A visit to the Chandler.....

......is lovely but expensive, I don’t know if it’s a man thing or just me but I see all these shiny fittings and gizmo’s for doing things and I just want to spend, take me to a shoe shop and I don’t want to even think about spending (although eventually I have to).

So, apart from me being stupid and not realising that the Chandler would be open on Sundays and closed on Mondays, this morning I walked to the Uxbridge Boat Centre (having done the same yesterday to find out the aforementioned fact) who have an amazing range of all things boaty it’s like walking into a sweet shop but better (I’m not really a sweety person).

You know when you walk into a supermarket and ask the ‘colleague’ do you sell “xyz” and they look at you blankly (no offence intended if you happen to be a ‘colleague’ no doubt you are not like this at all), well when you go into a Chandler and ask the person behind the counter the same type of question they not only know the answer but they also know of alternative options, and are there to help you buy the right product for your needs, make a profit, and hopefully see you again or someone you have recommended.

They did not have the identical pump to my defunct one, but with a bit of searching came up with one that would do the job, mine was a Flowjet, I now have a Jabasco, slightly less litres per min but for my requirements it does what it says and the box. It is quiet, I believe now I have heard the difference that the bearings or something similar were worn out in the old one causing the noise I thought was normal and eventually the downfall of the pump itself.

A real bonus was the fact that it was £72 compared to around £125, whether it lasts as long will remain to be seen. I bought a spare windless (the windy thing we use for opening the lock sluices) and a spare facilities key (used for opening the padlocks that secure some locks, lift and swing bridges, water taps and many other things), so that’s another century or ton gone (£100), my boat maintence budget looks pretty pathetic have overspent in Nov, Dec, Jan and now already in February, but I did allow a contingency for the unforeseen initial purchases, ropes and anchors etc, and hopefully it will start to level out soon.

I fitted the new pump straight away with just the actual fixing position needing changing, I re-used the strainer from the old pump, remarkably they were interchangeable and the Chandler knew this and told me thereby preventing me from purchasing a new one unnecessarily, and all is good, I have water flowing where water should flow.

I now have to think about whether to move on or not, the weather is the primary decider, I woke this morning to find that it had snowed overnight, just a dusting really but it was bitterly cold when I ventured outside, so it’s back to the old “Do I, Don’t I” meanwhile I have walked the towpath for a couple of miles in each direction, visited the town centre (bought myself a Kindle), fitted some cling film type of temporary secondary glazing (works quite well), cleaned the bath pump filter again, and spent a few hours wandering around Lidl, cheap it may be but where is the ‘order’? it feels like they just put things wherever there is a space.

Time for tea, I have taken to boiling the kettle on the stove, it doesn’t make the tea taste better it just feels good.

Water water everywhere.....

It would seem sometimes as though the Gods of boating are not quite smiling on me, I can’t complain about the weather, I have been very fortunate and not had any snow, just wind and rain, I had decided to stay put for a week or so intending to set off again tomorrow but last night the little boating demons decided they didn’t like that idea.

I fully intended to make myself presentable, have a spot of dinner and go and visit the local pub about 10 minutes along the towpath, so with dinner prepared but not cooked it was time for a shower and shave, lovely hot water, although the shower is not high enough for me I am now quite used to it and it’s no real problem, so shower done and dried off, over to the basin for a shave, no water? I tried the sink same result, not a drip, now I know the tank is not empty having filled up three or four days ago, so I look at the distribution board to see if the pump has tripped out, no it hasn’t but I am drawing 10amps, it should be drawing about 1amp as I only have some lights on, go and check the pump in the forepeak cupboard, it’s not running but it is hot, so I switch off at the distribution board. Now I know very little about pumps so I ask Mr Google who kindly gives me a fault finding diagram, strip out the pump and dismantle it, carefully, I cannot find anything obvious, so I put it all back together and refit it and it works, hooorah, that’s a result, I put all the tools away and tidy up the havoc I created then back to the basin for a shave a little later than anticipated, no water! I went through the same routine once more and the same thing happened so I have to surmise that it is no longer a viable motor , it’s Saturday evening about 7pm not much chance of finding a replacement tonight, dinner to be cooked, unshaved, not much chance of a visit to the pub either.

It’s difficult without water, but I can cope, I have turned the fittings leading to the pump so I can draw off enough water for a cuppa, I may grow a beard, washing up is piled high and it’s only been 24 hours, at least I had a shower before it gave up working, so first thing tomorrow it’s a walk to the nearest Chandlers who will have one in stock (maybe, hopefully) or place one on order, and I will fit it as soon as I’ve got it.

There is often a silver lining and on this occasion it’s the fact that the pump did not break down half way through my shower!  Maybe tomorrow will be a better day, the pump will be in stock and on sale at 50% off, ok so maybe not, but we live in hope.

