Intrepid week 1 - a disaster a day!
All Photos
Itinerary
SUMMARY
Set off Monday evening. Me, Mike, Adrian, Malcolm and Phil on board, joined following morning by Bjørn. Lovely warm sunny weather all week. Slept well because I could sleep in the living room with Suki beside me. Engine needed repairs Tuesday (5 hours delay) and Wednesday (one hour delay). Suki went missing Thursday - thankfully found safe and well - so boat turned round. One hour wait for Harecastle Tunnel. Boated long hours. We went through locks quickly and efficiently. Arrived in Northwich, on day of Royal Wedding, one hour ahead of original schedule for handover - much to Mike's delight, relief and amazement.
DETAIL
Monday 14th May. Mike had made arrangements to pick up Adrian and Malcolm at 9.30 am at Turnham Green, so I got up at 6 am to walk Suki, pack the car etc on the basis that we would be leaving then. However when he phoned the boatyard it was clear that they were going to be working on it all day and were expecting it would be ready Tuesday morning. We weren't able to contact Malcolm so I walked up to Turnham Green to send him home again - and I got him to sign the Numbers Club cheques so not a completely wasted journey. I emptied all the food out of the cool bag back into the freezer and fridge and we spent the day kicking our heels. We had a nice lebanese meal for lunch which was a bonus. Mike decided that we should leave at 3.30 pm anyway, and if necessary stay overnight on the boat with no power so that we were there in situ ready to leave as soon as they had finished fixing the engine. So we picked up Adrian and Malcolm at Turnham Green station (amongst the swarming children who were just coming out of school) and set off. Phil was also going to the marina - and got there just ahead of us. It was a lovely sunny day. We were about 10 mins away when Phil phoned to say they had finished and the engine was ready to go. So Mike's plan worked really well. We got our stuff on board and went over to the pump out machine, but it was out of order, so we had to set off with the old sewage still on board. Phil had said there was a wasps nest in the roof, but it turned out to be a few bees who disappeared once we had got going. We boated for a couple of hours to the bottom of Weedon locks and planned to get going at 6 am as we now had two days to catch up. For supper we ate the vegetable pasta sauce with penne which I had prepared earlier which seemed to go down very well, followed by the inevitable cheese fest. I was able to sleep on the "sofa" bench as JJ was not on board - which was a vast improvement on the top bunk I usually have to use and meant that suki was happy to sleep on the seat next to me. I slept well all week - which was wonderful.
Tuesday 15th May Bjørn turned up at 5.45 am having been dropped off by Claire and we set off at 6 am and did the first couple of locks. Then at 6.45 am the engine stopped! We had to wait until 8 am to call the boatyard. They came out and took a look and said the coolant hose had perished. Went away to get a new one made and then came back and fitted it. We had breakfast (cooked by me even though I don't partake of it) and then sat around in the sunshine for 5 hours until it was all fixed again. So now another 5 hours to make up! The weather was great and the rest of the day went well. We eventually moored right next to a pub at 8.30 pm, having eaten supper on the move in shifts (sausage casserole made by Claire which Bjørn had brought with him). I had a very welcome pint of lager and a reasonably early night. We had made up a bit of time, and it was agreed that Phil and Bjørn would get the boat going at 5.30 am while the rest of us could enjoy another hour or so in bed as there were no locks for ages.
Wednesday 16th May. It was lovely lying in bed as the boat went along. It was another lovely day, although very cold first thing. I cooked breakfast again. We made good progress through the morning and then around midday the engine cut out! We pulled the boat along for about 15 minutes to a marina where we were able to get it looked at and fixed (plus the long awaited pump out) immediately. A fuel line had been turned off, and the fuel filter had blocked. While that was being sorted out Phil, Adrian and I went to Sainsburys (about a 7 min walk away) and did a shop for supper that night, which Phil cooked. Despite the extra hour or so delay we had caught up on the schedule again by doing long hours - which pleased Mike as everyone was up for it rather than moaning about it. Mike and I started teaching Malcolm plain hunt on handbells - which I found rather trying as he would ring them randomly up or down or not at all. I managed to get a shower in the evening - despite the fact that the water pump was leaking and we had seemed to have no hot water up until then. That was the only shower I got all week! We had chicken thighs in creme fraiche for supper, cooked by Phil, and then the others went to the pub while Mike and I stayed in and had an early night. I carried Mike to his bunk reasonably easily and efficiently.
