nb Wayward Spinner

Xmas Decorations

2011-12-18T17:23:00.001Z

The Wayward Spinner is ‘decked out’ with 4 strings of Christmas Lights, a Christmas Tree with optic fibres and ever-changing colours and a ‘Star’ mounted high on her Navigation pole with ‘rotating’ lights pattern – but it’s too cold outside to take a photo without getting some handshake,however the photo below provides an idea of how she looks.

The First Ice Forms

2011-12-18T11:53:00.001Z

Sunday 18 December 2011 and the first ice forms in Wigrams Marina, only the thinnest film of ice – but ice nonetheless. Last night was a particularly clear night so it was not surprising we had ice form, it was also a great night for doing a bit of ‘star gazing’ with little or no wind to fetch a ‘chill’, so it was quite pleasant to stand outside for a while just to take in the star filled sky….sadly no meteorites were observed though.

Photo taken through the window…

Just Fitted - Stern “Pram hood” Cover

2011-12-10T15:57:00.001Z

On Friday Karl (from K C Covers Ltd) came out to the Wayward Spinner and expertly fitted the new stern ‘pram hood’ cover to the frame. Photo below. Now the rear deck area is nicely protected from the elements and it gives Steve plenty of cover for his fishing activities for when the weather is not so favourable.

Stern ‘Pram Hood’ canopy..Nov 2011

2011-11-15T15:02:00.001Z

Work has begun on the Wayward Spinner to fit her with a full Stern canopy. The photo below shows the structure of the main poles system (mostly) bolted in situ so that templates for the actual canvas can be made. These templates have now been completed and so the canvas is currently ‘in production’. Delivery should be within two weeks (give or take a day or two). The whole pram hood has been made quite large to accommodate the ‘lifting’ rear hatch mechanism – and yet by all accounts the canopy should be quite easy and simple to put up, or take down.

Thursday’s fishing result..

2011-10-20T15:53:00.001+01:00

Just one Bream, (and missed three others) – Ray G if you’re out there keep watching as the fish get bigger.!!

The great fishing competition….

2011-10-16T08:51:00.001+01:00

It has to be said that there always seems to be a form of ‘rivalry’ between anglers as to who has caught the larger fish, so to keep up with the ‘competition’ that exists between Ray G and Steve I am posting the following….photos taken from on-board the Wayward Spinner within Wigrams Turn Marina.

First Ray G’s last catch…..

2nd Steve’s last catch….. Steve says ‘his’ is bigger than Rays..!!!!

End of the 2011 season..

2011-10-07T16:02:00.001+01:00

Well on Thursday 6th October 2011 we set off from our mooring just above the ‘Napton flight’ and made our way through the set of locks to eventually approach Napton On The Hill and our destination which was to be Wigrams Turn Marina. Earlier in the morning the weather which had been ‘unsettled’ and more than a little breezy turned very cold and the breeze increased in power and frequency to turn into more of a minor gale on occasions. As we approached our turning point into the narrow marina entrance a large ‘turbulent wind’ hit the Wayward and our Waterways No 1 map book and cover was blown completely off the cabin roof into the choppy waters. The same wind pushed the bow past the turning point so that we had to turn around into the wind and re-approach the entrance.

Well despite the wind Steve did a fantastic job of manoeuvring the boat through the entrance and into the marina especially with the wind continuing to rise, the marina staff also turned out to help us get the Wayward safely ‘berthed’ and we extend our thanks to them for a fine job in the worsening weather conditions.

Nearing Napton Junction and Wigrams Turn The next few months will give us both the chance to rest and recuperate, and for us to make a few changes and improvements to the electrical system of the boat and for the engine to have a full service. In essence every system on-board the Wayward Spinner has performed almost without fault throughout the whole season, the engine has never missed a beat and we just had the two very minor hiccups which were the toilet getting blocked (human error) and the shower tap not giving out hot water which turned out to be a filter that needed cleaning out; not bad at all for the very first season and our sincere thanks go out to Paul Widdowson who built her and Neil and Helen Mansfield who fitted her out to a superb level.

The blog will slow down now, but as the service and ‘additions’ start to happen the details will get posted…so watch this space.

Blog update…

2011-10-02T10:47:00.001+01:00

Well, the wayward Spinner moved on from Kings Lock at the top of the Thames and as the she rounded the first bend by the lock we came across the rather sad but nevertheless beautiful sight of this derelict barge which is rapidly being taken over with vegetation and just ‘returning to nature’. Later that same day we came across this pear tree absolutely laden with fruit and over-hanging the canal….. Eventually we moored for the evening close to the village of Tackley and just before Old Brighton Bridge.

The next day we set off again with the intention of getting close to Cropredy as we had friends that wanted to meet up with us. We made an early start as there were plenty of lift bridges, locks and no doubt other hazards to negotiate along the way – one of which turned out to be a bridge 206 at Aynho where there was a boat that had been moored which partly obscured and obstructed the passage of vessels. The photo below was taken (looking back) after we had negotiated the obstruction and doesn’t clearly show how ‘tight’ the moored boat makes the manoeuvre – especially when there are already other boats ‘moving’ in the immediate vicinity. We also passed through Banbury where we were able to do a full shop at Morrison's and stock up on provisions. This weekend (end of September) is going to be the Banbury Canal Festival weekend,but with friends to meet up with at Cropredy there was no way we could stop to take part in or view the festivities…but with the superb ‘Indian Summer’ weather we are having I’m sure the festival is going to be a good one.

Where are we, well we made it to Cropredy which is a wonderful little village with beautiful thatched cottages and a charming church with a clock that still chimes the ‘quarter hour’.

North to Abingdon, Oxford and beyond…

2011-09-27T16:52:00.001+01:00

We left Beale Park (despite the fact that neither of us were 100%’ as far as our health was concerned) and headed up the Thames in the direction of Abingdon and Oxford. It was a pleasant journey although the sky did look as though the heavens would open up and drench us on more than one occasion but we passed through all the locks with cheery conversation with all the lock keepers and managed to moor at Abingdon just as the skies kept good their promise and opened up and then the rain pelted down, very good timing we thought as the kettle started to boil and it was definitely time for a sit down and a warm brew…….

On Wednesday I ended up having to attend the John Radcliffe Hospital at Oxford the pain in my chest had become worse following my accident on the 12th September and I had other signs that something was definitely not right. After examination and a scan, it was a conclusion that I had fractured a number of ribs and ruptured a blood vessel in my lower abdomen….well, that accounted for all the pain then !! – needless to say I’m now taking it easy for a few day !!.

We eventually were fit enough to move and on Tuesday 27th September we left our mooring and moved the Wayward Spinner through Abingdon Lock just as far as the water refill point and then obviously topped up the main water tank before proceeding further. The day became increasingly hot as we passed through Oxford and we headed on to eventually moor up at Kings Lock at about 14:30. Tomorrow (all being well) we will set off from the mooring and turn immediately right (see photo below) onto ‘the Dukes Cut’ – which leads us across to the Oxford Narrow Canal.

To The River Thames..

2011-09-19T16:46:00.001+01:00

On the 16th September we moved away from Theale as Steve is feeling better and managed to get much closer to Reading. It turned out to be a very pleasant day as far as the weather was concerned, and we cruised through to a fairly quiet mooring place located just before reaching Fobney Lock. Saturday came and went as Steve once again became unwell, so the Wayward Spinner did not move until Sunday Morning..

On Sunday 18th September we pulled pins and headed down through Fobney Lock and into the outskirts of reading. In no time at all we had gone through the traffic light controlled section at the Oracle Shopping Centre and arrived at Blake’s lock. The lock keeper was not present so we locked ourselves through and once more the Wayward Spinner headed out onto the Thames. Our first port of call was to Reading Marine Services at the Wayward was now short of both fuel and water. We filled up on both and also purchased a replacement LPG bottle while we were there. Then we headed up the Thames.

On route the heavens opened up and we had a couple of torrential downpours – however our rather large umbrella saved the day and kept us reasonably dry. At Caversham Lock, we purchased a 15 day licence from the lock keeper and and moved on through towards Mapledurham Lock – at which point we took the opportunity to dump all our rubbish at the Disposal point and at the same time flush out the main poo tank. The tank was only half full, but we knew the Mapledurham pump-out runs forever and has a good supply of water under good pressure – so it was a ‘planned event’ to clean the tank and was £8 well spent. We then carried on up the Thames eventually making it to the moorings at Beale Country Park.

View from the Wayward spinner at Beale Country Park

The Lion (below) guards the entrance to Beale Country Park

And now for the bad news…

2011-09-15T18:32:00.001+01:00

Well, we’ve been held up on our return journey to the Thames due to two incidents, the first being that Steve is not well and it looks like he’s going to have to attend hospital ‘sooner’ rather than later. Our thanks go out to the Dr’s and staff of the Theale Medical Centre who have been fabulous in what they have done. Currently we are waiting for the hospital appointment, and Steve remains in a great deal of pain.

Speaking of pain, I on the other hand, managed to do something very silly by slipping off the edge of the boat and striking the dockside on my way down…end result is a substantial loss of pride, wet jeans and trainers and almost certainly a fractured rib my thanks go out to the manufacturers of Ibuprofen….and the gentleman of the narrowboat (who were moored close to us at the time) – who helped pull me out, and I'm sure that my ribs, right leg, shoulder and left wrist will all recover in due time!!!!! (groan!)….oh the pain, the pain…..

On a brighter note we have managed to secure a place in a marina for the winter, which has been a great relief with respect to the way things are happening just at the moment….we’ll need the rest and the recovery time.

Theale Swing Bridge Are those BELLS in the photo above (and below) being used to slow the traffic down? Just passed Theale swing Bridge is Sheffield Lock Sheffield Lock is noted for it’s arched/fluted sides

Heading to Reading..

2011-09-13T10:56:00.001+01:00

On Sunday 11th September the Wayward Spinner pulled pins and has now left the Tyle Mill area, though still heading east towards Reading and her eventual reunion with the river Thames.

Tyle Mill Lock and BW Tyle Mill Sanitary Station

Towards Tyle Mill Lock

2011-09-09T16:17:00.001+01:00

From Kintbury the Wayward Spinner continued on her journey as far as Newbury, where once again she moored up beside the cottages and just before the West Mill Swing Bridge on the outskirts of Newbury. On route to Newbury we met the Kintbury passenger trip boat which is ‘horse drawn'. We had the honour of helping her through the lock on her return journey back to Kintbury.

On Sunday we remained at Newbury as Steve required to go into Town Monday morning first thing, but after 14:10, the Wayward Spinner upped pins set off this time as far as Widmead lock, the weather at this time was turning rather wet, so to moor up at Widmead was a relief to get in from the rising ‘damp’ and the stiff breeze that was beginning to make navigation difficult. The Wayward Spinner has moored here at Widmead Lock before it affords a good hard standing and sheltered by trees – a very tranquil spot.

On Tuesday the 6th September we left the mooring at Widmead and passed through the lock – shortly after we encountered a fallen tree which was by all accounts effectively blocking off the entire width of the canal. After careful examination and following the fact that another narrowboat had already passed this point, we decided to see if the Wayward could manage the obstacle; It meant getting the Wayward very close into the bank on our port side, and shutting off the propulsion just as the boat passed over the thickest of the submerged branches – all went well and we were soon on route to Midgham Lock.

At Midgham Lock the Wayward Spinner moored up for the night, and again partly because the weather was deteriorating and the wind would soon be making things difficult for navigation.

On Wednesday the 7th September the Wayward Spinner moved on once again, this time going as far as just before Tyle Mill Lock – here we had an ‘interesting time’ as we went to get her into a mooring position – essentially the Wayward was aimed at the bank at a suitable mooring spot and was just about to swing into position when it became apparent that there was an ‘angler’ hidden behind the tree where we were going to moor, he had raised his rod and simply had not been visible on our approach. The Wayward was put into reverse and ‘pulled back’ – but not before ruining the poor guy’s 'fishing ‘swim’. So Mr fisherman if you read this post, once again ‘apologies’ – but we just didn’t see you tucked away behind the tree.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

2011-09-02T17:05:00.001+01:00

The Wayward Spinner spent a day of rest at between locks 68 and 69 which was a very peaceful spot. When we last passed this area there were several boats moored but on this occasion the Wayward Spinner was the only boat. So peaceful that we were graced with the company of a Kingfisher On Thursday we moved on to Hungerford, where we did a bit of shopping at the local Co-op and also a bit of apple gathering from a tree laden with apples that was over-hanging the canal opposite the moorings; the end result being Steve’s home made apple pie.

Hungerford (approach and lock) Steve’s Home Made Apple Pie (Desperate Dan style): On Friday 2nd September we moved again, but stopped at the Sanitary station just outside Hungerford to do a water tank top-up and also a poo tank pump-out. The Wayward then moved on again, through some beautiful countryside this time as far as Kintbury. On the way to Kintbury (and just passed Dunmill Lock (lock 75)) the water levels in the canal were exceedingly low, so much so that for large areas the bankside was totally exposed – still we managed to get to Kintbury, just scrapping the bottom of the boat a few times.

Still moving East…..

