We stayed put yesterday due to the inclement weather, and moved up to Radford Bottom Lock this morning, a journey of 15 minutes or so to await the arrival of the ‘gas man’ to fix our grill. As Rog tried to get away from the bank in the wind, he resorted to using the bow thruster – or at least tried to use it – it’s dead! No power to it at all, not even to the switch to turn it on. While we waited for the gas man, Rog checked connections, fuses and anything else he could think of, and eventually called Neil at Beacon for ideas. He suggested everything Rog had already checked and a few more things besides, but nothing worked, so we will have to do without it until we get to Napton (there is a Sidepower agent there). So back to doing things the old-fashioned way for a day or two. So that’s three things – the bog, the grill and now the bow thruster. However, the bog seems ok, the grill is mended, lets hope the bow thruster is as easy!
The grill mended (it was a very minor thing, one Rog could have fixed easily, had he known), it was past midday so we set off up the locks, planning to moor up again as soon as we found a clear spot. Not such an easy task – the pounds are very low and we tried several times to get in to the bank, but it was too shallow. The only deeper spots had crusties other boats moored on them. We eventually found our ideal – a space in the reeds, just big enough for one boat, below Bascote Locks.
We went for a wander this afternoon and came across a Kate Boats hire boat struggling to get past a BW work boat which had completely come adrift from it’s moorings, and was sideways across the canal, it’s mooring pins dangling on the ropes in the water. We helped them to pull it in to the bank and secure it, but it won’t last for long – the pins were bent almost to right angles, so it will soon be adrift again, it will only take one boat to pass it too fast. When we got back to the boat I phoned BW and reported it as a hazard, but whether they will send someone out to secure it properly is anyone’s guess. Why is it that when boats come adrift, 8 times out of 10 it’s a BW workboat?
Not much to photograph today, one lock looks much like another, and one tree looks much like the next as well!
3 miles and 6 locks
Hi, Re the Bow prop, sounds like the the main battery Isolator has given up the ghost. They need to be beefy, expensively beefy.
ReplyDeleteHope this points you in the right direction.
Cheers
livabord
Sorry for posting as anon, Blogger won't let me use my Google account thingy with this type of comment box!
ReplyDeleteAnswer: Probably because the BW working boats sit there doing nothing for months on end - looks impressive till they float off into the sunset on their own lol
Heth (www.takeytezeyheth.net)
Livabord - hopefully it won't be too expensive - we think it may be the control panel, which shouldn't cost too much. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeleteHeth - you are so right!!