2013 June | Living on a Canal Boat

Brinklow marina to Burton Hastings

I woke up this moring to the sound of birds twittering in the trees on the far bank, fish splashing in the water… and the rumble of trains passing on the West Coast Main Line. The trains aren’t close enough to bother us but they do remind us that there’s a real world out there with people enduring the stresses and strains of a normal mid week working day.

The most stress we faced this morning was whether to have toast smeared with honey or free range eggs bought from a farm shop near the marina just before we set sail.

After toast – we eat too many eggs – a couple of cups of coffee and an hour or so working on the site, we set off on the next leg of the journey.

Talking about working on the site, connecting to t’internet has been surprisingly easy so far. A couple of weeks ago I managed to rip my dongle pole off its roof bracket with the centre rope. The dongle is currently wedged in the outside of a roof vent protected from the elements by a surgical glove. It’s not very elegant but I’m going to replace the WiFi setup soon so that I can use a magnetic aerial on the roof. It might not be elegant, but it’s effective. I haven’t yet failed to get a signal where we’ve moored. Maybe that will change but, for now, I’m pleasantly surprised.

We cruised through some beautiful wooded areas just before Brinklow Arches. We passed two giant oaks on opposite sides of the canal. Both had been uprooted and had fallen across th canal. The blockage had been cleared but I wouldn’t have liked being anywhere near them when they came down.

At Rose Narrowboats, just after the swing bridge connecting their two work areas, we stopped to fill up with water, give the two lunatic dogs a run and a toilet break and to enjoy a cup of coffee in the sunshine.

Rose Narrowboats is just feet from the West Coast Main Line yet the canal bank adjacent to to the railway was packed with long term moorers. Why would anyone want to moor there? There are so many beautiful spots to choose from, why moor close enough to a high speed railway line to almost touch the passing trains?

There were more long term moorings just north of Rose Narrowboats. The boat owners here seemed to enjoy noise even more than those at Rose Narrowboats. Not only did they have the very busy railway line to contend with, they also had the constant roar of traffic, day and night, on the nearby M6. What a nightmare!

Maybe it’s just me. I’m very sensitive to artificial noise of any type. Even on my idyllic mooring at Calcutt I can always hear the background noise from the Southam to Daventry road a mile away. That, and the frequent planes and helicopters overhead. One of the few places I’ve ever been able to enjoy 100% natural sounds is backpacking in the Scottish Highlands. Sadly, I can’t take James there so I’ll just try to find the most rural moorings possible.

At Hawkesbury Junction we stopped at the visitor moorings just before the stop lock so that we could have lunch at the Greyhound (and see how other boats negotiated the U turn needed to turn north on the Coventry canal.

What a wonderful place to stop for lunch, and what a delicious lunch. We both had beef and horseradish sandwiches with a side salad and a bowl of chips. The food was exquisite, the weather wonderful and the view fascinating (and I was able to watch half a dozen boats make the turn, some successfully, some not.)

We made the turn successfully, gracefully and, I have to say, with a certain amount of style before heading north towards the entrance to the Ashby canal at Marston junction. I didn’t make the turn into the Ashby canal quite so gracefully. The turn is another acute angle, the entrance to the canal is a narrow bridge hole and the wind was against me. I struggled for a minute or two before I could get the boat’s nose in.

I probably wasn’t quite as proficient as I should have been because I was still throughly confused after passing the ever so eccentric Charity Dock and its collection of mannequins and derelict boats. I should have had my camera with me. I will on the way back.

We stopped after about an hour on the Ashby canal at a pleasant spot near Burton Hastings. We only stopped for two or three minutes. The mooring was exposed and the wind was blowing us off the bank. Just 200m further on though we found a sheltered mooring. It was a suntrap and the perfect place to spend the late afternoon and early evening reading. Our meal was an alfresco platter of garlic stuffed olives, cream cheese filled red peppers, vine ripened tomatoes and thick chunks of whole grain bread and, of course, a bottle of Theakston’s Old Peculiar for me and a bottle of cider for Sally.

Another day in heaven.

If you’re reading this post in the blog section of the forum, you may not be able to see some of the pictures or may only see them as thumbnails. Click on the link below to see the photo’s on the original blog post.

