Early start today, out on deck before 8am to be greeted by a glorious autumn morning
I want to check out the bilge pump, which gets rid of the water that seeps through the stern gland (where the propeller shafts exits the engine bay). You expect leakage through this and although Venture has far less water sloshing around than Sceptre did, there is only room for a relatively small volume to collect before it starts mixing with any leaking engine oil. So I fill the bilge collection tray to see if the pump will kick in. It doesn't. Either there's a faulty sensor or this isn't an automatic pump. I drain the water by flicking the pump's switch, and plan to investigate later
Set off in the cool morning air, the low sun quite blinding, and travel a very peaceful and tree lined three miles to the first lock of the day
Moor up for breakfast - scrambled eggs with smoked trout
From there it's a short hop, and another two locks to Fradley Junction where the Coventry Canal heads off towards......Coventry, and there are services where we can dispose of our rubbish and our cassette full of bodily waste
It also has a rather delightful old pub, The Swan, where we have a cheeky lunchtime pint
There are also good moorings, so we decide this is as far as we will travel today
An early finish so more chance to delve into Venture's inner workings. The bilge pump is manual only, which given she is laid up for two or three months a year seems short sighted.
The central heating investigation also moves on. We find the ghostly presence of the CH control panel. It was faulty and has been removed, leaving only a manual on/off switch which doesn't seem to do anything. We have gone from a missing person enquiry to a murder investigation. Praise be to the woodburning stove
I also have a go at getting the non-functioning satellite dish to work.
I suspect the problem might be connected to the inner core of the coaxial cable being cut off too short
Redo this properly, and manage to get the dish connected to the satellite box and linked to the TV. But no signal, and decide this is just too much faff to bother with
Time for a shower. This is a final bit of getting up close and personal with the boat. The shower is tiny, and the thought of the shower curtain wrapping itself around one's body very nearly put us off the idea of buying into this syndicate. But in the end it was fine. A bIt cramped, yes, but no clingy curtain. Not sure why not, I'm sure there's a PhD thesis in there somewhere
And finally, back to the Swan for our tea
They are having a folk evening and we are there until closing time. Vera is moved to tears by The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, her favourite Gordon Lightfoot song. It's a memorable evening, puzzling only by the lack of an audience. I imagine that everyone is sat at home watching TV
Any suggestions as to what kind of bathroom refit would work would make a very good item for the AGM?
ReplyDeleteIan