And I’m off......

.....Northward.

So the final family event which was the reason for my latest return to Surrey happened on Saturday, it was a surprise birthday BBQ party for my son on his 30^th birthday. Unfortunately the weather on Saturday was not kind with light drizzle for the first hour but it did clear and although it wasn’t hot everyone enjoyed themselves.

Although I always take my camera I seem to forget to use it, preferring to enjoy the event in the ‘now’ but here is a couple I did manage to snap.

A slightly surprised son enters the garden.

Grandma with latest Granddaughter

A bit chilly in there, they didn't stay in long!

It was a busy long weekend, I stayed at my sisters and on Friday we went to the local pub/restaurant and had a meal, Saturday was the party, Sunday a trip to Mercedes World followed by a lovely roast dinner then a trip to my nieces, Monday a bit of shopping with a lunch at a Silvermere golf club then a meal out later in the evening, Tuesday return to the boat, Wednesday recover! Thanks to Carol and Peter again for the hospitality and the running around J

So this morning I paid for my weeks mooring and was about to set off when there was a heavy shower, typical, but it only lasted 15 minutes and I was on my way by 10am intending to just go through the first lock, Wide Water Lock (86) and immediately moor up to do some chores and see what the weather was doing, but there were no spaces so I carried on.

At Black Jacks lock I found an ‘I Phone’ laying beside the lock, I put a quick post of the facebook narrowboaters group in case it belonged to a boater, but later in the day the owner made contact via the phone and he is collecting it tonight, my good deed for the week sorted.

I carried on cruising looking for nice spot to stopover but nothing took my fancy and I was soon back at Rickmansworth, I did not wish to moor there again so I stopped and filled the water tank and emptied the cassettes before heading off further, it was all uneventful and I didn’t have my camera on deck due to the wet start.

Past all the linear moorings and through the next two locks, deciding to stop at Croxley I found a gap that was just big enough and squeezed in there.

Current mooring:

So what I thought was going to be a cruise of about 100 yards and 1 lock turned out to be 6 miles and 8 locks, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, I am once again master of my own destiny, going where I want when I want without trying to plan to be ‘here’ for a specific date, what’s not to like!

I will stay tomorrow reverting to my more usual cruising pattern of moving every other day (weather and mood permitting) and make my way North, I think the Rochdale canal is beckoning me J

Last move South.....

.....for now at least.

I cast off this morning around 9:30am, it was very warm and muggy as I made my way along the canal, with no other boats moving.

Black Jacks the first lock soon appeared ahead of me and with one bottom gate open it was against me, so a walk to close the gate before filling the lock.

The building alongside the lock is Black Jacks Mill which is now a bed and breakfast.

I was soon through that one and there was nothing much of note as I pootled along, having been here a few times now I didn’t even register surprise at seeing the odd crocodile (or maybe it’s an alligator).

I soon arrived at the next lock (Wide Water Lock 86) which also had a bottom gate open; I’m obviously following another lazy boater.

Having dealt with that lock it was a sharp turn left into Harefield Marina which is also becoming well known to me.

On the service point at the Marina.

I have to do some work to my stove (that’s for another post) and had arranged for delivery of most of the bits to the Marina so the first job was to load that and then after getting directions I found they had berthed me in exactly the same spot as my last visit.

I walked back to the chandlery and bought a new gas hose to replace a leaky one connecting one of my bottles, I noticed the smell sometime ago and isolated it, I will replace that soon, I also bought some very expensive rust converter and bilge paint to use on base of the bilge which is constantly in water, I will see how that performs later as well, so £67 lighter for those three small items.

Current Mooring:

Totals today: 1.5 miles : 2 locks

I am booked in for a week staying on the boat tonight with a visit to Surrey planned tomorrow and returning Monday or Tuesday.  I will then be heading North again, this time, hopefully, leaving the GU and venturing on to the Cheshire ring and new waters, but as with all things boaty it’s subject to change as the mood takes me and my Quinny.

Another little move.

Not much has been happening while I have been hanging around Rickmansworth, Every morning since Monday I have intended to move and then could not be bothered, lazy days.

I did a number of trips to Tesco and topped up with non perishables spreading that over 3 or 4 days and yesterday did a final one to top up with the perishable stuff which in this weather is mostly salad. I also did a walk back to the service point and emptied the cassette and rubbish, there is a recycling facility here so I was able to get rid of a large amount I had collected.

Boats came and went from around me and last night I was reading up on a couple of the blogs I follow and found one of the bloggers would be passing me, but reading further not only had they already passed but they almost moored behind me brested to another boat , then while deciding about that the boat in front of me moved off so they nearly moored in front of me, but they finally opted to moor outside Tesco on the short stay moorings, there was a picture on the blog of discussions ensuing and Quinquireme can just be seen between the two boats, I think I was having a nap at the time, small world.

Not my Picture, you can see my TV Ariel and just make out Quinquireme between the two men.

