((I cannot believe it, you’ve actually started cruising and now stopped again! You do know what you’re supposed to do with a boat don’t you??)) Cheeky! We had good reason to stay put as we had so much work to do on the boat and then there were the stoppages which caused an issue. Also the whole point of a narrowboat is not to go quickly so we stop when we can. Also, must explain before i go any further that the dog in the picture is Max, he’s Pete’s dog who we buddied up with down the Erewash. As well as running is Towage business Pete ((And Max!)) are involved with The Forces Veterans Afloat Charitable Trust. I’ve added a link at the end to find out more.
Today is a chilled day. As we have been so busy lately and it’s so bloody hot! I mean of course it is, as the schools have gone back so absolute standard to be the best weather. ((Come on admit what you’ve just said!)) It’s too hot for me. I like it a nice 19-21 degrees. I think today it must be easy 26-28 degrees – so so hot! I wanted to go and wash the otherside of the boat but I would literally melt. ((They say those hot sauna things are great for losing weight Peachy)) Hey, what do you mean?? ((Well, you know you keep moaning about not losing weight maybe you ought to sit in the stern with the covers closed. You will be half the woman when you come out – unless you lose it in height instead of weight then that could be a problem)) Bloody cheek! But sort of true. I’m blaming the middle-aged spread. I thought it was a myth but it’s true it’s three times as hard to lose weight. Anyway, enough of that.
Also, we did plan a chilled day with a few little boat regular boat check. We nee to get Chris’s case from under the bed and this means we can check the couple of dehumidifier tubs we put in and turns out they are almost full so we replace them. These capture any moisture from under the bed. In one of my vlogs, ((Link at the end – do i have to do all the promotion around here!)) I explained we found a leak from the shower which went under the bed and so we like to keep an eye on it.
Checking the engine, cleaning the boat, admin work, blog and vlogging. I’m really struggling to upload my videos to icloud – I have enough space and signal but its taken almost a week and they still haven’t updated. Any ideas would be gratefully received to make it quicker.
Also, if there are any experienced vloggers reading this if you can tell me how you video stuff and upload/download and store more effectively i would be grateful and what editing software you use? I’ve been using Canva which i like but wondered if there was an easier/quicker way of getting the videos off my phone, uploaded to canva, downloaded to YouTube etc etc…
Chris decided to do a check of the engine after it had been put to the test on the Erewash with the low water and weed. He checked the engine mounts, the prop coupling and a general check and found a few were loose. It’s just the nature of the engine shaking when in use that does it so if you have a boat and don’t already then make sure you check everything regularly to avoid further problems. We now have a check list of items for the boat including things like the shower pump etc as we know the issues you can have with them when they break and at least if you’re on top of checking it minimises any damage.
In the roasting, searing, desert heat ((Drama queen)) we braved it as we headed up the canal path and over to Sawley marina. It was strange to be back, as although we’d never bought our boat from here we did come and visit and look at a few boats for sale so it’s odd to be here now on our own boat. We pop in as we needed to buy some clips for the cratch cover as one has been damaged and a hook on a pole for dragging weed out. Luckily, because we went down the Erewash with Pete we were able to use his as when the lock starts emptying it drags all the weed to the gates and then they are difficult to open! ((They also bought ice=creams)) Oi! We needed them for the heat exhaustion…
It’s then back to the boat as I have a zoom call with Sara from Newark Book Festival for a catch up. The signal is a bit rubbish as we need to get a new sim card for the router we bought. Always something to do and pay for. After this its dinner and then luckily we find a water point right outside the boat! This stretch of visitor moorings opposite Sawley marina is brilliant as they have loads of water points so we decide to fill up now. As the sun is setting we also take the rubbish and the cassette to empty at the Elsan so in the morning we can put the cratch covers down and get cruising before the day gets too hot!
We also managed a little walk to the river as we like to try and have a wander and explore around any area we stay.
That’s it. Until tomorrow. Xx
Click here to watch the vlog where we found the leak.
Click here to find out more about Forcesvetsafloat and Ballinger Towage and Steerage Services.
C.L. Peache 