2011-09-01T15:41:00.001+01:00

The Internet is very ‘iffy’ beyond the Devizes area and is non-existent for the Wayward Spinner as she negotiated the Vale of Pewsey, hence the delayed blog posting. After leaving Devizes the Wayward Spinner encountered a rather nifty small narrowboat with the charming name of “Silver Hammer”, owned of course by The Maxwell Family (who else!!). Eventually the Wayward Spinner made her way through the ‘jungle’ of reeds that before long will surely block the passage of boat traffic to and from the Devizes area. (Photos Below) In due course she arrived at the BW moorings located at All Cannings – where we were joined by members of Steve’s family – John & Lorraine managed to get in some rest & recreation (photo below) Georgina did some cooking and fishing. On Friday the 26th August the Wayward then moved on to the Barge Inn at Honeystreet where John & Lorraine had a meal to celebrate their wedding anniversary. On Saturday the family returned to their home at Newark; and the Wayward Spinner left her moorings at the Barge Inn and made her way down the Kennet & Avon to between Bridges 111 and 112 where she moored for the night. On Sunday the Wayward set off once more and ended up mooring back at Crofton Pumping Station – initially she moored in the middle pound before the lock and the pumping station but before nightfall the water level in the pound had dropped so much that she had to move a lock further towards the pumping station else there was the possibility of being well and truly ‘beached’. We stayed at Crofton for a further day and moved again on Tuesday to between locks 68 and 69. Where a day of rest was declared once more.

To Devizes and now heading east…

2011-08-20T14:37:00.001+01:00

On Monday we moved up through the locks back to the section of canal where they are building the new Caen Hill 250 Berth Marina. Mooring here is not great since the Wayward Spinner cannot moor tight up against the bank due to the way in which the banks are constructed; (however I guess that’s why gangplanks were invented) so ours was pressed into service once more. At least at this location Steve was able to do a couple more days of serious ‘carp fishing’ although it should be noted that the weather has started to break up a little and light showers prevailed.

On Thursday amid lots of rain we pulled pins and headed back up the Caen Hill flight, doing all the 29 Lock without stopping. The Wayward Spinner moored just after the ‘top lock’ on the straight section of canal before the winding hole and Devizes Wharf, this mooring according to the BW board is a 72 hour mooring and will give us the chance to walk around Devizes do some much needed shopping. Tomorrow the Wayward Spinner will refill her main water tank at Devizes Wharf before moving out and towards the villages of ‘Honeystreet’ and ‘All Cannings’.

Moving towards Bradford Upon Avon, and Return

2011-08-15T09:31:00.001+01:00

On Wednesday we travelled from just passed where the new Caen Hill Marina will be to Seend Silver Bridge 152. Late at night in fact at 23:10 a narrowboat negotiated the lock and moored up!! Apart from that we spent a very peaceful night there. On Thursday the 11th August the rain cometh!! – in fact we both got absolutely drenched whilst we took the boat from Seend to Between Lowes Swing Bridge and Newton Swing Bridge – we moored up really early and put the kettle on instead. The day remained very ‘iffy’ as far as the weather was concerned the day was really a bit of a ‘wash-out’. We stayed at the same location for Friday and marked it as ‘day off’.

On Saturday the 13th, the day started off fine and we decided to move on towards Bradford Upon Avon. On the way we stopped off at Hisperton and had the poo tanked pumped out , purchased a new bottle of Calor Gas and topped up the water system. A little later we arrived at Bradford Upon Avon and found it a rather busy place. We had decided to make it the ‘turn-around’ point for the journey on the Kennet & Avon, so Steve turned wayward Spinner around and we headed back in the direction of Devizes, mooring overnight just passed Swing Bridge 156.

On Sunday 14th August we just moved a short distance to Seend Bottom Lock and moored up just short of the lock landing so Steve could do a spot more fishing as it was a nice day. We were shortly presented with a situation of two narrowboats ‘roped together’ trying to get into the lock – they did – and well and truly got themselves jammed in. After letting them try to sort themselves out it was apparent that they would not get themselves free, so the Wayward Spinner let loose the mooring and went to assist. With their stern ropes firmly attached to the ‘T’ bar on the bow of the Wayward Spinner, it was all engines ‘astern’ and with a tug they were free once more.

Monday will see us moving on towards Devizes.

Progress Update….better late than never..

2011-08-10T16:43:00.001+01:00

In the last post we had just gone through Hungerford and we eventually moored on Monday 25th July at Freeman marsh Lock. The day’s cruise had been superb with the day being warm and sunny with just a slight breeze to take the heat away. On the Tuesday we moved on again, this time only as far as Froxfield Bottom Lock where we were able to moor up just past the lock itself – again it had been a beautiful day. On Wednesday the 27th July we pulled the pins and this time headed for Crofton Pumping station, where we were due to meet up with Steve’s sister and brother-in-law; on route we filled up with diesel (we were getting rather low) and paid £172 to fill the tanks to the brim.

The moorings for visitors to the Crofton Pumping station are shown as 48hrs and are very good indeed, with access to refuse disposal and of course the superb cafe and the great working Beam Engine itself. On Thursday Steve’s and brother-in-law popped along and we all paid a visit to the cafe and the beam engine. The engine itself only gets powered up on certain event weekends, but on Thursday they were starting to warm up the boilers and chimney stack in preparation for the ‘week-end’ steaming event, sadly we would not be able to stop to see that. We moved on from Crofton and through the ‘Bruce Tunnel’ which is only 502 yards long, to eventually more up near the village of Wilcot between bridges 116 and 117.

Bruce Tunnel At Wilcott we were unable to get the boat close to the edge of the canal due to extremely low water levels in the canal; therefore when we moored-up the gangplank had to be used for the very first time…and it works a treat (super job Neil, takes our weight easily….).

The Vale of Pewsey – White Horse Took the opportunity to cycle into Pewsey in order to pick up a few provisions and take in some of the local countryside scenery.

Sunday 31st July and we had moved again, this time to just before bridge 122 which is in open countryside with Salisbury Plain way over to our port side. The Wayward Spinner – moored before Bridge 122 The sound of ‘artillery practice’ could clearly be heard and on Monday the 1st august we even had a super air display all to ourselves courtesy of an Apache Helicopter on manoeuvres. On Tuesday the 2nd August we moved on again this time only as far as bridge 127 which is close to the village of All Cannings. We arrived at just 12:00. This is a BW 48 hour mooring spot and is the best ‘picnic’ location we had seen for quite a while. One of the reasons we stopped was the fact that the temperature was getting extreme, and it turned out to be one of the hottest days we had experienced so far. We took the opportunity to pop into All Cannings and pick up a few more groceries and also a pint of best brew from the local pub. We stayed put for Wednesday and the day in contrast was just rain, rain and more rain so it was a day just to relax.

On Thursday we set off towards Devizes – still plenty of showers taking place but we had outstayed our welcome and we needed to get to Devizes in order to take on more fresh water. On arrival at Devizes we briefly stopped at the Wharf to refill the main water tank, then moved across to space on the BW visitor moorings close to the winding hole.

Devizes Wharf

Wayward Spinner at Devizes The rain was beginning to show signs of easing off but we had got very wet getting to Devizes. Incidentally, the canal on approach to Devizes (from the All Cannings side) is getting really ‘over-grown’ with vegetation such that the passage of boats is severely restricted….(some weed management definitely needs to be carried out). We took several walks around Devizes (which hasn’t changed since the last time we visited) and Steve was able to pop into the local angling shop to buy some ‘maggots’ and ‘casters’.

Before long it was time to head down the famous Caen Flight of locks and for us the journey took just under 2 hours but that was with the very kind help of two volunteer lock keepers who set the locks for us for the greater part of our journey down the flight.

At the Top of Caen Hill sits the Cafe.

Wayward Spinner’s view from the Top

And from the Bottom (at last) Looking Up In all there were 6 locks preceding the flight, 17 locks on the steep flight itself then a further 6 locks immediately after the flight taking you down as far as Foxhangers Bridge (bridge 146) making a total of 29 Locks that have to be negotiated in quick succession. Needless to say we moored at the bottom, just to have a cup of tea and a coffee. We also have to thank the crew of HoMeS Plumkin who very kindly allowed us to share the locks with them and of course we were glad to share the workload. Eventually we moored up on the first bit of the canal, just passed where they are building a New Marina. Here Steve did a bit of fishing (catching some nice roach and bream). Today (Wednesday 10th August) we have moved on again in the direction of Bradford-upon-Avon – taking on water once more at the water point located just below ‘Sells Green Bridge’ (Bridge 149).

A little more news on our progress

2011-07-25T16:48:00.001+01:00

We left Tyle Mill Lock area and headed along the Kennet and Avon eventually stopping for the evening (19th July 2011) at Wickham Knights Footbridge, which actually provided us with a safe and very peaceful mooring. Incidentally on the Kennet & Avon there are plenty of these low swing bridges to pass through, some are easier to ‘move’ than others. The following day (Wednesday 20th) we pulled the pins and made our way along the Kennet & Avon to Widmead Lock which is just below the town of Thatcham, where we spent a very pleasant evening despite the rain and showers..we were also ‘over-flown’ by an alien craft which I managed to photograph……it was a weird design.Widmead Lock On Thursday we moved on and through Newbury which was only a couple of miles further on. Passing through Newbury photos below. A note for other boaters passing through Newbury is that the landing stage for the main Lock at Newbury is very ‘short’ and hidden just passed the road bridge that you can see in the photo below. There’s only just room for one boat. We then moored a for a couple of days just passed the West Mills Swing Bridge – A note here is that the Swing Bridge is automated but the controls are hidden away in an ‘electric box’ marked ‘danger 415 volts’ – but the BW key will fit the small door and the controls for the bridge are inside – The Swing Bridge Barriers have to be done by hand cranking them with a windlass though. There are no signs in the vicinity to tell boaters where the swing bridge controls are.

The weather was rain and more rain whilst we were at Newbury, but on Saturday 23rd July 2011 we took advantage of the break in the bad weather and moved on again, this time to Kintbury Lock, where we spent a couple of days and met some really nice people. One of the attractions for people at Kintbury is the horse drawn boat that takes people either up or down the canal for day trips. The bad news is that it’s horse drawn…….which means there’s a line tethered to the boat from the horse and when you’re moored their boat ‘rope’ has to pass over your boat……hence here’s a photo below of how they do that….> Yep, the guy climbs up on your boat and guides the rope over your top-boxes, chimney, aerial and anything else that happens to be on your cabin roof…and he does it very quickly because the horse doesn’t stop. So if you moor at Kintbury and hear footsteps on your cabin roof the chances are it’s the horse drawn boat passing through. On Monday 25th July we moved on again. We did make a stop at Hungerford Sanitary station and refilled the main water tank and would have liked to stop at Hungerford itself, but there was just nowhere to moor and the only place on the 24 hr moorings that was available for our sized boat had two anglers in it with large carp poles and a ton of fishing gear and supping beer. We carried on a little further and eventually managed to moor for the evening but not within walking distance of Hungerford.

Where is the “Wayward Spinner”…..(long post)

2011-07-19T19:19:00.001+01:00

Well we continued on our travels down the River Thames, passing through many beautiful locations on-route. And we passed “The African Queen” - no, the other African Queen Eventually we entered the outskirts of Reading. Feeding the birds……Lots of birds!! We had to negotiate through the “traffic light controlled zone” which passed us through The Oracle Shopping Centre. and eventually we came to the entrance for the Kennet & Avon, so we could head west towards Bristol. The date was Thursday 14th July.We had been spoilt on the River Thames as ALL the locks had been “manned” and operated for us – we turned onto the Kennet and Avon (back into British Waterways Country, as opposed to The Environment Agency for the Thames) and what do we get – answer, our first manual lock.Well, we carried on through the outback of beyond that was the suburbs of Reading and at last broke into open countryside where we moored for the first night on the Kennet and Avon – it turned out to be a really peaceful spot and was located just to the west of Fobney Lock. We were told by a local chappie that the footpath had just been laid at a cost of some £230,000 pounds – he reflected that it was a total waste of money as come winter the canal will flood and ‘lift’ the new path and wash it all away….he could well be right - meanwhile it looks nice and ‘golden’ stretching into the distance as the sun sets… (photo below) On Friday the 15th we pulled the pins and set off eventually passing under the M4 Motorway at Theale. We carried on and made our second stop just passed Tyle Mill Lock, and it was at this point that we had arranged once more to meet up with Steve’s family. Also the weather turned very ‘showery’ whilst we were here, so in the end we stayed for a total of 3 days (Sat, Sun and Monday), which also gave us the opportunity to nip back to the Sainsbury’s at Theale to do a bit of shopping and also some ‘down-time’ to sort out our Jabsco macerator toilet since the motor had been making some weird and very violent ‘vibrations’ of late and seemingly threatening to shake itself to bits. Not wishing for that to happen, we removed the toilet completely from the boat and took the pump housing apart – to find ‘a wedge of toilet tissue’ which had accumulated within the vanes of the impellor – and that had been the cause of the vibrations. We cleaned everything, re-assembled the pump and Yeh! no more bad vibrations when you flush the loo – excellent job! (pun intended) On Tuesday we were getting desperate for water, so with the weather looking much better than the last few days we set off towards Aldermaston and just past Aldermaston Lock we turned into the BW service area to refill the main water tank. We now have water, a working shower, a working loo – and we can be ‘clean’ at last…..Life is good!!

