Archive for the Moorings Category

Who pulled the plug?

14/01/2004 by Mark.Whalley.

Wednesday 14th January

On what is usually a very still canal, when I got back to the boat, I noticed bits of flotsam and jetsam were slowly moving past the boat. Not too concerned, I thought nothing of it. However, by 03:00 I noticed that 1) the boat was very still (not even the slightest sway), 2) the pontoon, against which the boat is moored was making noises it usually doesn’t and 3) I was listing by about 20 degrees (I hadn’t fallen out of bed, but was now sleeping tight up against the wall! My feet weren’t wet (implying I hadn’t sunk), so someone must have stolen the water!

A quick phone call to the British Waterways emergency number where Pat reassured me that the call had already been raised and an engineer informed. As I am the only ‘resident’ on this stretch of canal, I did wonder who would have raised the call. Pat also informed me that occasionally water is siphoned off the canal to feed one of the local reservoirs. This is usually done when the water level on Titford Canal, being in turn fed from the Titford Pools, is high. They would usually lower the water level by about six inches and then the sluice gates would be closed. Unfortunately, it would seem that someone forgot to close them before they went home for the night, for when I went to work in the morning, the water level was down by about four feet!

With the level down so far, the boat was left resting on the canal bottom with about one foot of water in the centre of the canal and inches on the sides. Matters were made worse with a hard frost. This made the wooden-decked pontoon with shiny aluminium edging, also now resting on the uneven canal bottom, a very unsafe structure to walk along. Needless to say I walked very gingerly from the boat to the car in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It being Thursday, I would not now be returning to the boat until Monday. I was therefore hoping for some rain over the weekend to replenish the canal and refloat the boat!
 

 

Posted in Moorings | No Comments »

Fish pie and a snowy picture

07/01/2004 by Mark.Whalley.

The first night back on the boat after Christmas, and my new ‘home’ – Tat Bank / Titford Pump House, and there’s lots to do! I soon met up with Kevin and had a longer chat with a quick tour around the Pump House and the very well appointed BCN meeting room. I connected the mains hook-up to the post closest to the boat and attempted to insert the left over power cards from Ocker Hill. Unfortunately, each one I tried reported a FAIL message. I therefore presumed I would need to get some news cards as these were possibly not compatible with those at Ocker Hill – a job for tomorrow. In the meantime, out with the Honda generator, which fortunately being a dry evening meant that no protection from the elements was required. I then connect my aerial lead to the bollard and installed my new TV digital box (Christmas present from Bev). Unfortunately it appears there was no TV signal! So to summarise, the electricity meters (or the cards) are not working, the TV aerial socket is not connected to an aerial and the water tapes have been decommissioned as they are against EU regulations. At least the little light on top of the bollard works!Never mind, I at least have the generator and the telescopic aerial. Unfortunately, with a snowy picture and weak signal, the digital box refuses to work.

I then did the only thing I dislike about boating – emptied the toilet in the Elsan disposal in the Pump House – it looks as though I was the first to use it!

Back on the boat, as suggested in the survey, I decided to cut an inspection hatch in the main body of the boat. I chose to cut a square hole under the drawer of the bed. At least then it would be out of site, but still easily accessible. After removing the mattress, bed base and drawers, I removed the drawer rails from the floor. I then marked the square, with one edge running along the edge of the sheet of the ply floor, and drilled corner starter holes. I then fitted a blade to the jigsaw and started to cut the straight edges. Unfortunately, the blade kept slipping out of the quick release mechanism as soon as any pressure was put on the saw. After refitting the blade about ten times and cutting only 2” of ply (and almost taking my middle finger off!), I decided it was time to pack in for the night.

I took the bed back together, took a free, hot and powerful shower (far better than the electric showers at Ocker Hill) whilst my fish pie (made on Saturday) warmed up in the oven.

Phoned home (with a full mobile signal – never had one of those before!) and watched a snowy TV before retiring for the night.

Posted in Moorings | No Comments »

Christmas Eve and the final night at Ocker Hill

24/12/2003 by Mark.Whalley.

In theory, this will be the last night at Ocker Hill. Having done the final Christmas shopping at Merry Hill and the fresh food shopping at Tesco, the car is now packed and ready for the journey home. A quick tidy of the boat and got it ready for the journey in the New Year to Tat Bank – secured items that could fall in transit!

During the colder times when I am using the Alde almost constantly in the evenings, and the stove for warming and cooking meals, it would seem that 1 x 13KG propane gas bottle lasts for 6 days. This works out at about £2.37 per day. Although not a great sum, I suspect that figure to greatly decrease when the Morso is installed, and the weather becomes warmer.

Posted in Moorings | No Comments »

Is it ready?

23/12/2003 by Mark.Whalley.

(lunchtime)

With only two days left in Kingswinford before going home for Christmas, I decided to visit Titford. The main reasons were; to check on the progress of the lock repairs at “The Crow”, ensure my BW key fitted the main gate at the Pump House and to see if anyone else had moved in yet. Although there had clearly been quite a lot of work done on the locks and the chambers, and with a couple of stacks of new bricks at the top lock (nest to the Pump House), it looked as though work had been stopped for the Christmas break. Fortunately, although the tow-path was cordoned off with a large ply-sheet board, it would appear that all the locks were functioning. My BW key worked the main gate padlock, but as the Pump House was already open, and I could hear voices within, I decided not to try the key in the building padlocks just yet. Other than a couple of steel butties, no other boats were moored up.

The drive from Kingswinford to Titford was relatively easy, with the majority of the route being the same as travelling to Ocker Hill.

Later on I decided to plan the canal route from Ocker Hill to Tat Bank (Titford).

Ocker Hill – Pudding Green Junction (4 miles 8 locks)
TR onto Birmingham Level Main Line (1/2 mile 0 locks)
TL onto Gower Branch (1/2 mile 2 locks)
TL onto Wolverhampton Level (2 1/4 miles 0 locks)
TR at Oldbury Junction onto Tat Bank (1/4 mile 6 locks)

7 1/2 miles 16 locks – max. 6 hours.

Posted in Moorings, Moving to Moorings | No Comments »

There’s no ‘P’ in our ool

10/12/2003 by Mark.Whalley.

In the evening I swam 40 lengths (of the Leisure Centre pool at Wednesbury not the canal!) With the pool only open to the public after 6pm, it was after 8pm that I got back to the boat. Too late to get down to any ‘real’ work, that together with blurred eyes from the chlorinated water of the ool (of course there’s no ‘p’ in there!) meant I would just have tea and settle down to watch TV. Today’s delight – the 2nd Sunday lunch with a very interesting program on the BBC about viruses (the crawly ones not the computer ones). Last week’s episode was about tapeworms, this week’s viruses. I wonder what they will find to put on at tea-time next week?

Posted in Moorings | No Comments »

|