Thursday 17th May. Phil got the boat going at 5.30 am again and we once again had the luxury of lying in bed with the boat going along. I got up and had a cup of tea and then went to put Suki's collar on - but when I arrived at the back of the boat there was no sign of her. I checked the whole boat but she was not on board and it was clear she had jumped ship at some point - but no-one knew where. I got off and started walking fast back along the towpath - calling out and checking gaps into fields and onto roads. I asked a passing boat if they had seen a Jack Russel running around, and they said they had seen one "way back way back" with a man trying to find the owner. I started jogging in earnest then as I was worried he would take her home or to a police station or the RSPCA before I could get to him. I phoned the local police and gave them my phone number in case anyone phoned to report her as a stray. Eventually, after about a mile and a half, and rounded a corner under a bridge and there she was standing with a lovely man, who was on the phone. I promptly burst into tears and he gave me a lovely hug. He had found her up on the road bridge running around. I was just so grateful - it was a real guardian angel moment. Intrepid meanwhile had turned round and I caught up with them just a couple of bridges further up. We worked out Suki must have got off when Phil went very close to the bank to pass some boats, and that she had thought I had got off because I was in the bathroom when she looked for me in the boat. From then on we left her harness on all day so that at least she was wearing her tag with my phone number. So more delay but we were still catching up the schedule by the end of the day when we moored at Stone. We had a supper of leftovers - veg pasta sauce and sausage casserole plus some roasted left over vegetables from the night before - which all worked very well.
Friday 18th May. Another beautiful day and another early start - but this time there were locks so we all got up for a 6 am departure. Malcolm carried Mike to the back to do the driving. It was very atmospheric, with steam rising off the canal and the early morning sun shining.
When we got to Harecastle Tunnel they had just sent some boats off, so there was a wait of an hour before we would be allowed through - and the tunnel itself would take about 45 mins. So I decided to walk over the top. This was not as straightforward as some other tunnels, but I used my GPS mapping software to find the route and Suki and I had a very lovely walk of about two and a half miles which took about an hour.
We were about half an hour ahead of the boat when I got to the other side - \and while Suki and I were waiting Tom turned up. We were able to take some good photos before going off to be picked up at the first lock.
After the tunnel it was almost non-stop locks and I did a huge amount of walking and lock setting. Phil had drunk too much to help but luckily Tom was there to take his place. Suki was very tired and reluctant to walk but carried on gamely - she lay down at every lock while we worked it which was most unusual. I nearly made my personal best for steps in a day of 29,039 (set on the Intrepid 2016 trip) but just missed it by doing only 28,587. Suki was whacked in the evening and came on board and crashed out on the sofa - the rest of us squeezing round the rest of the two tables to eat our meal.
We had roast lamb, cooked by Adrian, and we moored early enough to allow for a pub visit before and after. I stayed on board and drank a welcome can of lager and then several glasses of wine - being somewhat exhausted myself! By this time we were only one hour behind schedule.
Saturday 19th May. After something of a lie-in we got going at 6.30 am. Phil left the boat and I went for a walk with Suki first thing. Then I cooked breakfast - now able to produce 4 fried eggs to perfection compared with the miserable offerings I had produced on the first day. Suki was still very tired - but there were hardly any locks so she was able to be on the boat most of the time. We arrived at the Old Broken Cross pub at 12 noon - one hour ahead of the original schedule. Everyone was very pleased to have risen to the challenge - and Mike was delighted that Week 2 could go ahead as planned. Unfortunately Andy and Judy had texted last minute to say they weren't coming because they were ill, which was a bit of a spanner in the works as regards the QP bands, but at least the boat was on time. It was Royal Wedding day, and I watched the taking of the vows and the singing of If Ye Love Me on my phone - which frankly was enough! JJ turned up in his car shortly after we arrived - and Suki immediately jumped in and wouldn't be budged. She was very much giving off the message that she wanted to go home!
We helped unload the car - the boot was stuffed full of food none of which was in carrier bags - and then loaded it up with our stuff (Me, Malcolm and Bjørn). Then the QP band went off to ring at Northwich - scoring a QP of Grandsire Triples - while Bjørn, Mike and I boated on to the Anderton Boat Lift where we moored up and waited for them to return to the boat.
