Mundane and Momentous

Playing catch up again.

Brought home the wheelhouse and skylight off Trudy-Ann for varnishing while she is in the paint shop but the weather is proving a bit of a problem because I don’t have enough space in the garage to keep wet varnish away from the woodworking. Also came back with some portholes where the double glazing units had failed. No problem there, Lee Glass in Nottingham soon made some new units up which are all reassembled and are ready to go again.

Decided to make a new gas locker top in sapele as the steel one weighs a tonne, but the problem here is that the corners are round which means bending wood. Came up with the plan of making plenty of  thin strips to go round the edge and laminating them to make a solid lip.

Knew all those clamps would come in handy.

 

On the Grantham Canal front. Went to remove the last piece of fallen tree from Vincents Bridge only to find the local yobbery had rolled it back into the cut. We had left it only partly cut through so that it would be too heavy for kids to be tempted.

An indication to its size is that it is sitting on the bottom so it certainly wasn’t pushed in by toddlers. To add insult to injury while we were down there some ignorant toe rag chucked a large cardboard box over the bridge parapet and drove off. The box was for a self assembly Wendy house and was full of polystyrene. Ian took it down the tip but why oh why couldn’t that have happened in the first place?

The big event though was the trip boat being worked through the Woolsthorpe flight to bring it alongside the depot.

Exiting 18

In 17

This is the first time a boat has been through this millennium. Sounds grand but it is about 20 years since they were last able to be used.

Unfortunately  the camera failed during the move through lock 17 so no shots of lock 16.

Strip Show

Crikey, nearly a month since the last entry.

These last few weeks have passed in a whirl.

Trudy-Ann is now in the workshop at Pillings as naked as the day she was built.

 

All the cabin and deck fittings have been removed before being sand blasted to remove the old paintwork, the rest will be removed by hand. All the exterior woodwork has been brought home for rubbing down and varnishing - may as well do it while we have the chance.

Next will come the rust killer followed by nine coats of paint before being sign written, so she will be laid up in here for about a month.

We are also taking this opportunity to move the water filler from below the pump out opening.

Yep – certainly didn’t dare to tank whilst pumping out. The new water inlet will be higher up into the bow and much safer from contamination.

Looking at the picture you can see why the top coat of paint has not taken properly, yet the primer applied by Bluewater is proving a baa lamb to remove.

Otherwise – I have completed the chain-saw course and much to some peoples amazement (Mainly me) I passed, so today has been out on the Grantham Canal doing more fallen tree removal and managing to take a more active role. Yippee! J

Still got a lot to learn from Ian our old hand operative who recons the saw I have is a bit too heavy for comfort but the 25” bar comes in handy for the big stuff. Definitely thinking of getting a shorter bar for doing fire wood at home and there’s no shortage of that at the moment.

Went to the Pillings Marina creditors meeting in Nottingham on February 3^rd which was quite interesting and seemed to me to have a positive tone.

Tried to convey that to the other moorers through CWDF but it didn’t go down too well with some people. I get the impression that apart from a few contributors that are conducting a reasoned discussion there are a lot who seem to think  that as life is continuing normally in the marina we must all have been duped by the management. Not so, people are following events with a keen interest, waiting to see what develops. Hopefully there will be some resolution but if not it would seem that CaRT will remove the blockade to allow boats  (presumably licensed) to leave the marina but not return. Even if there is a resolution I suspect CaRT will delay the  procedure until after April 14, blocking the entrance to prove that they can and will if any new conditions are not complied with.

This is pure speculation on my part of course and only time will tell, but I certainly don’t subscribe to some of the theories being put about.

There was no gunman on the grassy knoll.

Headless chicken syndrome will change nothing, so - chill dudes!J

Cor Blimey Gov

It’s all happening down here in’it.

Been down to T-A just a couple of times over the last couple of weeks to bring bits off ready for the paint shop, but of course the big hoo har at the moment is over the liquidation of the marina holding company. Don't like being in this situation but leaping up and down like a demented ferret will solve nothing. All quiet down at the marina but the discussion on Canalworld has gone ballistic, seems to get very personal at times. I do wonder if there may be an element of mischief involved. Even got a mention on the local news.

Went to the meeting on Friday in the café which was full and standing and I had to wonder how many non-moorers were there. Standing in the doorway found it hard to hear any questions raised, though I did manage to get some more information afterwards. Can’t see as there is too much for concern at present but intend to keep my ear to the ground for developments. Being a lease holder I get to go to the creditors meeting in Nottingham on February 3^rd which I hope will be more informative as CRT will be there also. Don’t like cities so I shall go in by train and the highlight will be to have a ride on the new tram system.

It’s all been happening elsewhere as well.

A tree came down blocking the Grantham Canal at Vincent’s Bridge in the high winds a few weeks back.

Our motley crew has spent four days clearing it so far

 

But he waterway is again open

Still some more to do but most of it has gone now

Time for a breather as it is blooming hard work.
Saturday got caught in a bit of a shower - thunder, lightning and hail, blooming heck it was enough to make us call it a day.

Good fun though. So much so that I am signed up for a chainsaw course at Brooksby College in the middle of February so I can be of more use in future. Been using chainsaws for thirty years or more but need the necessary paperwork to get it out in public.

