I’ve just come across the following on the C&RT site. Some interesting images of the breach now the cofferdam is drained. Mark Penn’s aerial drone photos have given us a good idea of what has been happening, but it’s interesting to see footage from a lower level. With staff in the footage they give the cofferdam scale, showing the sheer size and depth of the Aire and Calder.
Sean McGinley is certainly being kept busy this year.
Scarborough
Tilly seemed to have a good night, her world calming down, just a shame that calm world was disturbed today.
After reclaiming the house over the last six months, (still plenty to do) we decided to have the carpets cleaned. Unknown stains on most carpets left for us by tenants and the aroma from spliffs, the smell now mostly dissipated. The new to us lounge and dining room carpets were looking decidedly manky, if we had the money we’d have been replacing them altogether, but we haven’t so a good clean would have to do instead.
So this morning everything bar the sofa and dining room table were moved from the downstairs rooms into the kitchen, access to sink and fridge kept clear. The upstairs items were either moved to different rooms or placed in bath tubs. Mick set about hoovering everywhere to be cleaned as I scrubbed a vinyl bathroom floor.
By the time we’d finished it looked like we’d never returned to the house. Tilly spent most of the morning in my work room, special dispensation given for un-supervised snoozing close to my Panto model whilst all the hoovering was happening.
The carpet cleaner arrived, neighbours had parked their cars outside our house helping to reserve the nearest spot. The chap laid out his hoses, told us his plan, started up his machine inside his van then had a cuppa chatting away to Mick. He did a good job, managing to shift all but the most stubborn of stains, magenta pink in the bathroom, but he did like to talk all the time with the noise from his machine polluting the street. Our poor neighbours! Poor Tilly still recovering from yesterday.
Several noisy hours later he turned his machine off and coiled up his hoses and peace and quiet returned to our part of Scarborough. He did mention that he gets complaints, I’m not surprised!
No furniture should be returned to the rooms for the next 24hrs. So we reorganised things in the kitchen and piled the dining room table high. This gave Tilly a good vantage point to look out for Bogey Face Alan.
Have to say it is so nice having clean carpets, only a few days to enjoy them though.
Tilly test drove her manicured claws. Having them trimmed by the vet yesterday means it’s a little bit troublesome to cling on as I climb. She says they will grown back, I HOPE so! But it is also nice not to get caught in the carpets all the time.
The Goole Escape facebook page had been getting a touch excited yesterday when crane mats had been seen arriving. Then this afternoon the crane arrived to go with them. Boaters started to prepare themselves as they may be able to move somewhere different.
The comments went quiet after half an hour of giddiness. Then around 4pm a C&RT notice came in.
Goole Caisson stop planks have been removed and the Caisson is now open. Navigation is now possible from Rawcliffe to Goole Caisson and onto Goole Docks. Navigation remains closed between Rawcliffe Bridge to Pollington.
By the end of the day at least one boat from Goole had been through the caisson and cruised past Rawcliffe, free again, well free to cruise for four miles. I suspect there will be lots of little jaunts up the way, we’ll be joining them to give Oleanna’s engine a good run before we head off up or downstream.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 caisson open! 6 rooms, 2 landings, 2 staircases clean, ahhh, 1 mountain of chairs, 1 more normal cat, thank goodness.
Goole/Scarborough
Thankfully the club closed not too late, well it was a Sunday night. The price board outside this morning suggested why everyone was getting so rowdy! £2.50 a pint!
We were up and had enjoyed some toast with peanut butter by the time Gary and Glynn arrived. First they had to move the boat that was due to come out this morning, the owner had been too keen despite having been told not to leave it on the slipway.
We rolled back the covers ready, put the tiller on then climbed down onto terra firma.
The tractor was brought round, all the vents, exhaust etc covered in tape, bow thruster grills bolted back on, the scaff poles were added to the trolley and the tractor was hitched up. All ready.
Gradually they backed her down the slipway.
Her stern getting closer to the water.
Then it started to get wet.
Had all those vents been closed off properly?
Deeper she went.
