Easter Cruise - Day 1

As Paul on Caxton would say this morning I was up at the sparrows fa… to a clear blue sky and not a breath of wind. Chris was sleeping soundly so I crept into the saloon and stoked the fire into life and put the kettle on. Today is day 1 one of our 6 day cruise and I wanted to make the most of it even if it was only 6.30am.

The weather look set fair and so once Chris was up and had her coffee we put AmyJo on the fuelling jetty for a pump out and by 9am left the marina. We turned left and crept past Oakfield though there was no sign of anyone about.

Then put our wet gear on for Crick tunnel. Just as well as it lived up to its wet reputation and we were soon getting a free shower.

Once out in the sunshine we soon dried off and enjoyed the warmth of the morning going to the Watford locks where there was a queue of boats so we had to wait nearly 2 hours to descend to make way for the historic boats heading for Foxton for the weekend.

As we were first in the queue we did not mind and enjoyed the company of the crews from the other boats. Eventually it was our turn and with all the locks in our favour we made excellent time down them all.

By the time we got to the bottom the number of boats waiting to come up were growing making passage quite congested as we exited the last lock. Once clear we made good progress to Norton Junction without further ado.

As the day went on the sun got warmer and warmer, barely a cloud in the sky but this formation caught our eye

A sign of good weather or another system moving in?  Could be, at least the cows laying down would indicate so but then the forecast was good

Just after Norton we spotted a boat head so tailed him through Braunston tunnel.  Like the other weekend this chap was going so slow that in Braunston tunnel I had to stop completely twice otherwise I would have caught up to him.  Other boats coming the other way were not making thinks any better and there was an almighty bang as he passed one oncoming boat.  I hope there was not too much damage but the other boat owner did not look very happy when he passed us though he did give us a thanks for going so carefully as he passed us without a bump.

 Going down the locks I chatted to the son of the boat ahead, Robert who handled their boat better than his dad. Sorry we cannot remember the boat name but good company was had through the locks though.

Once through Braunston locks we passed the marina and was surprised to see this boat in there. Don’t think they will get far in that somehow I think that mast may be a problem.

It was getting late so we started to look for a place to moor up for the night and found a super spot just after the Boathouse pub and just before Braunston turn. It was so peaceful there I think its one of my favourite moorings so far.

Braunston church in idilic setting.

Our mooring for tonight

Then it was tea time, the usual Beef in black bean sauce, red wine and rice. It was so warm and sunny we sat out in the cratch to eat then sat polishing off the rest of the wine until sunset. We then went for a pint in the boathouse as it would be rude not to.

Tomorrow is decision time, we can turn left onto the Oxford canal or go straight on, not decided yet.

Pottering and Tinkering

Yesterday turned out to be a cracking day, a nice gentle breeze and the sun getting warmer as the day wore on.  I stayed on AmyJo and planned to do much but in the end actually did very little.  

First order of the day was to clear out and clean the cratch.  We had a bag of coal bought on board that covered the floor with coal dust.  Not wanting to tread it all inside I rolled up the cratch cover and set to.  

We're quite lucky with our cover as there are several permutations we can adopted with it.  When fully closed all the side panel windows are covered.  We can roll up the covers to let light in and keep the wind and cold out with clear plastic windows.  We can unzip the side panels and roll them up leaving a good sized opening each side, and then finally we can roll the whole cover up onto the cratch board out of the way altogether.  The latter option was chosen

Its a bit more of a fiddle this way but ideal for when manoeuvring onto a mooring or into a lock for the crew at the front.  I actually prefer it up this way.

It took me ages to put everything out onto the jetty as I kept being distracted by the passing boats out on the cut  but eventually swept and polished the whole front half of AmyJo, inside and out. The bows and bow cheeks got particular attention with the polish as we had not got to these previously.  I then put everything back tidily in between watching the boats on the cut.

It was time for a cupa and lunch so I sat out in the cratch soaking up the sun when I spied a well known blogger opposite

It was Herbie or at least it looks like Herbie. Unfortunately there was no sign of Neil and Kath so I could not tell for sure.  I dare say our paths will cross sometime.  Neil posted about ladies who lock (click) that was rather interesting the other day and that reminded me of when Chris took AmyJo's helm for the first time through Watford locks (Click).  Neil's commented about Kathy urging other ladies to take the helm and that made me feel quite proud of Chris for having a go herself.

Later in the day whilst I stood looking over the cabin roof, watching the working boats making their way up to Foxton for the Historic working boat club gathering a rather unusual boat passed by AmyJo's stern, at first I could only hear it but not see it, so being curious I wondered down the jetty to see this little chap motor pass.

At little over 3 feet this model looked so realistic.  Being remote controlled it handled really well but I could not see the controller despite looking.  I would love to have a model of AmyJo like that I must admit as I used to have a fleet of model lifeboats years ago that I built myself.

Reluctantly I then closed up AmyJo and headed home, I swear its getting harder to do that each time we're aboard.  At least it will only be two days and we're back aboard for 6 days this time and then were off up the cut, can't wait!

