Always jobs to do

We woke up to a nice morning and we decided to have a pump out and fill with diesel at Crick Marina. Before we went in Del always takes a sample out of the diesel tank and we were surprised to find water in the sample and the deisel a bit cloudy, these are the first signs of diesel bug.

Add caption

We can only think it must be condensation inside the walls of the tank which has caused it, due to the fact the water trap on the engine feed was clear.  We will have to check it again in a weeks time when everything has settled, we then set off...

It was windy and it made easy turning as the wind did the work. We pulled into the Marina and found they had just fixed their pump out machine. It has been very busy here with boat movement due to the Crick Boat Show. There are going to be 127 new boats in the show the busiest it has been, but the organisers weren't happy about the weather prospect again.

We got moored up and Del set to work on the toilet as it was now empty. We had had a problem with the valve and the water was coming back up in the pan. Del found the fault straight away and managed to change the valve for a new one..

The rain started coming down hard again so it put paid to the day. It got cold and damp again and we needed the fire, then of course it got too hot. Al cut Del's hair in the evening and we thought we would have an early night listening to the rain on the roof..

Cricking it

After a day of doing nothing (as the weather was pants), we had planned to move but we don't like doing wet. So the choice was to move in the morning, and it was going to be early.
We were up at 6.30am and Del was ready to push Derwent6 off at 7.15am as we had a small window before it rained again. We crept along so we didn't wake any of the neighbours. It is nice cruising early as you see so much wildlife.

We made our way through Yelvertoft and on to Crick, just in time before it rained.

Al was going to the doctor's with her dad and managed to catch the 10.40 am bus to Rugby station. Del cleaned of Derwent6 in the rain as it had got covered in blossom as it does this time of year and its a good chance to wash in the rain showers.

Al arrived back at 5.00pm and it was still showering and very heavy showers they were. We had to light the fire in the evening as the temperature dropped to three degrees.

Meeting South

We got up this morning and the weather was promising.. It looked like it was going to rain at some point in the afternoon so we pulled out of Welford and slipped down to the lock.. We then got out onto the Grand Union and turned south.. It was easy cruising until we got to bridge 31 where it started to get a bit shallow..

We passed another boat and we both grounded, so it was on idle for the rest of the way till we decided to stop at bridge 27..

We had just tied the ropes when we saw David and Lisa on n.b. What a Lark. They pulled over and moored with us and invited us on for tea. "What a Lark" is another Fernwood boat and was in the Crick Show last year..It was good to see them both as always and catch up with their travels. We ended up chatting for a few hours only popping back to Derwent6 for loo breaks.

The showers got worse in the afternoon but we also had a lot of sunshine, and Derwent6 was pointing under the rainbow again..

We left Lisa & David at 5.30pm and watched the FA Cup and the Wigan win.

Goodbye's

We had been battered about in the winds overnight but we still managed a bit of a lay in. We had some bacon butties before we decided to set off again back into Welford.. It was Sam and Tanya's last day with us and we had to get them back to their car...With a tricky maneuver we managed to turn Derwent6 into the arm with the help of the wind.

When we got to the lock the crew were out in force..

Windlass in hand Sam opened the paddles and Tanya opened the gates.

We were lucky as when we winded at the end of the Welford arm, the wind was sheltered and we turned very easily. We reversed back into our favourite mooring.

Al had cooked chicken and sweet potato and we had a lovely lunch before we had to say our goodbyes to Sam and Tanya. It was lovely having them and they were good company and good fun.. Thanks both of you!!

We then walked up to Pat ( Del's mum) and Keith, as it is Keith's Birthday on Sunday and dropped off a little something, with a cup of tea of course.. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to Derwent6.
We were going to move again this afternoon as we are a bit Welforded out but we decided to go tomorrow now.. Weather Pending!!

Battle in the Wind

The morning started very bright which was a surprise... The lovers hadn't surfaced so we decided to go for a walk to Debdale. Del wanted a longer bolt for the engine and we also needed a filter so it was worth trying to get it here. Foxton looked good in the sunshine as we walked the couple of miles..

We never managed to get either parts but they did make up a bolt from some threaded bar they had.. Not only did they cut it for us but they never charged us... Good old Debdale.. We then had a walk round to see friends Mike and Gerry off Fernwood boat n.b Tubbs and it was good to get all the local gossip.

When we got back to Derwent6 at 10.00am  the rest of the crew had just surfaced. The weather had deteriorated and the wind had got worse and it was cloudy with some showers, but the weather forecast was the same for tomorrow so we decided to go..

