – solar panel did well. But no progress on the flue. Nigel was off sick, and no-one came near us all day. Checked with Nick later on, and he promised to deal with cleaning and treating the hole in the morning.

0 miles, 0 engine hours

South Fradley to Streethay Wharf

Up at 6.30 to get down to Streethay for work on the flue. Weather mixed, but sunny enough in the afternoon for the solar panel to do a good job.

Rob started the work on the flue. Stove went to the workshop for a re-furb, so remainder of the work will be done tomorrow.

Rob said he could have a look at the voltmeter warning lamp affair. My current conclusion is that it's likely to be the regulator on the engine alternator.

Staying on the wharf's pontoon overnight. Filled the water tank.

2 miles, 0 locks, 1 hour engine 

South Fradley

Still here, conserving water. 

Tried to get my head back round all the stuff about alternator wiring that I researched when replacing the odometer. 

0 miles, 1.5 hours engine

South Fradley

Gloomy day. Stayed at Fradley.

The engine battery charging warning light came on when I ran the engine. May be related to the fiddly wiring between the engine alternator and the control panel. Don't think it's actually a charging problem, because that is now handled by the Sterling AB12160.

0 miles, 2 hours engine. 

South Fradley

Still waiting for the flue to arrive at Streethay, so took the bus into Lichfield for a visit. Stayed on the mooring, and ran the engine early evening.

0 miles, 2 hours engine

South Fradley

Parts for the flue did not arrive at Streethay Wharf, so we stayed put, and it will probably be Monday before the work can be done.

Ran the engine p.m., with the batteries down to 69 after using the inverter at lunch-time.

0 miles, 2 hours engine time. 

South Fradley to Fradley Junction and back

 Managed to water and wind at Fradley Junction and get back to the South Fradley mooring while there was still a space. Ran a wash load while travelling. Tap at the junction very slow.

Found the shops and a post box in South Fradley. About half a mile to both.

2.5 miles, 0 locks, 2 swing bridges, 2.3 engine hours

Streethay Wharf to South Fradley

Successfully talks / action with Nigel and his crew. Antifreeze in the radiator system seems OK, and it all worked fine. Rob fitted a bracket to keep the Webasto exhaust away from two engine cooling hoses.

Agreed with Nigel to go ahead with the flue replacement. He ordered the kit and the top plate. Have to ring him on Thursday to check they've arrived.

Came up to Fradley, tying up on the moorings before Bridge 90. Solar panel doing a great job of keeping the batteries charged, in spite of the more limited travel time.

2 miles, 0 locks, 0.9 engine hours.

Tamhorn Farm Bridge to Streethay Wharf

 Set out at 9, but it took longer than expected to get to Streethay. Hoped to get the Webasto and radiators serviced today, but Nigel had a day off. So we were asked to tie up next to Swyfdon Spirit and wait till tomorrow.

Journey fine, but some rain once we were here.

Got the final coat of bilge paint on the locker at about 6 p.m.

3.3 miles, 0 locks, 1.4 hours