Thursday was a great travel day. I met up with a lovely couple and we worked our way through lots of locks and swing bridges. It’s much easier with an extra hand and for two narrowboats to be in a lock together (less bouncing around). Bill, Sue, and Sam were great company and I hope to see them soon as even though they went on ahead, they are turning around and coming back in a few days.

I had thought about staying an extra night in Newbury but changed my mind when I arrived. It wasn’t that interesting, just seemed a bit industrial. So I spent the night, intending on leaving the next day. Then in the morning I walked along the canal looking for some information, and came across the actual town! It’s got a great High Street, lots of pubs and shops, and looked very nice. So I stayed another night after all. I tried to get tickets to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at a local theatre but unfortunately it was sold out. I also tried to go see Highclere Castle  but it’s not open until July. They have a special opening on July 1st for Canada Day, apparently the 4th Lord Carnarvon was instrumental in facilitating talks with Sir John A. Macdonald and others in 1865 and 1866 concerning the formation of Canada. Lost of documents and stuff on display. They also, of course, have a tremendous Egyptian collection from the 5th Lord Carnarvon’s funding of the discovery and excavation of some Egyptian pharaoh named Tat, or Tot, or something. Oh, and it’s the set for Downton Abbey too.

(Small print: Not my picture)

So I spent Friday walking around Newbury. It’s a nice town, an interesting mix of the old and new. It’s got the requisite parish church, built in the 15th century (on the ruins of an older one of course). It’s a great example of the ‘perpendicular’ style, or later Gothic. Really beautiful stained glass too.

I also did a bunch of shopping, I finally have all the bits that I think I’ll need. So over the next few days, if the weather holds and I find good moorings, I’ll attack some more of the items on the ‘to do’ list.

I took the opportunity of a relaxed day to catch up on the pub crawl statistics. Two today, not a record but it’ll do. Neither were particularly noteworthy, the first was a chain pub apparently, but with a name like ‘The Slug and Lettuce’ you’d never know it. Nicely on the canal though. The second, for dinner, was a bit more traditional but the 90’s music was a bit loud (I’m old, remember?). It had a better name too, ‘The Lock Stock & Barrel’. It was right next to the Newbury lock, after all.

So, all in all, a nice town, and a pleasant stay. It was strange in the morning, not moving on. I’ve become quite accustomed to starting out early and cruising quietly along, with the world just drifting by. But I did enjoy exploring the town, and I am glad to have picked up the stuff I needed. I’m looking forward to the next few days too, I’ll pass the high point soon, where I start descending the locks. Then, all too soon, is the dreaded Caen Hill Flight. I’d better start doing pushups.

So, here’s another update. I feel like I’m really getting into the swing of things now. I’m cruising for a few hours in the morning and early afternoon, then mooring somewhere awesome, eating and relaxing for a couple of hours, then doing some work on the boat. That was the plan, and that’s what I’m doing.

So far I’ve done a lot of sanding and a bit of varnishing, some wire brushing and painting, and fixed many small things.

I still need to find more LED bulbs for the interior lights, nearly every single one was burned out (not LEDs) but I was only able to find 12 replacements. There’s about 22 just in the deck head (ceiling). I’ve replaced cupboard door clasps, handles, and hinges. Windows blind repairs. Plumbing issues. Caulking. It seems endless but I’m enjoying making things right. Soon I’ll look around and won’t be overwhelmed with jobs ‘to do’!

The cruising has been spectacular. I realized what it’s like (most of the time); The Jungle Cruise in Disneyland! Without the cheesy jokes and animatronics, but almost identical otherwise! I’ll try to get some video…it’s uncanny. Narrow twisty canals, throaty diesel rumbling quietly, the forest completely overgrown to the water’s edge. There was even some hanging vines that Tarzan could have swung on! It was just Ivy I suspect but it sure looked the part.

There’s been a lot of swing bridges, which are a bit annoying. I have to tie up the boat, block the road traffic, open the bridge, run back and move the boat through, tie up again and run back to lower the bridge and let the traffic through. It would be much quicker with an extra person, and less annoying for the drivers. Most of them have been electric, you simply push a button and it’s all automatic. One of them however was out in the middle of some fields and was Doug-powered. And not that easy…good thing nobody was waiting for that one!

Here’s my mooring for the night. I’m on the ‘offside’ (non-towpath) which is actually not allowed since it’s private property. But I couldn’t get into the correct side, it’s just too overgrown. And the ‘landowner’ here appears to be a train track and motorway. Not a single train yet and the highway noise isn’t bad so I’m happy here. It’s an absolutely magical looking location too, completely overgrown. And, since the towpath is on the other side of the canal, nobody is walking by trying to look in my windows.

