Slow Boat to Gunthorpe

We had a slow run from Newark to Gunthorpe yesterday thanks to the river being very busy and lots of newbies out and about.

Hazelford Lock in particular took an absolute age due to the boat at the front of the lock having problems holding onto their ropes.

But yesterday we had no rush.  Today is a different story as we have to be back at Cromwell Lock and onto the Tidal Trent for between midday and 1pm so we are set to make a move in the pouring rain very shortly.

Lovely Newark

Yesterday we had a lovely day in Newark enjoying all that this great town has to offer.  We topped the day off with a nice meal in Zizzi's right next to our chosen moorings.

Today we are heading further upstream in the hope we can get a table at the curry house at Gunthorpe

Up The Trent

We have just landed at Cromwell Lock and stopped for a spot of breakfast after a lovely run up the Trent this morning.

Here is last night's sunset over Torksey.

A Few Days Away

It seems to have taken a long time to come around but at long last the bank holiday weekend is here. 

For the extended weekend we have a Motley Crew of assorted boats heading upstream on the Trent to Newark and perhaps beyond.

Tonight will be the all too familiar run from Burton Waters to Torksey, hopefully arriving at the White Swan in time to enjoy a nice pub lunch and have a couple of cheeky pints in preparation for the mornings tide upstream to Cromwell. At least it isn't a stupidly early tide this time, 8.00-8.30am is a nice time and should see us moored up in Newark by lunchtime.

A New Friend

We found the Sierra a new friend lat night. It's been a long time since we have seen a pair of XR4i's together!

Naughty, Naughty

Apparently we are very naughty boaters indeed. We are not allowed to moor on the viewing platform in Brayford Pool anymore.

Not quite sure what the problem is here. It is fenced off from the public around the pool as it is no longer "safe", not quite sure why mind. 

The visitor moorings were all full due to an event around the pool and it was too blowy to risk anchoring and being dragged into the wall.

Next time we will have to look for an alternative mooring site. Watch this space for the next place we get told off for mooring!

A Seemingly Long Weekend

It seemed like a long weekend last weekend, we managed to pack a lot into the couple of days that we had to spare.

On friday evening we were at a wedding reception at the truly gorgeous Old Palace in Lincoln centre, a real hidden gem.

Needless to say we were a little worse for wear on Saturday morning so we had a lazy morning bumbling around town before heading back to the boat and having a little tidy up. 

Then it was back to Burton Waters to nip in and grab 100 litres of diesel, not bad as this is the first we have put in the boat since the 60 litre top up at the Fish and Duck Marina on the Fens.The fuel gauge now looks much healthier and ready for our bank holiday break at the weekend.

With the necessities carried out it was time for a quick jaunt into Saxilby for a spur of the moment BBQ with friends. It wasn't a late night as we were all feeling the after effects of a late night on Friday but enjoyable non the less.

We all enjoyed a nice lie in on Sunday morning before heading to Scrummies Cafe for a full english breakfast, just the trick to start the day.Then it was a blowy jaunt back into Lincoln for a few afternoon pints spent dodging the frequent and heavy showers. Before finally heading back to base and topping up the water before settling in to enjoy the slow cooked BBQ pork loin which had been simmering away in the slow cooker all day.

A busy weekend but we are ready to head out on Friday for a few days. We got all of the important jobs out of the way.

Busy Day

It was a busy day in Lincoln yesterday despite the frequent heavy showers and a gusty strong wind.

We had to resort to mooring on the decrepid and now condemned viewing platform and taking the dinghy ashore.

Sudden Showers

After much deliberation yesterday we decided to have a Bbq. 

And at the mention of the word bbq the heavens opened and we had a huge thunder storm.

Never mind a trip to the pub and a couple of games of killer pool whilst the storms pass and then we have the bbq.

An Evening Out

We had an evening in The Old Palace in Lincoln last night at some friends wedding reception.

Lovely location right in the heart of the city that we never even realised was there.

Far and Wide

Above is a map with a yellow virtual pin stuck in at every place we have visited with Naughty-Cal over the last seven years. 

The furthest North we have travelled being Royal Quays in North Shields and the furthest South being a very close call but just going to The Five Miles from Anywhere pub on the River Cam with Southwold Harbour a very close second. 

