Shiralee Cruise 2011 #10

Thursday 9th June (cont)

We have a kettle. So what?, I hear you say. Ah, but this kettle is designed to work with a cooker, none of this new-fangled, high technology rubbish for us boaters, at least, not whilst we’re cruising.

Anyway, this here kettle has been something if a pain in the rear end ever since we bought it. Once upon a time we, despite the advent of tea bags, always used loose tea in a proper tea pot. Eventually we gave way to accepted wisdom and now use tea bags, just like almost everybody else, except maiden aunts and such, who insist on bringing out their best china for visitors.

As I was saying, for some reason best known to itself, when pouring water from the kettle into the cups containing tea bags, we always seemed to be left with a film of scum on top of the tea. Most unsightly, as you can imagine. Yes, we do have a lump of wire gauze in the kettle, but that makes no difference.

We have tried allowing the water to go off the boil before pouring, and that does work – sometimes. We’ve tried rinsing the kettle out before filling and boiling, and that works – sometimes.

Yesterday I thought to myself, what the heck, since nothing else works, why not go back to pouring into the cups whilst the water is still boiling, just like we used to do. Guess what? It now seems to work perfectly and, having made at least half a dozen cups since then that’s how I will continue.
There, I’ve already written the first page of this new blog. It really is surprising the amount of rubbish contained within these little grey cells!!

By the way, despite threats to the contrary, we have a calm and bright day today. Goodness knows how long it will last though.

Now it is time to finish my second cuppa and take Rusty out, and it’s still only 06.45.

Saturday 11th June.

Popped into Nantwich on the bus yesterday, just for a bit of shopping you know, I couldn’t believe how much we came back with. I know we do tend to do a main shop only when we get to a good sized town, but this was ridiculous. We came back with a trolley load plus three bags full, and our fridge was nowhere near empty.

Coming from the direction of the Llangollen, as we did on Thursday, the main area of visitor moorings is obscured by a bridge and, if it isn’t possible to get in there, the next section is way off in the wild blue yonder. Fortunately, just before the bridge is a short stretch of 24 hour moorings and we were lucky enough to find a spot there. This was just as well really because, even at 09.45 the 48 hour stretch was still full.

Anyway, having pulled into our spot, we stayed overnight and, the following morning waited until a space became available on the 48 hour stretch and moved up a bit. Shopping over we simply chilled out for the rest of the day.

This morning has dawned bright and sunny although, according to those pesky weather people, we can’t expect it to last. If necessary we can stay another day but, if it stays fine we’ll probably move on.

Our first stop will be way out in the sticks, where we want to catch up with work on the boat. Wherever places can be found to moor up, or even going through locks and bridges, the sides of the boat tend to be scratched below the rubbing strake. This is a length of beading that runs along the side of all boats, and is supposed to protect it from such damage. So, I have quite a bit of rubbing down and re-painting to do. Having spent 18 months unable to carry out such tasks, I’m going to be kept pretty busy on fine weather days.

Our next main port of call will be Audlem, where there are several locks but very little by way of moorings. Even then the towpath side has a rather nasty ledge below the water line, which is quite common on the Shroppie, even at designated mooring places.

However, some distance before we get to Audlem, so Wifey tells me, there is a new marina – they seem to be sprouting up everywhere these days – and, since we really do need to spend some time on mains power, we’re hoping to stop there for a couple of days.

While we were wandering around Nantwich yesterday, I received a text message from my sister Carole, telling me she was going to be interviewed by Jeremy Vine on his midday slot on Radio 2. Unfortunately, with the next bus not due until 11.55, I had my doubts about getting back in time to hear it. But, as luck would have it, we arrived back at 12.10 and switched the radio on just as Jeremy was introducing her.

I have to say that, even though Jeremy threw her a few unexpected curves; as he is wont to do to almost everybody he has on the show; Carole acquitted herself very well and didn’t get at all flustered. Mind you, our sister has had a lot of experience with the media – Big Brother comes to mind – so she’s well able to handle the likes of a radio interviewer. They are small beer to her.

Well done sis, keep up your good works. I for one know just how much effort you put in to your charities. I wish I had half your energy and the inclination.

I suppose I should mention before closing for this morning, the fact that Internet access and indeed mobile phone access, can be pretty sparse along the Shropshire Union and so, if you have not heard from us as much as usual, you will know why when you read this blog.

The weather really is looking good this morning, so I reckon we’ll be up and away just as soon as Wifey goes and gets the paper.

