Back at our marina

 Our travels started early this morning at 7:30 because we wanted to avoid meeting other boats in the 2000 yard Braunston tunnel as we are not sure whether our temporary head light would be too bright for oncoming traffic.  Fortunately we did not meet anyone and and the passage was quick.  

Beyond the tunnel there is the 6 double width lock Braunston flight.  A boat was waiting in the first lock for a partner to share the work and we were happy to oblige.  Especially as that boat turned out to be "Whisper" who moor next to us in the marina.

After completing the 6 locks we both stopped in Braunston, Whisper to visit a boatyard to get some work done and us enjoy late beakfast at the Gongoozler's Rest, a well-known boaters cafe based on a narrowboat moored at Braunston. We then walked to the local chandlers to look for a rplacement headlamp but failed to find anything suitable.

Typical views on the North Oxford Canal

There then followed the cruise back up the North Oxford canal to our marina.  Getting onto the services pontoon to empty our water tank and fill up with diesel proved to be very difficult since there another narrowboat was occupying the space and there was a strong wind blowing across the marina which at one stage pushed us across to boats moored on the opposite side.  However we eventually we were successful.  Fortunately the wind had abated somewhat when we moved onto our mooring which we managed without much difficulty.

4 hours 35 minutes, 6 locks, 7.37 miles

Data for our entire cruise:

33 days, average 2.77 hours/day,  150.09 miles, 97 locks, 2 swing bridges, 91.42 hours cruising

Drive plate replaced, on the move again

 After our enforced 3 days stuck near the top of Watford locks we are glad to be on the move again.  The RCR engineer arrived at 9:45 with a new drive plate and after 45 minutes it had been installed and checked.  We set off 15 minutes later and it appeared the engine was running more smoothly than for a long time.

Queue on the M1 as we wait below to descend Watford Locks

Denise working Watford Top Lock

Arriving at Watford Locks we found we were 9th in the queue to descend.   The lock keeper was clearing a similar queue at the bottom of the locks waiting to come up and so we weren't able to start the descent until some 2.5 hours later. With a staircase lock it is more efficient on water usage if boats continue to pass through the flight in the same direction rather than alternating as would be the case with a normal lock. 

The Leicester brabd of the Grand Union below Watford Locks

We then cruised on to join the main Grand Union Canal at Norton Junction where we turned right and then moored up at 15:15.

4 hours 35 minutes, 7 locks, 3 miles exactly.

Still not moving

 We are still stuck at the top of Watford Locks.  But the good news is that RCR have sourced a new drive plate and are planning to install it on Thursday morning.  That should still give us suffient time to reach our home marina for their annual barbecue on Saturday.

In the meanime we needed food, our cupboards were nearly bare.  So we called Long Buckby Taxis who were able to find our isolated mooring location  and take us into the village where there is a well stocked Coop, butchers, and some other shops plus an indian restaurant.

So we are now OK for the next few days.

0 miles 0 locks 0 hours  

Aargh - major engine problem

 Just when we thought our problems were all over something completely different has stopped us from moving.  We had successfully navigated through Crick Tunnel with the aid of our temporary lamp when I heard a rattling noise from the engine. We stopped to have a look but we could see no obvious cause.  Not wishing to risk any major damage I called RCRCR again who agreed to send an engineer out.

However we could not moor safely where we had stopped as it was too shallow but did not want to risk carrying on to somewhere more convenient. Fortunately narrow boat Katie arrived and ageed to tow us towards Watford Locks where there was plenty of mooring. 

The engineer turned up within 2 hours of the orignal call and quickly identified the problem.  The rattling noise had been very real and was the result of various bits of the drive plate, the equivalent of a clutch on a car, knocking around in the engine.  He was amazed we had been able to carry on so far, only one bolt was in place preventing the engine halting completely. 

So now we await a phone call from RCR on whether they have a new drive plate in stock.  A 2 day wait if they do and possibly 2 weeks if not.  In the meantime we have store cupboard meals for 2 days and then will have to either get a taxi  a local shopor walk the 1 mile down the towpath to Watford Gap motorway services which are next to the canal. As the engineer was able to remove the drive plate completely we can run the engine purely to generate electricity  and provide hot water so should not be too uncomfortable.

Drive plate with broken bits around the centre

Close-up showing jammed broken bolt and sundry bits of plastic stuff

Moored near Watford Locks

1 hour 13 mins moving, 2.28 miles

Crick

Making our way through the vegetation

A thankfully quiet and uneventful cruise today.  No locks, no technical problems, simply 10.25 uninterrupted miles covered in just over 4 hours arriving in the village of Crick at 13:45 after lunch on the move. This section of the canal is very attractive as the canal winds its way around the hills although in places it is shallow and narrow with the waterway constricted by over-hanging trees and dense waterside vegetation.

We were planning to walk into the village as it,s our first chance to shop since last Monday, but the local Coop is a mile from our mooring so we decided to make do with whatever is left on our shelves. Tinned salmon salad for tonight, perhaps with a small glass of wine.

4 hours 10 mins, 10.25 miles

Electrical problems

Attractive scenery on the Leicester Branch, but.....

Yesterday when passing through Saddington Tunnel the headlight cut out for for a few seconds.  We did not think too much about it since it did not happen again.  This morning when some 2 miles from the 1000 yard Husbands Bosworth Tunnel it seemed pruent to check the headlamp before proceeding further.  It did not work and there was a worrying smell of burning plastic from the electrics cuppboard.  Clearly a major problem since we need to go through 3 tunnels to reach our home mooring and could not do this without a light.

As we are members of RCR, the emergency breakdown service for the canals, we called them out.  Fortunately although they only normally regard engine failure as an emergency they accepted that our situation would also be treated in the same way.

An engineer turned up in 90 minutes and quickly found a short circuit in the headlamp which he fixed and the light worked.  He had brought a plug-in free-standing light more than adequate for a headlamp as a backup which we decided to keep.   When we were within sight of the tunnel we checked again. The headlamp failed. Thank goodness we had the backup which worked even better than the original ever did. 

We eventually arrived at Welford Juction at 16:20 and moored for the night. In the next few days we will be returning to our marina as quickly as possible.

3 hours 15 mins moving, 7.32 miolers

Foxton Locks

Boat leaving Foxton Bottom Lock

Densie in the 6th Foxton Lock

View from the top of Foxton Locks

Today we ascended Foxton Locks, one of the major attractions of the wterways, where 10 locks arranged as 2 5-lock staircases rise a total 75 feet to the highest level on the Leicester Branch of the Grand Union.  Unlike the rest of the Grand Union Foxton Locks and the smaller flight at Watford (as in "Watford Gap", not the area of London) are narrow and so present a barrier preventing wide boats travelling between the Northern and Southern canals other than by crossing the Wash.

After arriving at Foxton at 10:40 we visited the small shop at the base of the locks to see if we could find some groceries as we are running low in supplies, but all they had of interest was bread and eggs.  We then moved the boat onto the water point where we refilled our domestic tank.

After a further 20 minute wait for a boat to descend the lower staircase the lock keeper was gave us permission to enter the bottom lock. The flight is controlled by volunteer lock keepers as a novice boater without experience of staircase locks could have difficulty.  We reached the top lock in only 50 minutes thanks to the assistance of the volunteers.

As it had started to rain we moored up for the day at the first opportunity at 13:00.

3 hours, 10 locks, 1.81 miles