Still windy but not actually raining

The weather was better today – it wasn't raining. Indeed, the wind was a little less but still pretty challenging. Fortunately, the run from Newbold to Hawkesbury is pretty straightforward apart from the little swing bridge at Stretton Stop, the Rose Narrowboats yard. Sanity Again, being 70' long and comparatively deep draughted for a modern boat, swims well as long as she's moving steadily and so doesn't blow sideways very easily.

It was a case of being well wrapped up and plodding steadily on. Oncoming boats at awkward moments kept it interesting but we had no bumps or bangs. A passing boat fairly early on said that there was a tree down at Bridge 4, Tusses Bridge, adding to the uncertainty. When we finally got there, it proved to be across about three-quarters of the channel from the towpath outwards. There was a guy already cutting it up, and we were able to squeeze by on the offside.

At Sutton Stop, there were two boats waiting for the stop lock but the water point before it was free so we dropped onto that, got the tank filling and, as it was just on 12, made and ate lunch. We'd not long finished and washed up when the tank started to overflow. Sheila worked the stop lock and I took the boat through and round the tricky junction in one move. Sheila afterwards told me that there had been a fair audience outside the Greyhound watching, so it's odd that I didn't mess up the turn. Maybe the fact that I deliberately didn't look that way helped.

There was plenty of room on the moorings round on the Coventry and we were glad to take a bit of time to chill out after the exciting morning. However, steering and keeping look out, whilst tiring in their ways, aren't really physical exercise, so we took ourselves for a walk after a bit. We went on along the towpath to the first bridge, crossed the canal and the remains of the Newdigate Arm just there and walked back through the public open space that's been made of the old colliery grounds.

It was a solid walk, a good hour and over 7,000 steps according to Sheila's pedometer, so we're now entitled to feel weary. Tomorrow, the forecast is for rather less wind but more rain. We'll carry on through Bedworth and Nuneaton, aiming to fetch up at the Anchor Inn. We'll probably stop at Boot Wharf for a pump out on the way. The tank's got a bit of room in it yet, but this is the most convenient service wharf for us now before we reach Mercia.

Location:Hawkesbury Junction

It's just one damp day after another...

... but the forecast is promising us warmer conditions by the end of the week, which would indeed be good. It rather depends on the current crop of depressions moving away and a bit of high pressure building from the Azores.

We shall see.

In the meantime, we've had another rather wet day's boating, though nothing like as bad as Friday. Sheila started off at seven after a bit of a lie in and with showers threatening all the time. After I'd breakfasted, I took over and we took it in turns for most of the morning. Sheila managed to run a washload and improved internet access let us catch up with various things.

It was an uneventful run to Suttons, albeit with three boats following by the time we got here, and Sheila worked her first lock since her op. Don't laugh, the Suttons Stop may only be a few inches, but the gates are just as heavy as many a deeper lock, no idea why. Despite a couple of boats appearing from the Bedworth direction I managed a reasonably smooth turn through the junction.

This afternoon has seen some routine maintenance getting done in between some serious loafing sessions. I refilled the stern greaser and checked the prop. Although the boat has been performing well, a rather suspicious shakiness of the tiller made us wonder if something hadn't quite been completely thrown off by bursts of astern, "chucking back" in the boater's jargon. Sure enough, there were the remnants of a poly bag and some twine cuddling up to the prop boss.

I'm pleased to say that the new pond gloves kept my hands and arms warm and dry whilst I was disentangling it all.

Peter Mason had suggested that it was time to change the coarse filter on the fuel agglomerator, so I lifted the stern engine board to check its part number. It's a CAV type cartridge, the 296 which I gather is one of the commonest in use. Midland Chandlers have them, but they are much cheaper for better quality at ASAP Supplies, even if I did have to buy two to get over their minimum order requirement.

Well, we are talking £2.19 each ex VAT and delivery...