Cheers for now.

Sunday 12th June.

We’re moving on today, even though we don’t cruise on Sundays. Sadly we have run out of our 48 hour moorings and must move along. The plan for today is to moor up way out in the sticks and miles from anywhere.

Yesterday we walked into Nantwich but, because I was having a wee bit of a problem with the pinkie on my left foot, we bussed back. After a read of the paper over a cup of coffee, we had intended to get some much needed work done on the boat. Sadly the weather intervened and sent us some rain. Hopefully today will stay dry and we will be able to get something done.

Other than that we have nothing special in mind.

Monday 13th June

We left Nantwich at 8 am and headed for moorings just above Hack Locks, about three miles away. The weather was fine but cool and we took it kinda slow, completing the trip in 1 ½ hours, by which time the rain was really teeming. Some hope of working on the boat this day.

The two locks at Hack Lane are very close together and, as we pulled out of the top lock, we spotted another boat coming towards us, obviously intending to go down. This saved Sheila the trouble of closing the gate.

In the distance I could see another boat approaching the bridge and, as I needed to get across to my left in order to moor up, I had to be pretty nifty so as to avoid meeting in the middle. This I managed to do in plenty of time and we then tied up to the rings provided.

After the two boats I mentioned we counted another 10, all coming down to use the locks. With lock operation being quite slow, these being only single locks along the Shroppie, plus the fact that between the lock an the bridge there is limited mooring space, many of these boats had to tie up and wait their turn beyond the bridge. In the almost five years we have been living on Shiralee we have never witnessed so many boats so close together and all heading in the same direction. Had we been just a couple of minutes later arriving here, we would have stood no chance of stopping for the rest of the day.

The rain continued for the rest of the day and, judging by the state of our windows, most of the night too. The sky is still heavy with clouds, although they do seem to be breaking up now. This morning we are heading for a new marina about a mile away, the name of which escapes me at the minute. Here we will stay for a couple of night to give our nice new batteries a good charge up on mains electrickery. With a bit of luck the weather will stay dry and we’ll be able to get some much needed work done.

Wednesday 15th June.

We arrived at Overwater Marina at about 10 am yesterday in a very high wind by, thankfully no rain. When we telephoned we were told to pull in by the diesel point and call into the office. Easier said than done. I don’t know who designs these places, but they don’t do so for the benefit of visiting boaters.

The entrance is fine, nice and wide and, under calm conditions, easy enough to enter without giving the boat and entrance a bashing. The diesel point however, is a different matter. Instead of being directly ahead and parallel to the entrance, it is set back and at an angle away to the left. With a high wind beating at us and with a great deal of grunting and groaning, I finally managed this monumental task.

I wasn’t finished yet though because, with the boat now pointing away from the rest of the marina, when it came to pushing off and turning away from the diesel point in a strong wind, the task of moving the boat into our allotted moorings became almost impossible. I ended up reversing away from the point, with the nose of the boat being gradually swung around towards the entrance I had just recently came into the marina by.

I finally found myself having to give it full throttle, with the tiller arm fully over to the right and scribing a 180 degree turn, eventually gaining entry to the allotted moorings. All this could have been avoided with a common sense approach to the prevailing wind and the positioning of the diesel point, which is the point all visitors have to stop at.

From the entrance and office position, and assuming you are on the towpath side of the canal, the walk into Audlem is about a mile. However, as with almost all marinas, this one is positioned on the opposite side of the canal, and the nearest bridge across is at the far end of the marina, probably half a mile away. Being visitors and wishing to take a walk into town, and being allotted moorings very close to the marina office, this meant a walk of at least 1 ½ miles each way.

Now, I remember well the walk from Llangollen to Horseshoe Falls, so I was unsure as to whether I should attempt this one. But, since I really did need to blow the stink off, I decided to go for it. Actually I quite enjoyed it and felt much better afterwards. That feeling of much betterness only lasted until the evening, which was when my knees and calf muscles really let me know how they felt. Getting up during the night was even worse. I suppose I am going to have to limit my walks in future.

Other than the above we’ve had a very pleasant stay here and the weather looks set fair for today’s cruising, which will probably be no further than the mile we went yesterday. The Shroppie Fly is a pub we haven’t tried yet, but then we haven’t tried The Bridge either, both of which offer good food at reasonable prices and, since I missed out on lat Sunday, we really should give either of them a try.

All for now. Will post if possible.

Dave, Sheila and Rusty.