Our week on the cut 28th Feb to 9th March
I mentioned “itchy tiller syndrome” in my last post. It really is a thing! So keen were we to get going again, we decided to have a week out on the cut, and so it was that we left Brinklow at roughly 10am on the last Friday in February. It was a slightly less sunny than promised day as we left our pontoon – in fact a little foggy! We both had a full set of clothes plus gilet and scarf with a windproof top layer and gloves, which helped deflect the keen breeze. But it felt so good to be out on the water! And the week ahead looked like sunshine all the way. I don’t think we could have picked a better week if we’d tried!
We didn’t really have a plan – just a yen to be boating and to see a different view or views for a change. We had lunch on the hoof and then tackled the 3 lovely locks at Hillmorton, by which time the sun was trying its best to break through. And failing. We pulled over for the day on a nice bit of Armco around 14:30. It seemed like a nice quiet spot – although the towpath was an absolute quagmire. One of the major downsides of winter cruising – especially with two dogs! I think it’s the one thing that really puts us off being continuous cruisers.
It was a very quiet and very chilly night – not that the cold is an issue – we are always toasty on board. And we awoke to lovely sunshine! What a treat! In fact it was so warm in the sunshine that we both ventured out on deck without coats – and survived! It was a joy. And seeing all the new life – flowers blooming, lambs gambolling in the fields. You could not help but feel happy.
We stopped off at Midland Chandlers in Braunston and picked up some blacking for touching up before we leave for the summer and also some oil for the engine service, which Paul will do at some point. We decided to go up to Braunston Marina to wind and passed the Boat House which, unusually, had an Old Nick sized space outside. Paul immediately decided he fancied a pint. We agreed that if the space was still there, after we had winded, we’d nab it and – what the heck! – we’d have our lunch there too!.
That turned out to be a decision we’d regret as the food took far longer than we expected and – when it eventually turned up – had clearly been on the pass for a while as it was not very hot. It was very tasty though and we just could not be bothered to complain and Paul enjoyed his pint of Marstons in the sun, so not disastrous by any means.
We still hadn’t really made up our minds where we were going but – as the weather looked good for the following weekend – we decided we’d arrive back at the Marina on Friday, so that we could get some odd jobs done. That decided, we went straight on at Braunston turn, back towards Rugby and found a very nice quiet spot for the night.
My first task was making a quick batch of cherry scones – Paul’s favourite. Drop me a message here if you’d like the recipe? While they were cooling, we had a little snooze – all that fresh air had made us sleepy. The church bells were audible as we dozed off – possibly a spring wedding? Lovely day for it, to be sure.
After another frosty night – down to minus 2 – we awoke to another sunny day and decided to potter on to find another nice bit of bank. After our eggy brekky of course! We didn’t go far – but it met the criteria (I wanted lambs!) and had the added attraction of being between a bridge and a bend and thus it was likely that no-one else would join us. Bonus!
We sat outside in the lovely sunshine and played with the boys and fed the ducks and put the drone up – just for fun. And that was Sunday done.
We decided to stay put on Monday and also on Tuesday – despite being joined by another boat on Tuesday. But they were not right on top of us, so not too annoying.
Wednesday was another beautiful day and, as Paul was working, I set off solo (no coat required) and moved us down to a very nice spot with a boat length of Armco and overlooking fields. All I could hear – apart from the distant rumble of the M54 – was skylarks. I thoroughly enjoyed my short cruise in the sunshine, whistling all my favourite tunes.
We are averaging around 3KWh of solar per day at the moment and solar yield will, of course, only increase as the sun gets stronger. Compare this with the first week in January when our total yield for the entire week was just 4.7KWh. And there were a few occasions on Wednesday’s cruise when there was enough solar coming in that the batteries were not depleting. Love it!
One thing I forgot to mention in the recent update was our new winter covers. The lockers on the stern deck get pretty wet over the winter and, while commissioning a new cover for our controls (Bow/Thruster/Throttle) Paul decided that we should get some covers to keep the worst of the rain out. Many boats have Pram Covers or Tonneau covers at the stern. We like to use the stern all year round to get on and off the boat so the tonneau is not for us. We don’t want the hassle of a pram cover either – I say hassle because it’s prudent to take it down before cruising, so that it does not get damaged on bridges. It only takes a few minutes, but we can’t be bothered with it. There are some very compelling reasons for having one (extra covered space, space for muddy boots, a covered drying space) and so on, and many people love theirs and would not be without them. It’s just not for us.
