So where was the update?

 A discovery was made yesterday. Our solar panel controller had given up the ghost. I ask you...why now when the sun was shinning and the engine could have stayed dormant. Instead it took 4 hours of wasting diesel to fully charge the battery, Ian began to suspect it hadn't been working for a while. Anyway a new controller has been ordered, it will go to our daughter's and she has offered to bring it to us wherever we may be moored. Don't you just love family?

Whiling away the time as one does, Ian set too on trying to repair the damage done to the handrail by my bridge encounter. Out came the sander, fertan (rust eater) and undercoat and several hours was spent not just on the damaged bits, but any rust spots found as well.  As for me...I had found a fishing game on the phone. That kept my interest all afternoon, better than watching Wimbledon anyway!

 

Nothing yesterday had been seen on CRT website about the reopening of Derwent Mouth Lock, Oh we kept checking every hour, but not a peep was mentioned. By 15.30 Ian decided to phone CRT and guess what, nothing was going to be done until Monday! Still running water down was mentioned and it would be monitored over the weekend, well today (Saturday) not hide nor hair was seen of a single CRT bod!. We know that because we donned our walking shoes and walked the mile or so along the river path to Shardlow.

 

Flood defence lock into Sawley

Long Horse Bridge crossing the River Derwent

 

Plenty of boats moored and waiting to go up, the same at the top waiting to come down. The lock had water in it, water was gushing from between the bottom gates and it was very evident that the top gates were equally bad. The lock would never hold any water, always dropping by several feet. There has to be a full stoppage and new gates installed if this problem is ever going to go away. 

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 What I and most of the boaters waiting to be let through the lock were quite upset about was why couldn't CRT have at least allowed some boats to be penned through. It beggars believe that so much water is being lost anyway, at least try and get rid of some of the backlog of boats waiting. A few now and then with a period of time for the water levels to recover would no doubt help with the situation. As it is, there are so many boats wanting to leave above and below lock, and all in a hurry to go,  I can see the levels being reduced to a trickle once again!

Above lock

 What we did notice was at the end of the river landing a space only slightly smaller than FS. Now a plan was formed. If we could get back to FS before another boat came along the river to claim it, we could at least be ready to go when the lock did open on Monday. So we high tailed it back as fast as we could. The sky looked very black in the distance, would we managed to stay dry. 

 

Dark Skies on the horizon

Well we did and just before we set off, Ian rushed our now full cassette to the facilities for emptying. I kept a lookout for moving boats, he returned, tiller went on, ropes untied and we pushed off just in time for the heavens to open! So I did get very wet after all, Ian did the gentlemanly thing, passed me my coat and then went back below in the dry!

So here we are at the end of the line. What will happen on Monday is a guessing game but one thing we do know. All the locks from here to Fradley will no doubt have queuing boats. Hey ho...such is life.

That space just long enough for FS

Not an easy exit from the boat. I think I may well be staying on board!

Not what we wanted to hear.

 It's been an interesting few days sitting it out at Sandiacre. One of the reasons for staying was for Ian to PAT Test the electrical appliances at the lock cottage. On entry to the cottage a worrying discovery was made. Someone had tried to break in! Chisel marks were very evident around the door locks, rear and front, thankfully this place is almost bombproof so whoever it was gave up as a bad job. Of course, it meant the police had to be involved, they never came out to see us but gave a crime number instead. Then we get a message from the victim contact scheme asking if we had been traumatised by it! Really!!!! Anyway the Chairman of ECP&DA was contacted and as a matter of urgency, security is to be put in place pronto.

So finally today we left, pins were pulled and we headed down Sandiacre lock. This really is a pleasant part of the canal with houses and their pretty gardens to admire. It's most unusual for us to travel mid-summer so it made a lovely change to see all the lovely colours along the route. Also that huge willow tree has been cut back. You may remember me moaning about it. It was so overgrown as to obscure the view and no way could we know if another boat was coming. All I can say it's about blooming time!

 

By the collage at Long Eaton park I had the biggest shock when a dog leapt out right in front of FS. Crikey I went into reverse pretty quick as it disappeared from sight. Oh, God, had I gone over it? Then out it popped carrying a stick completely oblivious that a huge beast of a boat was baring down on it. Behind a bush was its owner, he had no view in either direction of the canal. If only he realised just how close his dog had been to getting hit!