Tomorrow is Wednesday 20th July 2011, and our intentions are to pass through Thatcham and make our way to Newbury – where we can do a full shop and stock up on some supplies.

PS…where is the Wayward Spinner ? – well we are moored close to the village of Woolhampton.

Wayward Spinner Departs Abingdon

2011-07-13T13:32:00.001+01:00

Well, the news has to be a bit behind the times. We were at Abingdon visiting Steve’s relations from the 3rd July through to Monday 11th July 2011. Here’s a photo of the Wayward Spinner moored at Abingdon, (just below Abingdon Lock). Our thanks go out to Christine & David for both entertaining and feeding us – look forward to seeing you both very soon.

Another bit of news is that our ‘shower’ is back in full operation after having the mixer unit to pieces and flushing out the debris. On Monday 11th July the Wayward Spinner pulled pins and we moved on down the River Thames with the goal of heading now towards Reading and to join up and travel along the Kennet & Avon. Our first night was spent moored at the bankside of the Thames in perfect peace and quiet at a mooring just before Day’s Lock, (with Dorchester old Roman Town – only a short distance away). On Tuesday we continued on passing some beautiful properties and wonderful scenery, such as this property near to Shillingford. There are plenty of these old WW2 Pillar boxes dotted along the Thames We also passed through Benson, where only a few days earlier (by car) we had visited the cafe and “Outdoor Life Store” with Christine & David. From Benson we passed down the Thames through Wallingford and Goring. At Goring we made a quick stop to fetch some bread and milk from the shops. Just after Goring we moored for the evening close to the Gatehampton Railway Bridge..Perhaps not the best of moorings – but on the positive side we were also able to see some ‘kingfisher(s)’ darting about, and they are quite a rare sight these days. On Wednesday morning, we moved on but only a short distance as Steve felt that a day of rest (and fishing) was required especially as Reading and the Kennet & Avon is now not far away and easily reachable by the the time our Thames Licence expires on the 15th July.

At 13:10 Steve managed to catch this ‘Mirror Carp’ which weighed in at 25.5Lb and which beats his previous Ghost Carp by a full 3Lb. (Eat your heart out John……who’s the daddy).

Another catch-up posting….

2011-07-04T19:46:00.001+01:00

On Friday 1st July we headed out of Thrupp and our first objective was to fill the water tank at the BW water point just by bridge 224 and which was about 200 yards from our moored location. We rounded the bridge ‘sighted’ the BW water point and attempted to ‘moor’; this procedure was made very difficult as there was a small GRP boat moored just ahead of the water point. No sooner had we pulled up than a lady of advanced years shouted to Steve, that he ‘can’t moor there’ – Steve replied that he wanted to use the water point, to which she replied ‘go and moor under the bridge’. Now the trouble with that is there are no mooring points under the bridge it’s all very solid concrete and would also severely restrict access for other boats passing. Steve said that he would instead move the little GRP boat further forward to allow access to the water point at which the lady said ‘that boat belongs to my son, you can’t touch that’.

So BW, you have a water point at Thrupp by bridge 224 which is effectively NOT AVAILABLE. To avoid further upset to the lady in question we simply ‘moved on’.

It was not long before we came to the entrance to ‘The Dukes Cut’ – here we had access to another water point and we managed to fill the main tank. ‘The Dukes Cut’ is our gateway from the Oxford Canal onto the River Thames, so we locked through out last ‘narrow lock’ at the entrance to the cut and headed towards the Thames. Travelling though The Dukes Cut And out onto the River Thames – with wide open water…lovely We moored just over on the left in the photo below, and we popped around to Kings Lock to purchase out Thames River Licence. Since we intend to be on the Thames a while we elected to purchase a licence for 15 days which cost us £109. On Saturday around 11:00am we moved from the excellent mooring and was locked through Kings Lock which was our first manned Thames Lock, and headed down to Godstow Lock where we would meet up with some of Steve’s family. Also at Godstow are the ruins of a Nunnery circa 12th century destroyed in 1645 by ‘Fairfax’ commander of Cromwell’s new army. We spent a very pleasant day with Steve’s sister and brother-in-law at Godstow Lock and then on Sunday (3rd July 2011) we pulled pins and headed through the lock and down the Thames this time heading for Abingdon. Here are a few photos of the journey….

Sandford Lock The Four Pillars Hotel One of Brunel’s Bridges. River Thames Boathouses in the distance

Tuesday 28th to Thursday 30th June 2011

2011-06-30T16:02:00.001+01:00

We’ve been unable to do much with the blog for a few days as we have had very little in the way of a phone signal and no ‘Internet’ connection available either. However on Tuesday we ended up mooring for the night just before Chisnell Lift bridge. On Wednesday the 29th we moved on through Somerton Deep Lock and on down passed upper and Lower Heyford; and eventually moored just passed Dashwood Lock.(Photo below). Dashwood Lock Dashwood Lock viewed from our overnight mooring.With views across the fields (thankfully the ‘wind’ was kind to us) On Thursday (today) we pulled pins and eventually moored just passed Thrupp but managed to get photographs of both the famous nb ‘Milly M’ and of course nb ‘Bones’ on the approach to Thrupp. All the best to Maffi and Bones..(legends of the narrowboat community)

Wayward Spinner Passing nb Milly MWayward Spinner Passing nb Bones In the last few days we have seen some beautiful Oxfordshire countryside but it has to be said that whilst the canals provide a very ‘picturesque’ setting, it won’t be too long before some stretches become almost un-navigable unless some general maintenance works gets done. Also it would be nice if someone had a go at trimming the vegetation on the towpath side because for miles and miles on the approach to Thrupp there’s just nowhere to moor.

Changing the subject we have had our first ‘failure’ on-board the Wayward Spinner – for some reason we have no hot water coming out of the shower – yet there’s hot water reaching the mixer unit – somewhere internally we suspect there’s either a ‘blockage’ or the thermal mixer part has gone wrong.

Also, an apology is due to my good friend Doris who’s 90th birthday I somehow managed to forget. Doris, a belated ‘Happy Birthday’ and I’m glad to hear that a lot of the family managed to get to see you.

On towards Banbury

2011-06-27T17:16:00.001+01:00

On Friday 24th June, we again moved on but only as far as Fenny Compton where we stayed overnight (just passed the marina). The next day (Saturday 25th June) we pulled the pins and headed through what had once been Fenny Compton Tunnel and on through towards Cropredy. Initially we moored at between locks 23 and 24 on the approach to Cropredy as we had received word that Steve’s family were popping along to see us and would walk from Cropredy towards us so that we could give them a ride back down into the village. Sure enough, the family met up and we spent a very pleasant afternoon with them at Cropredy. The above photo taken from the bridge overlooking Cropredy narrow lock, and showing the Wayward Spinner moored. Cropredy narrow lock (below). The village of Cropredy Cropredy Church Sunday was a blisteringly hot day but we pulled the pins and passed through the Cropredy Narrow lock and down to the BW pull-in point to re-fill the main water tank; where we also met a very nice couple who had just popped down to Oxford from Durham in order to pick up a car they had bought on ebay. We wish them a safe journey.

Leaving Cropredy We moored the other side of Cropredy as it was too hot to carry on cruising and spent the night just passed bridge 154.

On Monday (27th June) we moved on to Banbury, where we moored just prior to bridge 158 where we had been advised that there was a Morrison’s shop. Our thanks to nb Dorcas for both the info, and for helping out with locking us through several narrow locks.

After doing the shopping we left Banbury behind us and moored back out in the countryside (just past the M40 fly-over, and just before Gant’s Lock), where once again Steve got out his fishing tackle to see what he could catch.. PS…Steve caught a signal crayfish..

Moving on from Braunston

2011-06-24T08:44:00.001+01:00

We had another day of rest on Wednesday at our mooring overlooking some beautiful countryside. Sadly there’s a bridge which is in a very poor state and won’t take too many more knocks before it collapses, but nevertheless very picturesque. On Thursday we pulled the pins and took the boat down to Napton on the Hill – where we moored for a short while we undertook the walk up to the top of the hill and to the village where we bought a few groceries from the local shop/post office. After lunch we moved on past Napton to go through the ‘Napton narrow locks’ up to Marston Dole – where we eventually moored for the night.

Note: that we got stuck in the Napton bottom lock even with the slim fenders, so all fenders had to be removed to negotiate this flight of 9 locks and so there is some ‘touch-up’ on the paintwork required!! – unavoidable.

To end the day Steve got his fishing pole out and managed to catch this 22lb Ghost Carp on sweetcorn.

Braunston tunnel and beyond

2011-06-21T16:47:00.001+01:00

Tuesday 21st June and we set off really early (05:50) in order to get through the Braunston tunnel (tunnel length 2042yds) before the rest of the world woke up. However, no sooner had we reached the tunnel entrance but what do we see coming towards us...yep another boat. So it seems no matter how early you rise, there’s always someone out there with an alarm clock set even earlier. Well you have seen the photo of the entrance to Braunston tunnel in the previous blog post so here’s our view as we approached the tunnel exit. Having passed safely through we moored up for a while and then after breakfast decided to get the bikes out for a ride first down to the bottom lock at the end of the Braunston flight, and then on up into Braunston village.

Braunston Bottom Lock Braunston Church Steve purchased a few items from the friendly local butchers shop and we made our way back to the Wayward and got her ready for her passage down the Braunston flight to the bottom lock. We were lucky enough to ‘double-up’ with another boat crew as we made our way down the flight which took just 58 minutes to do all 6 locks. At the bottom we took advantage of the facilities offered by the Union Canal Carriers and had the main waste tank pumped out. The following photo (taken whilst the boat was being pumped out) shows how busy Braunston was today – and with a historic boat show taking place this next weekend I guess it’s going to get a whole lot busier. As we left Braunston and turned left (still on the Grand Union Canal) towards Napton we came across the sorry sight of a sunken boat (as also mentioned recently in the “Adventures of Narrowboat SKYY blog” The boat rests quite a long way into the channel and represents a definite hazard and restriction to navigation – surely it needs to be removed. By all accounts it has been resting there for far too long.

We are currently moored between bridges 99 and 100 in the middle of nowhere with lovely views across open countryside.

So where are we and what’s been happening..

2011-06-20T17:24:00.002+01:00

We’ve been moored just past the village of Weedon between bridges 24 and 23 – not the best spot in the world as the inter-city train line runs closest to the canal at this point – but it was the best we could do especially as Steve was feeling unwell and indeed Friday night turned out to be rather bad for him. Here’s the photo of the location. Having decided to stay here until Steve recovered..Late on Saturday I went down with exactly the same bug that had hit Steve with the end result that Saturday was a ‘wipe-out’ as neither of us were fit for very much at all. By Sunday morning Steve was far better almost back to full health whilst I was still ‘stricken’. By late Sunday I was feeling much better and had obviously managed to shake of the problem. What the bug was we don’t know as we both ate different things in the previous 8 hour period with the exception of ‘Ginger Ale’. The ginger ale was subsequently poured away.
Monday (20th June 2011) and we are on the move again, we are in no particular hurry to go anywhere. Our plan was to move on towards Norton Junction (photo below), get rid of our rubbish at a disposal site, refill the main tank with fresh water, and find somewhere to moor up prior to the Braunston Tunnel which we intend to navigate tomorrow (very early).
So in summary we were stuck in one spot for 3 days, we are both on the mend, Steve is currently fishing for carp, and we are moored close to Braunston Tunnel.
This photo has been taken at the top of the Buckby Flight with Norton Junction just visible in the distance. Our current mooring Braunston Tunnel East Portal

Blog Catch-up’s

2011-06-17T09:25:00.001+01:00

Not had the opportunity to catch-up with the blog until today – so here goes. On Monday (13th June 2011) we pulled pins and took the Wayward Spinner down as far as the winding hole just after Slapton Lock (Bridge 120) – where she was turned about and travelled back exactly to where we had been moored the past couple of days (church Lock). The only downside being that whilst we were ‘absent’ another boat had moored and this boater showed little consideration for others as he ran his engine until 10:30 pm.

On Tuesday (14th June) we pulled pins and pushed onwards through Linslade and Leighton Buzzard 9stopping off once more at Tesco for a few provisions en-route. Our intention was to travel past the Soulbury Three Locks as we had received information that they would be closed down for two days for essential maintenance on Wednesday and Thursday… Here’s a couple of photos of the the locks. On Tuesday evening we moored just passed bridge 106 at Stoke Hammond. The evening saw Steve catch his biggest fish to date. and as the sunset, the clouds and the sky in general took on a ‘dramatic’ but very beautiful appearance. On Wednesday 15th June, we pulled pins and headed off for our journey back through Milton Keynes – the weather was ‘changeable’ but for the most part it was dry, with just the odd shower or two. The journey through Milton Keynes was marred by a boater who forced the Wayward into doing an emergency stop and reverse. The Wayward Spinner was negotiating and had already engaged a bridge with a restricted entrance due to a bend in the canal, the other boater took no notice of this and instead continued on an forced entrance into the bridge area – leaving the Wayward with no options open other than face a collision or perform the emergency stop and reverse back out… some actions just beggar belief !