Braunston to Brinklow marina

We had another slow start to the day. Sally and I left the dogs on the boat and walked back to Braunston Junction just after Midland Chandlers opened at 9am. We didn’t really need to go but we’re both addicted to making improvements to James. Sally wanted to get a couple of adhesive pads for the back deck. For some strange reason she objected to nearly falling in the canal when she slipped on water covered paintwork last week. She didn’t actually fall in, so I don’t know what all the fuss was about. Anyway, we bought couple of pads and stuck them on when we got back to the boat.

Our plan for today was to get through Rugby and back to the peace and quiet of the open countryside once more. Our journey was delayed for a while because of a hire boat. I’m afraid to say, it came from Calcutt.

We look after four narrowboats for the Royal Navy; Emma, Lafter, The Andrew and, launched this year, Trafalgar. These boats are available to hire at a discounted rate to any Royal Navy staff. The boat we followed for half an hour at just over tickover was Emma.

There were at least half a dozen crew on board. None of them appeared to have mastered the knack of steering. The boat bounced erratically from bank to bank as it cruised at a snail’s pace past the entrance to Barby Moorings.

The crew, as is usual for Royal Navy narrowboat hirers, were considerate and well mannered. They just couldn’t steer the boat. After half an hour and several near misses with oncoming boats they pulled over to allow us to pass.

Hillmorton was Sally’s first opportunity to work a lock other than those at Calcutt. I had been told that the paddles at Hillmorton were a little stiff. I offered to wind the paddles for Sally.

“I need the exercise. I’ll do it.”
“Do you want me to start them off for you?”
“Don’t you think I’m capable? I’ll do it.”
“I’m only trying to help”
“You’re always trying to help. I need to do this myself.”
A brief silence, punctuated by grunts, groans and curses as Sally applied what little weight she has to the paddle.
“This one’s broken. It won’t go round.”
“It’s not broken. It’s just stiff. Let me do it.”
“I can’t turn it at all. It must be broken!”

Sally eventually reluctantly allowed me to help. I have to admit, the paddle was quite difficult to raise.

At the bottom lock I left James in the capable hands of the volunteer lock keeper and Sally and raced back to the cafe for ice creams. Five ice creams; one for Sally and I, one for the lock keeper, and one each for the children, Daisy and Charlie.

In Rugby we stopped just after bridge 58 and popped into the the big Tesco store a stone’s throw away from the canal. Sally needed to buy a hat to keep the sun out of her eyes and I needed to stock on on Theakston’s Old Peculiar.

By late afternoon Rugby was behind us. On the map I had identified a likely looking mooring near to Brinklow marina. We stopped just after bridge 38. The location was perfect. We set up our posh folding table and chairs on the sun kissed towpath without another boat or person in sight. It was wonderful.

Even more wonderful was Sally not allowing me to move a muscle after driving all day. She brought me a beer and a plateful of spicy corned beef hash. In the two hours we sat and relaxed on the canal bank just one boat and one cylcist past us. The only distraction was the frequent clatter of trains on the West Coast Main Line about half a mile away.

We took the dogs for a walk before we retired to the boat for the evening. We strolled back up the canal to where Brinklow marina have used the old Fennis Field Arm of the Oxford canal as an entrance to their business. As we passed the marina entrance in the boat I had noticed a sign offering free overnight moorings for none residents so we walked around the marina to see what they had to offer.

The marina is a single basin offering finger pontoons for multiple boats. I don’t know how long the marina has been open, but it looks very new. At the far end from the entrance there’s a huge mound of aggregate which has been used for topping the marina road plus half a dozen countainers and spare pontoons. They don’t have any permanent buildings from which to service moorers. There appear to be no facilities other than a cage containing gas and coal.

There’s an attractive far reaching view over the fields surrounding the basin and a small lake set in a large area of cut grass studded with picnic benches. The mooring rates are not much cheaper than they are at Calcutt. Given that Calcutt has ten full time staff on site at all times, offers everything from engine repairs to complete boat painting and a landscape which has been maturing for the last twenty years, I know where I would rather moor. Even though Brinklow offer free overnight moorings, I don’t think I would be tempted to stay there. The canal offers places to stay which are far more scenic.

The walk was the perfect end to the perfect day.

