Harefield to home at Northolt

29 October 2012

Jim joined me at Catslide and we drove over to Coppermill, arguing most of the way with the sat nav. A quickish lunch on board and then on to the lock and the start of the final leg of our journey home. Joined in the lock by nb Rachel and worked down with them to their home mooring at Harefield Marina. We carried on to Denham deep where we caught up with and moved down with nb John Ruskin. The owner told me that the boat had come with the name but he had clearly researched its doppel ganger as he was knowledgeable on the subject of Ruskin. We moored for the night through the A40 road bridge a short distance above Uxbridge Lock. I had enquired about diesel at the lock and was told that they were 'out of diesel' at the lock but that they had their other boat down at Bull's Bridge but that it was 'out of diesel' too. No matter says our man from JR, I work at Denham Marina, just below Uxbridge lock and you can fill up there tomorrow.

With nb Rachel

Tying up for the night

Tidying up for the night

Above Uxbridge Lock

29 October 2012

In Uxbridge Lock

Through the lock and some good helming from Jim gets us into the Denham Marina diesel berth. BUT when we came to fill up, not a lot happened, they were out of diesel too. Obviously, we all want the stuff to keep us warm over the winter.

Leaving Cowley Lock

Back home and time for a brew

31 October 2012

Time to go back to Copper Mill to get the car. Two bus rides and then a walk back up the cut from Uxbridge.

The dry dock in a barge at Denham Deep Lock

 Watford to Harefield

15 October 2012

A remarkable craft moored near to where Allie and Paul left Cribbit

This chap said he had enjoyed reading Cribbit's log

Single handing with the long warp

Out of the lock

Above Copper Mill lock. Birds at the sewer outfall then in the evening an amazing display of bats.

 Winklow to Watford

6 October 2012

Paul and Allie take her on the next stage

I abandon them at the outskirts of Hemel Hemstead

They sail off into the distance

 Berkhamstead to Winklow

5 October 2012

Moored before Sj's favourite bridge at Winklow ready for Paul and Allie

 Jess, Simon, Ambrose, Freddy and Allan move Cribbit to Berkhamstead

22 September 2012
A guest entry kindly supplied by Jess.

We found Cribbit easily enough...just beyond bridge 126 outside Cheddington, although the journey there had not been without it's drama; a road was closed and we somehow ended up in a nasty jam in Leighton Buzzard before turning around and approaching via Mentmore.

We set off about 1.30pm. I began to prepare the sandwiches, (not sure how long the pickle's been hanging around, it had a pleasant enough aroma though?) but there was no chance of eating, as we soon reached our first lock -a double lock which kept Ambrose, Freddie, Allan and Simon busy for quite a while.

I got busy drinking the cider and waited to present the luncheon platters, individually prepared according to the crews every dietary needs. By the time we came out of the 2nd lock, no. 38 at Marsworth it was 2.30pm. There is a beautiful lock keepers cottage where we watched the swallows swooping above while we waited in the leaky lock and a real lock keeper came out to help us!

Jack

After a peaceful stretch, some lunch and some more cider we were ready and raring to go for the 7 lock marathon which was before us! There was one dodgy moment when Simon thought that reverse was forward thrust but apart from that the teamwork was awesome; Allan or Simon steering and the boys moving ahead to prepare the next lock. Even Jack the dog got stuck in, running across the gates and jumping in and out of the boat. My supervisory role was particularly important in keeping the team on task!

An hour or two of expert supervision later we got to lock 45 at Bulbourne junction in time for afternoon tea so I got a brew on around 4pm and we coasted on down the lovely long peaceful stretch towards the Cow Roast. Ambrose and Freddie tested out their steering skills and me too. We passed the Cow Roast Marina went through the lock and under the next bridge and moored up between Cow Roast and Dudswell at about 5.30pm. Freddie and Ambrose pitched their tent in the adjoining field, chef Simon began to create gourmet chaos and I led an expedition to the Big House (Norcott Court). I was rather hoping that my parent's lodgers might have left some mulberries on the tree or there would be some yummy apples to scrump.

