Narrowboat cruising plans - we don't "do" plans!

Sunday, 15 January 2012 16:39

Well, not if we can help it, we don't! Today's plan to cruise along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal to Alvechurch went out of the window when we looked out of the window. Narrowboat Epiphany was staying put.

Ice on cut

My pick up for Harefield clinic tomorrow had to be rearranged but later we did manage to move .....

With minus temperatures forecast for night time and nothing in double figures for the day time we are having a winter "snap". It is a good thing we are moored in a nice place. A couple of narrowboats passed us, breaking up the ice and then there was movement ahead of us as boats moved to the water point by the bridge. 

More ice, beside us

We ummed and ahhed and eventually decided to do the same, so set off. We winded and reversed the last bit to the water point.

Bridge 67 at Hopwood and water point in 2010's snow

Now, we have a gremlin in our water tank - he drinks a quarter of the tank as soon as we have filled up. The usual signs of a full tank happen - the "boom" and water comes out of the overflow, but as soon as we put the cap on and pull away he gulps a quarter of the tank, according to our water gauge! We decided it was time the gremlin (possibly just an air lock)  "had his day". So we played around with slow filling, leaving it for a while and then topping up, letting the washing machine take off some of the water etc.  

We seem to have sorted it out, somehow, and our gauge is still reading full an hour later. We are now back almost on our mooring but facing the other way, so we will be a little confused for a while as to which side to get off. 

So plans - who needs them! We will probably give Alvechurch a miss now and, when we can, we shall cruise up into Birmingham.  It all depends on the weather now.