Calcutt to Braunston

We started the trip the way we intend to continue. SLOWLY.

As an instructor for the Calcutt hire fleet, I see dozens of professional types with their strict schedules and to do lists. The hassled hirers invariably arrive at Calcutt late because of last minute work obligations. They want to get the holiday started as quickly as possible so that they can achieve the goals they’ve set for the first day. Consequently, a relaxing narrowboat holiday becomes just another set of hurdles to overcome, deadlines to meet and problems to solve.

Sally and I decided that we were on holiday and that there was absolutely no rush.

We didn’t get out of bed until 7.30. I’m normally up at 5.00am and Sally at 6.00am so our late start was a welcome change. We enjoyed our normal Sunday treat; eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes with honey smothered toast and a coffee or two. After breakfast we took Charlie and Daisy for a long walk via Calcutt’s wharf and the new decking area.

The marina office and adjoining lock cottage backs onto Calcutt Top lock. Between the cottage and the lock there’s a small lawn. Last winter we problem with water from the canal pouring in to the cottage kitchen. As part of the investigation to discover the leak, we had to use the site excavator to dig up the lawn. The work ruined the lawn so rather than seed or turf the area again, the company decided to install decking where both visitors and moorers could sit and watch the world go by. Sally and I love it there. We have two busy narrowboat hire companies half a mile away and Wigram’s Turn and Napton marinas. Calcutt Top lock is the first lock the hirers face if they’re heading towards Birmingham. The entertainment is first class!

We were finally ready to set up at 1pm. I realised that there were a few things I still needed for the trip so we pulled onto the wharf. Even though my (rather large) diesel tank was almost full I wanted to top it up completely so that I can work out how much Mercedes engine uses. I’ll top up again at the end of the trip in order to make the calculation.

In addition to the diesel I bought a plank and a second centre rope. With so many obstacles to snag a single rope if I try to flick it from one side to the other, it’s far easier to have a rope down each side. I also bought some oil, a new tin of grease and two bags of coal and a pack of heat logs. We don’t have central heating on James so, even though the forecast for the next week or so is clear skies and sunshine, the early mornings are still going to be very chilly.

While we were on the wharf, I used our house sized wet vacuum cleaner to suck out the water in the engine bay. I can’t work out where it’s coming from. I don’t think it originates in the engine bay. I think it’s running under the floor from the front of the boat. The water tank is under the front deck. There’s a 9″ length of hose between the filler cap and the tank. It has a split in it. The hose needs replacing but in order to reach it, the copper piping coming from the tank will have to be removed. It’s quite a big job and likely to be quite expensive. There are plenty of other, more important, things to spend our hard earned money on so it will have to wait. In the meantime we have to be very careful when we fill the tank that we don’t overfill it and fill up the boat instead. I suspect that the water in the engine room is a result in one or both of us not being as careful as we should.

I realised that I had another problem when we left the mooring. My new starter battery was flat. Starting the engine wasn’t an

Sally relaxing just outside Braunston

issue. I simply jump started the boat from the leisure batteries. It’s a handy temporary fix but a dangerous method of starting the boat to rely on. Boats have a seperate starter battery for a very good reason. If the charge in the domestic batteries are depleted, then at lest the seperate starter battery can start the boat and then use the engine to recharge the leisure batteries. If both the starter and the leisure batteries are flat, the boat can’t be started at all.

I know nothing about electrics, so I asked the guys on the wharf to have a look at my setup for me. Diagnostics wasn’t easy. The alternator should charge the starter battery then, once the starter battery is full, charge the leisure batteries. Because I have solar panels also charging the batteries, without some proper investigation it wasn’t possible to determine whether the alternator was working at all or whether it was just charging the domestic bank.

The temporary solution is effective but needs careful management. I jump start the engine from the leisure battery bank then leave the jump leads connected while I’m cruising. The starter battery will then be charged by the leisure batteries. I will have to remember to remove the jump leads when we moor for the day though because if I drain the leisure batteries I will also drain the starter battery. I’ll have to get the wiring sorted out when we get back.

The cruise to Braunston was an absolute delight. Most of us in the UK talk constantly about the poor weather; overcast skies, drizzle, showers, heavy rain, hail, snow and strong winds. Even though we don’t have the same weather extremes eddured in other parts of the world, the regular dreary weather is very depressing. On the days when sun shines on the Engish countryside though, there are few better places on Earth. Sunday was one of those. Sunday was one of those days.