The stern deck just dipping under the surface
Before the stern decided it would rather float.
Thank goodness!
A quick check in the engine bay. The prop was turned for Glynn to check the stern gland packing, all good. As the office was closed we would have to return later on to pay, time to get out of the way.
We reversed up to where there was a gap in the moored boats. Mick popped Oleannas bow into the gap and brought the stern round. Without the stern button on he had to be careful (paint still curing). At one point he thought that he’d got something round the prop, but a big blast of reverse sorted that and we continued to turn.
Back along the lines of cruisers and out onto the cut, across the short distance before we turned into Viking Marina.
We carefully pulled back onto our pontoon and tied her back up again. Job done.
We’d timed our walk back round quite well as a ship had just reversed back into the docks and they were passing ropes down to moor up. Looked like the ship would be off loading the way it was sat in the water.
Now for the painful bit, paying! With the slipway in and out, jet washing, grinding the original blacking, 3 coats of 2 pack, new anodes and the stern gland repacked we were nearly into four figures! Ouch!!!
The boat that came out of the water this morning was having a survey done. Two people were walking round it, measurements and hull thicknesses jotted on the boat in chalk, a few rings around pitting. The boat is for sale, I wonder if the survey turned out how the prospective purchaser hoped?
We said our goodbyes to Gary and Glynn then walked over to see if David and Karl were at home for a chat with regards to escaping. There are quite promising tides this coming weekend, but other boats are aiming for the next set of good tides to head up to Selby. The route from there still isn’t possible after a lorry recently struck the swing bridge out of the basin. So people are likely to be heading back onto the Ouse and heading for Trent Falls.
Mick wanted to know if there would be enough time to reach Selby, leaving Goole an hour before high tide, then high tide at Selby being an hour later than at Goole, thus giving us a couple of hours to cover 16 miles. David seemed to think that we’d be fine, keeping with the tide all the way, hopefully arriving at slack water. Handy to have someone who’s done the trip before to talk to. Mick will still give the Lockies at Selby a call.
We moved the car back round to Viking Marina. Tilly’s Houdini shelf was sanded down, cleaned off and a coat of Danish Oil applied. Things that were in the fridge went in a cold bag and we were good to go back to Scarborough.
Back in Scarborough the afternoon took a slightly worrying turn. Tilly came to greet us when the front door opened, she’s normally chatty but soon gets distracted by things outside or decides that a snooze would be a good thing to do. But she kept talking to me, not leaving me alone. My fishfinger sandwich smelt ever so good for a cat who never ever ever has human food. I soon noticed when she sat still for long enough in her hyper state that she would start to shake, have tremors.
A call to the vet was made. Some pills we’d got to help her calm down for her up coming journey to the boat might have been to blame. But after the vet had been conferred with they were classed as not the problem as they only have natural ingredients in them. I made an appointment for her to be checked over.
The vet checked everything and only found that maybe her teary eye was a bit gungy. Everything else was just how it should be. She thought the twitching might be behavioural, had anything changed? We’ve been away most days, which she isn’t used to. It was decided to see how she was tomorrow and if I was still concerned they would do a blood test.
Back home Tilly calmed down and curled up on a cushion for the evening, thank goodness. Despite the vet suggesting we should continue with the calming pills I decided to not give her one today and see how she is tomorrow, then maybe try again. We do however have some eye drops for the next 7 days.
An expensive day, blacking, vets bill and a new C&RT licence!
0 locks, 0.19 miles, 1 very wet stern, 1 wind, 2 lefts, 2 rights, 1 boat back on her mooring, 2 boaters considerably poorer, 1 theatre designer looking for work, 3 hours of a hyper cat, 1 busy afternoon, 12 month license, 7 days eye drops.
Goole
Yesterday wasn’t quite a day off. It was time to put a coat of paint on the bathroom walls. As I opened the tin of paint I’d bought about a month ago I realised I’d bought a tin of butterscotch angle delight!
Mick drove to Hessle to meet a man about a chair, then went to say hello to his mum at Hessle Foreshore, a rather lovely place to rest close to the Humber Bridge. It did also mean he got to see the next couple of ships heading for Goole and Howden Dyke too.
