A WAITING GAME.

 

What can I say! that’s just what the last few days have been about, waiting for Darren to come out and hopefully tell us what’s wrong.

But for me it’s also been quite a stressful time, as my debit card stopped working, and I didn’t know why.

Lets go back to Friday, we didn’t do a lot, but on Saturday we decided to have a walk round the shops in the afternoon, I picked up some lovely lamb shanks from a great butchers called F Pepperdine and Son, only a short walk from the boat.

https://www.cornhillquarter.co.uk/shop/pepperdine-butchers/

I got some money out of a ATM (good thing I did), we walked round the little market before heading up the hill to the Cardinals Hat. I paid for the first round by tapping my card as you do, but when I gave it to the Captain to pay for another, he came back and said it asked for my pin number, and he doesn’t know it so he paid. Then I tried it at Tesco to buy a bottle of wine and it came up with a very strange message ‘unsupported card not accepted’

Very strange. So the Captain paid again.

I wasn’t too worried at this point, just assumed it was a problem with Tesco’s card machine.

Next day and we decided to climb Steep Hill, and visit the castle and cathedral. Steep Hill as the name suggests is very steep, but we seemed to make it to the top with ease. We did stop off at the Captain favourite shop in Lincoln, J Birkett, an electrical equipment supplier, basically a shop full of old aircraft dials and parts. It was open, which I think is a first for us, so we had to have a mooch round.

https://www.visitlincoln.com/listing/j-birkett/96973101/

What it says on the tin

At the top there was a small flea market going on, but we couldn’t get into the castle as there was some sort of an event going on. We did find the oldest Roman arch which traffic can still drive through called Newport Arch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Arch

Newport Arch

We walked round the cathedral and were able to see the resident peregrine falcons and their chicks. The RSBP had 2 viewing points set up with scopes that you could look through, and very helpful volunteers to answer your questions. We did managed to see the chicks which were exercising their wings in preparation for fledging. The adults were more elusive.

https://lincolncathedral.com/peregrines/

It was an enjoyable walk round, and to make it better we found an Organ Grinder micro pub belonging to Blue Monkey Brewery. The Captain was very happy to find Cinder Toffee Stout, and Chocolate Coconut Mild on. He had a pint of each. And then we walked back down Steep Hill and straight into the Cardinals Hat.

There was a HSBC on the way back to the boat, so I decided to try my card in the ATM, as this is the bank I am with. But it didn’t even let me put my pin in, just came up with ‘card not recognised unable to proceed’. Now I was worried.

So I was up early next morning and headed straight to the bank. They were so helpful, and soon put my mind at ease, there was nothing wrong with my account, but it appeared for some unknown reason my card had stopped working. So they ordered me a new one Now this is one of the drawbacks of living on a boat, all our important post goes to my sisters address back in Derbyshire, and then we pick it up when we see her. So I don’t know when I will actually get my new card. I will just have to use cash for a while. The lady at the bank did say to keep trying my card, but I am pretty sure its a lost cause.

Monday was a wet day so we did nothing.

Tuesday was busy, we desperately needed to do a big shop, so a plan was formed to head to Lidl on Dixon Street, it was a bus ride away, and a Uber back. But we got everything we needed. The second job of the day was to fill with water, get rid of rubbish and pump out the toilet. Doing all this would mean if Darren had to dismantle the engine, we would be ok for water for a week and 2 weeks for the toilet, which gave us peace of mind.

Darren turned up promptly on Wednesday morning, and after testing the engine he could see there was a problem, but was unsure of exactly what it was, so it was decided it had to come apart and be fixed to be completely sure that the issue was solved.

When he took the head off we could see there was a problem with the head gasket, some parts of it had rusted, which meant it wasn’t sealing completely. This allowed exhaust gases to escape into the water, which over pressurised the system. He took everything away, so now we were without an engine.

Thursday was very wet, which was a shame, as there was a parade celebrating RAF Waddington being given the freedom of the city. We would have loved to go, but it was to wet. The Red Arrows were meant to do a flypast, but this was also cancelled due to the weather.

It did eventually dry up and we took a walk to the pub, it was busy. We had just got our second pint when a family of 3 asked if they could sit with us. We got chatting, they were on their way to see the band OMD at the castle, this is what we had seen being set up on Sunday. We had a lovely time talking to them, we even had a third pint. I don’t know if I could go to one of these concerts as it is standing only, your not allowed to take chairs in, drinks or food. Standing for a couple of hours does not sound fun to me. And after all the rain you couldn’t really sit on the ground either. But I bet OMD were great.