We reached Braunston just after 6pm. We needed to empty the Porta Potti so, as the water point was occupied, we pulled onto Midland Chandlers’ visitors mooring next door. The evening was beautiful so we took the opportunity to use Midland Chandlers’ picnic benches to wolf down a couple of platefuls of Sally’s delicious spicy Thai curry.

A beautiful spot to sit and relax

We decided not to stop there for the night. Daisy, the cocker spaniel, is a nightmare to control off the lead (and a nightmare to control on the lead too). Midland Chandlers is very close to the busy A45. We couldn’t take the risk of her running onto the road.

We left Braunston and found an idylic mooring within fifteen minutes. There were a few boats moored nearby but no signs of life. We had the towpath to ourselves. Just us, our new “garden” furniture, a bottle of the exquisite Theakston’s Old Peculiar for me and a bottle of cider for Sally, and an expansive view over sun kissed sheep studded fields. Who could ask for more?

2013 06 02 Newsletter – Pre Cruise Checklist

Living on a Narrowboat News 2nd June 2013

I’m moving house today. I’m not moving out of my home, I’m taking it with me. The ability to undo a couple of ropes and move your home to another location with a better view is one of the many wonderful aspects of living on a narrowboat. We actually have very pleasant neighbours at Calcutt but, if we didn’t get on with them, we would be able to move our home to another location where the neighbours were better.

We’re not moving permanently. We’re off on holiday for two weeks. A cruising holiday on James is something that I’ve been wanting to do for years. Unfortunately when I moved on board, James wasn’t in an acceptable condition to take anywhere.

The wooden top was in a very poor state of repair, as were the front and rear doors. The hatches over the rear doors and the port and starboard side doors were in an awful state. At some stage the original hatches had been replace by deckboard. The hatches had warped and the hatch runners had decayed to the point where I could poke my finger through them. The hatches offered no security at all. Anyone who wanted to gain entry to the boat could simply lift them off and climb in.

The onboard electrics were extremely basic. I had a starter battery and just one 110amp leisure battery. The single battery wasn’t enough to run the 12v appliances on board and couldn’t be charged because the engine’s alternator was faulty. I couldn’t use 230v appliances at all because the boat didn’t have an inverter.

The engine itself was in serious need of some TLC. The first time I took James out for on a day trip to Braunston I broke down with Sally and her two adult children on board. I walked back from Braunston to Calcutt with Sally’s daughter Maricar to fetch my car so that we could collect Sally, her son Michael and the dogs. I was very embarrased.

The cause of the breakdown was minor. The fuel filter was blocked. However, because the engine had been installed very close to the bulkhead between the bedroom and the engine room and the fuel filter was on the front of the engine, it was almost impossible to take off and clean.

The next time I plucked up enough courage to take the boat out the engine kept dropping out of gear. I managed to limp back to the mooring where one of out engineers had a look at it for me. It appeared to be another minor problem. The oil in the PRM gearbox was very low on oil. A PRM gearbox isn’t damaged if there is little or no oil in it. The gearbox simply stops working so doesn’t engage the drive.

With a fully topped up gearbox I took the boat out again. I had the same problem. This time I discovered that one of the gearbox hoses had perished so all of the oil recently added to the gearbox was in the bilge.

All of these problems have been resolved now. RCR have given the engine a thorough service (and told me that the engine should outlive me), I’ve increased the leisure battery bank from 1 x 110amp to 4 x 135amp, I’ve added a 1.6KW pure sine inverter to allow the use of 230v appliances when I’m “off grid”, I’ve added 300w solar panels to keep the batteries topped up without running the engine even if I’m stationary fo r a few days and the major improvement. And to make sure that I have enough power to draw from while I’m stationary, I’ve increased the original leisure battery bank from 1 x 110amp to 4 x 135amp.

We’re now ready to thoroughly enjoy the two weeks ahead. We’ve spent time and energy making sure that we’re properly prepared… unlike two holiday hirers at the beginning of the week.

John and Jan hadn’t been on a narrowboat before. They had booked a Tuesday – Saturday break to try it out. Unfortunately they picked the wrong Tuesday to experience narrowboating for the first time. The weather was awful.