Over the next few years we hope to add many more new places to this ever growing map, some inland and some on the coast.

Plan B

We have a week booked off work for the beginning of October and the plan had been to have a steady mooch around on the Trent for the week, coming and going as we pleased with no destination in mind and no rush to get anywhere in particular.

Well CRT may well have put paid to that for us with the following stoppage notice:

Lock 13, Newark Town Lock, River Trent

Notice Details

From Date:

19th October 2015 at 08:00

 To Date:

14th December 2015 at 16:00 inclusive

Type:

Navigation Closure

Reason:

(Re)Construction

Description:

Gate replanking and various brickwork repairs

We seem to have been dodging stoppages on every break we have had so far this year! 

So we are now looking for a Plan B. It has been some years since we have visited York and this is the likely candidate for Plan B should the weather behave itself and river levels be in the normal range for the time of year. 

Stuffed Marrow

We were given a rather large marrow at the weekend by a farmer friend, so last night we made some inroads into eating it up.

Last night I made some stuffed marrows which I have to say were rather nice.

To make these simply take some chunky slices of the marrow and hollow it out to make a bowl.

Add the innards to a large frying pan with some grated garlic, finely chopped onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, chilli, chorizo, mixed beans and chopped tomatoes and simmer until cooked through.

Spoon the mixture into the marrow bowls and top with grated mature cheddar before baking at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.

I served this with some sweet potato wedges and mixed salad to make a nice simple and filling dinner.

We still have loads of marrow left so it's thinking caps on as to what to do with the rest of it.

Taking the Mickey

These darling little birds are really taking the mickey now. They wait until you have just cleaned the boat before homing in and depositing their little purple parcels all over the lovely white, clean gel coat.

I for one can't wait until the little darlings leave once more. It can't be much longer now.

Brayford Pool Car Show

Just a few more pictures from yesterday's car show for you today. A nice selection of modern and old on show around the pool.

Cars and Boats

We have had the chance to combine two passions today with boats and cars at a car show in Brayford Pool.

A Quiet Day

We have a quiet day afloat today whilst we wait to head back to Sheffield.

A spot of shopping in Lincoln is in order I should think.

Broken Weekend

It will be a bit of a broken up weekend for us this week. We are heading across the Lincoln this evening to enjoy a few relaxing drinks on board, we don't plan to go anywhere unless the weather has improved somewhat from its current, very wet state. 

Then tomorrow it is back to Sheffield in the evening for a family party. We have decided that I will refrain from drinking and drive back again after the party so that we can enjoy a full day afloat on Sunday. Works fine for me.

So tomorrow will be a bit of a strange day for us as we won't be having any alcohol until we get to the party, well I say we, Liam won't be, I won't be having any at all. Very odd for a weekend, but I'm sure I can have a couple when we get back to the boat tomorrow evening. An afternoon of no drinking however will give us the chance to give the boat a good scrub as it is looking a bit filthy.

The Lock Keeper, Worksop August Meet

Last night we attended a monthly car meet at The Lock Keeper in Worksop. This event is held every second Wednesday of the month from June through to September.

It is the first time we have attended this event and there was a good selection of cars on show. A bit of everything to suit all tastes.

And Again

It was in the body shop again last night, it's beginning to become a real labour of love this thing.

This time it was to replace a rear tail light and some wiring which has been playing up giving some interesting light displays on the near side quarter, but not necessarily very easy to understand displays for following drivers.

So with a new light sourced it was definitely time to replace it which in turn turned out some fault lights on the dashboard, yes a 30 year old car with fault lights!

Whilst we were at it we tidied up a few other little bits, repainting the fuel filler cap which had started to peel and sorting out a fault with the wiring to the dip stick. This in turn fixed another fault light on the dashboard. 

So with a few little bits and bobs fixed and a few fault lights turned out and a rear light cluster that is now functioning as it should we have a productive couple of hours in the garage. Now tonight it is time to enjoy it as we are heading to Gateford tonight to attend a classic and retro car meet at the Lock Keeper pub.

Fixed Or Repaired Daily Again!

The old Ford is really living up to her name sake of being Fixed Or Repaired Daily!

