nb Bridge Street

Monday 30 th July 2018 We ambled about in the morning. Brenda did some housework and I walked up into Winsford for some shopping. The day was not good, a lot of cloud and threatening rain. Matt brought Manny and Eva out to us at 3pm. Just as they turned up the heavens opened with heavy rain. It was great to see them both, they are here for a week, so hopefully we won’t get sick of them and make them swim home. Once Matt had gone we waited a short while for the rain to stop and then set off. We passed under the two bridges that make up the roundabout at the bottom end of Winsford which we have travelled over countless times by car. As soon as you pass under the first bridge you are off Canal and River Trust waters. We winded at the entrance to the marina being careful not to venture too far into the flash because of the danger of shifting, shallow sandbanks and then started to retrace our route. This now put us right at the start of the Weaver Navigation and by th...

Sunday 29 th July 2018 It was raining heavily first thing so we decided to have breakfast and then make a decision, see if the rain goes off. It didn’t. We were considering not moving but that would have meant disappointment for us all. So we set off about 10:30 in the rain. The cruise up the river was wonderful. Under the two swing bridges in Northwich town centre, past the BW workshops (these have got to be worth exploring) and Yarwoods old shipyard. There used to be a number of shipbuilders in Northwich, Yarwoods and Pimblotts amongst them. Yarwoods were one of the most prolific of British shipbuilders, albeit of small vessels. Yarwoods closed in 1965 and Pimblotts followed in 1971. Passing under the high railway viaduct we came to the first lock, Hunt’s, where there was already another boat waiting. It is a very pretty location just behind the Bowling Green pub and well maintained due to it being listed. After the narrow canal locks the structure appeared huge. ...

Saturday 28 th July 2018 The day had changed and it was quite windy and cloudy, threatening rain. We stopped off at the service point at Anderton, took on water, dumped rubbish and emptied the toilet cassette, before mooring up just short of the boat lift, where we had a full fried breakfast. We were booked on the lift at 12:10 so at 11:30 we moved up to the appointed mooring. Only to be told they had had an electrical blackout that had shut down the computer system and there would be a delay of up to 2 hours. Canal time and 21 st century technology. At 2 o’clock we had a safety talk before manoeuvring onto the lift itself. The Anderton Boat Lift is an amazing structure but it is only when you are actually on it that its scale and magnificence can be fully appreciated. The lift was built in 1875 and connects the Trent and Mersey Canal with the River Weaver 50 feet below. It consists of two water filled caissons 75 feet long by 15 foot 6ins wide that each hold 250 t...

Friday 27 th July 2018 After some more shopping and filling with water, we headed out of Middlewich again. This, to us, was finally the beginning of our new life and our future adventures. After all the false starts and hanging around waiting on work that should have either been done before the boat went into the water, or work that we had elected to be done to be comfortable with the boat, we felt now we were off. There is still much work to be done, but it can be done by ourselves, eventually, nothing is now pressing or will prevent us from cruising. We can now put it all behind us and begin to enjoy the boat. So it was with excitement that we left Middlewich this time. We had a slow cruise to Marston and moored at the Salt Barge. It was a very hot day again. We mooched around, did a few jobs, readied the anchor in preparation for the River Weaver and both sat on the bank reading while we waited for Martin and Michelle. They turned up about just after 4pm and w...

Thursday 26 th July 2018 A sedate 1 ½ mile cruise into Middlewich this morning, winding before the Big Lock and reversing to the water point. While reversing we saw a grass snake swimming across the canal. We stopped next to it and watched it climb up the canal side and slither off into the undergrowth across the tow path. We went shopping to Tesco’s. A much easier shop with the new trolley bag but we can still make it much easier still. I went to Middlewich DIY and Aquafax for a few more bits and pieces and did a few more jobs in the afternoon. We called it a day at 4pm and went to the Big Lock for a pint. It was very hot. Met Nick from the Golden Lion. The whole point in returning to Middlewich was Chris and Donna had invited us to dinner at their house, so after showers and a change of clothes we walked up there, it seemed strange to be walking from Tesco to St. Annes Road again, a walk we have done countless times. It was a great surprise to find they had...

Wednesday 25 th July 2018 Look what we woke up to at 5:45 this morning: However, after a cup of tea, watching the sun rise, we did go back to bed. We spent the morning drying washing, Brenda cleaning the boat through, again, after all the work of the last week and I did a few jobs, gluing up the wooden facings of more doors where the wood has come away from the metal. Midday we set off and cruise just two miles back to Bramble Cutting over very well-known ground, this is now very much, a favourite. And we had it all to ourselves. Most unusual and must be largely due to the breech and lack of water in Middlewich. We passed Kenny on Ayup on the way here. They are now on their way to Park Farm Marina early because of the low water levels in Middlewich. The town and the canal through it will not be the same without Kenny and Sue. It was a shame we couldn’t moor together for the evening at least, but Sue was taking their car to the marina and th...