After a wonderful bank holiday weekend, the brilliant sunshine was masked by angry clouds. The rain was relentless. During the morning my “waterproof” Calcutt padded jacket had absorbed more water than a paddling pool so I had switched to my own Guy Cotten bombproof trawlerman’s oilskin smock top. There’s no chance of rain getting in. As it’s not breathable there’s also no chance of perspiration getting out, so it’s no good for wearing during strenuous physical activity but it’s marvellous for standing around talking. It’s perfect for instructing holiday hirers in the pouring rain.

Jan and John didn’t have effective waterproof clothing. In fact, they didn’t have waterproof clothing at all. Jan stayed inside the boat while I showed John around the gas lockers, the wet locker and the engine bay and told him how to operate the boat.

An instruction usually lasts about an hour. The first part details the safe operation of the hire boat and is followed by a hand’s on demonstration of how to steer the boat and how a lock works as we take the boat through one or more locks in the Calcutt flight.

John steered and stayed with the boat while I showed Jan (“Oh dear. I didn’t expect the locks to be such hard work”) how to get the hire boat safely through the lock. By the time I was ready to hand the boat over to them, they were both shivering so violently that they could hardly speak.

I suggested that they take the boat just past Napton Junction where there’s a lovely spot to moor. I advised both of them to have a hot shower and settle in for the evening. They told me that they couldn’t. They didn’t have any food with them apart from two packets of crisps. They needed to cruise to a pub where they could get something to eat. They planned to eat out every day so didn’t think they needed to bring any provisions. As they were heading towards the Ashby canal, the first pub en route was the Boat House at Braunston over two hours away.

I’m writing this section of the newsletter early Saturday morning. Jan and John are due back later this morning. I hope they’ve had a good time, but somehow I doubt it. Out of their fours days on a narrowboat, they spent the first three trying to cruise in pouring rain while, chilled to the bone, they searched for somewhere selling hot food.

A little forward planning would have made all the difference. A good set of waterproofs each and a stock of food would have allowed them to enjoy rather than endure a canal break. Relying on available pubs for food is a disaster waiting to happen. Boaters can’t guarantee that they can reach a pub during the hours that it serves food, or that it will actually be serving food when they get there. I suggested to Jan and John that they walked a mile from their mooring at Napton Junction to the King’s Head at Napton to get something to eat. They said that they would rather press on in the rain. I’m pleased that they didn’t take my advice because I found out later that the King’s head had been closed that night. I don’t know why.

Remember the five P’s. Proper Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance. Effective planning doesn’t just apply to holiday hirers. Boat owners need to plan their trips too. As I said earlier, I’m out for two weeks starting today. I’ve planned the trip for a while to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible

Pre Cruise Planning

My planning has taken a long time for my first real cruise on James because of the condition of the boat when I moved on board. James was OK for a day trip – once the engine had been serviced, the fuel filter cleaned and the perished gearbox cables replaced – but the boat wasn’t suitable for even a short multi day cruise.

The electricity generation and storage was very poor. There was a too small alternator to charge just one 110amp leisure battery. James had a 230v ring main but it could only be powered by plugging in the shore line. I’ve now upgraded the alternator, increased the size of the battery bank and added 3 x 100w solar panels complete with an MPPT controller. In order to use the electricity stored in the new larger battery bank for running my 230v appliances, I’ve fitted a 1.6KW Sterling pure sine inverter. And to minimise the amount of power I use, and to provide far more effective illumination, I’ve replaced all twenty of the boat’s standard light bulbs with LEDs.

I’ve over plated the boat’s original wooden top with steel. Part of the work included adding a reinforced anchor point for the centre line, the most important rope on the boat and an essential aid to single handed navigation. I’ve added a cover for the cratch to provide additional storage space. I honestly don’t know what we would do without it.

All of the above has been preparation to bring the boat up to a standard where it can be used for comfortable cruising. After that I had to anticipate my needs for this particular trip.

One of the many wonderful aspects of taking your liveaboard narrowboat on holiday with you is that you don’t need to do any packing. I’m not leaving my home to go on holiday for two weeks. I’m taking my home with me. All I need to do is turn the engine on, unplug the shore line, untie the bow and stern mooring lines, and we’re off!