Just a quick note today. Nothing much to report. Spent the whole day at a lock landing near where I started, seems I had water in the fuel. I got it sorted eventually, and I am now at a pub. I was lucky it happened while in a lock and not fighting the current next to a weir or something (those are scary places where the canal overflow runs down and can suck the boat sideways if you don’t pay attention). But seriously? The pub was just a mile up the canal! Why couldn’t it have waited just another few minutes? But it was an awfully pleasant spot to spend the day in the engine compartment. And not as hot as yesterday so it was really a perfect ‘repair’ day.

So I’ve finally pulled the plug (literally) and left the marina. As soon as I hit the Thames I knew that it wasn’t going to be quite as stress-free as I had imagined. The current was indeed quite stong. There were warnings for the last few days about the flow, not to go out, etc. but as the levels had dropped back to normal I wanted to take a chance. So out I went. It was a very short distance to the mouth of the Kennet & Avon Navigation (not a canal yet!) so I started up.

My first lock went fine, an easy one. Here is Cool Change in that first ever (for me) lock.

Then there was some interesting messing about trying to hit a traffic signal button (stops traffic coming the other way for 12 minutes through the narrowest part of Reading) but finally a passerby pushed it for me. I threw them a Canada frisbee for their trouble.

Then the real fun started. The current (against me) was substantial and a small miscalculation on a tight bend put me into the weeds. And I don’t mean dandilions. These were full-grown trees, hanging over the river. I gave it full power and aimed the stern into the bushes in an effort to pull the bow out and through the eye of the current. Luckily it worked, and without catching anything in the prop. But it left a lot of evidence on the deck!

Needless to say, I paid better attention after that. Some pretty easy cruising for about another hour and a half and I came to Fobney Lock. The book warned about current on the lock landing (where you tie up while you go and prepare the lock). No kidding! A river running in from the left, the lock in the middle, and a waterfall hitting the starboard bow on the landing. And the lock is quite deep (or so it seemed to me, being my third single-handed one ever) but I took my time and all was well.

As I was waiting for it to fill, I talked with a family nearby. They warned me about the Caen Hill Flight (29 locks in one day) and offered to meet me there in a week or so and we’d go through together! Another frisbee offered and appreciated. I wish I had brought more of them.

My home for the night… My gawd this is awesome.

I made this quick and dirty video to try to show the boat, at least from the inside. Sorry about the quality, still working out what I can upload and what I can’t. I’ve had to reduce it quite a bit for bandwidth. But either way, have a look at my ‘new’ boat!

I had the opportunity to attend the Crick Boat Show (again thank you for the ride Jamie), the largest canal boat show in England. I hoped to learn lots about the narrowboat world but wasn’t really prepared for the whole experience! These people know how to party…meet new best friends. Chris, Julie, and Poppy, you <made> the weekend for me. Best.Time.Ever.

I decided to camp in order to really get into it. Little did I or anyone else anticipate the storm that was to hit on Sunday night. I’ve never in my life experienced such continuous thunder and lightening, and for so long. I managed to stay dry although the dance ‘floor’ wasn’t so lucky…

The show itself was a showcase for canal boats and all the ‘stuff’ that goes with them. New boats were everywhere, which I completely ignored. I didn’t go into a single boat, new or used. I am happy with my choice, I don’t want to see something that I wish I had or had bought instead. I did, however, buy a ton of stuff! It was a great place to pick up canal or boat-specific items like a windlass, tunnel light, mooring chains, LED bulbs, the list is endless. Good thing Jamie has a large boot (come on, you know what that is…).

Although some thought it was a smaller show than previous years, there were still a huge number of boats there. This is a short section of the adjoining Grand Union Canal looking toward the pub (that’s just how I orient myself now).

So I had an amazing day. Jamie, the broker that sold me my boat, asked if I’d be interested in helping him deliver a ‘classic’ boat down the River Wey to the Windsor Racecourse on the River Thames for a client. Needless to say…

We went through four locks altogether, three we did ourselves and one with a lockkeeper. So it was actually a great introduction for me.

We cruised past some amazing scenery and sights. This is a truly beautiful and peaceful area next to one of the busiest cities in the world.

Note the date on the Thames lock sign! The horse barn (where the working horses were rested) is of similar age. Some of the homes along the way (or the Wey) were amazing, and I’m assured they come with amazing price tags. This area is close enough to London for many wealthy people to be able to live here and work in the city. Many sports stars, politicians, and other famous people have homes along this stretch.

