Middlewich

We travelled down to Middlewich today, a glorious day and only six locks to do. One bridge coming into Middlewich has suffered damage from a boat - bet they felt that! We took the advice of Bob Cadawaller, (who came to do the BSS and passed Gracie, now the wiring in the engine room is done and the vents cleaned, meaning the pilot light finally works properly on the water heater!) and came through Kings Lock, turned left up Wardle Lock and found a lovely 48 hour mooring just before Bridge 31.
We arrived just before the showers and so didn't need to cruise in the rain!
Middlewich is where Stella's Mum was born and where her great grandfather, Josiah Preston, was born on a narrowboat. Her grandfather, Wilfred Faulkner, was Mayor of Middlewich in the 1970's and apparently has a street named after him. We are going into the Town Hall to meet the Town Clerk, who will be able to fill in family history.
Tomorrow,  a friend is picking Stella's daughter up from the airport and bringing her here and then we will continue our cruise to the Llangollen Canal.
The boys are really enjoying themselves,  supervising the locks and enjoying lying by the boat on the towpath,  which would have been difficult on the moorings up to Kings Lock, due to its proximity to the main road. Kings Lock Inn is,in the process of being refurbished, but people were still sat enjoying a drink in the sun.
There are also a big number of swans,  so will try to get a photo tomorrow. We are now sat in the dry, I am going to the water point to get the animals drinking water - a good day.

Finally Cruising

So, as Stella's eldest is in Spain for a few days, we thought we would get some of the journey out of the way, as the plan is to travel up the Llangollen Canal and do the other half of the Cheshire Ring through Manchester.
So, yesterday,  we travelled from Bollington to the top of Bosley Locks and moored up at the services. They are solar powered and have showers, toilets, Elsan disposal and a washing machine and tumble drier. You can get the cards from Nb Alton and each use of whichever is Four units and you get 25 units on a card.
So, managed to do four loads of washing and two dried, but I wish all services were as good.
So today, Bosley Locks and down onto the Trent & Mersey Canal
The bottom of the Macclesfield Canal is pretty and although the moorings in Congleton are OK, none of the towpaths have been strummed, so the nettles have taken hold and of course every place is 48 hours, so not encouraging to visitors.
There are some lovely views though and some of the gardens are gorgeous as well as wild flower banks
We found ourselves sadly out of practice for locks, although the Bosley Locks were good and all set up, so we were through in less than three hours,  stopped and had lunch and chatted to an Australian couple here in the UK on holiday and then set off, getting through the first three locks of Heartbreak Hill, as it is known.
Now, moored up ahead of the next five locks out of 44, curry on ready for tea tomorrow night.

The Story So Far

Check Well, after a month of doing very little due to my sprained wrist; we thought we'd get going and start cruising slowly down the Macclesfield Canal after Easter. We had a couple of nights in Poynton,  while Stella went for physio for her wrist and then got to Bollington, where we arranged for our Boat Safety Cert to be done. It was a busy day, sorting out banks etc as well and then the inspector found the wires to the relay were melting. So a fail and a call out to get the engine sorted once and for all, as it's not been right since the new starter motor was installed at the end of November last year.
The result was the solenoid had burnt out and so it had to go back to Stoke to be rebuilt and we had a week with no electricity or water. Fortunately,  there was a tap at Clarence Mill we could use and finally on Friday they came to mend it. Stella went off to the airport to meet her eldest daughter, whom she hadn't seen in 7 years and so a short family reunion was had before she flew out to Spain to see her Dad.

Seven months Onboard and our sixth wedding anniversary

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!

2014 - Hurricanes and Engines

Here we are eight weeks into 2014 and it has been somewhat of a learning curve again. The cratch cover is worth its weight in gold as it has rained, at some point, every day since the first of January. We have had a virus, which ended up with both of us having a severe chest infection and resulted in us having 1000mg of penicillin a day for a week to shift it. It also meant we were three weeks in Marple, as we were too weak to steer the boat. 

