...And back to base.

Spent the morning polishing the starboard side and preparing to go home. TQ shines really nicely, at least on one side. I'll do the other side tomorrow morning on the jetty. We had a leisurly journey back to Wigrams and with a moderate wind making things a little difficult I almost got into our mooring at 2F when someone came out and said we were to move to 1F. OK, fine, it made things a little easier as there is large amount of space to manoeuvre in. Once moored we unloaded all the stuff we didn't need into the car ready for tomorrow.

Heading back to base

Had a lazy morning just doing some odds and ends. It was frosty and foggy so going anywhere early would have been a little less enjoyable, but we're in no hurry, so waiting 'till after lunch was the decision. N B Serendipity moved off before 08:00hrs to our surprise so no gossip - shame. I finished off the draught excluding and touched up some paint which peeled off when I glued the tunnel light in place.



Early morning fog

 

Approaching Braunston

 We took on water just before Braunston Junction and I spotted Halfie on N B Shadow going back to Wigrams Marina.


Spotted just outside Braunston, from my home town. What's it doing here?

 At first we thought we'd go into Braunston and find a mooring, but after the number of boats heading this way decided against it and headed out toward Napton Junction. Now moored about two miles out in quiet countryside, but it's been very busy along here, with many hire boats heading back to their bases after the Easter break.

Another day of Maintenance

I put my overalls on and got down and dirty in the engine 'ole this morning, there's been a fault with engine starting, and reports have been coming through to wiggle the red wire and try again and usually the engine will start. I found an insulated connection with some considerable corrosion and so I went about taking it apart to clean it. First things first, isolate all the batteries so no accidental shorting can occurr, then verify by trying to start the engine. Then, if all is well, procede with loosening the offending connection. I managed to get the nut off and found the connected terminals were very corroded. I cleaned them up with abrasive paper, gave it a squirt of Wobbly Wee 40 and re-assembled it. I switched on the isolators and tried it out and success, it starts with no problem. Only time will tell!


Terminals, all a little corroded




This is the starter motor connection. Maintenance done here too.

 While I was down the engine 'ole I drop tested the starter battery, and it's in top notch condition.


Lin said...

 ..."I've got some more maintenance for you". "What've you broke?" I asked. "Nothing, the coat hooks are loose". "Well come on", I said, "You can do this one". - "This is a screw driver..."

We moved up a bit this afternoon, all of about two miles and moored near Willoughby. We got ouselves nicely parked and N B Serendipity moored up in front of us. I feel some gossip coming on!
More tomorrow.

Four Seasons in One Day

Yes, we've had it all today, rain, snow, hail, wind and even some warm sun. We cruised our way up to the winding hole just after Bridge 74 on the North Oxford Canal, did the obligatory 180 and ambled back to just North of Bridge 79 when there was the most spectacular flash of lightning (sorry, I wasn't quick enough with my camera) and the heavens opened. I was desparately hoping to find a nice stretch of pilings to moor against before the storm came but the wind kept me away from them and then there appeared to be some sheltered water next to a hawthorn hedge. So in with the bow and then the stern, hey-up where's the bow going now? I grabbed the Luby line (that's the centre rope) jumped off the boat and heaved as hard as I could and eventually TQ came into the pilings. By now the rain/ice (rice) was hammering down and I was struggling to get piling hooks temporarily installed. I got TQ sorted and went inside for shelter and discovered I was covered in ice fragments. This is where we'll stay for the night, and as I'm writing this it's calm outside and is rather a nice evening.

In our lunch time spot, then it rained.

The contraversial Barby Marina

Entrance to Barby Marina

It's ricing down

Both Bridges 79 and 80 have had considerable damage done to them, apparently it happened a few years ago so I expect there are some arguments over who is going to pay.

And the maintenance continues.

Today has been better weather wise, but not quite so much work has been done. We've moved to Braunston, taken on water and done a self pump-out. Phew, it's hard work pushing sh!t up hill. Then we had a late lunch in the Boathouse and rather than crash for the afternoon we went for a walk toward the locks. There were some bits we needed for TQ so we went in the chandlers there and picked up some grease for the stern gland and some sealant to stick down the tunnel light which had come adrift - job done.
There's not been many photos so far and I'll edit some of the blogs later and put some in.



Braunston - last lock of the day, and it's only 3pm

 Some considerable time ago, when TQ was blue and red, we met up with someone Lin knows through crafting/Facebook etc., Anne and Dave from NB Kernow. We bumped into them today on the bridge where the above photo was taken. What a coincidence, it was great to see them again and have a natter.
Back in the Boathouse for our evening meal tonight, and as yet, even after extensive discussion, we're undecided where to go tomorrow. Ahh! I love this life!