The second coat was done this morning, the edges cut in whilst Mick cooked breakfast and then the roller came out to fill in between. The floor just needs a good clean now and that room will do.
We collected together the visitor bedding for the boat, all of which has had a good wash this week. The dinette cushion covers had come up clean, but sadly a seagull had decided to leave it’s mark on one of them! Tilly was left in charge again as we drove over the Wolds back to Oleanna.
The sun had gone in and there was a keen chilly wind, a shame the first job was to do a second coat on the tunnel bands. I’d bought myself a couple of brushes this week, one for cream one for red, to add to the collection, one for each paint or varnish.
Sadly even though I thought I’d cleaned them out well the new brushes were not nice and soft. By the time I got towards the end of each tunnel band they were just starting to soften up again. Not my best purchase, so instead of cleaning them out they headed straight for the bin. I’ll hunt out some better brushes with thinner bristles next time.
Inside Mick was starting to battle with putting the dinette covers back on. The fabric was dry clean only, but we’d risked a gentle wash in the machine. They were certainly a tight fit. Unfortunately once the cushion was back in the first cover the zip broke, this happened on another one, so with the zipper that had come off when we removed them the other day there were now three cushions to sew back into their covers.
The fabric had grown over the last four years and by the end of the evening thankfully they were settling down again.
Mick put the bow fenders back on. Having the chance to stand and fit them in front of the boat meant it was easier to attach them, altering how the lower fender sits to give better protection to the lower bow when we go up in locks. There had been a bare bit of steel on the stem which is why we bought the extra fender. Hopefully the bare patch won’t return.
Duvets and pillows were returned to under the sofa in their vacuum bags. Air sucked out as they went in to aid them fitting into the space.
Then all the paints, sandpaper everything was sorted through. Excess white spirit and the sander boxed up to head back to the house. The bow locker where paint is kept had a sort out, job done.
All afternoon cars had been turning up and people were enjoying a drink or several at the Boathouse club. As the afternoon progressed so did the merriment and the noise. Looking over at the marquee alongside the bar it looked chocka, where had peoples social distancing gone? We were very glad we’d taken a bottle of wine with us and could stay well out of the way.
They got louder and louder, one lady in particular could be heard above everyone else. We’ve once been into the club for a drink with the Margees several years ago, the beer was nice and it was a pleasant quiet atmosphere. Today was completely the opposite. There are a few minutes of Line of Duty we’ll have to watch again as we couldn’t hear them it was that loud. I personally don’t understand why they all hadn’t gone home to watch the TV!
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 bathroom painted, 5 cushions squeezed in, 3 seams sewn, 2nd coat, 1 full sofa, 1 list of missing items, 1 tidy paint locker, 2 chillis, 1 bottle wine, 1 extreamly noisy pub, 2 quiet boaters, 2 shots, 1 body, 1 high tide, 1 scrapyard fire finally out.
Goole
An early alarm again with the hope of getting two coats of paint on the gunnels today, one before it got too hot the other as things start to cool down again.
We didn’t quite manage to get to Goole as early as we’d hoped but I was soon masking off the cratch press studs at the bow and the tunnel band curves at the stern. When I stocked up on red paint I also ordered some posh masking tape, low tack, I used this around the curves and then backed it up with some wider masking tape I’ve been using to protect carpets in the house when painting skirting boards.
A new tin of Epifanes black multiforte was opened up and given a big stir. This paint isn’t as hard as other paints that people use on their gunnels, but if you are having a tussle with your gunnels, they are likely to get marked anyway, so I use this paint as it’s quick drying 6hours between coats and easy to touch up on a regular basis. Well I’ve not got round to doing it regularly yet, but that was the aim. I also like the satin finish.
I decanted an amount I hoped would do one gunnel into a pot with a lid, easier to carry round and saves the main tin of paint from too much exposure. With a brush and foam roller I started at the port side bow and worked my way backwards. This is the side that gets the sun for most of the day, so I wanted to get a coat on before it warmed up which would mean the paint going off too quickly.
