Annual report

Twelve years of ownership completed.  This year is towards the bottom end of usage, mostly because our autumn trip was shorter than normal.

During the year we travelled on the following waterways:

• BCN New Mainline
• BCN Oozells Loop
• Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
• Coventry Canal
• Grand Union Leicester Line
• Grand Union Mainline
• Lapworth Link
• North Oxford Canal
• North Stratford Canal
• Worcester and Birmingham Canal

Sheffield and back

I was up early today and driving to Sheffield for a boat test.  I was there by 9.30, on a day which was much sunnier than forecast.  On the way back, the M1 southbound, which had been closed first thing, was still closed — meaning a bit of a detour.  I was back at the boat around 2pm, so having spent so much time in the car went for a walk down the towpath to Cosgrove.  The trees behind the offside permanent moorings have been cut right back.  It makes the whole area look very different.

I carried on past the lock and along to the aqueduct, where I saw my first ducklings of the year.

Further on, I took a left hand path off the towpath and did a loop through the Ouse Valley Park, returning by the aqueduct.  At about this time it started trying to rain although it didn’t come to much until I’d been back for a while.  Once it started raining properly though, it was pretty persistent.  Tomorrow I’ll be up even earlier, and going to work.

Back on board

I came up to the boat this afternoon, as I have a boat test further north tomorrow.

BSS weekend: Day 3

The birds round here seem particularly noisy.  The ducks were making a racket late into the evening, and this morning I was woken up by the dawn chorus at about 5.30.  I’m not sure if it rained in the night, or if there was a very heavy dew.  Either way I was pleased to see that the polish I’ve put on over the past couple of days had made the water form into droplets.

I set off about 8.15, heading for the lock.  There was a boat at the water point below the lock, which is also the lock landing — so I was wondering how I was going to tie up the boat while working the lock.  But the chap from the boat signalled to ask if I wanted water, and I signalled back that I was going up the lock.  He then grabbed a windlass and emptied the lock for me and opened a gate, which was really nice of him.

Once in the lock I got off the boat and worked my way up.

I was back in the marina shortly afterwards.  There was no wind at all, which actually made spinning to reverse into the berth more difficult.  Once secure I drove down to B&Q and got new smoke and CO alarms, which were easy to install.  The BSS chap, Bim, was due between 11 and 11.30 so I had some time to kill.  I took everything off the well deck, gave the whole area a scrub, and polished the paintwork.  Bim arrived at almost 12, saying the boat he’d just been doing was terrible and had failed on multiple aspects.  He completed our test is under an hour; there was just one thing I had to do to ensure the pass, which was get a strap to secure the batteries down; we used to have one, but must have been mislaid when the batteries were changed.  What was quite pleasing was that Bim was very complimentary about Briar Rose and the state she was in.

I had a few other things to do and a bit of packing, and set off back home at about 2.30 — on what turned out to be quite a long slow journey.

1 mile, 1 lock.  (11 miles, 2 locks)

BSS weekend: Day 2

As I looked out of the side hatch yesterday evening at about 7.30, I saw a barn owl flying along the opposite bank of the canal — quite remarkable really given the huge housing estate just the other side of the park.  I slept really well and had a leisurely start to the day.  To get some steps in, I decided to go and have a look at the ponds they restored recently at Great Linford, which you can see from the canal.  I walked along the towpath, then over the old railway bridge.  Signs say these were the pleasure gardens for the Manor House.

There are also some nice new interpretation boards.

On the way back I walked up the old railway line and eventually came out opposite the Asda at the far side of the park and housing estate, and returned back through that part of the park.  The lady from the boat in front was about, and we had a nice chat about their live-aboard life.  I set off about 11.30, heading for the winding hole.  The one before the bridge had a boat moored where my stern would have swung round, and a fisherman at the apex, so I decided to go through the bridge and use the one the other side.  As I was halfway through the bridge, I saw a boat coming the other way, but we were able to dance round each other, and I was round in no time.  In fact, going back through the bridge I caught him up almost immediately as he was barely moving; he waved me past, and I noticed he did the same for another boat a bit later.  The new houses by Bridge 76, which were not finished last September, now are — and most are occupied.  I rather like the shape of them, and the detached version has a double height section in the middle.

As I crossed the Grafton St Aqueduct, there was a rail replacement bus among the traffic, and as I got toward the Wolverton Rail Bridge I thought I could see why — there were lots of working trains sitting there.  I particularly liked the name of the one I could see.

