Cratches, Kennet and the Langdale Ring

I left the Caribbean on the Friday evening and headed out to Rishton.

Having moored up I had a walk down to the Butcher for a quick pint, where I met Chippy Paul.

A couple of pints later we were back at the boat where Paul fit the cratch that he was so proud of.

 

 Then it was about turn and back to the Calypso for the Blackburn canal festival.

 Quite a good festival, despite the weather, and a merry evening had by all drinking Costa Del Salford and Marshmallow Unicorn

The star of the festival was Kennet, which is a great boat to wander around.  It is great to see the cabin at the front where the crew used to live.  Amazing how you fit so much in such a small space.



Kennet departed on the Sunday and I decided to move on as well, though in the opposite direction. Chris Bruce said that if I could get the boat to him, then he would do the sign writing.

I left and went down the Blackburn locks with Lottie Jane

I decided not to stop at Riley green and continue all the way to Botany Bay.  I had great help down Johnson flight with CRT volunteers and arrived at Botany bay at dusk. I then decided to bugger off up the lakes

A great Lamb Shoulder and chips set me up for a great days walking the following morning.


A quick wander up Mill Ghyll and the wonderful hydro plant that NT has wasted so much money on - still not working.




From there it was the usual great scramble up Jakes Rake to the top  of Pavey Ark, then across to Harrisson.
  







Along the ridge over Pike O Stickle, then over Rosset.

When I was on my way up Bowfell Buttress, the Weather started getting a bit dull, so I crossed the screes back to the path down Mickleden, and cut the Langdale ring short.
 
Back to the Old, and a nice bowl of Tomato Soup and a pint of Yates to finish off the walk!

Water & the Caribbean

I went down to Tonbridge to judge beer at the Juddians Rugby club.

 This was Charlies last competition before she goes to work for Farams.

Guy is excited when he finds the Tonbridge model railway club






Back from Tonbridge it was time for me to take the boat up its first locks.  Rob from nbBlueMoon said he would help me up the locks, then when I reached the top, we could walk back down and I would then help him up them.

We got up the locks without incident, so all I had to do was find somewhere to moor up.


 Just past the Wheelton boat club and "chug, chug, phut" the engine stopped, and wouldn't restart.

  I phoned Kier, and he said if I got down to Botany bay he would come and take a look, so we walked down the locks and I left Rob to go up the locks by himself, while I carried on to Botany.

Kier drove to the boat, which happened to be abandoned on his mooring, and quickly diagnosed water in the diesel.

He cleared the water and showed me how to bleed the system, then produced a couple of beers.  That is service!

We then sat in his tranquil mooring drinking beer until Rob turned up.

We then continued to Riley Green for overnight mooring with terrible beer at the Boathouse.

The following day we had an uneventful trip up the Blackburn flight to arrive at Eanam Wharf for Blackburn Canal Festival.

Had a great Caribbean curry in the Calypso, while being watched by Daves cat.

Back to Botany

Tuesday morning and I meet the new neighbours.

I fashioned a temporary repair to the gearbox cable, but as I tried to move off the prop was snarled up.  As I was right at the end of the canal, I was in all the rubbish that collects here.  On investigation through the weedhatch I found several carrier bags and some netting, all tangled around the prop with fishing line and steel wire.  Luckily I have my diving gear on the boat and the diving knife made short work of the steel wire, and I was off!

I arrived at Adlington, and decided to get some diesel at White Bear marina.  Just as I approached the diesel jetty, on the right, a hire boat coming the other way decided that they had priority, swerved onto my side of the canal and onto the jetty. I put the boat in full reverse, managed to avoid collided with the stupid b****, however the temporary gearbox cable repair decided to give up, and I was now stuck in reverse!

I now discovered that I was better at reversing the boat than I thought, and managed to manouver the boat to the bank, and decided to moor up.  The hire boat buggered off without a care.

Yorks Rob rang, he was now at the top of the wigan flight, and he would meet me at Adlington for a pint in the Bridge.  Good plan.

The following morning, I woke to a banging on the side of the boat.  The canal side.  When I looked out of the window, there was a boat across the canal.

I threw a rope on it, and pulled it back over to the far bank.  The boat had been tied up with a fairly manky wagon strap, which had broken.
Once the boat was tied up, I was on the wrong side of the canal!.  An early morning walk back to the bridge, and back to my boat.
After breakfast,, I found an engineering supplies, and bought a box of split pins.  The gearbox cable was fixed for good now.  A short trip  down the canal and I was back at Botany bay.

Maiden voyage

The back end of the boat is a little low in the water, so Sunday morning Sam turned up and we unloaded two dozen bricks from under the bed.  The boat was sitting a bit better now, but still seemed low.  Once the water tank was full, the back had raised a bit more so it was time to try it out.

With Sam and Ian on board we set off down to Botany Bay winding hole, turned around and back again.  I have a bottle of 2009 Grahams port which has been on the boat since it was started, so we cracked that open to toast the maiden voyage.

 Back at the boatyard, all seemed fine, no water coming in and everything running ok.

Rob was moored up at the bottom of the Wigan flight, and he turned up from the train station, so he jumped on board, and we headed off towards Wigan.

First practice of mooring up was at Adlington, and we called into the Bridge for a pint while we were there. A nice pint of Unicorn, not the marshmallow kind unfortunately.



 Continuing down the canal to the top of the Wigan flight...

 Just as I approached the moorings at the top of Wigan, I put the boat into reverse to slow down, and, nothing.  I had forward, or forward.  I killed the engine and slewed the rudder from side to side to try and slow down with little effect.  I started the engine, in gear at tickover, turned the boat in towards the top lock, and managed to turn the boat around so it was going backwards.  I could then use the engine  to slow the boat down and managed to slide neatly into a mooring ten feet before the end of the canal!

 That was enough for my first day out so we retired to the pub.

Unfortunately, the beer was terrible, so we walked down the locks into the town centre.  Two and a half miles and 21 or so (I may have lost count) locks later, we were at Wigan pier.

  A short walk over to the station and we called in at Patsy's new bar Wigan Central.  Very impressive.

SPLASH !!

Tuesday 30th June, I get a text from Ian  "the crane is moving"

A few hours later, I get another

324 weeks and four days  (Six and a quarter years) and the boat is launched.


To celebrate, I went down into London with Tony, to See Rachel Sermani in Shoreditch.  We called into a Brew Dog "craft ale" bar.  Fyne Ales Jarl, a superb beer.  Here in its "craft" form, is is hazy, over bitter, acidic and terribly fizzy. And £5.80 a pint.  I do despair of this craft ale thing.

Rachel was enchanting as ever.

There was a bloke sat there drawing pictures of everything going on.  What a gift.

Friday I had my leaving do at the Mutual, loads of cheese, and beer at Northern prices!

Friday night I spent the first night on the boat, in water