High and dry

After a few hours of waiting we finally get lifted out to have the remedial hull work carried out on Inca. The first job was to get us onto the supports and then power wash off the sides and base with Debdales ultra power jet wash.

Inca is then suspended and a trailer is put underneath and we are then ready to be pulled up into the yard.

The tractor driver and the banksman have radio communications so nothing can go wrong and notice how the rear wheels on the trailer are able to turn enabling it to be very manoeuvrable.

Inca slowly moving into position.

This will be our home for the next week or so. Mike Goode the owner and his staff have been very good and made us feel extremely welcome.We have shore power ,water and everything we need and its so good to have clean concrete outside the boat instead of a muddy towpath ,although I expect we will soon get itchy feet and wish we were back on the muddy towpath.
We are now sorting out a Tesco delivery as Debdale marina is a bit out in the sticks. With all that 230 volt electric we can even put the TV on in the day and not worry about the batteries, not that there’s anything on TV worth watching in the day.

                                                                                                              Happy Days

Waiting

We have now got to the day after waiting for a week or so when we need to go into Debdale Marina. After pulling pins from Foxton village at 07.45 we filled with water and got rid of waste at the bottom of Foxton locks.

We then headed North and passing under this tree and I wondered how long it will before it falls down and blocks the canal or even worse falls down on a boat. Fingers crossed as we pass underneath it.

After half an hours cruise we arrive at Debdale marina and are told to pull in and wait for our lift out. It was thought that we would be in dry dock for a few days ,but now it seems it could be a bit longer than that .Never mind as we have a week or so before Curly (number one Granddaughter) comes up for Easter and by then we should be back on the cut and heading South.

                                                                                          Happy Days

Gongoozling

With it being a lovely sunny day and with plenty of time to spare there was only one thing to do, a bit of Gongoozling which is the pastime of watching all that happens on our canals.

After a walk up the flight we decided to have a bacon bap for lunch and with a bit of luck maybe something to drink when we get back down to the bottom.

We then walked around the top of the flight and onto the site of a piece of great Victorian engineering.This is the view from the top of the world famous Foxton inclined plane.The completed plane was 75 feet high, 307 feet long and had a gradient of 1:4. The construction consisted of two caisson tanks which acted as two balancing weights positioned on the plane and suspended by a connecting rope passing over pulley wheels at the top. The effect of gravity would take one of the tanks down whilst at the same time the other tank would be travelling up. The only power that was needed for the plane was to overcome friction and the inertia of the moving parts, which was provided by a steam engine at the top. The journey time for boats on the plane was about 12 minutes, compared to around 45 minutes that it would take to pass through the locks. This method saved time and also water, as the same section of water went up and down the incline all day so there was little wasted.

Carolyn enjoying the views at the top of the plane.


This is the plane taking boats up and down in the large caissons back in the early 1900s. Although the plane reduced travelling times considerably, in the long term it proved not to be cost effective and was ultimately unsuccessful. Traffic on the canal did not improve enough and was too irregular to justify keeping the plane running and paying the three staff who were needed to run it. The locks at Watford Gap and Foxton were never widened, so even though wide boats could pass through Foxton on the lift, they could not travel much further south to places such as London. The Grand Junction Canal Company was becoming disillusioned with the plane and felt that it had spent a large sum of money and was getting little return. On 26th October 1910 it was announced that that the plane would close down in a fortnight, and that all traffic was to use the locks. The plane continued to be used occasionally after this, but in 1914 part of it was dismantled and the rest was taken down between 1924 and 1926. The machinery was sold for scrap in 1928.

It was then back down to the bottom of the flight and with a hire boat coming out of the bottom lock and wanting to turn right towards Market Harborough there were a few problems. After a bit of pushing and shoving they eventually got around and on their way. It was all a good spectacle for the Gongoozlers watching. The blue boat in front belongs to fellow bloggers Clinton and Sharon on nb Tacet, they came down the flight to turn and were waiting for their slot to go back up. We had a quick natter before they made their way back up and headed back down South.

After all that excitement there was only one thing to do. Notice that its only half a pint, weren’t we being good. Mind you it was only eleven o’clock in the morning. But at least the Sun was above the yard arm !!

                                                                          Happy Days

Itchy feet

 

We now have our date to go into Debdale marina to get the remedial work carried out on our hull,but its not for a while so we decided to have a trip into Market Harborough to waste a bit of time as we were both getting itchy feet. On the way in we had to stop for 20 minutes for some contractors as they were taking down a tree on the offside. In the end it turned out rather well as the tree was Ash and they said we could take as much as we wanted. Needless to say we now have enough to see out this Winter…. Just the ticket !

It was then into the basin at Harborough and straight onto the services to fill with water and get shot of the waste. We were surprised to see all the visitor moorings full on the approach to the basin ,so we enquired in the basin office about paying for a mooring there only to be told that they were full as well.

Not to worry as we spotted this quiet rural mooring on the way in .So we winded (turned) in the basin and will spend a couple of nights here. We just need to look out for all the floating bits of tree.

We pulled pins at 09.00 after a couple of good days moored out in the sticks and headed back towards Foxton.The Market Harborough branch is mostly out in the country and is a very enjoyable arm to cruise. There is only one notable building on the way and that is at bridge 8 . Its a meat rendering plant and you certainly know when you are approaching it. Meat rendering plants process animal by-product materials for the production of tallow, grease, and high-protein meat and bone meal. There,so now you know….YUK

The swing bridge at Foxton is a road bridge ,so Carolyn has to put barriers across the road before opening the bridge to allow us through. Come on Carolyn put your back into it . She loves it when I shout say that to her , Not.

Moored back next to Foxton village and another boater told us about the Farm shop in the village,so Carolyn decided we had to go and find it. Its a bit strange as there are no signs to say where it is and not even a sign on the shop itself ,I did check the Internet but nothing on there either. I’m not sure how they expect people to find them. We ended up asking some locals who gave us directions. Its on North lane at the entrance to Foxton locks lodges.

We will now stay around Foxton and have a walk up the locks and do a bit of Gongoozling before heading off to Debdale marina.

                                                                                                Happy Days

Foxton village

We are still waiting for a date to go into Debdale marina to have the work done on our hull, so in the meantime we decided to have a stroll around the lovely village of Foxton. With us being the only boat and not that many walkers its reasonably quiet here. On the left is the old Foxton coal Wharf.

I was very surprised to see this weighbridge just up from The Black Horse canal bridge. But then the penny dropped that it was obviously used to weigh the coal from the wharf.

As always when we visit anywhere its up to the local Church for the continued search to find my final resting place. But not for a few years yet I hope !!

I’ve never seen a weathervane like this before, but I did like it.

What a great idea this is for a redundant phone box. We have seen it done in a few villages that we have visited and I’m sure it must help to save lives.

It was then back to The Black Horse pub as Carolyn fancied a drink and a late lunch only to find that it was closed and didn’t open in the afternoons. Never mind Carolyn we will have to head back to Inca for a nice cuppa and a biscuit. (saved myself a good few quid there..just the ticket)…..

                                                                Happy Days