And heading towards Trent lock, not one of these boats displayed a currant licence!

 

Trent lock facilities mooring

The river was low, flow minimal, a joy to travel upstream.

 

Sawley lock has two lock chambers side by side. I dropped Ian off by the steps on the port side and then realised a volunteer lockie was in attendance. Not knowing which lock I was to use I hedged my bets and stayed in the middle. Turns out the left one was to be the one. Ian was in conversation with the lockie as I entered. He didn't look too happy, turned to me and dropped a bombshell. We could go no further as Derwent Mouth lock had been closed due to lack of water on the T&M.

 

 My concern was finding a mooring. Sawley is a very popular place but we struck lucky. A gap between a narrow boat and cruiser seemed impossible to get into but we decided to give it a go so I slowly steered towards the gap.  Ian was up front to tell me when our button was just free of the cruisers, and as I could just see daylight between our stern and the bow of the narrow boat behind, deduced with a bit of breathing in could just about manage to squeeze in. I had help from the wind. It was almost like having a bow thruster front and rear, FS just siddled in sideways and nestled nicely against the bank. So here we stay until CRT give us the nod. Hopefully that will be tomorrow but I can think of worse places to stay. Lovely and open, fishing is great, internet good as is the TV. What more can anyone want.

 

And seen on route

Not the best start to our getaway

 We've gone, left Langley Mill at last, and when will we return? well that will be up to where we are at the start of winter and the stoppage list. For now though its all systems go and very excited to be leaving. 

So before we actually set off it was a trip to the doctors for Shingles jabs. We are of an age where these things matter or maybe the NHS want to get as many oldies vaccinated in case we get the chicken pox virus and spread it to all and sundry! Anyway took but 5 minutes of our time, told of sore arms which we would have the joy of having and warned that if we got a rash at the injection site to come straight back for swab taking and virus checks. Should we be worried? Nop, constitutions of Ox that's what we have! 

Leaving with us today was Carole and Michael Golds. 

Reversing out of the basin and past FS

Michael

Ian

A very sad day for them, they were leaving Langley Bridge for good. Back in 1973, when the Great Northern Basin had been completely restored, they were the first to sail into the basin on their then new boat Electra. After 50 years of travelling up and down the Erewash they decided that the locks were getting too difficult, they were no longer the agile spring chickens they once were. It was the right decision but wow, all the paid moorers at Langley will miss them very much.  This photo shows them waving farewell to Langley Bridge lock. 

Our exit of that lock was less than pleasing. All steerage was lost and forward movement non existent. The conclusion was weed around the prop.

So down the weed hatch went Ian and for the first time in 10 months. Sure enough the prop was clogged up with the stuff, no wonder we had those difficulties.

 We caught them up at Eastwood filling the lock. A boat had left the Mill in the wee hours of the morning so stood to reason we would have to turn around every lock. 

Have I mentioned some of the awful low bridges by the locks on the Erewash? Double locks all the way down to Trent Lock but on 4 of the locks along the route only one boat at a time can exit. It's all to do with the design of the arch. The highest point is on the towpath side and great care is needed as the boat is taken through. One has to duck to avoid hitting one's head and hope the boat doesn't make contact with the sides when doing it. We were at Stenson lock with one such bridge on the exit. Carole was on the towpath side so stood to reason she would go out first. Now it could have been the water movement from her prop but as I moved over to exit the lock, FS was pushed hard to the right. The inevitable happened. First the Buckby cans hit the bridge followed by an awful scrapping sound as the handrail made contact. It even pushed the top box hard to the left leaving it right on the edge! By now FS was wedged so all I could do was step along the gunnel and free the can from the bridge brickwork. Meantime Ian had rushed over to see if he could help, I threw him the centre rope and he managed to get me over to his side. The damage to the handrail was pretty bad, the Buckby cans came away better than I feared and the top box Ian managed to push back securely on the roof. My pride was hurt, I couldn't apologise enough but that wonderful man of mine shrugged it off and said "The handrails needed painting anyway". 

Bridge bits!

