Still blustery this morning, we wondered how the boats heading to Keadby yesterday had faired. This morning a cruiser was penning down at 07:00, he was hoping to be able to turn at Trent Falls and work his way up the Trent against the tide. I’m so glad we are waiting for smaller tides and hopefully better weather.
Newbridge behind us
As we had breakfast David/Paul messaged me saying that Sea Maiden and WB Lullabelle were now booked with Selby for the same dates as us. A Whatsap group was formed between the three boats and David suggested downloading Nebo.
Nebo is a boat logging ap, it automatically logs your journey and you can see where your friends are on the water too. I suspect it is mainly used by boats at sea, but for our little flotilla it will mean we can monitor where we are, keep an eye on speed and each others position.
En route to Goole
I set it up on my phone and clicked start for our journey back into Goole. Not fully ofay with it before we pushed off (not now either), but it did show our position on the canal. Speed, weather and the next few hours of weather including temperature and wind speed, distance travelled etc. I could see David/Paul on the ap, but as yet I’ve not managed to add them to our friends list. There is plenty of time for that though.
The cofferdam just in hazy view
We pootled our way back to Goole, glancing over our shoulders towards the breach a van pulled up, but no diggers in sight today. Hopefully we’ll have a walk back down that end in a few days time.
oh poo!
Pulling in at the services on the Goole Boathouse side we’d timed our arrival very badly. The septic tank at the services was about to be emptied, the pooh tanker and hoses being laid out. With only three lumps of coal left on Oleanna we needed to stock up so we tied up and coped with the aroma as the tanker shuddered as the tank was emptied.
This should help the weather perk up
Back over to Viking we pulled in on our mooring, tied up and could hear what was possibly a newly hatched Moorhen. Mick did his best to hold onto his phone to get a photo, a Moorhen sitting on the nest. I think they were a bit miffed we’d returned.
Tail feathers just visible
Our shopping arrived and was stowed away, then I continued with work whilst Mick busied himself out the back. He tidied up the engine bay and carefully reattached the stern fender. These are heavy and quite awkward, luckily he didn’t drop it.
The stuff of life
A loaf of bread was mixed and kneaded, proved on the shelf and baked for Mick to eat over the next few days. He’s been banned from buying bread until at least one of the bags of bread flour is used up.
Thunderbolt
During the afternoon the sun shone, then the world went dark again. Big rumbles of thunder rolled over head followed by torrential rain. We’d left the cratch open and I got a good soaking closing it up.
Our troubled Christmas tree is starting to look a touch happier. It had really enjoyed being in the house at Christmas, so much so that it thought it was spring. It then got a shock when it wasn’t! It stalled with new yellow needles on the outside, the inner needles turning brown. But it is starting to show willing again with lots of new growth, here’s hoping being back on the boat it will be happy again. It just mustn’t grow too much otherwise it won’t fit inside!
0 locks, 4.06 miles, 2 bags coal, 0 shore leave, 1 pooh sucky machine, 4 boxes of wine, 1 thunderbolt completed, 1 fender, 3 bags rubbish, 1 lorry in the cut, 1 new ap.
Tilly was of course eager to go out this morning. The proximity of the Dutch River and the mounting wind gave us reason to move, not far but to the other side of the canal. So before breakfast we pushed off, pootled a short distance westwards, winded and then got blown into the side. Mick did his best to avoid grating the newly painted gunnels on the armco, but it was impossible to stop before the inevitable happened. I have to say I haven’t looked.
Trees!
On our new mooring there are fields that reach out to the M62, no drains for cats to get stuck on the far side of, or tidal waters to sweep her away. But there is also no shelter and the wind was really quite brisk, not ideal hunting weather.
Tilly came and went until she got bored of the blowyness, then resided herself to a sofa day.
Fishing results from yesterday if you are interested, Mick Bower was the winner with 45lbs 8oz of Roach. His win was £165, not a bad Sunday.
A day of panto painting for me. I moved onto the Cotswold Thunderbolt. Opening an art calendar I got for Christmas the other day I came across a painting of a fantastic ship which changed the way I wanted to paint the Thunderbolt. This meant re-making the model pieces to get cleaner colours. I gradually worked my way through the flats and so far I’m happy with it. Hooray!
The wind grew. Rain started. Blimey it got blustery out there!
Rainbows
Thunder started too as large anvil shaped clouds whisked their way overhead. Foot high waves skirted across the canal. Rain blew in down the side of the cratch cover and a small stream of water made it’s way across the well deck. The footage below was after the worst of the wind but the thunder rumbles on.
We were really glad we’d not gone out on the river today as others had. Two boats, one narrowboat and a widebeam had headed out from Ocean Lock with a Pilot. They penned out at 06:50, arriving at Blacktoft Wharf at 08:45. They were going to remain moored at the wharf until the tide turned at 15:05, a long wait in the howling gales and thunder. Hopefully they survived the afternoon and penned up at Keadby safely. We’ve not heard anymore on the group.