On another ‘interesting and restricted’ part of the canal we saw the following. The canal has ‘limited water’ and so is shallow in places, there’s a bend to the left coming up with no chance of good line of sight; there’s overhanging branches and tree roots leaving little or no choice for our boat but to keep away from the left bank –and so where do you find a boat moored? answer tied up ALONGSIDE another moored boat! We moored that evening just before bridge 65 (Soloman’s Bridge) at Cosgrove where we had an unexpected visitor to the boat.. a very brave moorhen with chicks to feed and who just wanted to ask for a bit of bread. Also at Cosgrove there is a ‘horse tunnel’ under the canal (a relic of canal history and of days past). On Thursday (16th June) we again moved on heading once more towards Blisworth Tunnel; en-route we took the chance to stop for lunch and took a quick photo of this beautiful English scene. On arrival at Stoke Bruerne (prior to the tunnel) there was nowhere to moor for any length of time so we moored briefly in the pound area prior to the last lock whilst we took a short break to have a look in the visitor shop. On returning to the Wayward, we set off towards the tunnel with intentions to hopefully moor up and go through later on in the evening – however there really was nowhere to moor; so we stopped at the winding hole just prior to the tunnel and readied the Wayward to go through… So through we went. We travelled on past Gayton Junction to eventually moor just passed bridge 46.

Friday (17th June) - Steve has been up all night and is quite unwell, there may be no travelling at all today.

Thursday 9th June to Saturday 11th June

2011-06-12T11:09:00.001+01:00

On Thursday as mentioned before we set off early and headed towards Blisworth Tunnel, our aim was to get through before all the hire boats and other traffic. Here’s a photo of our approach to the tunnel. And the tunnel entrance…> At Stoke Bruerne there was absolutely nowhere to stop as a festival was taking place this weekend, so we headed onwards and eventually moored just before a small village called Cosgrove [before bridge No 65], where Steve was able to get his pole out for a spot more fishing. Just before bridge 64 was a small marina called Thrupp Wharf looking very pleasant and very tidy. Bridge No 65 ( Solamans Bridge) quite a grand construction for a small village bridge On Friday morning we set off and headed towards Milton Keynes Below are the photos taken as we travelled around the Grand Union Canal As we travelled around Milton Keynes we kept pace with this group of walkers (below) – it was a fair old' distance that they walked that day. Eventually we moored between bridge 109 and 110 for the night On Saturday morning we got up fairly early, pulled the pins and headed off into Leighton Buzzard and Linslade, stopping off briefly to do a quick shop at Tesco’s which is right beside the canal. We moored between Grove Lock and Church Lock so that family and friends could visit over the remainder of the weekend. Below are photos of the Wayward Spinner moored before church Lock. And of course - the family popped over to see us and Steve put on his Captains Hat for the occasion.!!! Soon we shall depart Linslade and probably back-track slightly, to head towards Oxford and Abingdon…but the route is not yet decided.

We also had a visit from two other good friends Janet & Bob – with Janet bringing along some ‘Banana cake’ which turned out to be the best banana cake we’ve tasted – can she cook or can she cook. We wish them both all the very best….you’re always welcome aboard.

Grand Union below Long Buckby

2011-06-08T18:04:00.001+01:00

I forgot to include a photo of our mooring for Tuesday evening, so here’s the photo with the Wayward Spinner nestled in for the night with a few boats still moving in the distance.We set off around 09:30 and headed through the rest of the locks below Long Buckby. It’s surprising how busy locks can get even at an ‘early’ time of day.. The weather has not been too brilliant today as we have had ‘a bit of a mixed bag’ with overcast skies and some light rain but we have had the odd period of warm sunshine; more importantly we have passed through some beautiful countryside and the journey down from Long Buckby has thrown up some interesting sights..

Beautiful countryside Beautiful Homes (with a castle keep built on the side).. Personalised watercraft… Flying Geese Shaun The Sheep Give me the rope --- No, you give me the rope….!! And more seriously, ‘George’ who you don’t want to meet on one of the tighter stretches of the canal or at one of the narrow bridges.. But we have at last moored for the evening, not with the best of views but nevertheless we are in a quiet secluded area with just the wind for company. Tomorrow (Thursday 9th June) we will start the day very early, progress towards Blisworth Tunnel (3057 yards [our longest to date] and pass through it towards Stoke Bruerne where we hope to stop refill our water tanks and pay a visit to the museum.

Monday 6th June & Tuesday 7th

2011-06-07T19:09:00.001+01:00

On Monday we left our moorings and headed down to Crick where we moored for the evening. The day was very overcast so there was little chance to take any good photos. Once we had arrived at Crick we visited the local Co-op to get a few more ‘essentials’. Here’s a photo of the Wayward Spinner moored outside Crick Marina (which is on our port side, just hidden by the trees).

We decided to get up with the birds on Tuesday and push through Crick Tunnel (which is 1528 yards long) – we set off at 6:30 and we had no problem negotiating the tunnel, apart from the large amount of water dripping from the roof..!!, (be warned and wear waterproofs if you venture into this tunnel !!!). After having stopped in some open and very pleasant countryside for breakfast we set off again to Watford Locks…photos below…. On leaving Watford Locks behind (incidentally the locks and the surrounding gardens are very well maintained and worth a visit) we made our way down to Norton Junction where we turned left for all things ‘south’. We passed under the M1 motorway and eventually moored up close to lock 8 (Long Buckby Wharf).

Sadly today I have to report the loss of my Samsung 10.1mp Camera – which ‘died’ in the middle of taking a photograph. For some reason the lens assembly totally ‘jammed’ in its housing – no doubt the cost of repair would exceed the cost of a new camera – so it’s gone in the bin.

Missing Photographs….recovered

2011-06-05T15:39:00.001+01:00

After a slight glitch in the camera as mentioned in the previous post – the missing photos were able to be recovered from the SD card..so here’s the entrance to Foxton Locks.. and here’s the first Lock at the bottom of the flight. and here’s the Wayward Spinner with Steve at the helm in the first Lock. on his way UP the flight of ten locks. Lastly a photo looking up the staircase locks at Foxton Having spent a very peaceful Thursday night at the top of Foxton Locks – we decided to move on, pulled our pins and headed off towards Welford Junction…At the very top of Foxton Locks is this very fine Bronze Statue.We travelled down the Grand Union passing through some beautiful countryside. and eventually into Husbands Bosworth Tunnel (where we were ‘blinded’ by the light of a narrowboat that had entered the tunnel at the opposite end to us and then just ‘stopped’ – so for hundreds of yards we just had this piercing bright light in our eyes)..we were not happy at all. After Bosworth Tunnel which incidentally is 1166 yards long we continued on to just passed bridge 43 – where we moored for the night…here’s a photo of the mooring. On Saturday (4th June 2011) – we again pulled the pins and headed off – we were running short of bread and so made a stop at Bridge 37 so we could cycle into South Kilworth – however it turns out that South Kilworth has no shops so we were directed to a garage at North Kilworth…Oh well at least we get some exercise…!!

On the way back we saw this beautiful Peacock (but it wasn’t in a mood to ‘display’ for us). We pulled the pins and moved on as far as just passed Bridge 31 where again we moored for both Saturday and indeed for Sunday night. Here’s a photo of our current mooring, surrounded by crowds of people and lots of cars !!!!.. We have swans here with chicks – and they are so cute…

Wednesday & Thursday (June 2011)

2011-06-02T20:18:00.001+01:00

Last night we had moored about a mile or so from Foxton Locks in a really peaceful location. This morning (Thursday 2nd June) Steve noticed that across from us was a beautiful woodpecker on a tree – sadly by the time I thought about fetching the camera, I had a very fleeting view of it before it vanished – never to be seen again. However here’s a photo of where we moored last night. Today we moved closer to the Foxton Locks and then went to book passage with the lock keepers up the flight. We were given a time slot of 12:25 and right on time I opened the gates to let the Wayward Spinner through into her first of ten locks in the flight. Sadly my camera failed to take the photos correctly and hence we’ve lost a few pictures – but here’s a photo of the Wayward Spinner half way up the flight. It’s worth a mention that with the sunshine and rather grand weather, people in their scores were wandering around to watch the boats climb and descend the flight – the place was heaving with people late into the afternoon. A very sincere thanks goes out to my ‘little helper’ who helped me lock the Wayward through all ten locks….super job. Later we took a walk around the Foxton Museum and the site of the famous incline plane, that hopefully one day will be returned into full service. Tonight we are moored at the top of the Foxton flight and will make some progress tomorrow towards even more tunnels…

Oh, and a mention that whilst mooring the boat today I misplaced my footing and managed to slip ‘feet' first’ into the edge of the canal – well nobody’s perfect…!!! – Steve did stop laughing eventually.

Saddington Tunnel & Beyond…

2011-06-01T19:39:00.001+01:00

Well, later on Monday evening there was a rather magical ‘mist’ that rolled in across the fields opposite where we were moored (see previous post) – and with sheep in the field as well I had to grab the camera to capture a few shots. The next day (Tuesday 31st May 2011 [Happy Birthday Karen]) we decided to set off and head for Saddington Tunnel and then on to Debdale Wharf. Here’s a photo of the Wayward Spinner negotiating her very first ‘proper’ tunnel. (Saddington Tunnel is 880 yards long). And out the other side heading for Debdale Wharf..photo below. We stayed overnight on Tuesday at Debdale Wharf, as our reason for being there was one of necessity. The engine on Wayward was in need of an oil change as part of her routine maintenance schedule and also we have been experiencing a slight problem with the ‘Stern Gland’. Under normal circumstances the stern gland should let in a very small amount of water (a few drips) in normal use – the Wayward’s stern gland (despite having been tightened up several times) was letting in a full bucket every other day. We therefore asked the engineers at Debdale Wharf Marina to take a look at the stern gland and service the engine at the same time.

On Wednesday morning the chaps at Debdale were superb..the engine was serviced (oil change etc) and the stern gland was ‘re-packed’. It will leak a little as the new packing ‘beds in’ – but after that hopefully the problem will be sorted – it seems that there had been very little ‘packing’ placed into the stern gland from the time that the engine was installed…!! -- The guys at Debdale even took the time to check out the engine alignment and ensure she was running true. Our sincere thanks to both Steve and Paul at Debdale Marina (highly recommended.).

We left Debdale around midday and decided to venture through the Foxton Locks Basin and onto the Market Harborough stretch. Photo below entering Foxton Basin. and on to eventually moor for an hour or so at Market Harborough Basin This gave us sufficient time to take a walk into Market Harborough, pay a visit to a few shops and stroll back to the Wayward Spinner.We then left the Basin, and headed back towards Foxton, where tomorrow we shall book passage through the ten locks. In the meantime we are moored a mile or so away from the locks.

Sunday 29th May 2011

2011-05-30T13:00:00.001+01:00

The BW engineers were true to their word and arrived early to sort out the lock and get us through and on our way. I should mention that last night we met two very nice fellow boaters Paul and Mandy in narrowboat ‘Soporific’ and we wish them ‘safe journeys’ and hope to meet up with them again some time.

We set off through Double Rail Lock and travelled the short distance (albeit with very low water levels in the canal and the prop churning up mud as much as water) as far as Kilby Lock where we stopped to perform a much needed ‘waste tank’ pump-out, and take on fresh water.

We set off again and this time went through a further 9 locks to eventually stop for the day at a place between High Bridge and Ivy Bridge (bridges 97 and 78) – here we would stop for a day or so of rest and enjoy the views of the countryside. On taking a short walk around the area to Newton Harcourt we came across a ‘party’ in full swing for a gentleman’s 70th birthday – I guess he may have had something to do with flying or the RAF as we glimpsed the ‘display team’ about to swing into action… with lovely red wheelbarrows and there was a Norman church at Wistow sadly we could not go in to take a look around the church due to the superbly engineered Norman iron entrance doors with Norman padlocks.!!!

Heading towards Leicester and the South

2011-05-30T12:33:00.001+01:00

On Saturday 28th May 2011 we made an early start leaving our moorings at Junction Lock and heading towards Leicester, with the idea of doing a ‘big push’ to get through as many of the Locks and as much of the city as possible.