Not quite a total write off.

The weather is what I mean, yes, it has rained nearly all day, but I've managed to get quite a lot done. The first job I did was actually yesterday while we were in the marina. I had to find out why there was no mains shore power and it didn't take long to find a fault. The live connection had become severed in the inlet socket and now I've reconnected it, all is working as it should be.

This is as I found it.

We now have a Carbon Monoxide alarm fitted properly instead of it knocking around in the boat somewhere.
There is some draught excluder fitted to the front doors, though I couldn't find a way of making them easier to close, they appear to be warped a little and the door frame being a very close fit doesn't help.
The bathroom light switch - we have a new one.
Oh! And the all important dog lead ring - fitted.



Here's one I made earlier.

 TQ will be brand new by the end of the week!

At Last...

...We've waited six months for this, and such a lot has happened in that time. We (our Syndicate) has decided to go down the self managed route, and it's proving to be pretty good so far. TQ has had a new paint job and is looking sparkling. As always there is work to be done and I, as maintenance manager, have decided that this week will be dedicated mainly to maintenance. So we're not going far, and sticking to the pound between Braunston, Hillmorton and Napton. We'll not be going through any locks, saving water for the Summer, as we're heading into the wettest drought on record. (Just a thought, I wonder what would happen if (as we do) everyone paid £x for their car tax only to find we can only navigate through traffic lights from 10:00 to 16:00). Ouch!
We're moored in a quiet country spot, somewhere between bridges 111 and 112, but there's quite a lot of canal traffic about. Tomorrow looks like a write off weather wise, heavy rain and gales and I think we're going to hole up for the day.

Return to Base

ECB Memorial

Daventry

Have had trouble with the blog the last few nights as we don’t get a signal very often in this area. (Now writing on Friday 16th).
Last night we went over to the Boathouse at Braunston and enjoyed a good meal.
This was our last cruising day this trip, unfortunately, and after taking on water we had a quiet ’run’ to the marina. It was colder still today, but at least we had no gales or rain. We took our boys back to their car in Weedon and they left for home before noon. On the way back from there to the marina we decided to go to Daventry; hadn’t been there before so it was a change. Spent a little while there as the walking was slow! It was good to get a signal on the phone again. Back to TQ mid-afternoon, then out to the King’s Head pub at Napton for a very nice meal.
So, time to end the blog for this time. Posting photos- hopefully- of the memorial at Daventry to Edmund Charles Burton, a ’True English Gentleman’ and a building we liked. Hope to be back on the blog in June!

Assisted Return Journey

Waterfall

Norton in the Mist

Our son and Grandson arrived safely last night and it was great to see them. We were all awake quite early and ready to start the day. What a lovely morning we had too- the weather had improved greatly and we even had to take our coats off! We made our way through the seven locks of the Buckby Flight with another boat; four men on that one, hiring a narrow boat for the first time and enjoying it. They stopped for lunch at the last lock of the flight but we continued, through Braunston Tunnel, with a quick break afterwards before working the six Braunston locks. Hard work, (but not for me), with all those difficult gates today! And that’s it for locks this trip….. Just the couple of hours back to Napton tomorrow morning. Oh, I almost forgot- this afternoon the weather got very grey and VERY cold again. One of the Buckby locks was overflowing and looked like a waterfall, hence the photo. At Norton Junction conditions were just right for a reflective/reflecting photograph.

Stoke Bruerne

Unfortunately we had problems with the signal yesterday and the blog just would not be sent; tried quite a few times until it was bedtime. So the blog published earlier this evening was last night’s.
This morning we took it easy; fortunately my knee pain was not so extreme as yesterday, so I managed to hobble down to the Canal Museum near the lock at 11 o’clock. We enjoyed the visit there, in spite of the stairs which were rather difficult under the circumstances. Quite a few schoolchildren there on a day trip- memories of the past!
After a quick lunch back on TQ, Cap’n reversed all the way to the winding hole just before Blisworth Tunnel, much to the delight of the children. The tunnel was as wet as ever and still as fascinating in that you always think that the light at the end of the tunnel is a lot nearer than it is. I took a few photos of the different stages but won’t bore you with those, shall just post one taken not too far from the end and the second taken just before exiting. Had a quick stop for water at the edge of the Nottingham Arm, then continued on. We moored at 1730 and are looking forward to seeing our son and grandson before too long!

Oh dear.....