Something’s up with our radio
When the weather calmed down a touch, Mick put on his overalls and climbed down into the engine bay. Despite Oleanna not having done 750 hours between fuel filter changes he had decided to clean/ change them. There was a touch of crud and the fuel was a bit emulsified. That’s another check done before our departure.
Just the brown to do
Sadly he ran out of nappies and blue roll whilst doing the change, so nappies were added to our next delivery and a t-towel stuffed in the vent from the engine bay into the main cabin. Yes ventilation is very important, but neither of us wants to sit in a boat stinking of diesel all night.
Mick made a phone call to ABP to book our penning down onto the Ouse. This was his second attempt as there had been nobody suitable to make his booking with earlier in the day. So the second go was timed around high water. This time Mick was told to call back giving 48hours notice, we’re a while off that so will have to note it in the diary.
0 locks, 0.16 miles, 1 wind, 1 extreamly windy day, 5 thunderbolt flats, 1 windy bottom, 12.5lbs in the lead, 1 stove lit, 2 filters, 4 rainbows, 3 thunderstorms, 2 boats clinging on at Blacktoft.
Our neighbours nest just visible under the pontoon
The other day I’d found a gluten free white pudding in Morrisons so it was obvious that it needed some accompaniments. Mick worked his breakfast magic whilst I persuaded Tilly that being patient today would pay off, she grumbled at me and returned to bed.
Yum
After breakfast we made ready and pushed off reversing out from our mooring, turning to the west for a couple of nights of freedom. All but one of the boats on the visitor moorings were new, David/Paul and Karl along with WB Lullabelle must still be out and about, we’d no doubt see them later.
Leaving
When I was hunting for any information regarding the breach I joined the Aire and Calder Canal facebook group, not realising that first and foremost it was a fishing group. This now proves to be quite handy as I now know where the matches are being played along our stretch. Yesterday we could have ordered ourselves bacon and sausage rolls to be delivered to a fishing peg near Rawcliffe or New Bridge this morning, but we had a much better spread on board Oleanna.
Every garden should have a slide
We pootled out past Rawcliffe, I wonder whether the new occupants of what was The Black Horse will keep the house in a shoe slide and let moorers use it?
We passed numerous fishermen and looking up towards the bridge at Newbridge the count came to 40, but there was plenty of room for both boats and fishermen along the wide stretch of canal. Up ahead we could see a cruiser and widebeam that had pulled up when we came out here the other day, this was where David/Paul and Karl were along with Lullabelle. We pulled in a distance behind them right by a small wood. Lets just say Tilly’s excitement could be heard for miles!
Once we were tied up, our location from the trip computer noted, what3words taken down and the rules recited (excluding the bit about poohing in Damien’s garden!), the back doors were opened up and one very VERY happy cat launched herself into the friendly cover, ran part way up a tree and then came for a short walk where rocks in the canal caused her to do a Matthews double take.What were they doing in the water!?! Don’t they know they’ll drown if they don’t get out quickly! They obviously are not reminded of the rules everyday.
They are putting themselves at risk!
Mick and I walked up to chat with David/Paul and Martin all part of the Escape Committee. We talked of dates and an adjusted date due to my second jab, they were both up for accompanying us to Selby and then Keadby. At Selby none of us would be able to share the lock sadly, but if our arrival is spaced out we should be fine, departure I suspect the flat bottomed boats will leave first to be caught up by the cruiser.
The rest of the day was taken up with panto model painting and the cooking of a roast chicken, not quite managing to finish off the last sweet potatoes from Tree Top Press, one left.
Now for the stunning part of the day.
The sunset.
It started off quite dramatically with the amount of cloud cover.
The the sun dipped behind the horizon.
Colours shot up into the clouds above us which reflected themselves in the canal. The constant water flowing in from the pumps at the breach gives the water a gentle ripple.
Really quite magical. You don’t get such views from the house in Scarborough.
This is one of the reasons we love boat life.
0 locks, 3.85 miles, 1 big breakfast, 40 fishermen, 39 breakfast butties, 3 in the flotilla, 12 fingers 4 paws crossed for good weather, 1 cat who remembers boat life all too well, 0.75 hours late return for dingding, 1 roast chicken, 1 stunner of a sunset, 2 content boaters, 1 exhausted cat, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.
The forecast being dire, we decided not to move today. Well as we used to warn Tilly, ‘Don’t use the outside up too quickly’. As we currently only have four miles that we can cruise staying put in the marina wasn’t a bad option.
The day started out drier than we’d expected, but then it made up for it. Plenty of rain, the wind changing, pushing us away from the pontoon. This did mean that the moorhens had a touch more space to build their nest, under our pontoon. They are being so busy.
They collect sticks and grass, swim over to the pontoon then climb up a rope. Vertical or angled, doesn’t matter which, up onto the top of the pontoon, before dropping down onto the ledge below. It gets quite frustrating when the material they are carrying gets caught under their feet on the wobbly rope from our stern.