Not all lines were closed though, because trains were still going through Wolverton Station.  At around this point, a lady on the towpath asked me how I keep my ‘tent’ so black — so any disappointment that the cratch cover still looked a bit green in places disappeared!  I had to confess that I’d scrubbed and re-waterproofed it only yesterday.  I moored up by the flats in Wolverton to make a dash to Tesco.  Earlier in the morning I’d tested the CO and smoke alarms, and found the smoke alarm wouldn’t make any noise.  While the CO alarm appeared to work the first time, I now can’t get that to change its display either.  Anyway, Tesco had no replacements and nor did any of the other shops in Wolverton, so it’ll be a trip to B&Q first thing tomorrow.  I had some lunch while I was there, then set off again.  The boat with the duck in the flower pot had gone, so either the duck wasn’t nesting, or they’ve taken it with them.  As I approached the aqueduct, I could see the familiar yellow umbrella of the ice cream man.

Would there be space to moor up today? I thought there might be because one of the boats I’d passed had been moored here yesterday — and sure enough there was a space.  In fact, there’s room for another behind.  Once secure, I walked back and got an ice cream.

Having seen all the caravans in the park below the embankment, I wondered if their shop might have alarms.  They don’t, but the shop has been completely re-done since I last called in, and now includes a smart cafe.  Back at the boat I washed the towpath side, put some polish on it, and did the first stage of dealing with the scratches below the gunwales.  It’s a busy towpath, and a few people stopped to chat.

5 miles, 0 locks.  (10 miles, 1 lock)

BSS weekend: Day 1

We have a BSS examiner coming to do his thing on Monday, so I’ve taken the opportunity of another weekend on board.  I came up after finishing my third night shift this morning.  Even calling in to Tesco at Wolverton for food, I was still at the marina by 9.  After sorting out the stuff I’d brought up with me, I tackled the cratch cover, which was looking very green.

I took it up to one of the picnic tables and used a car soft top cleaner on it, giving it a good scrub.  The greenest bits made the suds go green, so I knew stuff come coming off.  Then I laid it on the bank behind the boat and gently rinsed it with the hosepipe, then used a squeegee to get the worst of the water off.  I did a few other things to give it a little time to dry, then put it back on again.  Of course the best way to dry it off would be to go boating, so that’s what I did.  As I pulled out of the berth, a huge red kite was circling over the marina, with a particular interest in the spit of land between the marina and the canal.  I only really got silhouettes for photos, but you can still tell it’s a red kite.

I turned right out of the marina, towards Milton Keynes.  It was about 11.15.  The Taverners Cruising Club seemed to be having a work party weekend, as there was planting going on, and a bit tea round had been made.  At the next offside moorings, a moorhen has nested in a floating tyre.

Cosgrove Lock was against me, so I tied up and filled the lock.  When it was ready I hauled the boat in, and spotted that a boat which had been on the water point had set off — so I waited.  The chap arrived on foot first, and his opening gambit was to suggest that I push Briar Rose over to the other side, to save him going round to the other side.  Of course it would have meant me going round instead, and it would have been impossible to pull the boat out of the lock that so, so I declined.  The lady steering thanked me for waiting for them, but when the lock was empty and the gates were open, she shot out, he closed his gate, he jumped on the boat and they were off.  I’ve always understood the etiquette to be that if you arrive at a lock second, you let the boat that was there first go first — or at least offer that option, particularly if the first boat has waited for you.  However, it then took me a few moments to pull the boat out by which time they were long gone.  Fortunately, a boater walking up the towpath said he’d shut the gate for me, which was nice.

There had only been one boat moored in Cosgrove, but below the lock was choc a bloc.  I think there was only one space which would have been long enough, had I wanted to stop.  As it happened, I didn’t.  Between the Galleon and Wolverton, a duck is nesting in a boat’s rooftop flower pot.  I will attempt to get a decent photo tomorrow, as I failed this morning.  There were lots of boats moored either side of Bridge 74, so I was worried that my planned destination before the next bridge would also be busy.  However, there was plenty of space, so I picked a nice open spot.  As I had my lunch, the clouds disappeared and there was suddenly bright sunshine.

To make the most of the weather, I washed the towpath side of the boat, then prepped the scratches on the gunwales and put some Fertan rust treatment on.  I polished the washed side too, which took a while, by which time the cratch cover was dry meaning I could paint it with Fabsil to re-waterproof it.  I’m sure it will look greener again when the Fabsil is dry, but right now it looks really good.

There was a fifteen minute period when lots of boats passed in both directions, including two day boats from Cosgrove.  I’ve had a really productive day, especially given it’s a post night shift day, and I’m expecting to sleep well tonight.  Even though it’s really warm now, I might light the fire later because clear skies could mean it gets pretty cold.

5 miles, 1 lock.

Stewart Simm spec boat on test

The May Canal Boat is out, and includes my boat test on a spec boat by a new builder, Stewart Simm.  The designer is making great use of Andy’s photos — I particularly like the way this drone shot has been used on this page.