I then moved round to the starboard side and worked backwards again, followed by a coat on the rubbing strake between the tunnel bands.
I removed the masking tape from the curves, from here on the tunnel bands would be painted free hand.
When Oleanna was built I decided that we would only need three colours for touch ups, Blue, Ruby Red and Cream. So the tunnel bands are painted in the same colours. The cream went on okay, maybe a bit of conditioner would have given me more time where the sun was hitting it, but once painted it looked like a good finish.
Then the red. I cut in around the curves, top and bottom and worked my way across to the shady side. It was going on beautifully, but I could already tell it would need more than one coat! My plan to finish painting today thwarted.
Now I could remove the masking tape from over the exhaust, so that Mick could run the engine after lunch.
Mick had spent the morning finishing off his RYA VHF radio course. There is a test to pass before being able to sit the final one to one exam. He was sitting smugly having passed with 100%! He just needs a test centre to be open now to sit the exam.
We got chilly toes as we had lunch, no shoes allowed inside until the oil has had time to harden off. Then Mick was banished outside, anything we might want later put on the bed, a final sweep through the cabin and a second coat of oil applied to the floor. On Sunday I may give the Houdini shelf a coat to smarten it up before the second mate moves back on board.
By now the first coat of Epifanes was very dry, so I worked my way back round the boat with the second coat. This went on a lot quicker and a gentle breeze meant the sunny side wasn’t too hot.
Painting in the rubbing strake at the stern I realised I’d be needing to put a second coat on both the cream and red as the occasional stray brush hair found it’s way onto the cream.
A lady who’s been in the dry dock this week popped over to ask how I’d done the curves on my tunnel bands. I just followed what was already there. She’s wanting them on her boat, which hasn’t had them before. I suggested using a plate or pan lid that fitted the space to mark out the shape. She was impressed with mine suggesting I was a professional.
Whilst working down the starboard side I realised that there was dust in the air. This was coming from the chap working on his boat next to ours. He’s been very chatty as he’s been working away grinding and welding his labour of love. I couldn’t stop what I was doing, so hoped it would be okay. The chap suddenly stopped realised I was painting and he might be creating dust, so he kindly stopped and went to do something else.
With two more foot to go I somehow managed to flick my roller tray over, an extra jot of paint just added to get me to the end! The roller must have stuck to the tray. Damn!! All down the ladders and my dungarees!
I scooped much of it back up and finished painting. So much for being called a pro!
Time to remove the masking tape at the bow. the posh stuff came off a treat, but the wide B&Q stuff had welded itself on. It took forever to peel it off, when I say peel it was more like scrape it off! Have to admit I gave up before it was all removed, I’ll have a go at it with the sticky stuff remover.
A careful tidy up was needed to avoid black paint getting everywhere. The ladders have been going in the car each day, but today they would get stashed under the pram cover. My dungarees were folded carefully then laid out to dry off. A shame they were left on the boat as I could do with them to finish the bathroom in the house!
Whilst we tidied away we chatted with the chap next door. Each afternoon he’s been there beavering away at his old wooden topped narrowboat with the assistance of a friend. His friend is 85, he himself 75. Mick asked if he was from Crockey Hill (painted on the side of his boat) a small village to the south of York. He was. We then mentioned that I was from Fulford only a few miles away.
It turns out that he went to the same school as I did, although twenty years before my time the kids went up to age 15, only 11 for me. We compared notes. It turns out we had some of the same teachers. Mrs Rigby, formidable but great if you were upset about anything. I then mentioned Mrs Thomas, without prompting he recounted a tale of when he was in her class he wore hobnail boots that collected snow on his way to school. They would then leave a puddle of water under his chair. Mrs Thomas would then spank him as she thought he’d wet himself. When I was in her year I spent a lot of that year not feeling very well and managing to avoid school as much as possible. She is the reason I falter at spelling certain words and I missed learning the rules for there, their and they’re. An evil woman.