St. Peter's, Weedon Bec

Some Interesting Buildings


Up at 0630 to greet another grey day, while much of the country is enjoying lovely weather like we had at the weekend! At least it’s not raining or blowing a gale, both - or either- of which would be far worse than cloudy weather when we’re on our boating trip.
We set off at 0810 for the very short trip to the next bridge, so that we could go to Weedon Bec village for newspaper and milk. We tied up by 0830 and all was well - but not for long, unfortunately. Somehow, during the short exercise of getting off TQ, I managed to wrench my knee, with a big crunch! Not really very funny and I’m not sure how I managed to get down the very convenient steps near the boat to get to the village. (Only with help from the captain).
We walked through the churchyard of the pretty church, St Peter‘s, (well, limped in my case), and enjoyed seeing the old cottages and houses, some of which are included in the photographs. There is a P.O. and a One Stop shop in the village. We were back at TQ just after 9.30 and away not too long afterwards. The Captain then had to manage the boat single handed all day, as any movement on my part was agony. I had to sit down for as much of the time as possible. We navigated Blisworth Tunnel, the third longest presently navigable tunnel in Britain, during the afternoon; it was rather wet in parts.
Moored at Stoke Bruerne after exiting the tunnel, about half past three and I stayed on board while a bit of reconnoitring was done.
We realise that if the situation stays the same tomorrow, operation of locks will be impossible so we are going to retrace our ‘steps’ and will look forward to the assistance of our elder son- and our darling little grandson!- as we near the Buckby Flight again. We’ll see…

Surprise!

We had been led to believe that the excellent weather was to continue in the same vein for a few days at least, so were very surprised to wake up to a foggy day at 7 o'clock this morning! The mist changed to a dull greyness and it was quite cold out on the aft deck. We set off at 0840 and by 9 o'clock we had started on the Braunston Locks- six double locks, with very tough gates. Fortunately we met a couple on a working boat, so were able to save water, which is even more important than usual at the moment, with restrictions likely to come about before too long. We also teamed up with the same boat for the Buckby Flight of seven locks - again, very tough gates and some of the paddles weren't easy to get going either!
We tied up at Whilton Marina at 1pm. We had been told when we were at the lock that a new cafe was open there so went across to see if we could get a sandwich. However, the cafe was due to open tomorrow actually; they were just finishing off getting everything ready. The lady told us that her husband grows all his own vegetables and they keep chickens, so are going to use mostly home-grown food. The cafe is part of the chandlery building at Whilton Marina. Fortunately the small chandlery near the lock had a few newspapers for sale... The usual type of chandlery crammed with everything you need for the boat, plus a few more things you need anyway, like milk, biscuits and chocolate!
(We had a home-made sdandwich on TQ).
We set off about quarter to three, by which time the sun kept trying to get out, but not always succeeding and it was still rather cold. At four o'clock we moored in a quiet place at Weedon Bec, not too far from a pub, funnily enough. We had a little rest and warm-up then after a quick reconnoitre of the area and in spite of aching joints managed the three minute walk to the Heart of England pub near the bridge 24. We enjoyed a delicious meal there

Back to TQ!

Arriving at Braunston



Well here we are again on TQ, with the weather rather different from when we left three months ago. It was a beautiful day today, just like summer. We arrived at the marina, which we hadn't been to before, at 1045 as we knew the boat had been available since Thursday. The staff in the marina office were friendly and helpful and there were no problems with the boat.
We left just before 2pm and enjoyed a leisurely cruise to Braunston, passing many moored boats on the way. Most of their owners were sitting out enjoying the fine weather! We were lucky to find a mooring spot quite quickly and we decided to have our meal on board tonight (Thanks M&S!). Since then we have been looking at canal guides and working out alternative routes for this week from what we had originally planned.(JIC). Looking forward to tomorrow....

Our New Website

Good News! Our new website has been launched in preparation for our transfer to Self Management on 1st March 2012. It's bare bones at the moment and there's more to be added, but it's an excellent start. We can be found at www.nb-tranquility.co.uk/. Feel free to take a look.

All the preparation work is fast approaching completion, but some work will continue as the year progresses. Tools and spares are being sourced, I bought these recently...

Some tools for TQ

...to go in our tool box:-



It's not quite as vivid as it appears.

And donated these:-

Should prove useful one day.

Together with some spare parts...

Three drive belts for the engine alternators/generator.

Things are beginning to fall into place.

Our first Committee Meeting...

...Held at Napton Village Hall today (8/1/12),was very productive. The date has been set for the official transfer to self management, and the Agreement and Schedules have been discussed and modified and will be put forward to the membership for approval.
After the meeting we went to Wigrams Marina where we met managers Gillian and Kerry and made our choice from the available berths. We'll be bringing TQ here from Elton Moss within the next few weeks, but first there are some minor issues with the paintwork that need to be finished off, and some "I"s crossed and "T"s dotted.

