Sunday at Foxton

Foxton's normally very busy on a Sunday, it being a favourite destination for the local gongoozlers, but I guess the showery and windy weather today has put them off a bit. We spent the morning cleaning and stuff. Sheila put in a lot of work in the engine room, with buckets of soapy water and a can of Pledge, and as a result it's looking much cleaner and tidier.

We've stowed the anchor away in the lower bow locker, and I took the opportunity to get out the tools and paint we'll need to repaint the gunwales above the rubbing strake. We won't actually do this until we've climbed up Foxton, though.

We also refilled the water tank and ran a washload. The repaired domestic alternator ran well, another source of relief.

This afternoon, we took a walk along the Harborough Arm, and discovered that, although the Black Horse pub is presently closed for a refurbishment, a village store, Rural Trading,  has opened in what was the skittle alley. We only had time for a brief look in, as they were just closing, but Susan and Charlotte gave us a run down of their services. It looks like a fairly comprehensive stock, but you can email them via their webpage or phone/text 0794 1342794 with your needs and they will order stuff in. This could be really handy if you're boating towarrds Foxton, need supplies and don't want to go into Market Harborough.

They also do newspapers on the same basis. They're now open from 9 to 5 six days a week, and 9.30 to 2.00 on Sundays. Walk up the hill from Bridge 3 to find them.

Less good is the email I've received from Sarah and Steve about the boat Sumat Else we saw being towed on the Trent and Mersey. They've had a hard time:

We were first time boaters and unfortunately the outboard engine cut out when the stop button on the control panel popped out and touched the metal panel. Unable to start the engine again, a friendly couple towed us to the lock at Weston-upon-Trent. Here the canal rescue people took the engine off our boat and advised us that it would go to their specialist to be fixed. We were advised to leave it there until the engine could be fixed back on the boat.

 

A week or so later we had a call from the waterways authority to advise us that our boat was sinking! I drove out with my 3 year old son to check what could be making the boat sink. To my horror when I opened the canopy everything that could be removed and unscrewed from the boat was taken. From the navigation lights to the half used fairy liquid bottle on the sink! Still unsure as to what had made the boat sink, I left the boat in the hands of the canal rescue people once again.

 

After pumping out the water they found that the thief had drilled a hole in the hull of the boat to sink it. They then used a bolt to plug the hole and sealed it. After a few days of the rescue company trying to find a marina that would take 'sumat else', they eventually found one. Sunday was the day that 'sumat else' got towed away, as you saw.

 

We are upset, angry, bewildered and feel desolate. After only a few weeks and only the third time on our boat, the dream being on the canal/river in our boat has been taken away from us. We can't believe that anyone could do this, even our three young children's games were taken.

 

Despite these occasional, despicable characters, everyone that we encountered on our short adventure on the canal, were lovely and friendly.

 

The boat will probably be written off by the insurance company and the police are investigating the theft. At first we were determined not to let them win and put us off from getting back out there on our or another boat, but just recently we are changing our minds and feel it may just not happen again.

 

I just wanted to let you know, and if you want to update your blog it might arouse other boaters in the area of the dangers prowling that area.

I really wouldn't have thought of Weston as a danger area; it just shows that it's not always the obvious bandit territory that you have to worry about.

Tomorrow, we go into Market Harborough; we're planning to spend a few days there before heading onwards and upwards towards Crick.