We are coming to the end of our seventh month Onboard - a steep learning curve in engines - we have had to get a new starter motor and when fitted it must have loosened the wires connecting the batteries to the alternator - apart from a valve perishing and so water was coming into the bilge. Gracie doesn't like the cold but last week it was twice we just couldn't get a charge into the batteries and had to get a neighbour to jump start her.
Of course as soon as anyone sees an engine cover off - advice is given, tea is drunk and finally on Sunday - a lovely day - we thought, up early, water up and off to New Mills; Gracie, however, had different ideas and decided she wasn't starting. We had had this before and she had started eventually once the air temp warmed up, so I took dogs, Elsan and water bottles to Marple and met Kit & Mike on Here be Dragons, who had helped us earlier and Mike went off to check heaters etc - I went off and got water and on the way back saw two other friends on their boats; who told me the engine was now going.
Turns out there were three wires loose to the alternator and once fixed, she has started like a dream and is charging the batteries up in 2.5 hours again rather than the six it was taking! Also, Chris topped the starter battery up, so that obviously helped.
So the landlubbers, now narrowboaters, learnt another lesson and a big shout out to Wayne and Mike who fixed Gracie's engine and a heartfelt thank you
It is our sixth wedding anniversary on Friday and on the 17th March 2012 we got a nine week old black Labrador, whom we named Shiva, it seems longer than that, we have had a ball really and roll on the next 56 years!
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