The rest of the journey was uneventful. It rained...lots and Ian got caught out walking between locks. No coat just a T shirt so he was more than a little damp when he came back on board! Oh, I did have an encounter with a tree! Well a huge trunk really bobbing about in the middle of the cut. Hit it square on and got pushed towards the offside. And no I didn't see it but I certainly did when I looked along FS's side! Into reverse to get rid of the thing and good job Electra was far enough behind so Carole could see and avoid that trunk too.

Arrived at Sandiacre by 3.15 pm. Moored near the lock and here we stay for a couple of days. A few jobs to do before we can really get underway.

A few more photos of the journey,

New lock gates at Gallows Inn

Plenty of veg growth

Sandiacre

A worrying situation.

 I would be lovely to say that time had flown by since our return from our overseas adventures but truth be told, these last two months have dragged. Yes we had that mad run up to the rally, completely flat out and exhausted by the end of it but since then all has been relatively quiet.

I suppose I should mention David's and Marilyn's return with MB, that happened nearly a month ago now. MB looked magnificent, washed and spruced up with everything intact apart from the clip on the fridge door. The spring had come off, an easy repair by my man that can so no need to worry about that Marilyn! Oh, and many thanks again for that lovely necklace. I'm still wearing it!

 

Anyway Ian luckily found plenty to do having the run of the societies workshop, he passed the time tinkering and repairing some of the broken equipment necessary for Friday work party.  I did get roped into painting the floor in the facilities block, that was fun but not for the knees! I made sure to warn visiting boaters that the block would be closed for a day and night so to make use of elsan before I got down to it. Then it was sit and twiddle thumbs until mid-June when we departed for Milton Keynes to look after our grandson when our son and daughter in law headed off to South France for a well deserved holiday.

I should just mention one bit of excitement that occurred beginning of this month. We both  had settled down after dinner watching a TV program that must have been so boring as to have slipped my mind, when a loud knocking on the cabin side brought us rushing to the back deck. There stood Vicci from the boatyard with a worried expression on her face. One of their moorers had heard water running in the pump house. This was most unusual as the pump was not operational at the time, in fact the pump was only ever switched on if water was needed from below lock to bring the levels up in the basin and that was rarely a necessity. On saying that we did have a situation a few years ago when the 'little darlings' managed to, not only lift the top paddles on Langley Bridge lock but open the bottom gates as well. Water rushed from the basin and long pound and it wasn't until all the boats starting tilting that the problem came to light! Took all night  with the back pump working to bring the water levels back to normal! Anyway, Ian went to the lock cottage for the key while I walked to the pump house.  I, too, could hear water running, not from inside but under a metal sheet placed to hide the hoses and fittings alongside the outside wall. Once Ian returned we lifted the sheet and found this.

 

Now I should just say that none of this has anything to do with CRT. The fittings had been placed there way back in the days when the pump house was being restored by the newly formed ECP&DA. It stood to reason then that ECP&DA would have to fix it! So how to repair the leak? Somewhere under the waterline by the bank was the inlet valve. Find that and maybe capping it off was the answer. Stop the flow of water entering the pipe and a repair could be carried out. Fail to do so the hose may give out emptying all the water from above the lock into the pump house and beyond. A flooded Langley Mill came to mind! Nothing for it but for Ian to don his waders, enter the canal and hope to find the valve. 

 

By now Carol and Mick Golds had joined us. They had been instrumental in the restoration of the basin over 50 years ago and if anyone should know where that valve was, it was them. 

They could remember roughly where, Ian searched the area, a mix of flour paste and water was poured into the water in the hope of seeing where it was being drawn to but to no avail. Only one more thing to try, get Dan and Vikki from the boatyard to see if they had any idea on what to do. What we hadn't realised was Dan was in the middle of his birthday celebration and had already had a few bevvies but was more than happy to help.  Of course he had the answer. Off he went to get a pot of glue/grease? rope and a very large exhaust bandage. On his return down the hole he went and within 5 minutes the temporary repair was complete. 

 

A proper job will have to be carried out which will probably mean digging up the bankside to find the pipe but that will happen on one of ECP&DA's Friday work parties. We won't be there to see it because finally, on the 3rd July we will leave with FS and head down to Trent lock.

And wildlife

New life appeared, lovely to see, but two days later, all gone. Too many Pike in the upper basin!

And this young wagtail stayed opposite FS for two days waiting to be fed by its parent.

I'm glad to say a parent did return and one hungry fledgling finally got fed.