Heading South

Friday night in Nottingham, moored near a main road, was as expected noisy.  However we didn't expect an idiot to be speeding up and down the canal in his narrowboat at 11pm not too mention the honking, amorous canada geese.   After shopping at Sainsbury's on Saturday morning we headed out of civilisation and moored up on the quiet jetties outside Cranfleet Lock. 

On Sunday morning we came to a crossroads and a much debated decision about our route had to be reached.   The River Soar, through Leicester  and onto the Grand Union canal  is the direct route south but there are a lot of locks and a long day from Leicester city centre to safe moorings at Kilby.  We decided to take the scenic route: south-west on the Trent and Mersey then south-east on the Coventry and Oxford canals. 

Filling up at the waterpoint at Trent Corner as we decide which direction to take.  The board on the opposite bank shows our options: right for the Trent and Mersey, left then right for the River Soar and straight left for the weir!

  The Trent and Mersey, starting at Sawley Locks, is now a familiar route.  For the first time this year we dropped the wheelhouse ready for the low bridges.  Bess enjoyed sitting on the roof again but only for short periods, even with her coat on it was quite chilly.  

The approach to Sawley Locks - there are two locks side by side but the right hand one is hidden from view in this shot.  

One of the old warehouses in Shardlow.  The semi-circular windows feature on many of the canal buildings in this village.  

Our decision to take this route was not influenced by the Ragley Boat Stop, one of our favourite hostelries on the canal network; we had a couple of nights on their moorings and forgot about our diets.   

After setting off from Goole we realised we had a distinct shortage of tubular fenders, protecting Brent III's hull in soon takes it's toll.  Just outside Willington we moored up and called in at Midland Chandlers for some replacements.   Having put the wheelhouse up we left it up for the short distance into Willington and travelled very slowly under the low railway bridge.  We cleared it with 3 inches to spare.  

At Burton-on Trent we stopped at our usual spot at the park and playing fields, Shobnall Fields.   There was a surprise, we hadn't been here in spring before so were seeing a mass of daffodils for the first time.   

Strong winds and rain were forecast for the weekend so we were up early and stopped at the mooring for Morrisons on the way out of town.   With our fridge replenished we continued through to Alrewas where we battened down the hatches. 


Our journey from Nottingham to Alrewas

The River Trent

From Goole we sailed to Doncaster to give Brent III a local run to check all was well after her lift out.   Whilst on the moorings Kev started the engine but it cut out twice indicating a problem.   Kev suspected fuel flow problems and, sure enough, a check of the diesel filters revealed a sediment blockage in the in-line fuel filter; probably the result of disturbing the sediment in the fuel tank.  To be safe we changed all the diesel filters and then were ready to sail back up to Bramwith and east to Keadby. 

When the Keadby moorings came into view we were surprised to see a line of fishermen occupying all the moorings.  They clearly weren't very pleased to see us but we only ousted one of them from his place and as the Lockie had come down to meet us there wasn't any grumbling.  Apparently the fishermen can use the moorings during winter opening hours but risk having to move if a boat arrives.  

On Friday the 13th we locked out of Keadby onto the Trent and had a very good run down to Torksey, arriving 4 hours later.  We had been advised to leave Torksey after noon the next day to make the best use of the tide to Cromwell.   Unfortunately high tide wasn't high and it didn't give us any help at all, most of the time we were chugging along below 4mph.  It became obvious we weren't going to arrive at Cromwell before the Lockie finished for the day and we spent the night on the pontoon outside the lock in the company of two cruisers who wanted an early start in the morning.   The current from the weir and the wind made it a rocky experience and we were pleased to moor at the top side of the lock in the morning.  

One of two sunken barges supporting the bank at a disused gravel wharf.  The signpost gives the distance in kilometers to Meadow Lane Lock, Nottingham where boaters wishing to continue south turn on to the Nottingham Canal.

There was just one other boat at Newark so we were able to hook up to the electric.  We are currently dieting so Kev didn't pay his customary visit to Just Beer and consequently we didn't stop at Newark for long.  The electric card readers can be temperamental and on this occasion our electric card with it's remaining credits was swallowed instead of being returned to us.  Cheryl in the Newark CRT office arranged for an electrician to retrieve the card and will post it back to Rotherham for us, luckily we have some spares if we need them.   

During the winter opening hours the locks on the non-tidal Trent are unmanned so it's 'do it yourself ' using the control boxes at the side of the lock gates but we had some luck.  At Newark Town Lock a maintenance man arrived as I was walking up and he happily locked us through.  At Gunthorpe we were almost at the lock jetty when we were surprised by the lock light suddenly turned to red and green, indicating the lock was being prepared for us.  The Lockie had been equally surprised to see  us as he'd just gone up into his station to prepare for a training session with a volunteer.  

The overcast cloud of the previous days cleared to give us a good view of the eclipse at Gunthorpe.  Kev and I took it in turns to look like Darth Vader, wearing the welding helmet, as the moon crept over the sun.  The temperature dropped along with our solar power as the disc of sun was reduced to a slim crescent.  