We walked up the lane and reached the Big House but no mulberries and no apples! It has been a bad year for fruit though so I wasn't so surprised. It wasn't a wasted walk though, as we did find some piles of well seasoned logs perfect for Cribbit's wood burner. On the way back we took a detour -a foot path which took us right along the side of the main line railway...very exciting...and then over a footbridge over the main line itself! We came out near the Marina and walked back to find that chef Simon had cooked up a real treat -Bolognaise with spag or mash...yum!

 Stoke Hammond to Cheddington.

17 September 2012

Moored at Cheddington car park

 Campbell Park MK to Cheddington.

12 September 2012

Moored at Campbell Park

Stoke Hammond Lock

The double bridge for not the double lock

Moored to armco just above the lock

 Our Northernmost mooring this year, Wolverton Station.

31 August 2012

 A few days on nb Wolf, Nantwich to Anderton and back

17 August 2012

 Start of the journey North to Oxford and the Thames

7 July

Boat Radio

We hailed the passing P Wakeman boat carrying diesel and calor gas so were able to replenish our consumable supplies. He also demonstrated his handy boat radio, 'It was made by my dad' he related, 'I had been expecting something in a nice wooden box but I'm very pleased with this, the top is a plastic windowcill and the sides are made from roof soffit. The handle is off a drawer and I supplied the car radio and the speakers.

The radio

Friday's Plan 'A' was that we would go through the lock and cruise up to Uxbridge where Mike would jump on the underground for home. In the end we decided that Plan 'B' would be better which was that Mike would catch the bus from here to Uxbridge and then the tube. He left clutching one of the Cribbit umbrellas. The rain finally eased enough by noon to be tempted out by the sight of down traffic. This was probably a mistake as the rain only got worse as the day progressed. However, I was fully clad in my bright yellow, ex-motorway construction crew, oilies so stayed relatively dry except for my shoes which filled up with the water cascading off my wet weather gear.

Somehow made it to Harefield and moored just above Lock 86, Widewater and bridge 180.

March 22 2012

Pleasant spring weather [25 degrees on the roof], and best of all re-instated the water supply. London not quite as green as Buckinghamshire but this could be that it is cooler by the canal than by the road.

All along the cut, the coot nests are getting well established with the hen sitting on my old favourite near Balzac. She had much to say to these Canada geese when they got too close for her comfort.

Coot's nest near Balzac

Managed to slot into the only free mooring space.

Will this be the year that I actually get round to painting the inside of that door?
Mooring at Greenford has become quite difficult as there are many more boats there than usual. I suspect that many of them have been displaced as the zone sanitaire tightens around the Olympic park.

Boats overflowing the moorings

Bright sun on my new moorings

  The first Cheshire Cheese of the year

After I dropped off my crew members last time, I got to thinking about what would improve my boating life. To my surprise the answer came back to see if I could get a mooring at Hi-Line and so move closer to Greenford Station and my route to the Cheshire Cheese. The short of it was that there was a mooring available so I moved Cribbit to her new spot in mid December.

This trip was my first from my new mooring. It is less than 15 minutes to the Black Horse so I can manage a quick trip there should I wish, but as it was a nice day, decided that I would carry on to my 'next station stop' at Perivale.

Decided that I could wind just before the bridge which is what I did. Moving nicely astern to give myself room for the turn, decided that that was enough so put her ahead. Nothing happened except lots of wash and then a gentle little bump as the rudder touched the cill. Then I couldn't move the rudder either. Managed to get her tied up to investigate. Sure enough, there were kevlar bands and a polythene bag wrapped round the prop, which once removed left it beautifully polished.

The rudder was more of a problem, it had been pushed right under the swim and no amount of pushing or pulling could free it. Tried levering it with my big mooring pin and pulling with a warp attached to it all to no avail. Decided that the job would have to wait for the morning.

I thought at first that I would be able to release the rudder by undoing the bolts that secure it. Then I remembered that when I had the prop shaft moved in line with the engine, the yard had had to cut a hole in the rudder to extract the shaft as they could not remove it.

Clearly, the rudder was going to have to come out the way that it had gone in...by brute force. That meant getting into the canal, where I had better leverage, and doing the job from below. Luckily, the cill that had caused the problem in the first place meant that the water was not that deep, though still well over my knees. A good half hour of levering with the mooring pin finally freed it. The top bit of the rudder that is supposed to stop it from going under the swim, and sticks up at least 15 cm above it, is a bit bent now.

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