The weather seemed to be picking up over the next few days, which was good news, and as we walked back to the boat, we saw a poster advertising free recitals at St Swithins church the following day, so we decided to give it a try. We went to the organ recital, and it was ok, the compositions maybe not really our style of organ music, but it was interesting to hear the stories behind the music and who composed them.

It did take our minds off the fact we had not heard anything from Darren, even though we had been promised an estimate and update before the weekend.

Saturday was very quiet and we didn’t go anywhere, a day off from the pub as well, strange for us I know.

Sunday and I was going stir crazy. As it was a nice day we decided to tackle Steep Hill again and head to the Museum of Lincolnshire life. After a steady walk up the big hill we found yet another concert at the castle, this time McFly, one of my favourite bands. It was about 2.30pm and people were already queuing, even though the concert didn’t start until 6pm.

We found the museum, which is free to get in, and spent a very happy couple of hours looking round. They had 2 traction engines on display among their collection. For those of you that don,t know, I love traction engines. Silvie was a small tractor unit used to run threshing machines on farms until the 1940’s. John was a large Fowler engine used for ploughing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Lincolnshire_Life

Lincolnshire had many companies producing engines, including Clayton and Shuttleworth, and Ruston and Hornsby. We are actually moored opposite the Clayton and Shuttleworth works at Stamp End.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayton_%26_Shuttleworth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruston_%26_Hornsby

Sylvie and the Threshing Machine

We called and had a pint in the Organ Grinder, walked down the hill and into the Cardinals Hat, just for one and then home for tea.

WORRYING TIMES

 

Captain in the hot seat

The river Witham is not as wide as the Trent and it is very straight,, which meant I quite enjoyed taking my turn at steering. When not steering I was taking in the beautiful scenery, bird life and insects. There were big dragonflies, little bright blue darters and Banded Demoiselle, with all types of butterfly and bees taking advantage of the flowers on the boat. If the Trent was the home of the little Egret, the Eygptian goose took that title on the Witham. We had Swallows, Sandmartins and common Terns performing acrobatics round the boat. We saw our first Great Crested Grebes on this trip, but the kingfisher remained elusive. But we heard loads more Cuckoo’s

Banded Demoiselle

Now on to the title. When we set off from Boston everything seemed normal, the Captain did his usual checks and topped the water up in the engine. We soon realised that the engine appeared to be over heating, as the header bottle, which normally only contains a little water, was filling up and water was coming out of the overflow pipe. We stopped at Lankridge moorings and the Captain checked the engine, but couldn’t see any obvious problems apart from a badly leaking stern gland. The Captain replaced the seals in the gland, topped the water up and off we went again. The same thing happened and the header bottle filled with water, it was very worrying but we made it to Dog Dyke for the night. The Captain mused over what could be the cause but couldn’t narrow it down, it could be the water pump, the heat exchange, or worse case the head gasket. There was no real way of knowing. Our other problem was we needed to get to Lincoln in a couple of days for a pump out.

To lighten the mood (only slightly) we had both a Spitfire and Hurricane flying over the boat.

Spitfire and Hurricane

After a fitful night we were woken by the Typhoon’s taking off for the days flying.

It was decided we would hop from visitor mooring to visitor mooring, this would ensure the engine didn’t lose to much water, and we could let it cool down and top it up as necessary. Our aim was Bardney for the night, it took longer what with stopping and not putting to much strain on the engine, but we made it. To cheer us up we spotted a Kingfisher just sitting on a branch as we cruised by.

We didn’t go to the pub, it was just to much effort. Our trip from Bardney to Lincoln was a rinse and repeat of the day before. However the Captain decided to see if pressurising the system would help with the water loss. He managed to stop up the overflow pipe with a drill wrapped with a rubber tape. It did seem to work, the header bottle was full, but we weren’t losing water and the engine wasn’t over heating. But we still took it steady. I was so happy to see Lincoln guillotine lock, and we moored in the same place as before, then headed to the pub, The Cardinals Hat of course. The Captain was very happy with a traditional Victorian Mild called Thunder Rat from Ossett brewery.

https://untappd.com/b/ossett-brewery-thunder-rat/6700839

But he wasn’t happy that we had found the underlying problem with the engine, and ordered a kit to try and check to see if the head gasket has gone to rule that out.