With the solar spectacle over we moved on, heading towards Holme Pierrpoint.  When we arrived at Holme Lock we found the turbine construction works had taken over the lock.   A temporary bridge crossed the channel out of the lock and this had to be moved to allow boats through but the workers had it ready for us so there were no delays.   We had intended to stop at Holme Lock but there were no suitable moorings so we continued on to Nottingham and moored up near Sainsburys.  


Our journey from Goole to Doncaster and then Nottingham

On Dry Land

As we prepared to leave our winter moorings at Viking Marina strong winds picked up and created waves on the canal but we couldn't delay our departure.  Our destination was literally across the canal and into Goole Boathouse where Brent III was booked in for a week on land and some maintenance work.   On arrival at the slipway Brent III was manoeuvred onto a trailer and pulled out of the water.  She immediately had her first treatment, a pressure wash to prepare for blacking the hull.  

Brent III on the trailer being pulled up the slipway.

The trailer was pulled up the yard and we were given steps up to the stern for access.  It took a little while to get used to Brent III being out of water, the trailer was parked on a slight slope which was reflected inside and her lack of movement as we moved about felt odd.   Paul G came on board to assess the work we required on the propeller shaft which we have noticed vibrating.  As we expected all it's components needed replacing including the boss which holds the prop shaft as it passes through the hull.  Paul cut out the boss leaving a precise straight-edged hole for plating.  The replacement parts arrived on Tuesday and Paul carefully aligned them and welded steel plates around the new boss.  Paul explained each step of the process and we were impressed by his attention to detail in the work.  

The shaft, boss and propeller lined up through Paul's hole before welding.

Meanwhile Kev and I prepared for blacking and mixed the hardener into the epoxy pitch. Unfortunately it was a cold day and the blacking thickened into an almost unworkable consistency; this was remedied by standing the tin in a bucket of hot water.   Two days later we were ready to apply a second coat but this time the epoxy pitch was warmed to start with.  

On the trailer after all the work had been completed.  Bess is standing on the back deck waiting for a lift down the steps.

Over the weekend Cath and John of TV fame, after an appearance on Barging around Britain with John Sergent, came to see us before we sailed off and Shaun and Paul came to take our car back to Rotherham.

On Monday morning the trailer was gently rolled back down the slipway and Brent III re-entered the water.   Due to her length and the angle of the slope her stern was almost submerged before she was able to float off.  

Re-entering the water.  A wooden bung was used to plug the exhaust which was submerged.

Back on board we were ready to sail off but once again our first destination was across the canal, back to Viking Marina for diesel.  Then we sailed down to the docks to turn round ready to start this years continuous cruising.  

Heading into Goole Docks to turn round.

Merry Christmas

After mooring up for the winter at Viking Marina we quickly settled into our winter routine.   Time has been spent on general maintenance and repairs on Brent III, and also on some of her occupants.   We have replaced the white van with a Ford Mondeo Ghia so are now travelling in style.   I entered the November Novel writing event again and reached the website's target of 50,000 words but there is still some editing work required on my novel.   

The festive season is fast approaching and fairy lights are twinkling on some of the boats in the marina.   We enjoyed a trip with Cath and John to the bustling Beverley Christmas Market which had an opening parade and a wide variety of stalls.  

Now we are nearly ready to start our Christmas holidays I wish you all a  Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.   

Home to Goole

After spending a couple of nights at Torksey we sailed through to Lincoln and, in complete contrast to the quiet countryside, we moored up outside the University halls of residence.  I enjoyed a walk round the city and then climbed the steep streets up towards the cathedral. Near the top of Steep Hill I spotted a Roly's Fudge Shop, an irresistible treat after the long climb.  

Steep Hill leads up to Lincoln Cathedral

After our stop at Lincoln we decided to return to Torksey and complete our journey north on the Trent.  The tide was high, carrying logs and debris towards us, but after the first hour it turned and we started to pick up speed.  

Keadby railway bridge, a humber keel is on the left and a coaster is moored up on the far side of the bridge.

At Keadby the green weed is once again prolific and we kept an eye on Bess and Brinny who might have been tempted to try walking on it.   Cath and John drove down to see us and we enjoyed an evening chatting and catching up on their news.  

Green weed covers the canal at Keadby

We've enjoyed travelling on new waterways but it's also nice to return to familiar ground. We moored up at our usual haunts on our way to Doncaster where Kev wanted to upgrade his phone.  The coverage on his Talkmobile network is non-existent in remote areas so he chose a Samsung phone and swapped to O2.  To retain his phone number we had to ring Talkmobile for a PAC code to give to O2.  Simple, except Talkmobile didn't want to talk to us.  We made 5 calls which followed a similar pattern; after a lengthy wait the call would be answered and we were advised we would be put through to the Terminations Team. Unfortunately the Terminations Team were determined to terminate the call before we could terminate the contract and we were repeatedly cut off.  