So here's the thing, we want to head Braunston way so what would you recommend bearing in mind its Easter weekend?  Do we -

Stay on the GU and head towards Lemington Spa?  It would be lovely to catch up with Keith and Jo on Hadar again.

Turn North up the North Oxford (we'll do that when we take AmyJo home to Tattenhall)?

Or, turn South on the Oxford Canal?

Apart from the North Oxford we are not likely to get a chance to do the others for a good while, at least until we're both retired so want to make the most of it while we have the chance to.

edit -Sorry had to fix those typos

Resistance is Futile!

We tried to resist, we really did but every time we use the laptop at home AmyJo calls out to us from the desktop background picture of her an so the call of the cut got to us.

Chris planned to visit her mum's this weekend and now the decorating kit is packed away we decided to call in on AmyJo on the way down last night.  We stayed aboard overnight and then lunchtime today Chris carried on South to her mums while I stayed on board, home alone, to do a few jobs and will return home tomorrow night.

Whilst AmyJo's build was going on my mum gave us a folding portable table top ironing board and as she had time to spare Chris decided to try it out.

Suffice to say it worked a treat and Chris also go to try out the travel iron she got the other week.  Its a natty bit of kit as it doubles as a hair dryer too!

It does not get extremely hot but it's good enough to iron with.  We've yet to try it as a hair dryer but as we have a cruise coming up next week we'll try it then though with my lack of locks it should work just dandy.

While Chris still has another week off for Easter break I've taken a few days off so we're of for a 6 day cruise.  We'll both meet back at AmyJo Tuesday night then then we're off Wednesday morning.  Not sure where we'll end up but we know we want to head toward Braunston.

That all for now as a ready meal beckons, might even crack open a can of Old Speckled Frogs to go with it too!

Going Green

Hi all
Despite temptation Chris and I thought we had best stay at home this weekend to finish decorating the dining room.  We started 6 weeks ago and the only time we have to get on with it is at weekends, but of course, we're been running off to AmyJo instead.

Now we're getting fed up of the house being in a turmoil whilst we try to get the decorating done.  We decided enough is enough and just simply had to get on with it.  

Whilst trying to ignore the glorious sunshine outside I set to with paint brush and roller.

We now have most of the painting finished just the final gloss coat to do.  That leaves the varnishing of the panelling to do and then we're done.  Chris is off work for the Easter holidays as of next weeks so will source the carpet to complete everything.  We can then put the decorating gear away until next spring.

We're not going to get much chance of getting out on AmyJo now until Easter weekend but as Chris is off work for the holiday I've booked the Wednesday and Thursday leading up to good Friday off so we can spend 6 days afloat and stretch our cruising range a lot further afield.

A wait for water and care in Welford Lock

Sunday morning we were up with the Lark and got straight into getting AmyJo ready to move off to the water point.

We were just bout to start the engine when another boat passed us and stopped on the landing stage.  Oh well we thought we'll let him top up then we'll take our turn.

I wondered up to speak with the owner and found he would "not be long, just loading up and then I'll be off" he said.  "No problem" I replied, "We'll wind and put our boat on when you leave".

An hour passed and when we next looked out the gent was washing down his boat and then generally faffing about.  It was clear he had no intention of moving off any time soon even though he knew we wanted to water.  We decided we would wind AmyJo and then back her up to the water front in front of his boat.  It would block him in but we figured we would not be long and in any case he seemed nowhere near ready to move just yet.

We managed to wind in front of the boat shed with a mere foot to spare and lay alongside the tow path a couple of boat lengths on from the water point.  Just as we were about to rope AmyJo back towards the water point the other boat pulled away leaving the wharf mooring free, what luck.

 We roped AmyJo back to the wharf and it took 30mins to top us up.  Its the first time we have seen one of the new water points and they seem to work OK.  At least the water pressure was good anyway.

After that we had a nice gentle cruise back to Welford lock where we took it nice a slow letting the water out.  The lock seemed very narrow compared to some and we know AmyJo is on the chubby side and did not want to get her jammed in the lock.

We need not have worried and all went well so were soon on our way.  Perhaps I was being a bit over cautious but first time in this lock we felt it paid to be careful.

Five hours later we arrived back at the marina to fined it calm, hot and sunny.  It was that warm we even ate our dinner in the cratch before leaving for home!

Postman Pat and the Welford Arm

Hi all,
   We're back aboard AmyJo for another weekend and what a glorious one it is.  

  We are getting into the routine of weekend cruising now and arrived on board at 9pm last night and got everything ready for today's run up to the Welford Arm.  

This morning we woke to the sun streaming into the porthole, so after topping up the water tank we got under way.  Once out on the cut Chris decided it was time to try out the washing machine whist under way.  So the bed was stripped and the first ever wash on AmyJo was on.  

Needless to say the machine passed muster and Chris is more than happy with it.  Tomorrow on the return trip its the turn of the Tumble dryer.

The weather made for a wonderful cruise up to the Welford Junction with signs of hire boats now making an appearance as we passed several on our way presumably out of Market Harborough.  The were also quite a few private boats out too.

Everywhere we looked spring was really starting to make its mark.  There were numerous Sparrow Hawks wheeling overhead and the trees were starting to open out their leaves and bird song was everywhere.