We found that on the approach to Leicester a lot of the waterway was choked with vegetation and this will make navigation very difficult in the not too distant future unless action is taken. The photo below does not really show the problem too well – but if you can imagine trees and bushes growing out into the path of ‘water traffic’ together with their ‘roots’ growing beneath the water line and encroaching towards ‘prop' territory’ then you’ll understand what I’m trying to express. Not to mention rubbish and general debris that litters the Leicester approach. The worst lock we encountered for litter and which must certainly win the title of the ugliest location was Limekiln Lock. As we walked around the lock to do the lock operation eyes were constantly scouring the ground watching out for broken glass and hypodermic needles; graffiti, general rubbish, evidence of makeshift fires and everything else just makes the whole area an ‘eyesore’. Best advice if you’re boating, is get in, get through and get out……. Other parts of Leicester reflected the old industrial heritage and some the new..as in the National Space Centre Building as seen from Belgrave Lock. and the city skyline dominated by building such as these Below, the Wayward Spinner takes a rest whilst Steve nips off to the shops (Tesco express) to pick up some bread. Of course we passed the famous Leicester City football ground..

and we saw more Heron’s on our journey than we could count..below are just two Heron’s sitting on the bank like vultures…> Eventually we made it as far as Lock 31 (Double Rail Lock, just south of South Wigston) - here there was a problem insomuch that the lock was chained off and so we were unable to pass through; (it had been our intention to pass through and get as far as Kilby Lock). However we encountered a BW chap who advised us that he would be there at 8am tomorrow and should be able to get us through the lock and on our way. (Incidentally the lock is going to be closed very soon whilst some major repairs get done). So whilst we wait Steve does some more fishing…….>

Loughborough, Barrow-Upon-Soar & Cossington

2011-05-27T19:32:00.001+01:00

Here’s a photo of where we moored at Loughborough on Tuesday 24th May 2011. Not a bad spot, close to the main shopping centre.We left Loughborough on Wednesday morning and headed towards Barrow-Upon-Soar; stopping for a couple of hours at a point just before Millers Bridge so that Steve could indulge in his favourite pastime..We then moved on towards Barrow-Upon-Soar and received a phone call from our friends Dick & Brenda asking to meet up with us. So we picked the Deep Lock at Barrow as the meeting place and got ourselves moored up. The photo below shows Steve with Barrow Deep Lock in the immediate background. Our thanks to Dick, Brenda & Glenda who came down to visit us. Great to see you all. Having met with our friends we ended up staying two nights at Barrow (Wednesday & Thursday), notably so that Steve could attend Barrow Medical Centre on and obtain a prescription. We received a warm welcome at the medical centre and they were happy to oblige Steve with a further supply of his happy pills…

On Friday after a hearty breakfast we once again set sail this time towards Leicester – however it was not our intention to pass through Leicester on a Friday afternoon; so we ended up mooring at a very peaceful spot just south of the village of Cossington. It’s worth a mention that some of the waterway that we have negotiated today has been very ‘overgrown’ with bushes and trees pushing well out into the waterway. It would not take much more growth before the waterway would become almost impassable..some serious waterway ‘trimming & management’ is definitely required on the section from Barrow-Upon-Soar down past Mountsorrel and towards Cossington.

Mountsorrel Railway Bridge dated 1860

The weather today has been a ‘mixed bag’ we had overcast skies together with slight to moderate winds this morning but all of that faded away this afternoon with some of the best sunshine we have had so far. Here’s a photo of our mooring spot….(the Wayward Spinner just hasn’t arrived yet). Lastly, it has been noted that the Wayward Spinner has developed a ‘Hula skirt’…this green ‘skirt of grass’ extends all around the hull…and resists all our attempts to remove it.

Sawley and High Winds…..

2011-05-24T20:49:00.001+01:00

We moved a short distance from the Cranfleet Cut into the Sawley Cut heading to Sawley Marina (Still on the River Trent)…where we moored for a couple of days.

(View from the Stern of the Wayward Spinner) – looking towards Ratcliffe Power Station

Our intention had been to move past Sawley Marina and go into Shardlow, but the high winds caused everyone problems and all boat traffic ceased as the residents bolted down the hatches and braced themselves for ‘windy times’ with winds of 70mph forecast. The winds did not affect the Heron’s too much, and one individual set down on the Stern button of a nearby boat…see below.

By Tuesday things were a lot calmer (not ideal…but calmer) and we made ready the Wayward Spinner, turned her around and headed back towards the main junction with the Cranfleet Cut – this time we would pass the entrance to the Erewash Canal and head onto the River Soar and all points South.

…the entrance to the Erewash Canal can just be seen in the photo below……

For us it was onto the River Soar….very beautiful despite the stiff breeze that was still blowing…(Photos Below)

As we approached Kegworth, the usual aircraft on an approach to landing passed over..

At Bishop Meadow Lock just prior to Loughborough we had an ‘encounter’ with the daddy of all plastic bags. It was lying just under the water within the lock entrance and eventually had to be dragged out from under the boat before it became entangled around either the bow thruster or the main prop.

All too soon we had entered the outskirts of Loughborough and after Loughborough Town Lock (which leaks water like a sieve) we turned ‘hard to port ‘ to enter the entrance to the Grand Union Canal and the route towards Leicester.

Our mooring for the evening would be just through the entrance to the Grand Union. (This would also put us close enough to take a short walk to Tesco’s to get some much needed groceries).

A short trip…to Stoke Lock

2011-05-19T20:03:00.002+01:00

We decided on Tuesday (17/5/2011) to move just a short distance from Gunthorpe Bridge to Stoke Lock, and if the mooring was quiet and generally rural we might stay and fit the new solar panel, else we would move onto and find another suitable location. On arrival at Stoke Bardolph Lock it looked like an ideal location and we learnt from the Lock Keeper that it was ok to moor up on his low concrete wall, or onto the floating pontoon.

The entrance to Stoke Lock approaching from Gunthorpe Bridge.

Whilst Steve went for a small 6 mile hike to stock up on a few provisions the Solar Panel was unpacked and hoisted onto the roof of the Wayward Spinner. It took minutes to position the Solar Regulator into the Electrics cupboard, and then to fabricate the terminals and couple up the main battery connections. However it took an eternity to thread the heavy duty cables from the Solar Panel under the ceiling panels and on into the electric cupboard where they could be connected to the Solar Regulator……but we got there in the end (thanks Neil for putting the Wayward Spinner together so well….PS, nothing got damaged, everything still works), and the installation looks quite neat and tidy.

We had to sacrifice some space (i.e the gangplank has had to be moved forward) but overall the Solar Panel is bolted on tight. The panel is 175W and should provide a useful ‘input’ of power when the Wayward is moored on our nice sunny days.. Watch this space and we will let you know how it performs. The Solar Regulator is not the best in the world but it seems to do the job – although we have already been advised that to get the best from the panel we should install an MPPT Regulator instead (apparently that means Maximum Power Point Tracking) and could enhance the panel’s performance by 40% in winter and 15 to 20% in summer…. we shall see. The Regulator looks like this…>

The reading is low because the installation was completed around 7:40pm and the light outside was fading fast.

We decided to spend a further day (Wed 18th May 2011) at Stoke Bardolph (which gave us time to sort out the boat, charge up the batteries, do some general cleaning and generally ‘rest’. The moorings are very quiet and peaceful, and it’s a very rural setting… below is a photo of the moorings at Stoke Lock.

On Thursday 19th May 2011, we prepared to move off from our moorings after breakfast and head for Holme Lock and on towards Nottingham. We entered Nottingham at Meadow Lane Lock, with Trent Bridge immediately in view…..>

Above is the entrance into Nottingham (Meadow Lane Lock) – below the Wayward Spinner is moored waiting for the lock to be made ready..the entrance is a ‘tad’ tight…

We passed through Nottingham under all the low bridges and headed towards Beeston.

(Below) passing through Castle Lock…..

Eventually having gone through all the built up area of Nottingham and Beeston we passed through Beeston Lock and back out onto the River Trent heading for Cranfleet Lock where if is possible we intend to moor for the evening.

Moored at Cranfleet with a view forward of the Cranfleet Cut, the River Soar and the Erewash Canal junction. Looking back from our current mooring we can see the Cranfleet Flood Gates ….>

Safe Haven at Gunthorpe Bridge

2011-05-16T09:07:00.001+01:00

We left Newark around Midday on Sunday (15/5/2011) passing through Newark Town Lock and on to Averham Weir;

It was mostly an uneventful journey with the exception of an encounter with two GRP boaters where one skipper had decided to overtake the other boater on what was to him a ‘bend in the river to the right’, (and somewhat narrowed caused by a tree that was in need of cropping back). The problem being that has we gradually emerged around the corner after providing a horn warning we were confronted by these two boats, the skipper overtaking refused to give way and drop back, and the vessel being overtaken seemingly was content to just ‘cruise on’ – it was left to us to take avoiding action despite the river ‘shallowing’ on our starboard side..

Shortly after (just passed Farndon Harbour at the Pub moorings) we had the chance to Photograph Phyllis May II – the narrowboat owned by Terry & Monica Darlington the adventurers who took their narrowboat (Phyllis May) across the English Channel and which was broadcast on TV (and in book form) as Narrow Dog to Carcassonne – [website] at http://www.narrowdog.com/ – best wishes Terry.

At Gunthorpe Lock we were locked through and took the opportunity to take on water at a BW water point. We then continued the short journey through to Gunthorpe Bridge mooring pontoon, where we intend to meet with friends Dick & Brenda and rest for a day.

Safely Moored at Gunthorpe Bridge….

Onto the Tidal River Trent…

2011-05-15T10:39:00.001+01:00

A quick ‘heads up for the ‘Nicholson Guide’ – please note The Barge Inn is closed and for sale.(Below)

The Wayward Spinner is prepared and ready to go..

We were advised that passage onto the River Trent would be around 1:30pm, however the tide arrived just slightly ahead of time and thumbs up was given to enter into the lock….it was a tight squeeze for 3 narrowboats..and on Friday the 13th !!!

Once the Lock gates were opened it was time for Wayward Spinner to lead the way….and with throttle set we moved out..(below)

Followed close behind by ‘Yorkshire Tyke’ (below)

Then came ‘Genevieve’…close behind.

No sooner had we turned out than we were met by no less than 3 narrowboats heading to go into Keadby and reach a safe haven.. (below)

We passed Barges being loaded with huge chunks of stone..

And very large ships being loaded with other cargo…Here is ‘The River Pride’ being loaded (below)

Eventually at the end of the day (just over 4 hours sailing) we reached our safe haven of Torksey Junction..where we rested for the night.

We had been advised by the lock keepers to set out early at 5:30am from Torksey Junction in order to catch the tide…so it was an early start for Saturday morning; and for the most part the ‘early hours’ were uneventful however the entrance to West Stockwith was ‘busy’ with boats exiting the lock, some waiting to go in and others boats just passing by….but there was too much happening to reach for the camera…

Along the way we were overtaken by GRP Cruisers, and bounced about by the wake as they passed.

Under Dunham Toll Bridge…(below)

We passed by Power Stations…(this one is at High Marnham..below)

And Ashley took the helm for long stretches of the journey..

.Eventually we reached Cromwell Lock the entrance to which is quite impressive. Pictures below…

and inside Cromwell Lock..

We passed under the A1 as we neared Newark..which was to be our destination for the day.

The mooring at Newark..(don’t moor there on a Saturday night..you have been warned…we did and regret the noise and nuisance..

The River Trent awaits…..

2011-05-12T20:06:00.000+01:00

To recap, over the last few days we have moved on from Rotherham past Swinton, Conisbrough, Mexbrough, Sprotbrough, Doncaster and Long Sandall lock – to eventually moor up overnight at Barnby Dun. We forgot to mention in the blog previously that we had been held up at Doncaster Town Lock due to the Lock gate sluices not responding, and that required a BW Engineer to attend. However, the BW team said that the engineer would be there in half and hour and sure enough he arrived in half an hour, super service and our thanks to BW.

(Here we are waiting for the Engineer to arrive at Doncaster Town Lock Moorings) – Steve has the kettle on and is busy making some corned beef sandwiches'.

As per the previous post the next day it was noted that the Barnby Dun Bridge was acting up so we took advantage and passed through it whilst the BW Engineer sorted that one out (thanks Graham, much appreciated).

Since then we have turned onto the Stainforth & Keadby Canal [aka Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation](heading to Keadby) – Below is a photo of the Wayward Spinner about to make the turn into the Canal entrance and in the distance is Bramwith Lock. The Canal that goes off to the Left is the ‘New Junction Canal’ and the Metal ‘gates’ in the distance is in fact the start of the entrance over the ‘aqueduct’

After such a long day we decided to take things easy and we moored up just after Stainforth and before passing under the M18 road which could be seen a little way off in the distance. It was an excellent mooring spot very peaceful and with no street lights so the clear night sky had given us excellent views of the moon and the stars….

Below is a photo taken Thursday Morning at around 7:30am of where we had stayed overnight.

Today we have travelled up through Thorne where we re-fuelled and pumped out the waste (poo) tank at Stanilands Marina, and then continuing ‘west’ towards Keadby. Incidentally along the way we met an angler who all but refused to remove his ‘pole’ from across the water on our approach. We were forced to slow almost to a stop before (and only at the very last second) he relented and lifted it out of the way – what he was trying to prove we have no idea, but if he thought his carbon pole was going to stop a 16 ton vessel – he was sadly mistaken. Normally fishing folk are very pleasant people always willing to chat and be friendly….I guess there’s always one !!!!

We are now moored at Keadby waiting for tomorrow. In the morning it will be ‘all hands on deck’ as the boat gets prepared for it’s river journey. The Danforth anchors have to be un-stowed and prepared (stern and bow), the gangplank, poles and boat hooks have to be secured, lifejackets made ready – Stern gland & engines checked over - and of course objects stowed safely away in case of ‘rough waters’. We have booked our passage down the River Trent for about 1:30pm and we will be going as far as Torksey Junction and the floating pontoons.

Thursday 12th May 2011 – The Wayward Spinner is moored at Keadby Lock awaiting safe passage onto the River Trent to head ‘South’ towards Newark.