Back on the Grand Union

Woke up this morning, that’s always a bonus, around 8:15, I hadn’t made my mind up whether to stay or go but there was nothing appealing about the mooring or the area I was in, my cassette needed emptying and I wanted to fill with water as at the moment I am quite conscious of the fact that the weather could change for the worse and I could find myself not wanting or unable to move. So I had some breakfast, loaded the washing machine, put on the neck warmer, the body warmer, the hat, the gloves and the jacket and went up on deck, as I did so it started to rain, so back inside and everything off again. I then checked the forecast which said “light showers” so I waited a while and it stopped raining, everything back on and off we go, two minutes later light rain again, oh well never mind.

Now when I reached the end of the Slough Arm it’s a ninety degree left turn, fairly tight but ok, so I slowed as I approached and the heavens cast down upon me the heaviest rain and strongest wind I have yet encountered, I could hardly see and the boat was being blown to the right as I tried to negotiate the turn, I nearly made it in one go, but not quite, as soon as I was around the corner the rain eased and the wind dropped, someone was having a laugh with me!

On to Cowley Lock (89) where two boats were just coming out, “that’s handy” I thought heading towards the now inviting empty lock, when suddenly I see a chap at the lock waving and pointing to my left and then I notice the great big brightly coloured wide beam waiting to go into the lock, in my excitement at seeing someone, for the first time, exiting a lock and putting it in my favour I hadn’t even noticed him! No problem swift bit of reversing, apologise to the steerer as I back up past him and moor up where he was, I then walk up and assist them through for which they were grateful, just through the lock are the services, so I fill the tank (slow tap took an hour 15 mins for about 500ltrs) empty my bins, empty the cassette and I’m on my way again. It’s very busy around here, all the visitor moorings were taken and it was raining again, there was space on the towpath but it was a long muddy walk to anywhere so I carried on a bit further in the now fairly heavy rain but, as soon as I saw a likely place I moored up, just at the end of 4 or 5 other boats, safety in numbers, and a little sooner than I really wanted but I was wet and had enough for today, so I am just before bridge 187 in Uxbridge. There is a Lidl about a 15mins walk away so that was first job, and I am now back inside in the warm, the wind is again howling, the boat is rocking from side to side and making tapping and clunking noises as it bumps off the edging along the towpath, which, when I first started my travels caused me to look outside every time I heard them, but now I just ignore it, let it roll a bit it’s quite calming.

No travel pictures it was too wet but here are my mooring views front and rear, you can tell it’s windy from the waves.

Totals today: 3 Miles : 1 Lock

Goodbye Bulls Bridge.......

.....you treated me well.

I arose just after 8am, the plan was to fill with water before leaving but,that was foiled by two boats who had moored last night right across the water point despite there being room just further along, I think they both took on water when they arrived and just didn’t bother to move as it is so quiet, I probably could have breasted alongside them or asked them to move but I have enough for the next few days so I didn’t bother.

So I pulled pins at 10am, said farewell to myself and set off

Heading Off

in search of the Slough Arm, past Hayes and on through Yiewsley, seemed to be reasonable towpath moorings available at both towns and a big Morrison’s at Yiewsley, just after this I saw a sign for Packet Boat Marina on the left, now my Pearson’s shows the Marina just a short distance down the Arm but my Pearson’s has not proved to be 100% accurate so I assumed the Marina had its own entrance before the actual Arm, I was wrong, for just  as I got past the point for turning in I could clearly see this was in fact the entrance to the Arm itself, so into reverse, backed up and off I went down the Arm.

Start of the Slough Arm

I have to say although there were not any “wow look at that” moments it was an altogether pleasant little cruise, some bits industrial, some bits residential and some rural, quite a lot of weed in the first mile or so and then it opened up wider and deeper, about half way along the Arm

between bridges 6 and 7 after High Line Yachting’s yard it is residential mooring, so it’s slow speed engine at  tickover for that stretch, lots of boats moored some three abreast, but still plenty of room.

When you get to the “basin” at the end of the Arm it’s a bit of a letdown, just a nice neat winding hole really with a few swans and ducks, so while I was floating stationary in the basin, I made a cup of tea, the boat wasn’t going to go anywhere so no need to moor up.

Then it was back up the Arm looking at things from the other perspective, I had earmarked three potential moorings for the night, but as I approached the first in among the bushes unseen from the other direction was a makeshift tent signs of a bonfire and lots of empty beer cans, so probably some homeless people living there, I thought I’d give that one a miss, onto the next site which just did not look as good coming the other way, so here I am

at the third place, I was able to use mooring chains instead of pins, the M25 is a little way behind me
but with my tinnitus it won’t bother me at all, and it seems very quiet otherwise, the odd cyclist or walker on the towpath so I should be ok for the night as long as it stays that way. I moored up just about 3pm so a nice 5 hour lock free cruise in chilly sunshine.

Total Today:  13 Miles : 0 Locks

Just a bit more......