On our way back from the pub we stopped at the Guildhall, there had been a talk on and I wondered what it was about, we got talking to the gentleman, Chris, who was overseeing the event, and he told us if we were interested, the next day at 2pm there was a free guided tour of the Guildhall. Sounded fascinating and we decided to give it ago.Before we headed to the tour the toilet still needed pumping out, the pump out machine was the other side of Brayford Pools, so we made the short journey there and back before lunch.

The tour was amazing, Andrew our guide, was great and full of knowledge about Lincoln’s history, as well as the Guildhall itself. It was 2 hours well spent.

https://www.lincolnguildhall.com/

Lincoln Guildhall Treasures

Then off to the pub, yes the Cardinal Hat of course. Mena Dhu a Cornish stout for the Captain today.

https://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/our-beers/mena-dhu

Back at the boat we were lucky to spot the wonderful Red Arrows as they flew above the boat.

RAF Red Arrows

The kit to check the head gasket was due the next day, so it was the day of reckoning.

We picked up the kit and did a bit of shopping. I wasn’t feeling great, (stress and maybe a little to much beer) so we decided to get lunch at the Greek Brothers cafe. It was really tasty and helped with my mood.

https://thegreekbrotherslincoln.com/

The Captain used the kit, and the result was not what we wanted. It definitely looked like there was a problem with the head gasket. So on to Facebook to ask the hive mind for recommendations for a reliable marine mechanic. A couple of names were put forward, and the Captain contacted them both. The first gentleman was in Coalville Leicestershire and couldn’t get to us until the end of June, but suggested it would be easier if we could move the boat back to Trent Lock. We did consider this, however the second gentleman, Darren Crouch, was in Boston, a little closer but was able to get to us the next week.

https://www.dhcrouchmarineltd.uk/

The Captain thought that this would be the best option.

But first he decided to do a little experiment. He filled the water to and measured it exactly, then we took the boat for a 3hr trip using the revs we would usually use on the river, about 1500rpm. The water came up in the header bottle but the engine didn’t overheat and it was a pleasant trip. We moored again in the same place and headed to the pub. He couldn’t check the water level until the next day when the engine had cooled down.

This little experiment didn’t end the way we hoped, and created more questions than answers. The water in the header bottle should have flowed back into the engine as it cooled, but it didn’t Don’t ask me why or the Captain, he couldn’t explain it either, but he didn’t think it was a good thing. The cooling system had remain pressurised which it really shouldn’t have done. But we didn’t lose any water. You couldn’t make this up.

He relayed this information to Darren the engineer in Boston, and organised for him to come out to the boat the following Wednesday.

But it was only Friday so this meant we had a few days to kill.

There are worse places to be stuck to be honest, but we just wanted to be on the move.

32 miles 2 locks 1 River and 1 canal.

MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER.

The Boston Stump

And what a lovely way to spend time when the sun is out and the skies are blue.

We joined the river Witham at Lincoln. The lock is unusual, as it is a guillotine lock, this means the top gate rises rather than opening like a door. Luckily this end of the lock is electrically operated, and all I had to do was insert my BW key and press the button. The bottom gates are traditional lock gates, which are operated manually. They were surprisingly easy to open, the beams were huge and looked really heavy.

Guillotine Lock

Soon we were out of the lock and on our way. The river Witham is not as wide as the Trent but is extremely pretty and peaceful. We were heading to Bardney for the night.

The visitors mooring are all pontoons on the river, and usually situated near a village or a pub. Bardney has both. It’s village with a couple of shops, a butchers and a pub, The Old Angel Inn.

We got there around lunchtime and relaxed for the afternoon. The moorings in Lincoln had been very noisy as we had a road either side of us, one of which lead to the main refuse truck depot, so with had bin lorries coming and going at all hours.

It was lovely to sit and just hear the birds and the noise of the water against the side of the boat. We took a walk into Bardney thinking we hadn’t visited before, which turned out to be wrong when I checked back through the blogs. We had been before and visited the church and both pubs, one of which is now closed, so sad, but the angel is still open, and we headed in for a pint. Nothing dark on for the Captain, so he made do with Cruzcampo. The pub has a real community feel about it, so hopefully this will help it survive these terrible time for our hospitality industry.

https://oldangelinnbardney.com/

After a pint we did a little shopping at the Coop.