Over the weekend she developed something of a knocking and banging coming from the nearside front wheel area. It was so bad and loud that we considered calling out the recovery service to get her home rather then drive her home, but we stuck with it and managed to limp her home from Lincoln all be it very slowly yesterday morning.

So last night Liam pulled her into the garage at work once more and set about stripping the wheel off and having a gander at what had gone wrong. At first glance nothing looked amiss, one of the bushes is showing signs of wear, odd because it looked fine when we put the car back on the road, but being stood does them no favours I suppose, but that wouldn't be causing the almighty banging we were experiencing with every rotation of the wheel. The only thing we could find slightly out of kilter was one of the brake pads was loose. So as we had a new set of Mintex pads waiting to be fitted we may as well do them now the wheel is off.

With both sides replaced, the wheels back on and a quick rinse off we lock up and head for home still none the wiser. But the noise is gone completely so it must have been the brake pad clattering but it was very noisy if it was that!

It is back into the garage again tonight to fit a new rear near side light. The old light has developed a crack in the lens which is filling up with water and messing with the wiring, so we have sourced a new one. A lovely job for Liam tonight. He loves wiring!

Why You Don't Cut Corners

This is why you don't cut corners on rivers. You will be left high and dry.

The owners of this Sealine SC35 found this out on Saturday when they cut the corner at Dunham Dubs and landed themselves on the sand bank.

There was also what we believe was a Seamaster beached at Dunham Bridge on the wrong side of the river. This is why you should have the charts to hand. They tell you where to be on the river instead of just guessing and getting it wrong!

Epic Voyage

Yesterday evening we partook in the epic Voyage from our berth in Burton Waters to The Woodcocks pub,  the whole of about 500 yards.

We rarely stay at this visitors mooring as it is so close to home but it is a lovely quiet spot.

Relaxing day

We had a great night in Saxilby last night with a spot of karaoke in The Sun Inn.

Today we are having a relaxing day shaking off a hangover and preparing for a family party in Sheffield this evening.

More Good News

Some more good news this morning. Liam is starting to feel better again. 

He is taking some tablets for his blood pressure which seem to be helping to drop it down, it has been steadily dropping each day and before too much longer should be within safe the "normal" range again. And his exercises for his vertigo seem to be working, either that or his body is adapting to it, because he says each day he feels a little better. 

So we are heading off to the boat tonight after work to have a relaxing weekend afloat. Well I say that, we have to be back in Sheffield on Saturday evening for a family party, but I have said that I will drive us there and back and not bother having a drink, I can have one when we get back and we can then enjoy a full day at the boat on Sunday. I'm sure I will make up for the lack on drinking on Saturday!

Some Good News

We made a good discovery at the weekend. Despite over a month with no battery charger and at times struggling to keep the voltages at a reasonable level, at times leaving them quite discharged during the week, the batteries don't seem to have suffered any lasting damage.

Last weekend after being left on charge all week they saw us through the weekend moored at Washingborough with no problems or signs of struggling at all. Which can only be good news. We had been concerned that we were ruining a reasonably new set of batteries, they have only been on since last May. But it looks like we have caught them in time and staved off any lasting effects. 

We know, batteries are a consumable item onboard a boat, but we try and aim to get about four years out of them before we replace them. The last lot we replaced at four years old are still providing sterling service on a friends boat who's power demands are not quite so big as ours. We don't like being let down by our batteries so tend to replace them where others try and get by. At the first sign of them getting tired we put new ones on, that way we know that we have the power on demand when we need it. Some might say this is perhaps wasteful but the old batteries usually find new homes with friends.

So one spot of good news in amongst a weekend of worries.

A Weekend in Washingborough

A few pictures today from our weekend in Washingborough. This seems so long ago now!

Friday evening cruise.

Once in a blue moon.

 Saturday morning on the pontoon.

Lovely spot to moor.

Out and about in Washingborough.

Lovely church in the village.

 BBQ in the rain. A few spots of rain doesn't stop this lot.

Retro Rides South Yorkshire August 2015 Meet

Last night we attended the Retro Rides South Yorkshire monthly car meet at the Meadowhall Retail Park in Sheffield. It was a busy evening with lots of cars present, although there was quite a lot of modern modified stock on show which wasn't really our scene.

Still some nice classic and retro rides in show as well though.