........painting.

Not a lot happening at the moment I left the painting I had done for a few days to harden and yesterday I did the other horizontal shelf.

Before

Another bit done

The hot water tank has to come out to complete this section but until I know a bit more about the plumbing on the boat and I am somewhere where I can refill easily it’s staying as it is.
When the weather warms up a bit and the bilge can be dried out I will finish the vertical sections and bilge floor, I can’t wait.

So I have been here at Bulls Bridge now for about 12 nights and I think it’s time to move on, I was struggling with making a decision about whether to go down the Paddington Arm or not but because of the winter moorings taking up so many of the visitor moorings I have decided to give that a miss, I will be back no doubt at sometime in the future to have a look, I think I will have a pootle along the Slough Arm and see what it’s like along there, it’s only about an hour’s cruise to reach it and the arm itself is only about five miles long so if it’s no good for an overnight I can easily come back out onto the main line again.

I have read good and bad about this Arm, most of the bad seems to relate to a few years ago, my “Pearson’s” canal companion refers to it as “One of the Great Little Canal Journeys of the World” Really? I think that’s reason enough to have a look.

So depending on the weather in the morning I will fill my water tank and set off, it’ll be good to get moving again and take some pictures that are not of paint.

More painting anyone?

Well I can’t just sit around and do nothing, well actually I can, but I get a bit bored, I have quite a problem reading books, I read a chapter but while I am reading I am also thinking about what else I could be doing, so I usually give up on the book and get on with whatever I was thinking about. I have almost totally given up on TV, I only now watch programs that I want to watch and not anything else, so a bit of breakfast TV to take in the news and weather and maybe a drama or film in the evening, you do realise just how pointless watching “Pointless” actually is.

Anyway back to the engine bay yesterday, first I charged the batteries as I would need to remove the starter battery to do the work, then out with the battery and it wooden enclosure and begin de-rusting the horizontal shelf, it is so difficult and cramped the job has to be broken down into five or maybe six stages, there is not much room to stand and very little room to kneel, and on this occasion made worse by the fact that the engine was now hot!

Before

One half

Anyway after a couple of hours prep it was on with the first coat, the good thing about Coo-Var (£43 for 2.5 litres is the bad thing) is it can, in fact has to, be recoated as soon as it is touch dry or within four hours, and it doesn’t require a primer, so second coat on later and relax, sore back, sore ribs (from laying on the engine) sore elbows, my word I would never complain about painting a house ceiling again.

Other half

Battery back in

This morning an alteration to the battery enclosure and some re-routing of the cables as this battery has the terminals around the opposite way.

Now I will have to leave phase three a few days at least to let this coat harden before I start stepping on it and generally damaging what I have just finished.

I’m not sure what I am doing travel wise, I am itching to get moving again but don’t wish to head north if it’s colder, I am contemplating going down the Paddington arm later next week but not sure yet, I ought to have a look while I am here but London isn’t too appealing to me, another problem is that quite a lot of visitor moorings are given over to Winter moorings at this time of year (you buy a permit and can stay as long as the permit is valid, 1,2,3 or more months) and there may not be many proper visitor spaces, but a decision will have to be made. 

A Nice Little Job Done

Well it wasn’t nice but it is done.

Sunday and yesterday I decided to try and crack on with the Engine bay refurbishment/repaint, it is really a bit too cold for it at the moment but I wanted to get the bay directly beneath the engine done so that I would be able to see any possible oil or coolant leaks, so here’s the story told in pictures.

Before any work, full of water and about 5 years of sludge rotten leaves and rust particles.

The water and muck gone, well most of it.

Cleaned up a bit and de-greased.

Nice and shiny two coats of silver CooVar paint.Not as smooth as glass but there is not much room down there to work on anything.

You cannot see much, most of it is under the thumping great big engine but I assure you I did paint as much of it as I could physically reach!

When I woke up this morning it was a little chilly, I have started using a new type of smokeless fuel, I was burning Calor Gas’s own brand, but I have now bought “Home Fire” which the diesel man said was the most expensive, slower burning so it gives a bit less heat and a bit less ash but “stays in” overnight longer, it was £13 for a 25kg bag compared to £10 for a 20kg for the Calor. So when I went to bed last night I did what I had done previously and loaded up the stove and shut all the vents, that normally would just about last all night and give me just enough red hot bits in the morning to revive the fire, however it was more chilly than normal and when I looked at the stove it was still fairly full but obviously not giving out as much heat, so reviving it was no problem, tonight I will leave the vents open a little and see how that goes, and then I looked out of the window and saw this, frozen over canal,

so it was not just the fuel or method it was blooming freezing outside!

Today is not a day to do much, hence the early blog post, as I was typing this a tug went by breaking the ice and making large lumps of it bash the side of my boat, it’s about 10mm thick so not too bad, no harm done, another cup of tea I think.