Shame on me. I’ve resorted to a bit of retail therapy and treated myself to a chunky new chainsaw as well.

 

Mixed Bag

Well Christmas was the usual round of too many dinners whilst doing the family rounds, and it ended up seeing in the new year with long time friends Tony and Lesley.

Popped down to T-A once or twice just to check on things in view of the weather and have been pleasantly surprised to find everything OK and just how little water has got into the wheelhouse despite the winds.

The Grantham Canal Society is starting to stir again after the Christmas break and we had a work day last Tuesday. Some of the crew went out on Centauri whilst the rest of us had a go at turning Woolsthorpe locks now that CaRT has given us the go ahead. Starting at the top so as not to drain the short pounds, Top Lock (18) with the new gates was fine but Middle or Wilsons (17) was a pig. This lock has been empty for ages so we closed the bottom gates and filled it. As expected the gates were leaking badly due to drying out so loco ash which we had brought (Courtesy of the Great Central Railway Loughborough) was dropped into the water behind the gates and soon sealed the leaks. Left things to soak for a few hours to swell the gates and headed off to Denton slipway looking for fallen trees. When we came back in the afternoon lock 17 was duly drained but for the life of us couldn’t get the top gates to seal against the mitre. It would seem that there has been a build up of silt and debris behind the gates over the years, and us working the gates has pulled it in. Used a long pole to try and scrape the rubbish out with only partial success so ended up using more loco ash to stop the pound draining as dusk fell. A long day and everybody Christmas crackered.

With the problems of silt build up in mind I’ve taken some 1” steel conduit that was lying around and worked up a sweat turning it into a scraper that can be extended to 6m. I didn’t work that hard but I did get warm as it would appear that some time during the grinding and welding I managed to set fire to my body warmer. Only found out later when I found the hole.J

Down to T-A today installing vents in the doors down from the wheelhouse to the galley which was one of the recommendations during the BSS. Thoroughly enjoyable day with the sun shining in. Still a few more jobs to do but only another month before we are in the paint shop.

Playing Catch Up

More chasing my tail over the last weeks. Visited the chandlers to pick up a few bits and pieces as recommended by Chris the boat examiner but most of the time after that has been taken up by the preparation for the WRG work party ant Cotgrave on the Grantham Canal.

The site was to be accessed over a wide ditch and it was decided to make the farmers bridge a bit more secure than it was.

Should have taken some before pics.

Got an invite to attend a CaRT volunteer meeting at Newark as part of the GCS contingent. Found it to be very enlightening with volunteer lock keepers,  towpath wardens and the like attending. The whole mood seemed to be very positive and up beat which I found to be most encouraging.

Back to the Grantham Canal and the WRG week-end.

Did us proud they did, as always.

Shifted quite a few self seeded willows. Thought I had taken a panoramic shot but cocked it up as usualJ.

The following Monday a few of the GCS mob led by Ian were tidying away the tools used and taking Wayne from CaRT who had organised the volunteer meeting out on Three Shires to show what we would like to take on in future.

Since then it has just been a case of being overwhelmed by a case of the dreaded winter barking disease, but hopefully I’m through it now just in time for Christmas.

 

So Merry Christmas everybody.

A Big Sigh

Passed the BSS exam today so Trudy-Ann has a ticket for the next four years. Chris from Ovation Boat Services came over this afternoon and gave the old girl a good going over.

He seemed to be quite satisfied with work carried out to date which was a big boost to me. It is one thing to read manuals and put things together by the book, there is always the question ‘Have I read that right?’ To have it confirmed by somebody who knows what should be what is truly gratifying.

Also picked up a few good hints and tips as to the way forward so it’ll be a quick run down to the chandlers in the next day or two, not least to pick up a new pressure relief valve for the calorifier which has started weeping. Tried reducing the water pump pressure but to no avail.

T-A will be closed down for the winter over the next week or two with a lot if the fittings being removed ready for the session in the paint shop. Railway pensioners Christmas do tomorrow and it looks like a few jobs to be done on the Grantham canal on Thursday in preparation for the Waterways Recovery Group (Wergies) coming to help us out on the 14^th & 15^th  at Cotgrave.

Can I retire from being retired to give me more time?

A Long Pump Out

A lot of time over the last fortnight just tinkering about and generally getting the boat ready for the BSS and winter. One of the jobs on the list was to get the black water tank pumped out.

But as we don’t do simple round here, and the weather has been good. It was a case of load up the dogs last Wednesday and chug round to the pump out point at Pillings after which it was a gentle cruise down to Zouch for a very pleasant meal and a couple of pints in the Rose & Crown followed by another gentle cruise back the following day. The dogs love the open fields up there and wore themselves out chasing each other round and round.

A thoroughly relaxing couple of days with the only thing of note being the state of Loughborough lock.

The bottom gates were leaking so much the top gates could only be opened by opening all the paddles to overcome the flow. It’s a shame really because the damage is obviously being caused by boats rubbing along the leading edge of the gates. I know boating is a contact sport, but this seems rather unnecessary.

Today has been a bit busier down with the GCS clearing foliage from lock 12 down towards Muston after being fortified by an all you can eat breakfast at Muston Gap

An awful lot of the work hade been started on by Thursdays work party while I had been chilling out.

Getting lazy in my old age.