Next morning I lay in bed relishing in the peace, and heard my first cuckoo for a long long time. There was no road noise at all which made a nice change.

Cuckoo

We left Bardney and headed for Dogdyke. A place we know we have visited before, and loved due to its closeness to RAF Coningsby, the home of the Battle of Britain flight, as well as one of my favourite aircraft the Typhoon, also known as the Eurofighter. These planes make the most amazing noise when they take off and accelerate up into the sky, and I just love to hear them. There is also a pub, The Packet Inn.

We moored up and listened and watched the Typhoons doing their stuff, according to Google the pub was open so we took a walk to it about 4.30pm, only to discover they didn’t open until 6. We decided rather than return to the boat, we would sit on the patio and watch the river as the sun was out. It came as a surprise to the landlady, who spotted our legs, and came out to see what was occurring. Although she didn’t open the pub, she did offer to get us a pint whilst we waited, very kind of her. And there was even Murphys stout on for the Captain. We sat outside and were joined by a couple of fellas and their kids a little later. They were both in the forces and stationed nearby, so had a lot in common with the Captain. When the pub opened we went in and had another pint before heading back for tea.

Eurofighter

I heard my second cuckoo next morning.

Although the weather has been warm, it has also been windy and gusting. This caused a few problems next day. It was the last hop into Boston, and the Captain decided we would top up with fuel at Langrick boatyard, as the price was good at £1.49 a litre. Getting onto their service pontoon wasn’t a problem as the wind was in our favour, but when it came time to set off, we couldn’t get away from it as the wind kept pushing us back on, you wouldn’t think that wind would affect a 16 ton boat so much, but oh boy does it. The Captain used all his skills and tricks and eventually we were off.

The visitor moorings at Boston are not easy to pick out, as it is a mixture of visitor and long term without a discernable boundary. A lady was messing about on her boat so we asked her and she pointed us to the right place.

Our problems with the wind really hit this time, the moorings are what are known as finger pontoon moorings, which meant we had to back onto them leaving the nose of the boat sticking out. The wind blew us this way and that. The Captain got the back end in and I jumped off with a rope, then the wind just took the front end and I just couldn’t pull it back in. Following the Captains instructions, I wound the rope round the first bollard and hung on for dear life, whilst he put full power and used the front edge of the pontoon to pivot on and bring the boat back in line. The engine smoked and eventually we were in.

After another hot day we walked into Boston and a pint in the Wetherspoons, The Moon Under Water. They had Adnams Broadside on for the Captain and he treated me to a curry for tea.

We were staying in Boston for a couple of days, its about a 15min walk into the town centre, and we decided that on the first day we would do a big shop at Lidl, walking there (17min) and a taxi back. We were joined on the pontoons firstly by NB Easy Gill, and then by NB Maudette. Had a chat with both boats Captains and crew. Easy Gill was heading out onto the Wash into the North sea, yes the actual sea, to Kings Lynn and the Mid Levels. An interesting trip and not for the faint hearted, the Captain said we will do it one day, will we indeed????

After a quiet afternoon we took a walk to the nearest pub, it used to be called The Withem Tavern but it is now home to Rancho’s Grill. We were very impressed with everything, it is beautiful inside and out. The beer was great with Murphys stout for the Captain, and the menu looked amazing, as did the food we saw come out.

https://grill-rancho.co.uk/

Our last day in Boston was spent looking round the town, as it was Saturday the market was on and I love a market, unfortunately we left it a bit late in the day, so a lot of the stalls were packing up. Undeterred we wandered round the remaining ones and then found a little gem, The Boston Guildhall museum, free to get in and very interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Guildhall

Inside Boston Guildhall

We ended a very enjoyable afternoon with a pint in the Wetherspoons, a Honey porter from Conwy Brewery for the Captain. Then back to Rancho’s. I had thought about eating in here, until we were told there was a 2 hour wait for food. It was very busy.

We left Boston next morning with a plan in place to go round Trentfalls with a convoy organised by a gentleman on Try The Trent facebook page, that is planned for the 11^th June, which gave us plenty of time to get to the meeting place at West Stockwith.

32 Miles, 2 locks and 1 river.