Finally at 4 pm I kissed Mike goodbye and the boat set off on Week 2 while Bjørn drove Malcolm and me back to the boatyard. Then I gave Malcolm a lift to Richmond before finally getting home at 8.30 pm for a much needed shower and a beer. Suki slept all the way on both journeys - absolutely whacked.
SUMMARY
Set off Monday evening. Me, Mike, Adrian, Malcolm and Phil on board, joined following morning by Bjørn. Lovely warm sunny weather all week. Slept well because I could sleep in the living room with Suki beside me. Engine needed repairs Tuesday (5 hours delay) and Wednesday (one hour delay). Suki went missing Thursday - thankfully found safe and well - so boat turned round. One hour wait for Harecastle Tunnel. Boated long hours. We went through locks quickly and efficiently. Arrived in Northwich, on day of Royal Wedding, one hour ahead of original schedule for handover - much to Mike's delight, relief and amazement.
DETAIL
Monday 14th May. Mike had made arrangements to pick up Adrian and Malcolm at 9.30 am at Turnham Green, so I got up at 6 am to walk Suki, pack the car etc on the basis that we would be leaving then. However when he phoned the boatyard it was clear that they were going to be working on it all day and were expecting it would be ready Tuesday morning. We weren't able to contact Malcolm so I walked up to Turnham Green to send him home again - and I got him to sign the Numbers Club cheques so not a completely wasted journey. I emptied all the food out of the cool bag back into the freezer and fridge and we spent the day kicking our heels. We had a nice lebanese meal for lunch which was a bonus. Mike decided that we should leave at 3.30 pm anyway, and if necessary stay overnight on the boat with no power so that we were there in situ ready to leave as soon as they had finished fixing the engine. So we picked up Adrian and Malcolm at Turnham Green station (amongst the swarming children who were just coming out of school) and set off. Phil was also going to the marina - and got there just ahead of us. It was a lovely sunny day. We were about 10 mins away when Phil phoned to say they had finished and the engine was ready to go. So Mike's plan worked really well. We got our stuff on board and went over to the pump out machine, but it was out of order, so we had to set off with the old sewage still on board. Phil had said there was a wasps nest in the roof, but it turned out to be a few bees who disappeared once we had got going. We boated for a couple of hours to the bottom of Weedon locks and planned to get going at 6 am as we now had two days to catch up. For supper we ate the vegetable pasta sauce with penne which I had prepared earlier which seemed to go down very well, followed by the inevitable cheese fest. I was able to sleep on the "sofa" bench as JJ was not on board - which was a vast improvement on the top bunk I usually have to use and meant that suki was happy to sleep on the seat next to me. I slept well all week - which was wonderful.
Tuesday 15th May Bjørn turned up at 5.45 am having been dropped off by Claire and we set off at 6 am and did the first couple of locks. Then at 6.45 am the engine stopped! We had to wait until 8 am to call the boatyard. They came out and took a look and said the coolant hose had perished. Went away to get a new one made and then came back and fitted it. We had breakfast (cooked by me even though I don't partake of it) and then sat around in the sunshine for 5 hours until it was all fixed again. So now another 5 hours to make up! The weather was great and the rest of the day went well. We eventually moored right next to a pub at 8.30 pm, having eaten supper on the move in shifts (sausage casserole made by Claire which Bjørn had brought with him). I had a very welcome pint of lager and a reasonably early night. We had made up a bit of time, and it was agreed that Phil and Bjørn would get the boat going at 5.30 am while the rest of us could enjoy another hour or so in bed as there were no locks for ages.
Wednesday 16th May. It was lovely lying in bed as the boat went along. It was another lovely day, although very cold first thing. I cooked breakfast again. We made good progress through the morning and then around midday the engine cut out! We pulled the boat along for about 15 minutes to a marina where we were able to get it looked at and fixed (plus the long awaited pump out) immediately. A fuel line had been turned off, and the fuel filter had blocked. While that was being sorted out Phil, Adrian and I went to Sainsburys (about a 7 min walk away) and did a shop for supper that night, which Phil cooked. Despite the extra hour or so delay we had caught up on the schedule again by doing long hours - which pleased Mike as everyone was up for it rather than moaning about it. Mike and I started teaching Malcolm plain hunt on handbells - which I found rather trying as he would ring them randomly up or down or not at all. I managed to get a shower in the evening - despite the fact that the water pump was leaking and we had seemed to have no hot water up until then. That was the only shower I got all week! We had chicken thighs in creme fraiche for supper, cooked by Phil, and then the others went to the pub while Mike and I stayed in and had an early night. I carried Mike to his bunk reasonably easily and efficiently.