Anyway fully stocked I set off this morning about 10:15 for the short trip I had planned, it’s a busy area with moored boats for almost the whole trip so I quite happily pootled along to the first lock meeting just one boat who had timed it wrong, he did not arrive at the bridge hole at the same time as me which is the norm J close but no cigar!

Stockers lock (82) was half full ( I can be an optimist ) as he had just come up through it, so I only had to top it up before entering.

This is unusual, it’s not plastic but a real heron taking the sunshine and not bothered by me at all, you do see a lot of plastic ones in gardens and some on boats but I have never seen a real one on a hot metal roof before.

Approaching Springwell lock (83) I passed a widebeam and on reaching the lock could see he had left both top gates open, lazy sod, although it helped me on this occasion it does not help with water conservation and it annoys me that so many boaters just can’t be bothered to do the right thing, mini rant over.

Open Gates ahead meant straight in for me.

At the next lock Copper Mill lock a boat had just left but he shouted to me that a pair behind him had already started to turn the lock, so my timing was a bit out, anyway on reaching it the two boats were just entering and were fully crewed so I just stood and chatted while the teenagers did the work, then after they left and I went in another boat appeared coming up so the lady from that assisted me through, all in all the lock Gods today were kind to me.

Timing is everything sometimes, I wanted to moor just after the Coy Carp pub, I had never stopped there before but thought it would do me for a few days, there was a nice two boat gap and as I moved to the bank I could see a rope loop that would be handy for my stern mooring line, so having pulled up tight to the bank I utilized that then walking forward I found someone had left a mooring pin in the ground exactly where I needed it for my bow, the mooring Gods were looking after me as well, so not only did I moor up easily where I wanted to be but I have also gained yet another mooring pin, I’ll have to start selling all these bits I keep finding!

Half an hour later the mooring ahead of me was full and so were all the other gaps that were available when I arrived, in the summer it's no good hoping to get your preferred mooring after midday at the busy spots. 

Current mooring:

Totals today: 3 miles : 3 locks

TV Ariel is up, Wimbledon tennis maybe, F1 highlights, definitely.

Back at Rickmansworth....

.....after a rainy stop at Cassiobury Park.

Well hasn’t the weather changed, I stayed the weekend at Hunton Bridge and did wander down to the ‘village’, nothing to write about though, the Pub did not look appealing and the convenience store was small but handy, although they did charge me 80p for using my debit card which I think is out of order, but when you have no cash on you what else can you do.

Saturday the weather was showers, I looked out of the cabin window to see an amazing rainbow but by the time I had got my camera ready it had faded which was a shame.

On Monday I did a short cruise down to Cassiobury Park for a change of scenery, it was mostly uneventful but the pound between the two Hunton Bridge locks (72 and 73) was extremely low, down about 18”, I could see the top gates were open on the next lock so decided I could get there without running any water down, I did, but it was very slow and I scraped along the bottom even keeping to the centre of the channel, I should have run some H2O down!

Just a cruise picture

Arriving at the first of the two Cassiobury Park locks (75) there was already a wide beam waiting to go down and a narrowboat coming up, so I held station mid channel and waited, once the narrow had passed me and the wide had gone in I moved up to the lock landing and gave them a hand, you can see the second lock and another boat was coming up so I waited for him rather than turn the lock and waste water, I locked him through then entered myself, I was just about to close the top gates when a boat appeared wanting to go down so I waited for them as well, they were surprised to see me still there as I had passed by them some time earlier but I explained what had taken so long and then we shared that lock and the next two before I moored up opposite Cassiobury Park.

Mooring

It rained heavily Tuesday and was not very pleasant yesterday either but I did manage to get a couple of trips to Morrisons avoiding the rain on the mile walk each way.

This morning I cast off just before 9am, first job was to fill the water tank, so I pulled in just before Cassiobury Bridge lock (78) and that took best part of an hour, the tank was down to about 250ltrs so that was about 650ltrs added with a slowish tap.

Water tank filling.

No problems with the next lock and I was on my way again.

'Underground' train rail bridge

At Cassiobury Wharf I passed fuel boat Hyperion, I think this may be their base, I had seen them there when I walked to Morrison’s the day before , unless there are on a break.

Along the very straight section at Croxley where there were plenty of spaces but not for me to use today.

Do you ever feel like sometimes you just can’t get all your ducks in a row?

Approaching this boat I wondered what the box floating alongside was.

But on passing it looked like a duck house, maybe those six white ones’ home.

Lot Mead lock (80) was slow to empty as one paddle was out of action, I had a couple of gongoozlers watching me intently but they never spoke to me.

Batchworth lock was the last for me today and a stop at the service point afterwards to empty the cassette and dispose of the rubbish before moving off to find a mooring, loads of room so I moored well before the large Tesco, having moored opposite it a few times I know the lights stay on all night and can be quite bright disturbing sleep.

Current Mooring:

Totals this post: 6 miles : 10 locks

After the mini heatwave.......

.......time for a change of scenery.

Obviously it has been too hot too cruise (to me anyway)  and I had stayed at Kings Langley waiting for a ‘cooler’ day, a few boats have been passing my mooring, some setting off early to avoid the heat some with the canopies raised or big parasols to shield them and a few moving later in the early evening, not for me though just too hot.