Along the way horse riders were making the most of the weather and both had spare horses in tow too.

After a while we caught up with another boat and followed at a discreet distance behind. The couple aboard were clearly in no hurry as their speed meant AmyJo was at tick over most of the time.  Not that we were concerned, we had plenty of time and it did make us realise that maybe we were travelling a bit too quickly so was grateful of the slower speed.  AmyJo moves so effortlessly through the water she needs little revs anyway.

We reached the Welford arm and turned in still following the other boat

Our company ahead of us for the trip up the arm

A short way down the arm a large shadow suddenly raced along the roof.  We looked up to see a glider being towed by an aeroplane, Chris just managed to get a picture.  We saw several other gliders so there must be a gliding school nearby.

A bit further on and we arrived at Welford Lock.  Luckily it was in our favour so the boat ahead of us went straight in leaving space for us on the lock mooring to wait our turn.

We found the narrows just before the lock and the lock itself quite tight but AmyJo squeezed through and into the lock with no problem. We'll have to keep a close eye out on our way down tomorrow as there is very little room in the lock either side.

We got to Welford and found a lovely mooring just short of the wharf and as there was still plenty of daylight left we decided not to wind so we could polish the other side of AmyJo, so now she's shiny on both sides.

Chris takes a break from polishing the roof

When the polishing was finished we took ourselves off to the Wharf pub for a well earned pint of Ten Fifty for me and a coke for Chris.  We then strolled up into the village for a look round.  We turned a corner and were greeted with a cheery wave from Postman Pat and his cat Jess

One happy chap

We enjoyed our walk through the village and came across what I thought might have been a converted pub

On closer inspection the sign above the right window just off shot said P.Phipps & co so I'm wondering if the building might have been a small brewery as well as a pub in its previous life.  Bet the owners kept the bar, I would have.

We returned to AmyJo and sat watching a fantastic sunset to finish of the day.

AmyJo's mooring for the night

Woken by strange noises and UFO sighting

We had a wonderful nights sleep on AmyJo Saturday night, we both slept deeply in the silence of the open countryside, that is until 6:30am when I was woken, refreshed, by a noise that grew louder and louder by the minute.

The noise was familiar but something I have not heard since the girls were young and we used to holiday in our caravan.  Yes, it was the dawn chorus,  absolutely wonderful bird song.  I lay there soaking up the sound for a while then at 7am I got up!  Never have I done that willingly before when there was no reason for me to do so and only, reluctantly, for work each day.

I made myself a cup of tea and left Chris asleep in bed, sat in the cratch that was warming by the sunshine and listened.  I became aware of another sound I've never heard before.  A short rapid knocking like a distant machine gun, tok tok tok tok, this repeated every so often for at least half an hour.  At the time I had no idea what it was but since found out it was actually a wood pecker.  Never heard one until now.  

I love that alone time first thing in the morning when all is well with life and the hussle and bussle has not begun.  The peace is shatteringly powerful, do you know what I mean?  I can take stock and shake off the stresses of life just for a while.  Sounds selfish I know but I love the rare occasions I get to do that..  

I opened the cratch cover and looked up into the cloudless blue sky and spotted something, a UFO.  Well actually it was the sun, but it may as well have been a UFO as its something we've not seen for a good while.  It actually felt warm for the first time this year.

By now sounds of emerging life could be heard at the back of the boat so coffee soon found its way back to Chris

No wonder she loves being on the boat, she rarely gets coffee in bed at home as she is normally up before me.

As we knew the trip back to the mooring was only going to take 2 hours we decided to stay on our mooring spot for the morning and got out the polishing cloths again but this time the starboard side paintwork got the treatment. 

Pretty  -   Chris of course :-)

We soon had AmyJo nice and shiny so you could see your reflection in her paintwork.  Yes, yes I was helping but stopped for a photo opportunity.

We had another cuppa when we finished and then chilled taking in our surroundings.

You can just make out AmyJo to the left of the large bush on the near bank

New windmill farm by the M1/M6 junction

AmyJo basking in the sunshine

Lunchtime came and so at 1pm we pulled pins and reluctantly headed back to the marina.  As there was plenty of time we kept our speed to a minimum and just lapped up the experience and passing countryside.  

The warm weather was bringing out other boats from the marinas too and we passed several on the trip back, all out for a day cruise in the lovely sunshine.  One passing boat was another Fernwood boat, Kamili starting out on her season's cruising.  We exchanged a quick hello and wished them happy cruising.

By now the weather was positively Mediterranean and it felt so good to be out in the warm sunshine wearing a t-shirt instead of winter woollies

Not a cloud to be seen anywhere

Once back on the mooring we settled AmyJo's warps, checked in the weed hatch, looked at the engine oil level and greased the stern gland then sat in the saloon, neither of us wanted to pack the boat up and neither of us wanted to move, we were so relaxed.  Chris so much so in fact ... she fell asleep.

Well all that polishing and boating wears one out you know :-)  We did eventually pack up and head home but have set our minds to return next weekend.

I guess there is truth in the saying

"He who dares wins"