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Spent a useful day at the boatshow enquiring about hydraulics and the latest loos for boats, and drinking Guiness. Unfortunately spotted all the barges and narrowboats after I had left the hall, and they don't let you back in.
Friday 21st February 2008
Visit the Boat and Caravan show at the NEC Birmingham- no Guinness bar, but spot some interesting layouts in boats, and this caravan with an extending roof
Tuesday 26th February 2008
Back in the tank to do more cleaning. Using the generator to power a light.
Wednesday 5th March 2008
Clean out both tanks of sawdust soaking up the last of the diesel.
Thursday 13th March 2008
Using wire brush tool clean out top tank walls and floor.
Thursday 17th April 2008
Visit to the construction of the new Bolton and Bury Canal first section that joins the River Irwell.
Volker Stevin, Principal Contractor.
Project managed by British Waterways.
Principal Consultant, Mouchel.
Salford City Council.
North West Regional Development Agency
Valley and Vale Properties Ltd.
Contract Start Date July 2007.
Contract duration 40 weeks.
Tuesday 22nd April 2008
Set out about 11.30 am to go to Leigh, pass 'Leo' at Water's Meeting. Arrive in Leigh 2.30pm. Lunch at the 'pit stop' snack wagon by the lighthouse, meet Barry the owner. Kier and Alan working on 'Parbella', moor in basin, and after a cup of tea cycle back along the towpath, takes two hours.
interesting concrete boat moored near the lighthouse- looking for a new owner.
Thursday 24th April 2008
Set out about midday from Leigh with Debbie, to get the boat to the bottom of Wigan for tomorrow.
VIDEO: Going up the Wigan Flight.
Friday 25th April 2008
Set off 10.30am.up Wigan Flight with Kier and Debbie. Lunch about half way, when Kier has to leave to go and do sea trials on another boat. Debbie and I continue and get to the top about 3.00pm. Continue to Adlington where we stop for a pint before continuing to Johnsons Hillocks. Kier turns up just as we are having trouble with a leaking gate. He puts the log we had collected for firewood in the gap and it works. Arrive on the farm moorings by 9.00pm.
Tuesday 29th April 2008
Set out from Wheelton 10.30 am. with crew of Kier, Debbie and John.
Up the Blackburn locks only to find the pub at the wharf is no longer open. Continue to Rishton where there is an excellent pie shop arriving there about 3.00pm. Moor up at Hapton about 6.00pm. and drive back to collect cars.
Wednesday 30th April 2008
From Hapton to the top of Barrowford Locks in 5 hours cruising.
Cycle back along the tow path in 2 hours.
How do you spell cill? some confusion at the top lock.
Thursday 1st May 2008
Barrowford to the top of the locks through Foulridge Tunnel with a torch. Cycle back along the excellent tow path, part of national cycle route 68.
'Travis' on the way to the Skipton Boat Festival
Friday 2nd May 2008
From Greenberfield to Gargrave down Bank Newton about 7 hours cruising. Engine wouldn't start so had to resort to easy start. Only seems to start firing on one cylinder. Water inlet blocks and have to stop to clear it. Cycle back on my big bike in quick time to the car and home in Sale by 6.30pm. A round trip of over eighty miles.
approaching Bank Newton
At the top of Greenberfield locks
Saturday 3rd. May 2008
Pick up a crew of footpath walkers and Chris who owns a dutch barge moored at Gargrave. Arrive in time for luncha nd moor in the layby just past Bizzie Lizzie's chip shop under the bridge.
Join Malcolm and Trish on their boat for the festival and the illuminated cruise.
Chris and the footpath walkers helping with the swingbridge
Video:
THe Raft Race.
hand painting and the climbing wall at the festival.
Mick and the dogs set off from Skipton, and meet up with Malc and Trish above Gargrave Locks where we stop for a picnic on the Aqueduct.
Wednesday 7th May 2008
After Bank Newton cruise on till we get to where the car was left at at East Marton, and drive back, after a pint in the pub.
Thursday 8th May 2008
Leave the car at the car park at Salterforth by the Anchor Inn. Cycle along cycle route 68 back toGreenberfield and then through West Marton to East Marton and the boat. David and Margaret on their boat give me lunch before setting off to Greenberfield. Pass Chris on his Dutch Barge, and get through greenberfield locks and on to the 'Anchor Inn' for a pint before the Foulridge tunnel. Moor up above Barrowford locks and cycle along the towpath back to Salterforth and home again.
Drive the car to Hapton. Catch the train to Colne with my bike and cycle (again on cycle route 68) through Alkincoats Park and down to the boat.
Helped through the locks by Joe and his wife. When Joe was a lad he used to work boats through from Liverpool to Leeds in 52 hours.
Back through Burnley to Hapton and pick up the car again home.
Friday 9th May 2008
Joe and his wife at the bottom of Barrowford Locks
Saturday 10th May 2008
Train from Manchester to Hapton via Blackburn. Long cruise to Blackburn where Wilm arrives, while I pop into Asda for supplies. Down the locks and on to Wheelton and the farm moorings for a barbeque.
Sunday 11th May 2008
Leave in a thunderstorm through Johnsons Hillocks with Graham and Wilm. Continue to Adlington and train back home.
Monday 12th May 2008
Arrive at the top of Wigan flight at 1.30 pm and get to the bottom by 6.30pm. tie up and train back home.
Tuesday 13th MaY 2008
Leave Wigan about lunchtime and pass Leigh. Make it to Stretford in 3 hours. Home by 6.30.
Leigh
Worsley- entrance to the underground canals
pennington flash
Plank Lane Bridge
VIDEO: Going up the Blackburn Locks.
Saturday 24th May 2008
Overnight stay at Pennington Flash passing through the Bridgewater Cruising Club rally at Astley with 160 boat in attendance. Fill up with £60 of diesel (80 litres) at Bedford Basin.
The Mersey Ferry passing along the Ship Canal towards Salford Quays passing through Barton Swing Bridge.
Opening up the tank: Man in shed winding the arms back.
Boats at the Cruising Club Rally at Astley
the two nuts round the push rods- submerged in oil that I found in the end!
Thursday 4th December 2008
Struggling with the impossible task of removing cylinder head with bolts still attached. Thanks to advice from various quarters eventually release the two 'hidden' nuts at the the top of the push rods, they were obscured by the oil. Hammering with wedges and jacking up with bars was not needed. The cylyinder came apart easily so decided to remove both.
Here you can see the good one next to the bad one- leaking on the inlet valve due to a crack on the cylinder head probably caused by frost damage sometime in the past.