We moved, once we could to Hawke Green and we experienced our first Storm Force Winds aboard Gracie - interesting though, that when we came to move, the wind had pushed silt and mud against the bow - just as well boats are up and down the canal or you'd never get through. But when winding Gracie had an altercation with a tree and so we have a hole in the bow window (currently mended with gaffer tape) until weather is fit to get it repaired. 

We have had fun with NB Gracie, we ran out of diesel and so had to bleed the engine. Upon opening the cover we discovered the bilge full of water owing to a small washer, which had perished. Now she is sound and dry, but it would seem every cloud has a silver lining and missing the coal boat (the excellent NB Alton, run by Brian and Ann Marie McGuigan, was that blessing in disguise, as left she would have sunk!

Also, need the electrics sorting as the Bilge pump isn't working and bizarrely, the horn. We think that the wires have shorted due to the water coming in and so are in the process of getting an electrician to come and look (Don't mess with electric.)

I am getting a bicycle, so beware on the tow-paths, cyclist will be coming through! I aim ito cycle to New Mills and get the bus to and from work. In the summer, aiming to cycle to work if I can (and get rid of this tummy!) - the hills may defeat me!

Oh and now,just in case we forgot - it's raining again!

But her is a photo of me and Ann Marie gunwale dancing at Christmas. 

NB Gracie - Our First Christmas Aboard

Five weeks - where has the time gone? 

Our turn from the Macclesfield Canal onto the Peak Forest Canal, six weeks ago - since then, we had 10 days without power due to the starter motor breaking down and it having to go to Stoke to be mended in a specialist machine shop - we joined RCR (the AA of the canal) who managed to fix it for us but of course it still cost money! We had 2 weeks in Strines, about a mile outside Marple; which meant we weren't too far from the Elsan Point)to empty the toilet) and water. The downside was no electricity and therefore no pump to pump water out of the tank, so we (well mainly Chris) had to walk to Marple every two days for water). Once fixed, we winded and went to Marple for the weekend, whilst there, Father Christmas arrived

On the Sunday, the coalboat, NB Alton arrived and we got coal; after which, we set off for Furness Vale (about a four hour trip) - to get there, you do two lift bridges and 2 swing bridges.  We went through the first lift bridge OK, the coal boat had gone through not an hour before and it wouldn't lift! I shifted some leaves and mud from around the hinge, but it still wouldn't move - by now, Chris had arrived on Gracie and another boater arrived and gave me the number for CaRT (Canal and River Trust) for them to come; we moored up; Chris made tea and we waited. Then someone else arrived and we walked to see if there was anything we missed. One of the chains was a bit loose, so Chris jumped up and down on the bridge and lo and behold, it started to move! So after half an hour, we were once again on our way - I spent five minutes getting a huge dollop of mud out of the hinge though. So onwards; by now it was starting to get late and there was the most glorious sunset; but we were not quite at Furness Vale Marina nor at the last swing bridge at the start. Just before, are some good moorings and there was a space, but Chris said we'd keep going - I was walking the towpath with the dogs; we did the last swing bridge and by now the sun had set. We have a favourite mooring quite near Furness Vale Train Station (About a five minute walk away) and we got there as it was going dark; in fact Chris couldn't see me it was so dark. We moored up and I started to make tea when NB Alton passed us - Nightboating on the coallboat!

We decided that if we could, we would go up to Whaley Bridge for Christmas and New Year (Bugsworth isn't open this year as they have drained it for repairs) and all week, Chris had been walking up to the Basin to check (taken at the beginning of November)

SO we set off on Friday - the dogs love cruising

and we do too. 

We winded and got water and slotted in right behind a friend's boat; who is away for Christmas and so it is good we are here - we are debating getting a mooring along here and will investigate that.

We have been trying to get to Stockport all weekend to deliver cards etc; however, wahing in a twin tub takes time and then the coal boat arrived just as we were getting ready to go on the train, ne and Ann-Marie McGuigan from NB Alton gunnel dancing with the coal and a bottle of ale called "Gunnel Dancer"!

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So may we take the opportunity to wish all a very Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings and a Happy New Year and we haven't a tree - just a Spacey Gracie

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