Wayward Spinner is on the move…

2011-05-11T19:16:00.001+01:00

We have at last left Rotherham and moved first to Barnby Dun where we spent last night on the visitor moorings. However this morning the Barnby Dun Lift Bridge was in ‘fault mode’ and the Duty Engineer was called to sort it out, so we thought we had better pass through the Lift Bridge whilst he was there and able to operate the Bridge. We are now moored within sight of the M18 just to the West of Thorne. Tomorrow we will enter Thorne to do some shopping and then move on towards Keadby picking up some more fuel along the way.

Solar Panels........

2011-05-07T12:00:00.002+01:00

Well, just sitting here waiting for Steve's teeth to be fixed means that we have learnt many lessons ref using electric and water 'economically'. We have ordered a 175W solar Panel and controller so that on reasonable days we can at least put back 'something' into the battery bank without running the generator for hours on end. Our thanks also goes out to our friends of nb 'Rose of Arden' who have given us many useful pointers and tips for our future travels.

Still toothless and waiting….

2011-05-05T09:26:00.001+01:00

Well, we are still stuck waiting for Steve to get his teeth back and for his front teeth to be re-built. In the meantime we had a visit from some good friends of mine who I haven’t see for a while, but it was a treat to see them…..you will always be welcome Tom & Odette.

25th April and more good friends visit

2011-04-27T14:00:00.001+01:00

Well, we are still waiting on Steve having some further dental treatment (following the fact that he needs two new front teeth); but whilst we wait on his appointments [and yes it would be a double bank holiday period!!] our good friends Graham & Pat popped over to see us.

22nd April…Beautiful Day

2011-04-23T10:33:00.001+01:00

Well, as mentioned before the last few days have been simply beautiful and really we have been spoilt with our first cruise in such fine weather..long may it continue. Friday saw us have a very relaxing day with friends Richard Janette & Doris paying us a visit at our current mooring.

A long while ago Doris (seen here at the helm of the Wayward Spinner) used to have her own ‘Norman 20’ cruiser, which was a regular visitor to the Chesterfield Canal & West Stockwith area.

Richard, Janette & Doris

We’ve arrived at Rotherham

2011-04-22T11:36:00.001+01:00

Well we left Mexborough yesterday morning passing through Mexborough top Lock on route to Rotherham Town Lock. This was just a short journey of 6.71 miles but passed through some very nice scenery. Just prior to reaching Rotherham our friends waved to us from the towpath, so we picked them up and proceeded into Rotherham. We eventually passed through Rotherham town lock (which was the first ‘manually operated lock’ we’ve had to do in quite a while) – and moored up just outside the Law Courts.

Steve then turned the boat around and we took the Wayward Spinner back through Rotherham Town Lock and up to Eastwood Lock, where Steve continued his favourite pastime…

The journey from Selby Boat Centre to Rotherham then up to Eastwood Lock has been 48.28 miles total…and took us a leisurely 4 days.

Wednesday…moving on from Barnby Dun

2011-04-20T20:11:00.001+01:00

We left Barnby Dun at around 11:00am after having a shower at the BW facilities then taking on some water. We continued our journey towards Rotherham.

Passing Conisbrough Viaduct and then Conisbrough Castle

Spot the odd one out!!!………..

We have had the Humber Princess pass us three times…so far….this vessel is huge and ‘sucks’ the water out from under us each time it passes.

We are now just moored at Mexborough Top Lock – ready to pass through in the morning .. still towards Rotherham. The Picture above shows a rear view from the boat moored at Mexborough with the Humber Princess having just come through the lock.

Still heading towards Rotherham..

2011-04-20T20:00:00.001+01:00

We departed the Jolly Miller Moorings (highly recommended for peace and quiet) and continued on our way towards Rotherham. We have so far been dealt three gorgeous days of glorious weather and the beauty of the countryside had been plain to see.

Wide open canals……beautiful sunshine…

End of The New Junction Canal

Approaching Barnby Dun (Barnby Dun Power Station Towers)

Our friends Dick & Brenda with Captain Pugwash….at Barnby Dun (Highly recommend these moorings – toilets are clean, showers are brilliant water and waste disposal are also present – and it’s so quiet and peaceful).

Barnby Dun Lift Bridge (now fully operational)

Departing Selby….

2011-04-17T20:04:00.001+01:00

Well, with all our jobs done and the boat fully prepared we decided to make today (Sunday 17th) the day that we leave Selby Boat Centre. At around 11:10 and having paid all our dues to the Boat Centre we set sail down the Selby canal heading towards West Haddlesey.

Once we reached the flood gates at West Haddlesey we stopped for bite to eat and a chat with friends from Narrowboat Keb who happened to be moored up at the lock. We then passed through the lock onto the River Aire heading for Beal. On route we were watching out for water skiers and we were not disappointed as around the corner came…..

On reaching Beal Lock we were greeted by the sight of Neil & Helen Mansfield who had popped down to the lock to wish us well and say goodbye – Super people, we wish them well too, and hope that we all stay in touch over the forthcoming years. From Beal we passed down to Bank Dole Junction at Knottingley then through the lock and then turned sharp left onto the Calder Navigation – eventually stopping for tea and a rest at the Jolly Miller moorings.

At last we have our BW Registration..

2011-04-15T08:09:00.003+01:00

It seemed to take forever but at last we have our BW registration number and licence and the BW Registration number has been ‘transferred’ to the cabin side at the bow.

Also the last bit of electrical work has been done to the wayward Spinner and so today it’s down to Selby to do some last minute shopping, get the boat toilet system pumped out, take on fresh water, replace an LPG cylinder and apply a final bit of polish to the starboard paintwork….and then tomorrow……………..>

Wishing friends a safe journey..

2011-04-15T08:09:00.001+01:00

Wednesday morning and narrowboat Skyy departed Selby heading for Knottingley and the Leeds Liverpool, we wish Mac & Jackie a safe journey and look forward to meeting up with you again at some future time.

Another little ‘shake-down’ cruise

2011-04-09T10:51:00.001+01:00

It was such a beautiful day on the 6th April that we took some friends of ours Ray & Jackie down to West Haddlesey and back. Ray couldn’t wait to take the helm of Wayward Spinner.

Tea at West Haddlesey

BW Licence

2011-04-04T13:45:00.000+01:00

Well we applied for a licence 3 weeks ago but have heard nothing - so today we placed a call through to them and yes it's being processed - so shouldn't be long to wait now

The Wayward Spinner

2011-03-30T09:14:00.001+01:00

At the end of March 2010 we had sailed the Wayward Spinner up the Trent into Keadby Lock and on through to Selby where she was lifted out of the water for a full and proper fit-out – One year on and almost to the day the Wayward Set off down the Selby Canal for her first ‘shake-down’ cruise. The Sunshine and the weather were both kind to us and the Wayward sailed perfectly for her trip down to West Haddlessey and return to Selby; with ‘Singapore Slings’ served to our guests Neil & Helen Mansfield in celebration of the voyage and the outstanding work they have performed and in ‘simply making it all happen’. We commend their dedication, attention to detail and would without exception highly recommend Neil & Helen to anyone who is thinking about having a ‘fit-out.

Helen & Neil Mansfield..on the Wayward Spinner’s ‘Maiden Voyage’

Steve at the Helm

West Haddlessey Lock & Flood Gates.

Wayward Spinner under her own power

2011-03-28T19:40:00.002+01:00

On Friday (and having lived aboard for the past couple 3 weeks) it was decided to try out the pump-out facility and empty the waste tanks. The engine was fired up and the lines were slipped...Wayward Spinner was for the first time 'free to navigate' - however this would be a journey of just about 50 yards to the pump out.!! The short journey gave us the opportunity to try out the bow thruster for the very first time and all went very well indeed, with the Wayward Spinner reversing nicely back onto her mooring space.

There's still a few little jobs left to do but the small list grows shorter by the day....Neil and Helen Mansfield of NRM Narrowboats here at Selby have done not just a good job of the fitting out the Wayward Spinner - but an outstanding job and without exception everyone admires their workmanship.

A little bit of progress info..

2011-03-22T18:27:00.001Z

Ok, well we have been afloat now for a whole week and without too much drama. We are steadily getting all the ‘little’ jobs done such as finding places to stow away all our belongings – (it’s amazing what space you can find tucked away). The main thing we have had to do is to ‘trim’ the boat which involved removing some ballast from the bow end, this was always going to have to be done and for that reason ‘Neil’ our boat fitter had made special areas within the deck flooring specifically for moving ballast about.

Multi-fuel Stoves: Our Villager Puffin chucks out an awful lot of heat and we are learning to regulate the fire and thus control the heat output. We noticed however that the warmth was not getting through to the galley area very well, so we took the plunge and bought an ‘Ecofan’. This 3 blade version of the Ecofan works extremely well, and has completely eliminated the cold spot at the galley; so if anybody ever moans and states that they don’t really do anything we would have to strongly disagree.

The only small issue we have had with the boat is a very small ‘drip’ of a water leak occurring at the skin fitting for the shower pump outlet, a turn with a spanner and all was well once more – other than that all the boat systems have tested out perfectly.

At Long Last…..She Floats Once More

2011-03-15T17:54:00.001Z

Today at 9am (on a damp, cold & misty day) the crane arrived to lift the Wayward Spinner from her fit-out berth and place her back into the water (she was craned out last May, so it’s been 10 months since she last ‘floated’).

The 100 Ton Lift Crane arrives..

Lift chains and Straps are attached

And she’s lifted to her first set-down point closer to the water. Her new weight being 16.2 Tons.

Finally…….she’s set down safely on the water…

Everyone gave a good cheer as she touched the water - Everything went like clockwork with no hitches, and there’s only a few small jobs left to do before she can have her ‘trial runs’ – and before the adventures can really begin…

Let down by the wind!!!!

2011-03-10T19:43:00.001Z

We were advised early this morning that the crane would be arriving to lift the Wayward Spinner into the water!! (the wind last night had been very strong with gusts probably exceeding 50mph); today was really no better so were surprised that the crane company wanted to proceed under such strong wind conditions. In the end our boat fitter made the wisest decision and told the crane company that conditions were not suitable for craning; so once again we will have to wait…

Let down by the crane….

2011-03-07T10:21:00.001Z

Well the Wayward Spinner should have gone in the water last Wednesday (2nd March) however the crane failed to ‘perform’ as it had an ‘electronics failure’ on one of it’s many sensors. The end result being that the crane could not perform the lift.

Currently therefore the Wayward Spinner is ‘fully fitted out’ and the water is oh, so close……The crane has been pencilled back into the calendar for ‘sometime’ this week.

Now then, a floating Windlass…

2011-02-28T12:02:00.001Z

Well with nothing better to do today and after a bit of web browsing I saw this on the website at http://www.floatlass.co.uk/

At long last someone has made a windlass that floats.. I can sense a ‘purchase’ about to happen…..yep, there we go.

and in action…

If all goes to plan….

2011-02-28T06:59:00.001Z

This week should see the Wayward Spinner hoisted back into the water.

BSS

2011-02-18T19:11:00.001Z

Another piece of good news today in that the Wayward Spinner has passed her BSS inspection. Now just waiting on the crane.

Bow Canvas gets fitted….

2011-02-17T05:25:00.001Z

Tuesday 15th and the Canvas Man arrived to fit the new Bow Canvas to the Wayward Spinner. Really pleased with the construction of the canvas, and also for how the new internal Stainless Steel support rods have been fitted both to the wood and to the structure of the boat.

Also yesterday the Webasto Thermo Top C heater was primed with water and diesel and ‘fired’ up with no problems. The internal radiators and calorifier were bled of air and soon hot water could be felt flowing throughout the system for the very time. This was only a temporary firing and test, as today the Webasto header tank is going to get properly mounted, a couple of new brackets will get fabricated to ensure that the water pipes are kept away from the Webasto exhaust, and on the electrical side a new 7 day timer unit will get installed within the Galley.

The Wayward Spinner is coming to life…………Oh, and the Crane has been ordered !!!!

Not much more to do now…

2011-02-11T16:35:00.002Z

There’s not much more to complete, so she’s just about ready for the water. Apart from fixing a few fire extinguishers in place along with other essential ‘BSS’ items the Wayward Spinner is ready to be inspected prior to going back into the water. The Victron Inverter has been ‘fired-up’ and all the electrics tested, the water system is just waiting on the arrival of an engine part.
She’s now equipped with a weed-cutter (very sharp) just to the rear of the propeller on the propshaft.

There’s also a new chimney..

The internal flu has a very nice wood trim and brass surround at the cabin roof exit.

The dinette area is fully upholstered and fitted out, as is the Galley

The windows now have all their window blinds fully fitted and with curtains to compliment the fit-out and decor.

and the portholes have purpose made porthole bungs for the night.

The side hatch has the addition of a roller blind fitted with suitable material to keep out insects during the summer months, but will still permit good views and of course plenty of ventilation as the doors can be fully opened for air flow.

The temporary steps are still in situ but this photo below shows how light the interior of the boat will be…and hopefully quite cosy with all the warmth from that Villager Puffin stove.
The ‘perfect-fit’ range of beech wood slat venetian blinds and the matching roller blind are from North Notts Blinds – and they look terrific..