Well go sideways, the wind was taking us but as we were heavy with the extra crew it kept Derwent6 on the straight and narrow.. We spotted a tree down in the winds, so we picked up some wood on the way and managed to stop and load the roof, the wind has it's advantages. We got to the tunnel just when the rain started so it kept us dry for some of the way, and no one else was stupid enough to be out, so it was quiet..

We got back to Welford junction where the wind was so strong we couldn't get across to the arm, so we turned into wind and moored up.
It's a good job we did as the wind was so strong at this point it closed our side doors for us.. The waves were breaking down the cut as we rocked around a bit.. We lit the fire, Al cooked Fajitas, and we snuggled down, a easy task for Tanya and Sam as they had been doing it all weekend...

!!

Up to Foxton for a treat

The next morning we were ready to go at 10.30am after we had had some breakfast. We headed up towards Foxton Locks which is where Derwent6 had its launch party. Tanya supplied us with teas and coffee on the way..

We soon entered the Husband Bosworth tunnel and passed two boats on the way through..

 It was a pleasant day with some light showers but it didn't bother any of us..

We arrived at Foxton Locks at 1.00pm and managed to wind in the wind which was getting stronger. In the afternoon Sam and Tanya had a good walk round Foxton while we chilled out in the sunny periods we had..

In the evening we all walked down to The Foxton Inn just as the weather had started to turn..It had got very windy and had started to rain..

When we got there, we were treated to a lovely meal by Tanya and Sam with some support from their parents.. Thanks guys!!
We walked back in the dark and had coffee and chatted till we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.

Two Collections

It was a lovely day on the Bank Holiday Monday and also on the Tuesday.. We made our way back into Welford on the Monday evening as we had another Asda delivery to collect and also we were picking up god daughter Tanya and her boyfriend Sam. Asda arrived at lunchtime and we stocked up the cupboards.

Tanya arrived at 8.00pm just in time for us to go over to the pub and catch the last food order..

The beds were made before we went and we all fell into them when we finally got on board.

Watching the others

We decided to stay put this weekend as we thought it would be so busy.. On Saturday we had some really heavy showers but it never put boaters off . We watched as they tried to moor in the isolated showers some of which were heavy hailstones..

We did get some sunshine so we just relaxed in the cratch for most of the day..
On Sunday it was a blue sky day and a lot warmer.. Del set on the brasses again and then went out on his bike to watch the gliders taking off and landing..

 Al read her book for most of the day sitting in the sunshine..

Across the board

Today we got up to brilliant sunshine again.. So after breakfast in the cratch Del was adding some polish to the roof.. As we had to take everything off the roof we thought we would do some other jobs as well..
The plank we have on Derwent6 we have never ever used, that's right never been used.. We have always been able to get close enough to the bank to jump off.. The plank we got from going up the Lee when we first had Derwent6. We managed to find a old scaffold board by a lock.. Del cut it up first to fit on the plank supports and there it has stayed with all the old builders paint on it for the last four years and never moved.. As it had been removed we decided to paint it so it looks a bit more attractive. Lets hope we never have to use it..
Then there was the pole, guess what, we have never had to use a pole. We don't know if we are just lucky or Al has long arms but it's true we have never had to use it.. If you saw it you would see why. We found this at the top of the Watford flight of locks and it was broken but we never had one at all. So we put it on the roof just in case we needed pushing off of something.. Believe us we have never needed it.. So as it was off the roof and not covered by bags of coal or wood we decided to paint that as well...  We painted them in Red Oxide and they looked ok and it dried quickly..  Al managed to get all the sheets washed and dried today as well.
It got a bit chilly late in the afternoon so we snuggled inside and ended up lighting the fire.. It may have been because we had a bit too much sun during the day.. 

Sealing Up

Another sunny day and not to be wasted we thought.. We were up early and opened up the cratch cover for breakfast.. This gave us another thought as we were looking at the cratch board and cover..  We had a new wood sealing oil which friends Bernie and Sarah had used on their kitchen work surfaces and we brought some to try on ours.. So we started in the galley and rubbed down the surface and brushed it on..It goes on white but soon soaks into the wood.. We had already done one coat on the cratch board but it needed a second coat..

We took of the cratch cover and then was able to reseal the boards.. It came out very good but it needed to dry in the sunshine..

