Quality boat for sale

  It's not very often that you get a boat of this quality come up for sale ,so if you are looking to buy a boat look no further. Our good friends are selling their boat Nb Oakfield. It’s a Johnathon Wilson shell and fitted out by the renowned boat fitters Fernwood. Not only was Oakfield built to an extremely high standard but she has also been maintained to an equally high standard. This amazing boat will not be for sale for long before someone buys her. Click on the link below for full details..
                                                           http://www.abnb.co.uk/boat_pages/3115web/3115abnb.php?BoatID=3115

                                                                            Happy Days

Leaving Braunston

After a few good days in Braunston we pulled pins at 08.30 and after using the services we met up with friends Rich and Sharon ( nb Oakapple ) to cruise together towards Rugby. With the weather doing us no favours we cruised through the Mizzle for most of the four hour cruise.

We passed a boat on the way displaying this sign. There’s plenty of tunnels with the end light switched off.

Now that makes a change . Usually Canal and River Trust use miles and miles of that horrible red plastic fencing around the ever increasing failing towpaths along the system. Although not perfect this green plastic fencing is a lot less intrusive on the eye and the countryside.

Passing Onley and I just had to jump off at the bridge to check on the progress at The Dunchurch super marina. They now seem to be getting the roads put in and you can see through the hedge that they are starting to dig out the entrance. As I have heard nothing different I take it that the marina is still on target to open in the Spring of this year.

Arriving at Hillmorton and we were greeted with this sight. The top pound of the three lock flight was completley empty. There was a couple of boaters moored just back from the top lock who told us that someone had left the paddles open and that they had called Canal and River Trust to come out and fill the pound. Why they called out CRT God only knows . With no sign of CRT Carolyn and Sharon went on ahead to close the paddles and check the locks below where OK.

With Carolyn and Sharon finding out that everything was OK on the two locks below myself and Rich started filling the empty pounds.

In the end it took us about 45 minutes to fill the pound and get on our way again .Just as we had the pound full and the situation under control the CRT operative turned up and thanked us for our efforts . It’s sometimes a bit of a pain when things like this happen ,but it’s all a part of boating.

Here we go again passing Clifton cruisers. It seems like they are a law unto themselves and even after several boaters putting in a complaint a few months ago to Canal and River Trust they still restrict navigation past their wharf. It wouldn’t be so bad if they tied the boats in tightly ,but they drift out and smash in to any passing boats.
We have now picked up a mooring on the Parkside at Brownsover where Carolyn can get a bit of retail therapy and we will spend the next few days here before continuing our journey North.
                                                               Happy Days

Good boat names 1

 

                                                                                                       Just loved this boat name ..

                                                                                                           That’s good enjoy it.

                                                                                                  Sometimes it can be.

             Plastic or GRP boats are often referred to as Tupperwares or Yoghurt pots on the canal, so I think it’s good that the owner named it this.

                                                                                                        Carolyn liked this one.

                                                                                                         Went to Sea ..

                                                                                           For some reason I liked this one…

                                                                     We thought this was brilliant. The boat was called Gulliver.

                                                                                                        Happy Days

Hamish sorted

 

We were rudely woken up at 08.00 while on our mooring outside of Braunston marina . Unknown to us they are in the process of dredging the marina.This is what was going on the other side of the hedge to where we were moored. The digger on the floating platform was filling the barge with years worth of sediment.

When the Barges were full they were then taken over to this new wharf that they have built in the marina. The sediment is then transferred in to a dumper truck and then it seems it is then deposited in the field behind.

Not only are they doing the marina but they also seem to be doing the canal as well . Mind you this is the so called centre of the canal system so it has to be in tip top condition..

We plan to some more rivers in the coming cruising season and Carolyn has always nagged me about getting Hamish a life jacket. Although we have done loads of rivers including the tidal Thames he has never fallen in ,but now at 13 years of age he is sometimes not as agile as he used to be so we thought we had better get him sorted. Luckily Diane was on duty at the Bottom lock Chandlery in Braunston and she and Carolyn soon fitted Hamish up with a new Life jacket.

It was a bit of an expensive visit to the chandlery as I also bought filters for the next engine service and a new battery for Carolyn’s Girlie button (bow thruster). At least that’s her birthday present sorted ,how lucky is she getting a 120 amp hour battery for her birthday . What else could any women want for .

The main reason for our stop over in Braunston was to meet up with friends Sharon and Rich on nb Oakapple and Gary and Della on nb Muleless. Yet again we booked a table at the dog friendly Plough in Braunston so Hamish could join us and as always we had a great time catching up with each other and drinking loads a small amount of alcohol. The food as always was very good and The Plough is well worth a visit if you are in the area. With most of us staying around this area for the next couple of weeks there’s a good chance we could meet up again.

 

                                                                                                               Happy Days

Ghosts and echoes

 

Just before pulling pins on our cruise in to Braunston I caught a glimpse of this chap sat in the hedge. With my camera sat in my pocket at the time I managed to get this picture which I am so pleased with. For once it is in focus and has come out so clear . I am no great photographer and although I take thousands of pictures it’s rare that I get one as good as this.

We pulled pins at 09.10 and started our 4 mile cruise towards Braunston and were soon passing the Church at Lower Shuckburgh .Pearsons guide describes the journey as a thoroughly remote length of canal with Ghosts and echoes everywhere with reedy old loops ,abandoned railways and lost villages. A perfect description of a very scenic and interesting part of The South Oxford Canal.

A familiar picture to those heading in to Braunston from Oxford and The Grand Union canal. Turn right and it’s up the locks towards London and The Leicester arm or turn left and it’s up towards Rugby and the North. It’s right for us while we spend some time here before heading North.

Come on boaters it’s time we all learnt how to use a mooring pin while mooring a boat .We see this all the time, the pin in the picture should be turned 180 degrees as the metal hoop is just a guide to keep the rope on the pin . We have two pins where the hoop has fallen off as we have hammered them in to the ground. The weld on the hoop is a weak point and could easily break off which is why this type of pin should never be used like this.

After winding (turning) we reversed back onto this mooring just outside of Braunston Marina. With a view like this from our front room window looking back towards Braunston bottom lock this will do us for a day or three.

 

                                                                                                     Happy Days