Not Granny's Button

While we were in Banbury, we splashed out on a brand new button (stern fender for those not waterways wise), as our old sisal one had just about had it. We suspect that it was second hand when installed anyway, Bernard or Richard at Swiftcraft probably found it lying around the humpy that they call their workshop. Anyway it was also too short and would only protect the rudder when the helm was push it right over.

We had also tried to install the thing at our (very public mooring) in Banbury. Five minutes into this spectator sport, I dropped the shackle bolt into the cut. It is very difficult not to say things that shouldn't be heard by women and children when that sort of thing happens, so we gave up for the time being - couldn't find another shackle anyway.

I bought another shackle bolt (and a few spares) from Arrow engineering supplies in Rugby and set to work fitting the button, turnbuckles and all to the stern. This would be a lot easier if you could kneel or squat on the water while holding said button (as would cleaning and painting the other side of the boat), but that sort of feat hasn't been achieved for about 2,000 years. I really like having the taff rails to sit on and the swan neck is a wonderful steering aid, but the contortions your body performs to suspend a heavy button over the stern while fastening the shackles can be excruciating.

Luckily Neil and Ruth were here doing some work on Nerus, because Neil lent sturdy assistance from the pontoon side - he has great stamina and patience. Anyway with a bit of team effort the job was accomplished, The highest accolade should be awarded to Jeeves, who wth great determination managed to attach the bottom chain!

Brinklow Marina is indeed in a beautiful location, however it is rather exposed to the wind. Earlier I was explaining that painting the other side of the boat is a bit tricky when only one side is up against the pontoon. Neil and Ruth noticed this too, when they were placing their boat name transfers on the bows - starboard easy, port not so. But of course turning the boat around is the answer (power cable out of reach of course, but port side accessible). So Neil took Nerus out of the berth astern - it is a doddle to do a 180 degree turn in a marina this size isn't it???

While all this was supposed to be happening, it was a lovely day outside, and we were enjoying coffee and cakes in the saloon aboard Gleemaiden . . . . . .


Remember what the weather has been like? Well, it was perfectly calm when Neil backed out, but went from force 1 to force 9 on the Beaufort scale as soon as he got 10 degrees of the turn in. Narrowboats are not built for sailing, but in open water with the wind broadside on, they can go faster sideways than we are allowed to travel forwards on the canals - Nerus nearly did. So Neil decided that discretion was the better part of valour and motored down the end of the marina, turned and made another attempt. Success this time.

It was a bit of a race against time though, with Nerus approaching from the North at 3 miles an hour and a huge squall heading for the now empty pontoon from Church Laawford in the south - Neil got there first, but only just. Then of course, there was no outside work until the weather passed.

It might have been noticed by the keen sighted observers that images posted on this site have been somewhat marred by a blur in the top right hand sector of the photos. I thought that I had bought another technological lemon, with no recourse to a photographic shop to apologise and have the fault remedied. Careful observation showed a slight smudge on the lens of the camera. God knows how it got there, the thing is covered most of the time, anyway with great care and a very soft cloth, I think I have removed it. As these pictures taken subsequently by Audrone should demonstrate. They were taken last night actually; the light and colour is a bonus that can be gleaned from.

This is very tedious you know - especially editing, so . . I'm not yet ready to give up my day job as a retiree.