But as the forecast for today was for much lower temperatures I had already decided to move, as long as it wasn't pouring with rain, I woke at 5:30 to a pleasantly cool start to the day, a leisurely cup of tea and two Weetabix with milk and honey before getting myself ready, I had a decision to make though, shorts or trousers?, I settled on shorts.

I didn’t want to leave too early as I only intended it to be a short trip but by 9am I was itching to move so I put a small load of washing in the machine and got everything else ready, as soon I put a foot on deck it began raining, damn weather, so I nipped below and changed into trousers, it was only a very short shower and I was casting off almost immediately having changed, about 100yards along the canal and there was a huge clap of thunder, the sky was dark and I wondered if I had made a poor decision.

The first lock imaginatively named Kings Langley lock (69a) was empty and against me, so I sat on the beam while it filled and looked up at the sky, it looked like rain was definitely on the cards for sometime during this trip.

Kings Langley Lock landing

After entering the lock I was again watching it empty, it was almost there so my boat was hidden in the depths when the mooring warden rode along, I was surprised that he still recorded it but he did, I have chatted to this chap many times and our exchange this morning was all about the weather, typical English folk.

I had passed a moving boat on the next section so when I arrived at Home Park Mill Lock (70) it was in my favour, on the south side of this lock below the bottom gates there are two bridges, the first is a big concrete job and the canal must have been widened during the bridges construction to allow meeting boats a bit of room because the next bridge is quite narrow and skewed so that the approach is blind, it can be tricky when you’re heading north and suddenly find a boat just leaving the lock going south!

Quite wide as you pass beneath the first bridge

But narrow beneath the second bridge and it's on a bend so the approach is
blind until it's too late! 

They are doing something to the underside of the huge M25 bridge and have a large scaffold erected, it does not improve the look.

The next lock, North Grove (71) was against me having emptied due to leakage, so I had to turn that one before scanning for a mooring.

I arrived at Hunton Bridge, a small village surrounded by busy roads, mooring can be problematical as “the bottom is too near the top” (it’s shallow) along the edge, I have struggled here before but fortunately found a reasonable spot today with the stern just about 18inches off the bank.

Current mooring:

Totals today: 1.5 miles : 3 locks

I know I haven’t moved far but I am still killing time a bit and although I don’t think there is much here I have never wandered along to the village, according to Maps.me there is a couple of pubs and a convenience store, I will take a look tomorrow if it’s dry.

The rain today must have passed me by and it's been very pleasant despite the early stormy skies.

This little bunch were nipping along the canal across from me, they were going full tilt and with camera on zoom it’s a bit fuzzy but I liked the tight little group and just managed to get them all in shot.

I will probably stay here the weekend and watch the Formula 1.

What do you do?

When it's 34 degrees on deck but the the steelwork feels like 50, it's probably hotter inside and even with all the windows open the doors, roof hatch and side hatch open there's no breeze.

Well I cooked a Chicken Jalfrezi washed it down with a cold pint of London Pride and then had a cold shower.

Lovely weather.

Hectic week.......

......for a boat dweller.

On Tuesday I walked into the village and got my haircut.

Wednesday saw me again walk into the village this time to visit the launderette to get a duvet cover and sheet washed and dried. Back on the boat I put a load of ‘normal’ washing through the machine.

On Thursday I headed off on foot in the other direction to an industrial estate to purchase oil for the engine oil change due shortly. Back on the boat I washed the bedroom and shower room floors.

On Friday I put the washing away and then washed the galley and saloon floors, exhausted now from the activity of the week I rested and read from my kindle, sometimes you have to chill, no sense in over doing things J

On Saturday I had a visit from my son Adam, daughter in law Natalie and granddaughter Hazel, after feeding the ducks we went off to in the car to Cassiobury Park where we had a ride on the miniature railway, a play in the playground then an ice cream, sadly the paddling pool area was all closed for refurbishment work, we walked through the park and down to the towpath on a circular route that took us back to the car and we went off for something to eat, it had all been exhausting for little Hazel and she slept while we ate our meals waking briefly as they dropped me back at the boat, it was a lovely day, thank you for coming to see me.

Just locking up before heading off to Cassiobury park.

A happy face on the miniature railway.

Yesterday was of course Fathers Day and I was treated to another visit, this time my ex-wife Elaine, two daughters Chloe and Anissa, and latest granddaughter Imogen, her first visit to Quinquireme. We spent a while on the boat chatting with me opening gifts and Imogen being fed before heading off to the recreation ground alongside the canal for a picnic, where we found a nice shady spot beneath a tree and chilled for a couple of hours, it was another lovely day and so nice to get some cuddles of the very tiny Imogen, she’s just five weeks old. Again thank you all for coming.

Cuddles with Auntie Chloe.

Grandpa assisting with some winding.

Nice shaded spot for a cuddle

I will be staying here today and topping up with some provisions before deciding when and where to head off again.