Seems that other than cleaning and buying stuff, the big news is the wildlife around here. The swans’ eggs have all hatched, I think there’s nine! They’re mostly huddled togethers and so fuzzy it’s hard to tell. Three have been in swimming, once they’re all in the water I’ll get a better look.

The coots are still sitting, they should be hatching soon too I assume. I’ve never seen a baby coot (cootlet?), something to look forward too.

Bad news for the Canada Geese though. Yesterday there were four goslings, but just two this morning. Someone told me yesterday that the pike get them. Quite sad actually, they are really cute.

Several other species around; mallards, mergansers, kites, stupid singing shitheads that start at 4:00 AM, kitty cats, and dogs galore.

Went for my first ‘cruise’ today. Moved over to the pumpout, with a little help from Dave and Bob. I guess they didn’t trust me to not bash my way there and back on my own! It went well, no damage and I got back into my slip without incident. I feel ready to go now! The next big hurdle is doing my first lock… I’ll be going to a big boat show on the upcoming ‘Bank Holiday” (long weekend) where I’ve signed up for a boat-handling course. I’ll be a true expert after that, I’m sure!

Driving one of these things is remarkably like pushing a pencil.

It’s surprising how much ‘stuff’ we need to run a household. I’ve loaded the boat down with odds and ends, and I’m still adding to the list of things to get. Nothing like starting from absolute scratch.

On a personal note, I’ve been keeping this blog as much for a diary as for letting my friends know what I’m up to. I didn’t honestly think anyone would read it, but it’s amazing me that so many of you are actually paying attention! Please let me know if there’s anything I can add to make it more interesting. I can’t always add many pictures due to limited internet, even here in the marina it’s fairly sketchy. I’ve now got a real camera working (couldn’t get the pictures off the SD card) so here’s the first…

Got a few hours in washing the hull, but was almost a waste of time. I can’t believe the amount of lime in the water here! Looks worse after washing (dishes are the same). I still feel better, got the poop off at least. Too hot though, the steel just evaporates the wash water before I can get it rinsed. So I had to settle for a drink in the shade instead. I figure 3-4 hours of work a day is more than enough.

Oh, there’s some action on the nest too, first glimpse I’ve had. At least two have hatched today;

There is also a coot nest nearby (they keep moving it for some reason). With the Canada Goose family swimming about it’s quite a hive of activity. And I saw an absolutely enormous, fat fish (perch?) swim under the boat. Had to be 2′ long and 1′ across. Apparently there’s tons of food (goslings?).

And damn there’s a lot of willow (?) seeds floating around!! I need to leave the windows and doors open since it’s so bloody hot, but that means there’s as much fluff floating around inside as out! Not many bugs though, so there’s that.

Gotta say, Amazon is the way to buy stuff when you don’t have a car. They have a big bin at the marina, it’s where the delivery people put packages. I can’t have post sent here (it’s not legally a residential marina) but they will courier stuff. And it’s usually free delivery so there’s no downside. Can’t wait for the new toilet seat to get here. “Blonde Pine Effect”.

Sometime it’s the little things…

The big day has finally come. I have signed all the papers and taken possession at long last. Wendy helped me load everything aboard, and then also helped with the somewhat Herculean task of cleaning! Not to put too fine a point on it, it needed a good scrubbing. It seems like it’s been sitting for a while so needed a good airing and wash down. Well along on that now, she’s liveable and snug. I’ve been testing the systems, everything works well (as the survey said). I have heat and power, the stove works great, water is good (still flushing to make it fresher). All in all I’m a happy guy! A little celebratory bacon and Prosecco was in order!

The next job is to pick up some ‘essentials’, like a TV and WiFi router. I’ll have to use a SIM router and get a big data plan but that’s pretty cheap over here (compared to home). Paint and varnish, cordless sander, sanding disks, the list is nearly endless! It’s a bit of a problem with transport, the marina is about an hour’s walk from town. I’ll be researching bus options today. Uber is good too, about £10, if I’ve got lots of stuff. In addition, Jamie my broker has offered to drive me in whenever I need a lift. He’s been awesome, very helpful. Most of the bigger stuff I’ll order online and have delivered here to the marina.

My neighbours are a pair of swans with about 4 eggs, she’s been sitting since I got here (unless ‘he’ takes a turn, I can’t tell). I suspect the eggs must be getting close to hatching, seems pretty late. That’s me on the left, NOT the red one. If you look closely, it actually has shrubbery growing on the fenders.

Other neighbours (actual humans) are a very friendly lot, it’s a great little community here. I suspect that I’ll be sorry to leave, but I’m getting pretty anxious to start cruising. Once my deliveries have arrived I’ll be free to go!