It’s Official – The Wayward Spinner is named

2011-02-05T07:23:00.001Z

On Saturday 29th January 2011 (despite the fact that it will be a couple more weeks before she’s ready to lifted back into the water) we went ahead with the official ceremony to name the Wayward Spinner. So with a coach party of Steve’s work colleagues present on what was a really quite chilly day, the appropriate words were spoken by a very good friend of ours and the official naming of Wayward Spinner took place.

Everyone had a guided tour around the boat and then sought refuge from the wind and the cold back aboard the coach. After a quick trip back to Sheffield everyone piled out from the coach into the Princess Royal Pub at Woodhouse Mill where a buffet had been arranged not only to provide food for the boat naming ceremony but as part of Steve’s ‘retirement’ party; Steve is now a person of leisure and he is really looking forward to getting the boat launched with plenty of fishing and cruising high on his agenda for 2011.

Needless to say everyone had a really good time at the party and Steve was royally entertained by the surprise appearance of ‘The Drifters’ (the BTS Drifters that is…)

A great day was had by everyone and we would like to express sincere thanks to ‘Maxfields’ for supplying the coach, the Princess Royal Pub for providing an excellent venue and buffet, to Wayne who provided the Karaoke, to Ray and the ‘BTS Drifters’ and to everyone who turned up to make the day a very memorable occasion.

A few more photographs

2011-01-28T07:38:00.001Z

The Wayward Spinner is progressing really well as she nears completion. The upholsterer has done a brilliant job on the furnishings. The dining / breakfast table is almost done and the Galley is now all but complete. In the bathroom, the main mirror is in place and just needs trimming around. The exterior of the boat now sports a cratch (with the canvas currently being made) and the bow & stern ‘buttons’ and new rope side fenders are in place. it should not be long now before she’s ready to hit the water again.

The dinette upholstery

Cabin lighting for bedtime reading

Bathroom mirror in place, just needs trimming

New ‘summer/winter’ mattress for the cabin bed

Stern button in situ

Side rope fenders

The superb new cratch and king plank in position

We have blinds…..window blinds that is!

2011-01-25T13:11:00.001Z

Yes it’s a small point to make but today we picked up the blinds for the Wayward Spinner. There’s still 1 roller blind outstanding but at least the ones we have can be delivered to the boat fitter, and installed. The blinds are of the ‘Perfect Fit’ style with wooden beech slats. The roller blind as ordered will have a ‘fly screen material’ and will be used on the inside of the side hatch.

All change…..once more.

2011-01-12T09:59:00.001Z

Well things have changed slightly for us now as the boat nears completion. The caravan site we were living on (temporarily) shuts on Thursday for a full month so the site has now been vacated and the caravan in which we were living has been moved back into storage. (It served us well for the past 7 months as the majority of the build of Wayward Spinner has been undertaken). The canal is thawing out rapidly now, and very soon the Wayward Spinner will be ready to be hoisted back into the water.

There are still a couple of jobs left to do such as the fitting of a weed cutter to the propshaft, and the engine is yet to be serviced prior to run up, and of course there’s the testing of all the new water and electrical systems.

We have been told by the factory that the window blinds are nearly all done, so hopefully they will be ready for fitting within the next few days and a few days ago the boat had a visit from the upholsterer who’s making the dinette seating, so hopefully that will also be under way and completed soon. The last major bit of the jigsaw I guess is down to the canvas guy who will be measuring and making the bow cratch cover; but at least that part is not essential to getting the boat back in the water .

Happy New Year to everyone

2011-01-05T16:39:00.001Z

After a brief visit today posted below are a few more photographs. The wayward Spinner is progressing nicely and is very near to completion – there are still numerous little jobs still to do of course. In the photo below the Galley area is nearly complete and whilst the worktop is a bit ‘cluttered’ following a mammoth wiring episode the final result is going to be exactly as we wanted. The joinery throughout the boat is looking simply fabulous.The cabin area is essentially done..with the clothes drawer fronts and handles now fitted – the mattress has been ordered and is due for delivery shortly.Throughout the boat all the 12v and 240 electrical sockets have been fitted – (all with brass fronted sockets as specified).The stern steps have been fully fabricated and are ready to be placed into position – but of course that won’t happen until the boat is all but ready to be lifted and put back into the water.

Happy New Year to Everyone

2011-01-01T10:03:00.002Z

Just to wish everyone a very "Happy New Year"

Bit by bit she’s getting there…

2010-12-12T12:54:00.001Z

Things are really moving on now with the Wayward Spinner, and it’s not going to take too long before she’s complete. All of the internal plumbing has been completed; and currently (pun intended) it’s the ‘electrics’ which are being installed – hence the photos of the ‘rats nest’ below – but don’t fear all this wiring will be neat and tidy at the end of the day. There are an awful lot of wires that terminate in that rear cupboard !!!…

Cut-outs in the cupboard door are for the LCD displays for black water waste tank, and for the main cold water tank – the rectangular hole is for Bilge Pump control. Inside it looks ….well like this at the moment.

The Victron Multiplus 3000 is nestled in there at the back – when everything is clipped back and tidied up there will be plenty of room and ventilation. The Victron itself is controlled by the supplementary panel already positioned and visible to the left of the cut-outs as mentioned above.

In the galley the doors have at last been fixed in situ and looks like this – The handles have yet to be fixed on, but that’ll not take long

Lastly the black water tank has been painted and there’s just a small amount of pipe work to re-connect once the paint has cured a bit more.

There are quite a few woodworking jobs still to do and these are mostly the time consuming ‘fiddly bits’ that ‘trim’ out the interior hiding wood joint seams and ‘expansion gaps’ – mostly though all the main edging work for things like the dinette have all been completed.

Our current living environment

2010-12-06T08:06:00.001Z

No explanation required……….

Caravan Disaster Strikes.....

2010-12-01T08:30:00.001Z

Awoken at 4:30am yesterday to be told that our caravan awning is about to collapse - a large amount of snow had fallen and the awning was buckling under the weight - It took over an hour to clear the snow but the awning was too badly damaged and had to be taken down. Currently we have about 10" to 12" of snow with more falling

The cold spell has arrived but the work continues.

2010-11-28T07:18:00.001Z

Since the last post the following work has been completed. The galley sink has had its final fix, the toilet electrics have been fitted into position, there have been numerous areas where ‘trimming’ has been carried out; in particular the mermaid wall coverings in the shower area has been fully trimmed out and the shower rail and taps fixed into final position. The black water waste tank has been lifted into the boat and positioned ready to be plumbed in. Under the bed, pull-out drawers have been installed. The five main rectangular window frames have also been positioned and just need a little more work before they can be fully installed.

Here’s a few pictures:

A few more photographs of further progress

2010-11-12T18:24:00.001Z

After a brief visit to the boat there’s a few more photographs to be shown, such as the excellent work that has gone into the creation of the stern seating/rail area …> displayed below as per the real image set against a water ‘backdrop’.

Also a lot of work has been put into the creation of the bow steps, but they will not be put into position until all the work on the rest of the boat has been completed

The porthole frames are now all installed

The other larger windows have been ‘foamed’ around the exposed metalwork and are now ready to have their wooden frames fitted

Additionally the bathroom sink is now plumbed in, the tap is fitted, and the tiles cemented in place – above the tiles there will be a full height/width feature mirror.

Latest information

2010-10-30T17:50:00.001+01:00

Well we made a quick visit to the boat today to see the progress so far. Essentially the outside of the boat is now 95% complete. As an example, the stern seating - this as you can see is fully fabricated and just needs a few coats of teak oil and fixing into place.

The lower hull has now been ‘blacked’ with 3 further coats of bitumen and looks fabulous, and yes you can almost see your face in it!

The engine bay is progressing, with the Webasto diesel heater now plumbed in, and also small details like the ‘footplate’ for stepping down into the engine bay have been fabricated and bolted in situ, which can be seen in the photo below. Webasto Heater now fully mounted, just needs the water pipes clipping back into a fixed position. In the bow of the boat the LPG locker is finished – with the rubber mats cut to size and chains to support and retain the LPG bottles.

The stern weed hatch has had its final coats of paint

Inside the wayward Spinner the Galley is coming along very nicely, with all the appliances in situ and the cupboards now mounted on the wall

and even the seating/dining area has been mostly fabricated.

The next few weeks should see a lot of things coming together and there will be more photographs in the near future. At the moment decisions are being made as to the type of window furniture to be used – e.g. venetian blinds or standard blinds – the favourite is ‘venetian’ – so watch this space to see what the outcome end up being!

Postings are a little slow at the moment

2010-10-27T10:02:00.001+01:00

Just a brief message to say that substantial progress is being made in the interior of the Wayward Spinner – and that some photographs will be forthcoming in the very near future.

Caught on camera

2010-10-14T08:08:00.001+01:00

Around our current location is an abundance of wildlife but the most prolific seems to be our ‘mission impossible’ friends – the squirrels; they can be found running across open ground, leaping from tree to tree and their favourite pastime at the moment seems to be hurling acorns at unsuspecting walkers.

Meanwhile ‘tranquillity’ resides down at the lake…

October – update

2010-10-08T17:01:00.001+01:00

There are signs of good progress now but the most notable and most significant (and special) has to be the side signage for the ‘Wayward Spinner’ together with the Yorkshire Rose emblem…Super job.

On the interior of the engine bay the Webasto Heater has been mounted although the plumbing and sorting out of the electrical cables still needs to be finalised.

Also in the engine bay the new fuel tank has been located along with the main battery box and also the electrical isolation switches

Below the diesel fuel filter has been properly mounted

In the main LPG locker the auto changeover valves have been fitted together with a bubble tester – the main LPG feed passes as a continuous pipe all the way through to the Galley Cooker

In the bow locker
the isolation electrical switches have been fitted for the bow thruster battery. Also all the cabling for the bow thruster is now fully complete

Above deck the Instrument panels are complete – with auxiliary controls for the Bilge pump, tunnel light and ships horn – also the bow thruster controls are installed Also there have been some small jobs completed

The small brass cap is the air vent inlet for the diesel fuel tank

The main telelever has also been reconnected.

Once a little more has been completed with regard to the Engine bay (mounting the engine exhaust system – and also sorting out some more electrical work and plumbing) – the work will move back into the interior.

Life Clings on……..

2010-10-05T15:11:00.001+01:00

It may be off topic but the tree in the photo below has held a tenuous grip on life for the past few years with just one branch that produces leaves come Spring. All through this summer the tree has stood, but now some person has taken it upon themselves to vandalise this tree – and in so doing reduce its chances of further survival.

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Also snapped at the lake was this Cormorant resting on a tree stump following a spot of fishing.

and in close up

The Wayward Spinner has a voice

2010-09-27T17:10:00.005+01:00

Well after a week of rest for the paintwork, progress is now being made within the engine bay and to the exterior - the Wayward Spinner has at last got her voice in the form of a 12v Low Tone Horn now positioned under the cabin roof at the bow.

Also the side navigation lights have been mounted.

Work is currently underway to refit some of the engine bay ancillary equipment whilst some of the paintwork is still curing slightly. Also cut-outs have been made to the rear stern bulkhead and the new bilge pump horn, and tunnel light control panel has been fitted together with the bow thruster control unit. A photo of these will be shown in a week or two as there is still a little more work to be done on these.

Not for the Frying Pan !!!

2010-09-27T17:10:00.004+01:00

These were discovered in the nearby woodlands - now not being an expert in mushrooms these are probably a variety known as Red Cap mushrooms and probably not the best to add on to a breakfast menu! - They were however spectacular in colour and the camera is not doing them justice in the reproduction of the colours or clarity.

The exterior gloss paintwork is complete

2010-09-20T06:32:00.001+01:00

The boat has now had a week to rest following the gloss painting of the upper hull; additionally the gunwales, foredeck and the stern deck have all had their 'anti-slip' treatment applied. The re-fitting of the Webasto Thermo Top C diesel heater and the fitting of the new Vetus Diesel tank can now be carried out. There will be some photo's of this in a future post.

The new electrical distribution switchgear and also the black waste tank have arrived and it will soon be time to sort out the installation of these.

Work that still needs to be carried out includes:-

Webasto Heater re-fit
The Vetus Diesel Tank
Black waste water tank installation
The fitting of the gearbox oil cooler and pipework
Re-installing the engine exhaust to its new location
The fitting of new Battery Boxes into the engine bay
Re-wiring of the engine bay and all equipment
Sorting out the main diesel tank (plug the 'unused' diesel outlet)
Fitting the new bilge pumps and wiring
Fitting the propshaft weed cutter
Re-fitting and re-filling the prop greaser
Fitting of the external Navigation Lights, Tunnel Light and the Boat's Horn
Sorting out all the electrical switches, distribution and trips
Installing the Victron Inverter system into the distribution cupboard
Installing all the electrical 240v and 12v sockets
Completing the plumbing and electrical work in the bathroom, lounge & galley
Continuing to fit-out the remainder of the Galley, Bathroom, Bedroom & Lounge areas
Window wood trims and all other trimming throughout...
and a thousand other jobs besides.....In short there is a ton of work still left to do!!

September review as the build continues..