But blimey, our neighbour for the week, twenty years my senior went to the same school. A small world indeed.
0 ,locks, 0 miles, 2 coats black, 1st coat tunnels bands, 2nd coat oil, 100% Yay!!! 1 messy pro painter, 20 years, 1 school, 1 teacher, 1 crap roll of tape.
Scarborough/Goole
Our alarm had been set this morning, ever so early, it was still dark when it went off. No time for a cuppa in bed, no time for a cuppa or breakfast. We climbed into our clothes said goodbye to a puzzled Tilly and climbed into the car. Where were we going at such an early hour? The seafront.
With sunrise at 5:43 am we wanted to be there in good time aiming for 5:30 We parked on West Pier, parking free at that time and walked to our destination which was in front of the Grand Hotel on the beach.
Here there was activity, Dawn and Lee from Animated Objects were busy drawing in the sand, waves and boats. Standing close by their ‘Lighting up the Coast’ sculpture, all part of The Odyssey.
They have been touring the sculpture, an upturned boat, along the Yorkshire coast for a week at dawn and dusk as a taster of what is to come, today was their last day. The next chapter is coming in May.
A small group had gathered and it was a lovely chance to say hello to some old friends as the light changed around us. Scarborough Lighthouse with the aid of the rising sun upstaged everything. Sometimes it is so worthwhile getting up really early and this was most definitely one of those times.
Back to the house for breakfast, then back over the Wolds to Goole.
Gary and Glynn were busy with the very smelly top coat of the 2-pack blacking. Pear drops! Blimey!! We opened up the boat, but kept all the windows closed.
My aim today was to get the primer on the gunnels sanded back and maybe even get a coat of paint on them. The top coat of blacking is shinier than the previous coats and once cured very hard, Glynn said it would take about four hours to go off. Not wanting to end up with dusty blacking I decided to hold off with the sanding.
The bedroom oak floor got it’s first coat of oil. The wood was so thirsty I knew I’d be wanting to give it a second coat. Lunch was had before I got on with cleaning the main cabin floor. With the back steps removed I washed the floor using sugar soap to help remove any greasy bits. It’s surprising how much it has changed colour in four years, where Tilly’s food mat and scratch post normally live there are patches of the original paler colour.
A bit of sanding was needed to remove a few marks, maybe next time I do this I’ll use a sander and give the whole floor a sand back. The engineered flooring we have has something like 9mm of oak, so there is plenty to play with.
By now a good few hours had passed for the 2-pack top coat to have fully gone off so it was time to start sanding the primer. This proved a bit harder than I thought, some grittier paper was needed which sadly didn’t fit the sander. But I’d found that I was either being too heavy handed with the sander and taking too much off or the paper was tearing. So I ended up resorting to hand sanding. This all took sometime, far more than I’d thought it would. End result, well I think if we had more time I’d have applied another coat of primer to get the level higher where I’d taken it back to the steel. So the gunnels won’t look brand new, they wouldn’t after a couple of weeks cruising anyway!
Meanwhile Mick spent some time in the engine bay. He drained down the cooling system to check for any crud, luckily the coolant was clean. There was a request for the endoscope so that Mick could see right down inside to where the crud had collected on the Thames. All clear! Brilliant.
Just a shame a bucket of coolant got knocked over in the engine bay. Our wet/dry hoover was stuck inside, but Glynn leant us the boatyards so all could be cleared up. The system was filled back up using up any spare coolant we had. Tomorrow Mick will run the engine to check for air locks.
The tunnel bands got some undercoat. No need to cut in on the cream band as the black will be having a couple of coats, but the red band I did as best I could with a brush a touch too big for the job.
Then the first coat of oil on the main cabin floor. My dungarees were so dusty I changed into my jeans and knelt on a blanket whilst I applied the oil. I worked from stern to bow, taking a little breather in the bathroom then gave the bedroom it’s second coat. Luckily everything we wanted to take home had already been moved outside.
The last bit of floor was the hardest as I reduced it to a one foot sized bit, then had to lean over from the front steps, supporting myself on the bed to get that piece. It was quite hard to stand up again. The front door could be locked and all left to go off overnight with no feet or paws to spoil it.