Kev's patience gave out and, as we had already sailed out of Doncaster, we turned Brent III round and returned.  The new phone was packed back up and we marched back to Carphone Warehouse where, faced with the prospect of us returning the phone, the assistant put a call through to Talkmobile and had the necessary code within 5 minutes.  Now the new phone is up and running we are very pleased with it. 

The weather forecast indicated a change for the worse and we have some maintenance work to do so we decided to head for winter moorings.  Luckily we didn't have far to go because Viking Marina had space for us.  The wind was getting up as we arrived but that didn't stop us having a drink or two with Cath and John that evening.  

Our cratch board made a convenient shelf for the empties - guess which one was mine!

Since leaving the marina in April we have covered 846 miles and come through 456 locks. 

Map of the waterways we travelled in 2014.

Newark

After a night in Nottingham we continued east on the Nottingham Canal and rejoined the River Trent opposite the Nottingham Forest football ground.  We had intended to stop at Holme Lock but after pulling over we noticed some signs advising the visitor moorings were not available.  The Lockie told us the boats on permanent moorings were moving onto the visitor moorings during some initial work on the hydro-electric generator which is to be installed.  We carried on to Stoke Lock to find the moorings had all been taken and so went on to Gunthorpe and although it was busy there was space for us.  

On Sunday Shaun, Laura and the kids came over and brought with them some sanding discs.  After all our hard work sanding down Brent III we'd used up our supply.  We all enjoyed an excellent meal at the Unicorn Hotel which is conveniently across the road from the moorings.  

On Monday we moved on to Hazelford Island, famed for it's blackberries.  This year the bushes were laden and we quickly had enough for a blackberry and apple crumble. Hazelford is also famous for it's rabbits but the population seems to be diminished and Kev found the reason for this when he spotted some mink droppings.  The weather was fine so we removed everything from the roof, including the solar panels, and painted on an undercoat.  

We left Hazelford in the fog and as we approached Newark we were surprised to see some rowing boats emerge through the mist.  They were probably surprised when we blew our horn in warning.  

At Newark we hoped a mooring with an electric point would be free and we were in luck; 2 boats left the moorings shortly after we arrived.   This enabled us to leave the solar panels off and complete the roof with two gloss coats in light grey.  We also painted both sides in cream and added a red band over the roof handrail so we were pleased with our progress.  

On Sunday Sarah came over to see us and, as we both have new cameras, we went for a walk with them before enjoying lunch and a lazy afternoon chatting.  

Newark Town Lock from the castle

By Wednesday morning we'd been at Newark for 8 days and decided it was time to move on before Just Beer really did become Kev's local.  We arrived at Cromwell in time to go through the lock and onto the River Trent.  As we headed north Kev spotted an unusual sight and grabbed the camera for a photo of a low-flying vulcan bomber.   The plane was part of a fly-past on the following day to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. 

A vulcan bomber flew over as we sailed down the Trent

After a pleasant journey we moored up outside the lock at Torksey and very carefully returned the solar panels to the roof.  It was nice to be away from civilisation again and some spectacular clouds at sunset preceded a clear starry night.  

Torksey sunset

Our journey from Nottingham to Torksey

Full Circle

From Alrewas we travelled north-east to Burton-on-Trent stopping twice on the way.  It hasn't been a good year for sloes so when we saw a black-thorn bush bearing fruit we quickly pulled over, much to the amusement of boaters coming in the opposite direction.   Our second stop was for Morrisons before we moored up at Shobnall Fields.   Here we noticed a pigeon bathing in the canal.  It repeatedly flew down onto the water, had a splash about and then flew out.  

A bathing pigeon, an unusual sight but the goose doesn't seem impressed.

The canal was busy as we travelled to Willington so when we left there we had an early start.  We still found ourselves in a queue for the first lock but were pleased to see a free mooring at Ragley Boat Stop, a popular pub serving excellent meals.  

Relaxing at Ragley Boat Stop

On Sunday we had a visit from Nic, Gaz, Shaun, Laura, all the kids and little Ted.   We enjoyed a lovely day and of course a meal in the pub.  

Little Ted and Brinny in a photo taken by Gaz

At Sawley we put in some hard work on Brent III, sanding down the roof and remaining side panel ready for painting.   When Kev sanded round the skylight he found the roof was very rusty so we had an extra job removing the skylight and grinding out the rust before treating the area.   Our final task at Sawley was to hose off all the dust and luckily Sawley's waterpoints have a very strong pressure.  

Brent III in the early morning mist at Sawley

From Sawley we sailed down the River Trent to Trent Lock (marked with a green blob on the map), the junction of the Rivers Trent and Soar, the Erewash Canal and Cranfleet Cut .   As we turned onto the Cranfleet Cut we came full circle; on 18 May 2014 we sailed out of the Cranfleet Cut to head down the River Soar.  Since then we've travelled 520 miles and come through 398 locks.  

The short Cranfleet Cut by-passes an unnavigable section of the River Trent which we rejoin as a wide river.  From here we sailed on to the Beeston Cut that took us into the centre of Nottingham.