May Day Bank Holiday trip to Whitchurch (Saturday 30/4/2016)

Engine reading at end of day: 184.9hr Miles:7.5 Locks:10 Liftbridges: 2

Bright start to the day. Boat went by early. Next not till 07:45. Andrew up just after 07:00 as usual. Set off 08:10.

Through the manual Wrenbury Church Lift Bridge and the electric Wrenbury Lift Bridge without major problem. Miscalculated the flow on the Llangollen Canal while doing the manual lift bridge and boat drifted back under the bridge as I was about to lower it. Certain amount of swearing, pulling and re-tying soon sorted the problem. 

The electric bridge no longer has the loud sirens which were annoying the neighbours. Now a disembodied voice repeatedly says "Stand clear of the hatched area".

Through Marbury Lock then coffee stop 10:10 just below Quoisley Lock.


Through Quoisley, Willeymoor and Povey's Locks without incident.

Heavy hailstorm while negotiating the lower locks at Grindley Brook. As in the middle of the flight, just had to shelter under Tilley hat and carry on manfully! Slowed things down as ground got quite slippery and did not risk step across lower lock gates.

Luckily there was a lockkeeper working on the Grindley Brook staircase which made life a lot easier. Needed to let down some extra water as got a bit grounded in the middle lock of the staircase.

Arrived at the Whitchurch Arm by 13:55. Winded in basin and moored up facing the right way for the return journey.

Quiet afternoon / evening as rain came in again... 

May Day Bank Holiday trip to Whitchurch (Friday 29/4/2016)

Engine reading at end of day: 179.1hr Miles:3.5 Locks:5

Andrew solo trip to Whitchurch. Got to Swanley Bridge Marina around 15:30 after stop at Tesco for supplies. Filled water tank and emptied ash-can. Had hoped that would not be needing fire by this point in the year but still cold and windy...

Out of marina about 16:20. Through Swanley Locks and Baddiley Locks solo without problems. Amazing how quickly working locks solo gets you into canal mode. Work just disappears! Cold with a little light rain.

Nice quiet mooring near Bridge 18 (Starkey's Bridge). Beer and chicken wings for dinner. Read "Still Alice" - remarkable book!

Glow plugs sorted

The engine had been getting difficult to start, turning over for ages before firing, despite a full 30 seconds on the pre-amp setting. Lots of white smoke emitted until it did eventually start running and settle down.

Arranged for Nantwich Canal Centre's engineer to come and have a look. Initial telephone discussion did suggest that one or both glow plugs were either not working or carboned up.

Turned out that both glow plugs were dead...  Unfortunately, because the plugs fit to the engine with an adapter, they are a different type which needed to be procured overnight.

They duly arrived and were fitted. Note: the plug needs to be fitted to the adapter first and then the adapter to the engine...

Once in place and after just 20 seconds pre-warm, the engine started immediately with no white smoke.  Amazing difference!

Sets us up nicely for trips out over the summer!