0 locks, 0 miles, 5am alarm, 1 stunning sunrise, 1 confused cat, 120 better than 240, 1st coat of oil, 2 hours sanding, 0.5 bucket of coolant, 1 pink damp engine bay, 1 hoover blowing, 4 trips back and forth, 2 undercoats, 1 fire still going, 1 crane, 1 boat raised from the depths, 1 long day.
Another sunny Saturday another set of photos from Mark of the breach site. Thank you as always.
I have to say I wasn’t expecting much to have happened in the last week and to a certain extent not much has.
The access road into the cofferdam has been extended, lots more white aggregate has been piled up against the northern piling. This looks like it now goes over where the big puddle was last week.
They have dug out the silt/clay before adding the aggregate.
Along the piling there are a couple of yellow cables/pipes/sticks? No idea what these are for, maybe markers showing where the drain goes underneath.
It’s interesting comparing last weeks photos to this week.
There may be another yellow post on the southern side standing up above all the water pipes.
Whitley Lock, the next one up from Pollington has now developed a fault, a hydraulic leak making the paddles and gate inoperable. So unless contractors have been able to sort the problem this afternoon then the route between Pollington Lock and Sykehouse Lock on the New Junction Canal is closed again. Hopefully the problem won’t take long to fix.
Yesterday there was a chap who brought a little boat to Goole Boathouse to launch for a day out. He was unaware that the caisson had stop planks in it but as his boat wasn’t that deep it was thought that if he lifted his outboard engine he’d be able to glide over the top. His original plan was to head up to Pollington Lock, but Mick pointed out that he’d be lucky to get that far. The chap returned late afternoon quite astounded that the canal was totally blocked off at the breach site. Even so he’d had a lovely day out.
Scarborough/Goole
Having a hire car made this morning that little bit easier and more comfortable for Tilly than her bike ride a year ago. Saying that she hates being in a car.
This morning it was time for Tilly to catch up with us and have her annual jabs. I only need one, unlike She and Tom! I’ve registered Tilly at the vets we used to use in Scarborough for Houdini, although in the last year the vets I knew very well (due to Houdini having monthly visits) have retired.
Today, as happened in Nantwich last year, a vet came outside to collect Tilly with full PPE on. I explained that she wasn’t your average house cat and please could I go away with a years worth of flee and wormer treatments, this costs a lot in one go, but is normally cheaper than joining a pet club which would be pointless for us anyway.
Claudia checked Tilly’s eye which was just normal, teary, gave her her jabs and returned her to us. She had been weighed, thank goodness one of us has lost weight during lockdown! Nothing to worry about as we know the reason, buying cat food on mass is guaranteed to dull your cat’s appetite!
I then had chance to ask how we could make her upcoming car journey back to the boat less stressful. A product was suggested that comes in pill form (Zylkene), taken for a few days before we move back onto the boat she should become a touch more relaxed about the world in general. I’ve ordered a packet to see how she goes, I’ll also give the cat caravan a squirt of Feliway too.
The cat caravan has come out of storage, this used to belong to Houdini who made lots of visits to the vets. Hard plastic and easier to clean than Tilly’s escape pod, so this will be used for Tilly to transit back and forth to the boat. It also means her escape pod will stay being a favourite place for her.
Once Tilly was safe back at the house we were off heading back to Goole. Our arrival was delayed as a ship reversed back through a bridge ready to descend Ocean Lock.
Gary and Glynn had already applied the second coat of blacking and Oleanna was sitting in the sun hardening off.
First job wash off the fertan which had done it’s job overnight. After a spot of lunch I touched up the bare steel with a layer of primer. Hopefully this will bring the paint level someway back up to meet the old top coat.
With two coats of 2-pack on the hull Glynn set about welding on a new set of anodes, these gradually disintegrate due to electrolysis therefore protecting the hull. Then Glynn moved on to replace the packing in Oleanna’s stern gland. Mick does know how to do this but preferred to have someone else do it and it was the perfect time being out of the water.