2010-09-05T15:13:00.004+01:00

Well almost another month has passed and a huge amount of work has been undertaken. However with the weather almost ideal for painting a decision was made to reduce the work on the inside in favour of getting the boat freshly painted before the weather changes for the worst...photos follow.

Firstly the engine bay painting was completed.

and a super job it is...

The bow now sports not only new paint but a super new diamond design

The sides of the Wayward Spinner in her new 'Oxford Blue' colour

The roof has been painted in 'Atlantic Grey' and has designated non-slip areas now incorporated within the scheme.

These are areas pre-marked out ready for the non slip treatment

The paint work looks brilliant on the cabin sides
(hatch doors have yet to be done)

The stern is not forgotten and also now sports an 'Atlantic Grey' area.

All of the boats windows have had to be removed as it was found that there was an insufficient amount of 'seal' being formed by the previously applied silicone. The windows are now sealed by a full and proper neoprene sealling strip (just visible in the photo)

The Flue has now been taken back to bare metal and also re-painted, a far cry from the 'rust' that had formed after it had been fitted last time around. The previously fitted chimney is to be replaced..

Inside, and heated towel rails (x2) are now in the bathroom

Also the bow thruster unit is now fully installed and the whole area sports a coat of new protective paint throughout - a very professional installation.

another view of the bow thruster

The pump-out brasswork has been 'located' but not yet fixed in situ as another coat of paint has yet to be applied.

Time for some more progress info

2010-08-09T17:46:00.001+01:00

Well a few weeks have past and there has been some serious progress on the interior work of the Wayward Spinner. So here are the latest photographs and explanations.

A new diesel filler has been grafted onto the stern - this new diesel filling point will feed diesel to a new Vetus fuel tank that will hold fuel to be used soley by the Webasto thermo top C diesel heater. The filler will link to a new 65 litre tank.

The stern weedhatch door (underside) has received the first coat of paint

The engine bay door has had some additional strengthening struts added and has also received its first coat of paint (underside)

The engine has been covered over and again the engine bay has started to be painted out.

Still plenty of painting to do and at least 3 coats of paint will be applied

The galley has started to come along now as the main plumbing throughout the boat has all but been completed. The cupboards and units are in their final positions and the worktop has been cut to size and is all but ready to be made fast.

On the opposite side of the galley the new cooker is positioned and again the new worksurface has been cut, positioned and almost ready to be firmly attached. The cupboards either side of the cooker are all in-situ and ready to have the doors and drawer fronts added on at a later date when the risk of 'scratching or damage due to further construction has been removed.

Throughout the boat all the ceiling LED lights have been fitted and tested.

All the major items of plumbing have all but been completed and here you can see the plumbing below the dining area seating where the pipes are passing through and at the same time branching up to feed the shower unit on the reverse side of the wall. All neat and very tidy.

Above is the shower base now fitted into position with access hatch seen just off to the righthand side so that if necessary work can be carried out if and when required. The wall 'mermaid' covering is bonded in place and also the shower mixer is attached to the wall and plumbed in. The electrics on the left relate to the shower pump (waste) and will be wired to a switch so that the shower pump can be turned on and off as required.

The toilet and handbasin are in position, the cabinet has been all prepared ready for the final plumbing and electrical work to be undertaken shortly. (just waiting on the arrival of the waste (black water) tank, which will be positioned underneath the fixed cabin bed - but still leaving storage room available.

Update on the updates

2010-07-15T15:18:00.000+01:00

It will be a couple of weeks before the next update on general progress; however the next major task to be tackled is the installation of all the 'plumbing', that is to say the kichen appliances (calorifier, sink, washing machine etc) and also the bathroom (toilet, shower & sink). A lot of items have now been delivered and hopefully I'll be able to take some photos as these get fitted.

General progress update

2010-07-08T20:53:00.001+01:00

There's plenty of progress to be seen now, as the woodwork gets firmly underway.

In the galley, the fridge, sink and washing machine are in situ and there's the start of the cupboards on the port side. Additionally the electrical cupboard has now been formed on the port side. There is a mass of wires that will eventually get routed through into the cupboard, and it is in here that the Victron multiplus inverter/charger will reside.

The sink has been purchased and will be fitted shortly.

In the dining area, the seating has started to be formed and the supports for the calorifier are all done

The side hatch doors have now been re-worked and replaced into position, they have been correctly insulated behind the wood inserts and correctly sealed; and at last we have proper brass catches top and bottom.

The LPG locker has now been painted out with hard wearing bilge paint and it's now almost too posh to put LPG bottles in there !!! -Below is a photo of the LPG locker Hatch.

Beautifully painted, superb finish.

The metalwork for the hatch of the bow thruster has been completed and will look great and blend in superbly when it's all painted up.

The battery to power the bow thruster is to be housed in the port bow locker - so this has been modified to incorporate appropriate battery fixings, electrical conduit and fixings for thruster control gear....and it's also been painted out to a very high standard.

Interior work re-starts

2010-07-01T08:21:00.002+01:00

With the major metalwork now fully completed the interior work has restarted.

A new cupboard has been created in the lounge area just before walking out of the boat and up the stairs to the bow

The previous bulkheads which were made of inappropriate 'blockboard' have been replaced with marine laminate grade multi-layer plywood of 18mm thickness

The fireplace (pull out cassette unit) has been partially built and although the tiles are in place they have yet to be grouted - The cassette unit itself is backed with heat resistant fibreboard. The multi-fuel stove which had been inappropriately 'used' by the previous fitters has been thoroughly cleaned and is shown here covered up but it's already been correctly positioned and a new flu fabricated to match the contours of the interior.

The bathroom area has been correctly mapped out and shortly work will commence to fabricate the wooden plynths for the pump out macerator toilet and hand washbasin - the shower unit is in the opposite corner to the toilet and is out of shot in this photo. Mermaid wall lining has been selected and will be used for the shower area

The calorifier has been removed from the engine bay and will now reside in the space beneath the dining seating area - in this photo you can see that the main cold water feed now exits from behind the wall space area and is hidden the entire length of the boat (a big contrast to the 'jumble' of pipes that had been previously fitted).

In the galley area the first of the rear cupboards is being formed, and there will be an identical cupboard on the port side of the boat which will house all the electrical work.

Bow Thruster Vents

2010-06-13T08:07:00.000+01:00

The final touch to the bow thruster vents has been the addition of 2 lateral pieces of metal to serve as protection against large objects getting pulled in when the thruster is in use.

Also the metal work has all been completed on the bulkhead forward of the bow thruster tube and on the actual weed-hatch fixed to the tube.

Part of the bow thruster installation has involved moving the main cold water storage tank 'forward' slightly to accommodate the bow thruster tube. Here, the photo shows the deck water filling point having been moved and the old position re-welded.

Wayward Spinner - gets some bow thrusters

2010-06-07T12:29:00.000+01:00

The major part of the metalwork re-vamp has now been completed and soon the interior work will recommence with the re-fitting of the forward cold water storage tank - but here's a couple of photos showing the newly crafted bow thruster holes, tube and forward deck access points.

bow thruster vents are clearly visible on this front view

here's a side on view of the starboard vent

In this photo you can see where the forward deck has been altered to provide an access point to the bow thruster tube. The tube itself has the thruster mounting holes (clearly visible just to the left of the weedhatch) - and indeed the newly crafted weedhatch itself which is used to gain access to the vetus impeller (should anything get drawn into the tube and cause a 'motor stall or blockage' problem). All that remains is for a new watertight bulkhead to be created in front of the tube so that in the event of a problem with the motor mount gaskets or indeed the tube or weedhatch - water will be unable to penetrate further than the watertight bulkhead; in short water can only enter and fill the very small area formed by the 'bow' bilge, and no further.

Nostell Priory

2010-06-07T12:12:00.001+01:00

So while we wait for the boat to be completed we have taken up temporary residence at Nostell Priory (Nr Wakefield). It's a small caravan site with places for motorhomes, touring caravans and also an area set aside for 'statics'. The site is well maintained with all the usual facilities and features a superb rural setting with a woodland habitat that is a haven for local wildlife and which has some glorious walks around the lake.

Beautiful woodland setting

Three Steps to Heaven...............

2010-05-20T07:20:00.003+01:00

The Showaddywaddy song 3 steps to heaven springs to mind as the second of 3 small hurdles looms close on the horizon.

Step 1 - The sale of the house - (Now Complete)
Step 2 - The move from the house into temporary "Caravan accommodation" for 6 months [or so] - (Now Complete)
Step 3 - The final move onto Wayward Spinner (now set to take place OCT / November) - yes it would have been nice to be 'on-board' earlier in the year, but with the re-vamp of the construction and the major alterations it's not to be; so our first 'shake-down' live-a-board period will be as Winter approaches !!

All things GPS..

2010-05-19T07:24:00.001+01:00

Recently our Garmin GPS V which had been fabulous for 'in car', motorbikes (and indeed boat) was 'lost' over-board (yes we know that a lanyard should have been attached, but we are still on that "all things near water' learning curve). Well it has now been replaced with a Garmin Quest from Ebay. The Quest is more compact (much slimmer) has a colour screen and is faster to calculate and respond and fits easily into your pocket - but it does have far fewer features than the Garmin GPS V, (eg it has no anchor drag alarm). It does however have a faster USB interface (anything is faster than a serial connection), it is waterproof, it does have more internal memory, the ability to breadcrumb trails, it does support 'off road' and indeed has a trackback via a compass page.........so we are going to see how it works out.

Picture of the Garmin Quest (above) and the Garmin GPS V (below)

Up Up and Away...

2010-05-14T14:55:00.004+01:00

A step forward for a change..............guess what this is attached to

yep.......it's attached to this..............

Wayward Spinner takes to the air again, now at 13 tons

and slowly gets positioned back on dry land for a few months

now she's nestled into her bay...where she will be enclosed within a

'polytunnel' whilst exterior steelwork takes place.

and the beast that did all the lifting...

a 100 ton capacity crane

One step forward two steps back..

2010-05-13T15:08:00.006+01:00

After much deliberation it was decided to make some significant changes to the Wayward Spinner and after a couple of weeks ad-hoc work we have taken her back a few steps in order to do things differently. Firstly the interior has been reassessed and a new layout is to be implemented, the bulkheads which were loosely fitted have been removed along with all the interior pipework. The calorifier is to be removed from the engine bay and placed under a space that is to be created during the construction of the dinette, so all the pipework has to be revamped. The H2 pipes themselves can all be reused, so they will not go to waste. So currently after a bit of ripping about the Wayward Spinner now looks like this...

The panels on the ceiling will be taken down in order to ensure that absolutely all gaps are filled with foam and also that all the screwheads used to fasten the wooden roof strakes are coated with Sikaflex® Polyurethane Marine Adhesive Sealant, this will ensure that no condensation has the opportunity to form on any of the screw heads and drip down to ruin or spoil the panels when they are replaced. In the next photo you can see in the areas indicated where we have used masking tape over the applied sealant on the screw heads, which just keeps the sealant 'flat' whilst it sets. This procedure will be done for every concealed screw with respect to 'panelling' on the entire boat.

The official 'blurb' for the sealant reads "Paintable polyurethane adhesive/sealant for bedding, sealing, and adhesive applications above and below the waterline. Excellent adhesion to gel coat, fiberglass, wood, metal, and glass. This product is an excellent choice for caulking wood seams on boats and bedding deck hardware, spray and rub rails, and thru-hulls. Its resilience (elasticity) is what makes it so perfect as an all-round sealant on boats and also makes it a little more forgiving, if and when a part has to be removed. Tack free in 3 to 5 hours at 70° F, full cure in 3 to 5 days. Movement capability +25%."

The wooden frame previously constructed for the side hatch has been temporarily removed, the frame will be replaced but with 'sealant' applied between the boat hull and wood to provide a more enhanced weather and waterproof seal..The hatch doors themselves have had the inner door panels removed so that the metalwork behind the panels can be insulated / foamed as necessary, before we get around to making slight alterations to the inner panels themselves and replacing them, together with some new chunky brass latch bolts and handles we have purchased for them.

The general wiring requirements have also been reassessed - and it will be necessary to make some alterations and changes. Two-way light switching between the stern and bow will shortly be introduced so that there is the ability to operate the lights when boarding the Wayward Spinner from either end - in the dark. Also specifically new light switches are to be incorporated into the wiring at the stern of the boat. All of the switched sockets will be changed from chrome fascia to brass in order to match with the other fixtures and fittings, and some of the locations will have to be changed in order to accommodate the new layout.

Previously we had purchased an electric oven (albeit a low energy oven of only 800W) - however after reviewing the energy calculations bearing in mind that the Wayward Spinner is going to be a CC (continuous cruiser craft), the oven is to be replaced with an LPG unit. The forward LPG locker has room for two 13kg propane bottles which were previously going to only power the LPG hob unit - (which meant that they would have lasted a considerable amount of time before needing to be replenished). With them now powering an LPG oven the time between refills may be shortened (depends on use) - but the oven can now be taken out of the battery equation all together.

More news will follow in a few days.........

Out of the water

2010-05-04T12:28:00.000+01:00

Very shortly our boat will once again be out of the water - this time to have a major amount of steelwork 'cutting and fitting' done. Photos will of course be posted as soon as they become available. Why ! - well watch this space and all will be revealed in the next few weeks.