Bridgwater and Taunton Canal on BBCs Countryfile

This is my local canal, such a shame its landlocked. I'd love to park my barge on the banks of my works back garden.
Don't miss next weeks thrilling installment on Sunday 15th January when the B and T Canal will be featured. Can't wait? Check out the preview here.

It's finished

The ring is now complete and awaiting fitting.


Pressing the brass rod into a ring.




The finished article.

 I'll fit it to TQ when I'm on holiday in April '12.

A posh accessory

Some while ago it was requested that a ring be placed in the seating area on the inside wall of the semi-trad stern on Tranquility. This is for the dog owners of the syndicate to tie their best friend to and keep them under control. A galvanised steel item was purchased and fitted, and it looked awful, it was the sort of thing that would be at home on a farm for tying your prize bull to. At the AGM earlier this year it was asked if a brass one could be located and fitted, but this option had been sought in the past and procurement of such an item had drawn a blank. I waited until the conversation came to a critical point and volunteered (what was I thinking?) just before the fingers started pointing, to make one and nearly got my hands bitten off. Everyone in the syndicate knows I'm an engineer, so if I didn't volunteer I would have been volunteered. I don't mind really, if anyone wants something made I'll try my best to oblige.

Here's a pictorial progress report:-



First, mill two sides square. Re clamp, then mill the other two sides
square and to size using a 10mm slot drill.

 

Mill a 1/8" chamfer all round. Done with a 45 degree
countersink/chamfer tool seen in the top of the photo.



Stage one completed.



Stage two is drill and countersink four holes to suit No.2 BA screws,and
then drill and reamer two holes 1/4" diameter to accept the brass loop.

 The next bit is a little more complicated. I need to make some tools on my lathe to bend the loop and the ring. This will consist of three rollers with a 1/8" radiused groove to accept the 1/4" brass rod. These tools are then set up on the milling machine and I'll use it as a press to bend the brass rod.



Three rollers set up to produce a curve in the brass rod.




A dry fit of the loop in the base plate.




Heating it up to apply some silver solder.




After soldering the dag ends are cut off ready to be machined flush.

 Well that's it for today, I'll finish it after Christmas. Which just leaves me to say have a really great Christmas and lets all look forward to some wonderful cruising in the coming season.

TQ after wash and brush up!

Last day on TQ until March.
We couldn’t believe what a nice day it was, when we looked out, after all we’d heard! Blue skies, fluffy clouds and sunshine.. Wonderful! We were working Wardle Lock at 1030, then stopped to fill up at the water point round the bend. Nipped over to the Kings Lock chandlery as we couldn’t find any Brasso on board . (Had tried another shop previously and the young chap at the counter said, ‘Brasso? What’s that?’) As the weather was still good, we stopped after Kings Lock so that the captain could continue with the cleaning of the exterior of the boat after all the rain yesterday afternoon. We had lunch there and left at 1320, when we could see very dark clouds gathering not too far away. The wind was still very gusty and the boating was a bit tricky at times, but we were very lucky as the rain, though chasing us, did not catch us until nearly three o’clock. It wasn’t too heavy then until we got to Crows Nest Lock, where we also had sleet and hailstones! After we had tied up at Elton Moss at 4pm, at the end of our holiday, the heavens opened again and we’ve had more showers this evening. All in all, it was a good trip and we enjoyed it. We were extremely lucky that the weather wasn’t far worse for us; we were definitely in a part of the country that missed the extremes of the weather.

TQ at Stanthorne Lock

So, we were expecting an even worse day (weather-wise) than yesterday, after having listened to a few weather forecasts, but we were really very lucky.
The morning was reasonably bright and although you couldn’t actually say it was warm it was a higher temperature than it’s been all week, i.e. not freezing! We set off for the lock about 9:30 and were pleased to find that the gusts of wind were no worse than yesterday, though of course they were bad enough then, as you may remember reading.
Although there was some use of the barge pole and holding off from the banking etc., we got through the locks without too much trouble and only a little light rain and by 1315 we had tied up in the last section before Wardle Lock. Soon afterwards, the heavens opened and the rain lasted for quite a while. We walked to the town about 4.30 -when it had stopped raining- and came across the Post Office on the way, so I managed to post the last of the Christmas cards. Great, all finished! The town now has a few coffee shops, whereas last time we were here there wasn’t one. There are more eating places too (sign of the times) and we went to The White Bear. It was an old pub but had been closed for two years. It has been modernised and has only been open for two weeks. We enjoyed our meal very much. The lamb shank was huge!
The air was rather icy as we walked back to the boat but fingers crossed it will be warmer by morning- we live in hope.