Mick spent some of his time working on the Alde Boiler, connecting it to the AC2 (not AC 12) output on the Victron Inverter. It was tested on the electric and checked to see if he could see it on the VRM website statistics. It was there. If we’d been able to do this earlier it may have saved us a bit of money on our electric bill at Viking Marina. We’d left the heating to come on if the temperature dropped below 6C. This must have been quite a lot as our bill was quite high, but then we haven’t had to deal with any burst pipes.
News on the scrapyard fire today was that last night the fire brigade had to be called out again as the flames had got going. Today smoke was still coming from the site.
Before we headed back to spend some time with Tilly the bedroom floor was given a very good clean, hoovered and washed down with sugar soap all ready for a new coat of oil tomorrow. A much shorter day today, but tomorrow will make up for that.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 year of shore leave, 1 year of wormer, 1 year of flea treatment, just a shame they are monthly spot-ons rather than three monthly! 1 caravan, 0 digs, 1 veg box, 1 sainsburys delivery, 721 blobs of primer, 1 introduction, 1 boiler remote viewing, 1 spotless bedroom floor.
PS. Thank you to everyone who got in touch yesterday. It appears that Apple products were not able to display our photos correctly, especially on iphones. Well that is our theory. We have changed a setting on Jetpack, fingers crossed it has worked. Please let me know.
PPS. Following on from yesterday’s post. In Today 23rd April’s boaters update C&RT said a little bit more regarding the breach.
Permanent repairs to the breach on the Aire & Calder Navigation have begun at an estimated cost of £3million.
Due to the complexity of the project, we cannot guarantee that there will not changes to the project programme. We appreciate the significant disruption this temporary closure has caused, and we will endeavour to do all we can to re-open the navigation by mid-August Regular updates will be issued on our website as via our stoppage notifications.
I’ve been wondering how long before C&RT would give us an update regarding the breach. Sometime this morning they have updated the website page with the following.
Our engineers have now completed detailed inspections and a design solution has been agreed. We are starting construction work on a permanent repair programme and expect repairs to the breach site to be completed by mid-August.
The Trust is planning to remove the stop planks in Goole Caisson next week. This is expected to be completed by 30th April to allow passage past this point. The Trust is continuing to maintain water levels downstream of the breach.
We’ve always known that we wouldn’t be able to escape in the direction of the New Junction Canal for sometime. But if we’re hoping to return to Goole at the back end of the year we now know we’ll be able to via an easier route than Trent Falls, which is a relief as weather factors and daylight hours may have more bearings on a passage by then. It also opens up the possibility of crossing the Pennines via the Huddersfield Narrow and Standedge Tunnel.
News regarding the caisson stop planks will be a great relief to those who’ve been stuck at Rawcliffe Bridge since before Christmas, some of them are chomping at the bit to move to new moorings. It does also mean that before we descend Ocean Lock we’ll be able to give Oleanna a run up the cut to check everything is working properly before heading onto tidal water.
Goole
We didn’t quite manage to leave the house at 8.30am, but soon after with another boot load of things including a set of steps. Goole Boathouse will be blacking Oleanna for us, but I’m going to be doing above the top rubbing strake on the gunnels and refreshing the tunnel bands whilst she is out of the water.
The chaps had started to abrade patches where the blacking was flaking. We headed into the office for a catch up. Whilst cleaning Oleanna off for blacking they had been surprised at the amount of the previous layer that had been coming off her, certainly the area on the swim looked like it hadn’t been prepared properly.
Boats tend to be grit blasted after construction to get rid of mill scale which happens when the steel is rolled at the steel mill. This then gives a good key for the 2 pack blacking to stick to. It looked like either she hadn’t been grit blasted or a layer of grease had been left on her in places.
We talked through solutions. Not everywhere was flaking, some of the original layers had stuck as they should.
The best course of action would be to get her grit blasted and start again, but they don’t offer that service in Goole. For this we’d have to go elsewhere. We’d thought about using bitumen to give her a coat of something, then finding a boat yard for this time next year to get her sorted. But this was seen as a step backwards, even if we’ll end up getting her grit blasted next time she comes out of the water.