Thursday 17th May. Phil got the boat going at 5.30 am again and we once again had the luxury of lying in bed with the boat going along. I got up and had a cup of tea and then went to put Suki's collar on - but when I arrived at the back of the boat there was no sign of her. I checked the whole boat but she was not on board and it was clear she had jumped ship at some point - but no-one knew where. I got off and started walking fast back along the towpath - calling out and checking gaps into fields and onto roads. I asked a passing boat if they had seen a Jack Russel running around, and they said they had seen one "way back way back" with a man trying to find the owner. I started jogging in earnest then as I was worried he would take her home or to a police station or the RSPCA before I could get to him. I phoned the local police and gave them my phone number in case anyone phoned to report her as a stray. Eventually, after about a mile and a half, and rounded a corner under a bridge and there she was standing with a lovely man, who was on the phone. I promptly burst into tears and he gave me a lovely hug. He had found her up on the road bridge running around. I was just so grateful - it was a real guardian angel moment. Intrepid meanwhile had turned round and I caught up with them just a couple of bridges further up. We worked out Suki must have got off when Phil went very close to the bank to pass some boats, and that she had thought I had got off because I was in the bathroom when she looked for me in the boat. From then on we left her harness on all day so that at least she was wearing her tag with my phone number. So more delay but we were still catching up the schedule by the end of the day when we moored at Stone. We had a supper of leftovers - veg pasta sauce and sausage casserole plus some roasted left over vegetables from the night before - which all worked very well.
Friday 18th May. Another beautiful day and another early start - but this time there were locks so we all got up for a 6 am departure. Malcolm carried Mike to the back to do the driving. It was very atmospheric, with steam rising off the canal and the early morning sun shining.
When we got to Harecastle Tunnel they had just sent some boats off, so there was a wait of an hour before we would be allowed through - and the tunnel itself would take about 45 mins. So I decided to walk over the top. This was not as straightforward as some other tunnels, but I used my GPS mapping software to find the route and Suki and I had a very lovely walk of about two and a half miles which took about an hour.
We were about half an hour ahead of the boat when I got to the other side - \and while Suki and I were waiting Tom turned up. We were able to take some good photos before going off to be picked up at the first lock.
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| Exiting Harecastle Tunnel |
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| Animation by Google of my tunnel photos |
We had roast lamb, cooked by Adrian, and we moored early enough to allow for a pub visit before and after. I stayed on board and drank a welcome can of lager and then several glasses of wine - being somewhat exhausted myself! By this time we were only one hour behind schedule.
Saturday 19th May. After something of a lie-in we got going at 6.30 am. Phil left the boat and I went for a walk with Suki first thing. Then I cooked breakfast - now able to produce 4 fried eggs to perfection compared with the miserable offerings I had produced on the first day. Suki was still very tired - but there were hardly any locks so she was able to be on the boat most of the time. We arrived at the Old Broken Cross pub at 12 noon - one hour ahead of the original schedule. Everyone was very pleased to have risen to the challenge - and Mike was delighted that Week 2 could go ahead as planned. Unfortunately Andy and Judy had texted last minute to say they weren't coming because they were ill, which was a bit of a spanner in the works as regards the QP bands, but at least the boat was on time. It was Royal Wedding day, and I watched the taking of the vows and the singing of If Ye Love Me on my phone - which frankly was enough! JJ turned up in his car shortly after we arrived - and Suki immediately jumped in and wouldn't be budged. She was very much giving off the message that she wanted to go home!
We helped unload the car - the boot was stuffed full of food none of which was in carrier bags - and then loaded it up with our stuff (Me, Malcolm and Bjørn). Then the QP band went off to ring at Northwich - scoring a QP of Grandsire Triples - while Bjørn, Mike and I boated on to the Anderton Boat Lift where we moored up and waited for them to return to the boat.
Finally at 4 pm I kissed Mike goodbye and the boat set off on Week 2 while Bjørn drove Malcolm and me back to the boatyard. Then I gave Malcolm a lift to Richmond before finally getting home at 8.30 pm for a much needed shower and a beer. Suki slept all the way on both journeys - absolutely whacked.
