Wednesday 1^st – Thursday 2^nd January 2020

The two boats moored with us at Bramble Cutting had left by 11am on New Year’s day and, for the rest of our time spent here, we had the place to ourselves which was a pleasant surprise.

While a few jobs were done, a metal edging strip fitted to the front step and the sailing ship oil painting hung, the days were spent lazily reading and watching TV. We bought ourselves a few games for Christmas and played quite a lot of Dominoes.

We have eaten well on the remainder of the Christmas fare with a Roast Pork dinner on New Year’s day and a lovely curry with the left-overs.

There had been a steady procession of boats although most seemed to be heading to wind at Middlewich before heading back to their marina’s and work after the New Year. We were treated to the sight and sound of ‘Rudd’ in the old blue and yellow BW livery and her distinctive Bolinder engine, towing the butty ‘Ilford’.

The Bolinders have a very distinctive sound due to the exhaust. Most boats built after WWI were fitted with these Scandinavian engines. They are started on kerosene with a glow plug heated by a fixed blowlamp, being kicked over at the flywheel to start and hoping the foot pedal retracts before the flywheel turns, otherwise, as does happen, legs are broken or people thrown out of the engine room side door. They have no reverse gear and reverse is engaged by slowing the engine right down and then throwing a lever at the correct time to change the point of fuel injection from one side of TDC to the other and so the engine runs in the opposite direction. Ingenious, but very prone to just stopping, and always at the wrong time when manoeuvring. I have been lucky enough to help move a boat with a Bolinder from Anderton to Beeston. It was great fun, but they are a bitch.    

The wind on Thursday must have been in a funny direction. It was not particularly calm, but we could clearly hear the trains, presumably from Winsford some 2-3 miles away on the other side of Bostock ridge and a big shoot being held at Bostock Estate itself, sounded very close at one point and was making us feel a little uncomfortable.