In the end we decided to carry on with the chaps removing as much of the loose layer as possible and then 2 packing over the top. She won’t look as good as she should but will have the best protection she can get right now. We’ll think about when and what to do over the next few months.
Time to get going on the gunnels. Dungarees on, tools at the ready.
We’d brought along our cordless drill and attached what I call the attachment of doom. One of these worked wonders on Lillian’s roof years ago, I was wanting to get back to the steel where rusty patches were. However our drill batteries are seriously on the way out, so after ten minutes the drill didn’t have enough umph anymore.
I was loaned an angle grinder with an attachment of Oblivion! A disc with a thick wire brush, this worked a treat. I was warned of the dangers by one chap, then the other suggested I should wear gloves. As I’d really rather not loose any more digits Mick hunted round for my Boaters PPE gloves which have leather fingers.
Now power tools are made for male hands, heavy and bulky. So two hands were needed at all times. I worked my way round attacking any rust spots getting them back to shiny steel. The chaps (I’ll try getting their names tomorrow) worked from bow to stern with the first coat of 2 pack. Once the catalyst is added there is an hour and a half in which you can use it before it goes off, so no stopping. I did feel a touch bad as their lovely coat of black then got covered in dust.
Then followed a little break, blimey my shoulders were aching. Time for lunch before starting with the orbital sander. The gunnels and tunnel bands got a good sanding back, I was glad I’d overestimated the number of sanding sheets I’d be needing only ending up using half of them.
Next a wash down before some fertan was applied to the areas I’d attacked the most. A misting of water back over the top of them to help the fertan do it’s job in killing off any remaining rust. My job list for the day was complete. It may take my hands, arms and shoulders a while to recover though!
Whilst I was busy working and topping up my vitamin D Mick was busy inside. He’s been wondering for a while why the Alde boiler doesn’t show up on any of the Victron statistics. It is of course a gas boiler, but when we’re hooked up it can work off the electric. So far we’ve had to be careful with what else we use at the same time. The electric kettle necessitates the boiler to be off. Mick had a good look round in the electrics cupboard and thinks that if the boiler was wired in a different way he’d be able to keep an eye on things better.
He checked in the cabin bilges by moving the fridge out. All was lovely and dry down there. The front step where the water pump lives was also checked, also dry. He pumped the accumulator up.
A mission to find a 20 litre container with a lid is on going. Before we head out onto tidal waters, Mick is wanting to check on the anti-freeze problem we had when on the Thames two years ago. A load of clinker/stuff clogged up cooling system and we don’t want this to happen again. If the coolant is okay it would be nice to be able to put it back into the system, saving replacing it and also the problem of disposing of it.
With the freezer having been empty for months the drawer has got stuck. Last time a few biffs on the back of the drawer (accessible from under the dinette seating) got it freed up. But this time it was being stubborn. More time is required for this along with a better solution to the problem of condensation.
He also had a chat with the chap from Goole Boathouse regarding Trent Falls. Choosing the right day and weather is the key. He would anchor rather than beach a narrowboat as when the flood comes in a wave can build up against your boat if you are beached. If anchored you still need to be ready to lift it and be on your way. A new copy of the Boating Association charts was purchased which means we now have charts from Naburn all the way to Cromwell.
A good day with lots of jobs ticked off the list. Loads more for tomorrow!
With regards to the scrapyard fire, there was still smoke coming off the site today, white and far far less than yesterday. Wonder how long it will be before it is fully out?
0 locks, 0 miles, 1st coat, 2 pack, 2 gunnels prepped in 1 day, 1 attachment of doom, 1 attachment of oblivion, 1/3rd sheet sander, 2 numb hands, 2 aching shoulders, 1 pooped Pip, 20 litre container needed, 1 obstinate freezer, 1 lonely Tilly.
PS For those who get the blog by email, are the photos appearing normally? Or only partially and in a line? Please let me know.