Tuesday 24 th July 2018 We were hanging around this morning, only to discover that Paul had visited and delivered the pieces of wood we needed to complete some little jobs, window trim for the front cratch and a backing plate for the new door lock fitted a few weeks ago in Middlewich. The boat was then filled with water and the toilet emptied ready for leaving. After having said goodbyes to everybody in the marina we had left little time to get to the bank for our 12 noon meeting. Judith offered to run us into Northwich. The kindness of strangers. Our meeting with the financial advisor was interesting and quite a few investment plans have been set up to make our money work for us with good returns. After some shopping in Northwich we set out to walk back to the boat. It had been raining quite heavily but we managed to make it back with only some light drizzle. We called into the Broken Cross to pay for a meal for Paul and Dawn. Paul will not take anything for ...

Monday 23 rd July 2018 Not the best of starts to our day. We now need a new bulkhead making to cover all the holes left from moving the panels from the galley to inside the electrics cupboard. We thought   this job was all arranged but it had to be passed by Gary,the marina manager first. Gary was away for the morning and so, again, we had to wait. The rubbish was starting to smell again so we walked down to some litter bins we had discovered on the Davenham Road about ½ a mile away. On the way out of the marina Gary arrived, but told us the job could not be done until next week. We were both gutted, more waiting around and we have Manny and Eva with us next week and did not want to be in here with them but didn’t want to have to put them off again. Returning from the rubbish dumping we found Gary, Sandra and Paul in conversation, obvioulsy about us. It was decided the job would be done straight away. Thank you people. We had to move into the dock but the bo...

Sunday 23 rd July 2018 Sandra altered the 240V system, replaced the consumer unit and associated breakers, renewed the cabling on the immersion heater for heat resistant cable and fitted the proper connectors to one of the solar panels. So that is Sandra finished on the electrics. The whole set up now looks so much more professional, so much neater, everything is properly labelled, but more than that, we feel safer. The whole job cost just short of £1000 but it is worth every penny to us.                                                             Before                        ...

Saturday 21 st July 2018 Sandra’s job today was cancelled so she spent the whole day working on our electrics. Brenda spent the whole day feeling like a prisoner in her own home. The galley was so cluttered with tools and equipment and the engine bay hatch was up that it was difficult to get on and off the boat. It was horrible. All the cabling in the engine bay was fitted in conduit as per the boat safety scheme. A new isolator was fitted for the 12V leisure system. One set of cabling routed to the inverter was removed as it is not necessary. The cabling for the Webasto heater was re-routed and trimmed to size. Sandra worked from 9.30am until                                         ...

Friday 20 th July 2018 Sandra got stuck on the job she was out to and so didn’t turn up until 4pm. Brenda started to crotchet a circle for the galley porthole and I pottered about and bailed out the engine bay which had water in it again after the rain the other day. I have to find how it’s getting in. Sandra worked until after 8pm and has ripped out all the 12V system in the electrical locker and replaced it with an improved system. All the relays and blade fuses have now been incorporated into a new control panel. All panels and gauges are also mounted on a separate board within the locker. We walked to the Broken Cross again for our dinner.

Thursday 19 th July 2018 Brenda spent the best part of the morning trying to chase a surveyor, for an RCD check or a boat survey. But they were all either retired or couldn’t carry one out for whatever reason. She also rang Swanley Bridge and spoke to Andy to put him in the picture, if only to safeguard the boats presently in build or at least forewarn them. She then rang Kings Lock Chandlery in Middlewich for advice. They are a major distributor of Morso stoves. According to them there is no requirement for fireboard or any other so long as the minimum clearances given in the installation manual are adhered to. The minimum clearance behind the stove should be 200mm, ours is 40. Trouble is, I fitted the stove, albeit to Graeme’s instruction. We are thinking of finishing with the electrical work and then just taking off and enjoying the boat and cross any bridges later. Sandra started on the changes to the electrics and there is a massive improvement on what they ...

Wednesday 18 th July 2018 Not a good day today. Our trolley was damaged carrying a gas bottle when we were at Swanley Bridge. We had decided that one way of making shopping easier is to take the Next cabin luggage we had bought. These can be carried as a backpack, but would also fit on a trolley. So I duly took the bike to B&Qs and bought a new trolley amongst other things. On the way back the front tyre developed a puncture a mile from the boat. Later Brenda walked into town and bought, amongst other things, a puncture repair kit and a new inner tube. Both of these things, along with a saddle tool bag and tyre levers I used to have and disposed of before coming on the boat. While Brenda was away I fitted a second pair of roof gangplank holders and started on fitting the rear door trims properly. There was a woman paddling about in a rubber dingy taking measurements in the canal. Apparently she was researching for her degree in Geo-Physics and was measurin...