While the cratch cover was off we then decided to reseal the canvas. We had also brought some Thompson's Water Seal  and Del was applying it to the inside of the cratch cover..

We had water coming in through the winter when the cover was wet and then froze overnight.. In the morning when it defrosted it leaked..We hoped this would stop this.. We just had enough to do the whole cover but my have to get another tin to get another coat on..

We also covered the wood at the stern which is out in the elements and also the side doors ..
So we had a busy day..Del still had time to do some brasses and a bit of chilling with a cup of tea.. In the evening we chilled watching the footy..

Noisy, to peace and quiet

It was a lovely sunny day and Del was up like a shot....Yesterday he had the camera on the roof and remembered while lying in bed where it was..we had had another frost and it's condition was not going to be good. When he retrieved it, it was very damp to say the least....  So as we were up and dressed early we opened up the cratch and had breakfast, actually it was lovely....well until they started doing the road along side us..We had a JCB dropping aggregates and it being spread by a shovel and then a noisy roller along side us.. Still it gave us something to look at..

At lunchtime we spotted a chance to move as the waterpoint was free. So we turned and then reversed on to the mooring.. We then managed to do a manual pumpout and fill with water before the next boat came along..  The weather was fantastic so we thought we would go back out onto the Welford arm again for some peace and quiet.

In the lock we met a couple from Rochester who had done the same as us and sold up and brought a boat.. and this was the first lock they had done.. I'm sure we will catch up at some point again... We soon pulled out onto the arm and were surprised at how quiet it was with only two other boats here. We set ourselves up and sat out in the sunshine..... 

Al got back

It was love sunny day and again we had another frost..  Del was soon out doing the brasses and running the engine. The belts were still making a slight squeak but we will see if they bed in although we feel something is still not right..  Al was due back at lunchtime so Del tried the generator and run the hoover round before she got back... Al arrived and we chatted about what we had been up to over lunch, before Al chilled with a book and Del went back to the brasses. We were chatting to passers by which seemed to take up most of the afternoon. In the evening Del watched the football and Al stayed up till 1.00am in the morning catching up on Dallas & Nashville!

Belted out

With Al away Del was up early as always with the frost on the roof.. and with belts in hand was keen to get started. The belts were off before 8.00am and the engine was ready to run..

They were a bit tight and didn't seem to line up correctly but they did fit.. Things were fine for about an hour and then they started to whine.. As the pulley's had warmed up they had expanded, making the belts too tight.. Covers off again and they were loosened off but then started to rattle and squeak.. Del couldn't get a happy medium between the two options. Every time the engine had to be run from cold to hot to check them but still it wasn't right.. In the end Del took off and disregarded the adjusting jockey wheel and made a straight adjusting bracket. He really needed a longer bolt but managed to get by with what he had by getting half a nut on the bolt he had....This made it a tight fit inside the engine cover casing but it did fit.. After a test it seemed to be working so we now need a longer bolt to finish the job.. The belts on Derwent6 have been a nightmare and this is mainly due to the poor alignment from build.. Del knew this as the engine failed it's test at Beta by throwing a belt then, it has been a problem ever since.. We think the problem is that the hole on the generator has not been drilled square and is throwing everything out of line. It really needs a new casing with the hole drilled correctly.. maybe when brushes are needed we will get it done..  Al's dad's operation went ok and she was going to stay with him the night and come back in the morning.... To make matters worse they have decided to dig up the road we are moored along side and dust is going everywhere. so Del had to clean off Derwent6 and even had some time in the evening to do some brasses..

A Plesent Sunday Lunch

We got a call from Del's mum to say that the belts had arrived. They were going out for Sunday lunch so they invited us along.. We were meeting a friend of theirs Anne. We met them at Welford Wharf and we went to The Crown pub in Tur Langton where twelve of us meet up for a carvery.. It was lovely and we filled our boots with food..

 Afterwards we went back to Anne's lovely house for coffee and cakes (we did struggle to get the cakes down)

 In the lounge they had a Grand Piano and in our group was Bill who just wanted to play it.. Bill is 93 and could play all the old tunes we all know.. It was marvelous to watch. After chatting to him we found out he went to the same school of music as Al's old piano teacher and Bill knew her, he was amazed. Al also knew Bills music examiners, small world!!

From there Al was going back to Kent to see her mum and dad as her dad was having a small operation the following day..so Al was dropped off at the station and  Del was taken back to Derwent6 by his mum Pat and Keith..  It was a nice day!!