There’s no stress packing suitcases and wondering what clothes we need to take. I remember from previous holidays in UK that we used to take nearly every stitch we owned anyway. We had to take a range of clothing to allow for the English summer; cloud, sun, rain, hail and on one memorable break to north Devon at Easter, snow.

So we don’t have to worry about what to wear. We don’t have to worry about negotiating busy airports, busy roads approaching the airports, tiny seats on claustrophobic planes, unpleasant neighbours overflowing their tiny seats, remembering to take passports (and remembering, months in advance, to ensure that those passports are up to date), organizing holiday spending money, furiously saving holiday spending money, organising hotels or apartments and planning and paying for airport car parking. And then, when finally arriving at the holiday destination, exhausted from planning a break to recover from the exhaustion of a “normal” stressful life, being too tired to enjoy the break for several days.

This break is very different. There’s no stress involved at all. Providing I keep my “house” in good order, I don’t have to do much to prepare for a few weeks away. But I do have to consider the logistics of the trip.

Unlike Jan and John, the under prepared holiday hirers, we won’t be relying on canal side pubs to provide us with hot food every day. We’ll be eating on board. Eating on board will be far cheaper (and the quality of food is likely to be higher) but we need to know where we can restock.

Although we aren’t going to stick rigidly to a time table, we expect to take three days to get to the section of the Ashby canal we want to explore. The only decent supermarkets on the canal are at Market Bosworth. We could stop off in Rugby at some of the large supermarkets there but I want to spend as little time as possible in Rugby. I don’t like the town at all. We’ll pass through there as quickly as possible so that we can get back to the peace and quiet of the open countryside.

We’ve bought enough fresh food to keep us going until about Wednesday, and some tinned and dried food in case we want to stay longer.

I ran through my pre cruise check list on Sunday morning before we left.

2 x windlesses
2 x lump hammers
3 x mooring stakes
2 x mooring chains
British Waterways key (for the locking plates on the water points)
Anchor, chain and rope (I don’t need an anchor for this trip, but there’s one on board)
A sharp knife, bolt croppers and mole grips for removing obstacles from the propeller
Pole and plank on board and in good condition
Coal, kindling and firelighters in case the weather turns chilly. I don’t really want to have to light the fire in June but the early mornings can be a bit chilly and I don’t have a central heating system on James which can be used to provide a quick burst of heat as and when I need it.
A spare 13kg gas cylinder
Spare engine and gearbox oil
Spare grease for the greaser
Fuel topped up (so I can top it up again when we get back and work out how much fuel my engine user each hour)
Bow line, stern line and two centre ropes – all present and in good condition
Batteries topped up and holding a charge
A map of our cruising route. A good map (I favour Pearson’s) is essential for finding water points, winding holes – turning areas – estimated journey times and quiet mooring spots away from housing, roads and railways.
A good set of waterproofs, especially for the helmsman
A sense of adventure and anticipation

I discovered that I didn’t have everything I needed, including a means of charging the starter battery. The thought of not being able to start the boat when moored in the middle of nowhere induced a certain amount of panic. I’ve run out of time to tell you about it now. We have a five hour cruise to where I want to moor tonight. We’re currently a mile outside of Braunston on the Rugby side. Once we moor up this evening I’m going to write a post about the first day of the cruise. I’ll explain all about my problem there. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the sunshine and the countryside drifts by at a leisurely 4mph.

Comprehensive Site Article Listing

There are dozens of helpful and interesting articles on the site, but have you found them all? I thought you might appreciate a list of the more popular articles that you can glance through and click on the ones that take your fancy. Here it is.

Useful Links

Living on a Narrowboat: The REAL Cost of a Life Afloat – Narrowboat costs explained in detail. My own maintenance and living cost on narrowboat James for a full year. Use this information to work out your own costs.
Find out what parts of the canal are closed and for how long. Essential cruising information for you.
Do you need to find a home for your boat? Here’s a comprehensive list of the narrowboat friendly marinas in the UK
Do you want to see where these marinas are on a map? Here it is.
Here’s a map of all the canals on the system to help you plan your route.
Newsletter Archive – Browse through a wealth of useful content in the newsletters over the last year.

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