Paul described exactly what he wanted to Karl from All Boat Covers , who promptly went off and made a prototype, returned, checked the fit and went back to make the final set. It must have been a bit of a challenge as it’s far from a standard cover, but Karl rose to the occasion..The covers are just the job and incorporate winter protection for the controls, whilst still allowing easy access. We are very pleased with both them and the new, standalone console cover. (which we use when cruising). And our lockers are now nice and dry. The locker covers will be stored for the summer months and then brought out again for winter, so should last many years. And if you are in the market for a cover for your boat, you could do worse than giving Karl a ring to come and quote for you.
Thursday – sun again! So lucky. Once again I cruised solo and enjoyed my thoughts and singing and whistling. Curiously, we were running out of milk – I guess we must drink more when we’re cruising as we normally have plenty? I decided to do a quick grocery delivery from Sainsers via Just Eat. I made the delivery point a bridge over the canal near Hillmorton Locks and it worked a treat! I strolled up to the bridge at the allotted time and my groceries arrived promptly! It’s very handy. And yes – you probably pay a little over the odds, but needs must when the devil drives! You don’t want to encounter Paul without his morning cuppa!
Considering our proximity to the railway line (see below) we had a pretty quiet and restful night. We had a quick brekker and then headed off towards Hillmorton Top Lock which just need a little top-up from overnight leakage and was then ready to enter. We met two boats at the middle lock (which was also in our favour) and then another boat at the bottom lock. It’s lucky the locks are paired – less hanging about at busy times.
It was a cloudier and breezier day than of late, but nonetheless pleasant and still no coat required. We had noticed that there’d been a lot of clearing of offside vegetation and, as we were going through Rugby, we met the CRT Volunteers responsible. We thanked them for their hard work – it’s much safer being able to have a clear view ahead. And it increases the available width for passing. They’ve done a great job.
We arrived back at the Marina of Dreams at lunchtime and topped up the diesel before returning to our pontoon – not without a bit of a battle as the wind wanted us to go one way and we wanted to go the other! But we made it. We had a quick lunch before starting work on cleaning the roof, which was looking a bit grimy after a long winter. We may not have a wood burner, but most do and it was pretty grubby with both sooty and green deposits. It looked 100% better by the time we had finished. And we were knackered! Arm ache!
The next day, Paul set to, on the outside, washing and touching up the blacking on the hull while I started a deep clean indoors and also looked at rationalising storage and shedding any stuff that was surplus to requirements. I suppose you might call it Spring Cleaning? The bright sunshine had certainly revealed a few hitherto unnoticed cobwebs! I also did some rubbing down and varnishing of the internal woodwork. It was good weather for drying and I managed a couple of coats and would do a final one the next day, when it was properly dry and set.
When Paul had finished one side, we moved the boat to the other side so that he could attend to the blacking that side. He got as far as washing it before he ran out of steam. He’d do the blacking the next day. We also needed to sort out our winter stuff (mainly clothes/footwear and bedding) ready to take down to Fareham for our last visit before “the off”.
Sunday was another fine, warm and sunny day and we managed to fit in all the planned jobs – plus I got a load of washing done and hung out. A great drying day! We ended the weekend feeling we’d had achieved a great deal of good work. Always a good feeling. And we both felt that our week on the canal had recharged our batteries, after all the grey of winter. Adn we were so busy, we forgot to take any pictures, so you’ll just have to imagine our blood, sweat and tears!
Looking ahead – we have that trip down to Fareham to celebrate George’s birthday and grab our summer stuff – it feels a bit premature but we do still keep some “weather appropriate” garb on board for Spring and Autumn. We have our first set of guests for 2025 (Nick and Sarah Holmes) followed by the the Artisan Crafts Fayre at the Marina on 5-6 April. And our next set of 2025 guests (Anne and Gray Robertson) are joining us for Easter weekend, so it’s all go! And we would not have it any other way!
| Period | Miles | Locks |
| 28th Feb to 9th March | 28 | 6 |
| Cumulative | 28 | 6 |