Round, a good way to spend the day
If I can find a good place for a camera then I’ll try filming them. Tilly of course has spent a lot of time watching their every move. She is grounded whilst we are in the marina, mostly because of our nearest neighbours. So when she’s not being kept amused she has spent much of the day being round in front of the stove.
The morning started off with the weekly Geraghty family zoom. Topics covered, doughnuts, the London Jewish Bakers Union, the Unicorn Scientists Party which we suspect will do better in years to come at local government level.
Version 2, Too busy
Then I got on with trying to work. I say trying as I seem to have a permanent panto block whilst painting my model. I decided to start on version three of the Inn backdrop. The first had been too dark, the second a touch too busy.
I traced out the design using tracing paper and carbon paper. Remember carbon paper that used to be used in typewriters, well I find it useful when tracing things, very handy when having to do lettering on scenery. You can print out your letters to the right size, lay them out, then use carbon paper to transpose them onto the set, it saves a lot of marking out or scribbling on the back of the paper.
Version 3
I worked away, blocking in the colours, trying to simplify the previous attempt. Then I looked back and realised a minor adjustment would give me a much richer version than I was currently working on! One day I’ll manage to do a scene in one go instead of going round in circles.
Mick had a chat with the Lockie at Keadby today, booking us in for our trip up stream on the Trent. Apparently a boat had left Goole this morning, when they had reached Trent Falls they had pushed against the out going tide and continued on up to Keadby. This boat took around six hours to reach the lock, where as if you waited for the tide to be in your favour it would maybe take two.
We’ve been toying with trying to cover as much tidal water as we can in a day. Could we make West Stockwith Lock instead of going up at Keadby? Yes this was possible, but the next day we’d still only reach Torksey as the tides are too late in the day to reach Cromwell Lock within working hours.
When the rain calmed down a little into the afternoon, Mick had a walk up to the Co-op for a newspaper, some carrots and eggs. The eggs were vital for this evenings dinner.
Lasagne
A few days ago I’d made double amounts of bolognaise sauce. So today I was going to make a Lasagne. I’ve totally given up on bought gluten free sheets of lasagne as they take so long to cook, even when par boiled before hand and turn out a touch pasty. I make buckwheat pasta with yoghurt, tapioca starch, egg, olive oil and psyllium husk. A bit of effort is worth it and today I got to try out the new dish I’d bought at Dunelm. Being pyrex gluten free flours seem to stick less to it and the corners are more rounded so the washing up is easier, so this makes Mick happier.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 wet day, 1 busy nest building moorhen, 3% of the vote, 0 night work, 3rd go, 2nd one wins, 1 round cat, 1 newspaper, 10 eggs, 2 many carrots, 1 dish approval.
This morning we went to see Laird, the chap who owns the marina, to hand our notice in. Mick is still working on actual dates for us leaving Goole, but having to give a months notice we really hope we’ll be gone within that time. We chatted things over with him and to see if he could impart any knowledge on Trent Falls, sadly he couldn’t as he’s never had the opportunity to cruise round here.
Get on with it!
The sun was out so we made ourselves ready to push off, it would be silly not to make use of a nice day by staying put now that there is a stretch of canal to cruise. With the extra ropes we’ve been using to tie up here due to fluctuating levels and a short pontoon this took a while longer than normal. I gave the bow a big push at the front and we reversed away from our mooring.
We turned right, away from the docks and headed towards the caisson. Three boats sat on the visitor moorings, this has been their home since November, all members of the Goole Escape group. We waved as we cruised past, conversations about dates soon to be had.
Turning out onto the canal
Exol Pride and Fusedale H sit tied together, going nowhere soon. Such a sad sight. No point in them heading up the way for jolly like us, they wouldn’t be able to wind for one thing, whereas we can do that almost anywhere along the stretch of canal heading out to the west.
At the old Waterways Museum carvings stand outside, one winking as the other reveals herself! We wonder if the moorings outside will ever be reinstated as it’s a very long length to be left empty.
The two and a half miles or so to Rawcliffe Bridge we only saw a few fishermen, no boats. Oleanna’s engine needed to be checked before she has to cope with tides, so Mick opened up the throttle, kept to the centre. This would be impossible on your average canal but at 3m deep and very wide it’s not too much of a problem going fast. She covered the water, me checking the temperature gauge every now and again, a steady 80C, all well.
Rawcliffe Bridge
A slight vibration noise was coming from below, we’ve heard this before when the weed hatch lid hasn’t been tightened down fully. Please note our weed hatch is completely separate from the engine bay, so therefore there is no chance of water entering the engine bay and causing us to sink. Maybe we need slightly thicker blocks of wood under the locking mechanism than before, or maybe the coats of blacking have affected something.
Happy boat
I’d been excited at the prospect of them pushing the outside away and moving it again. But now I wasn’t so sure! I told them as much at the back door, then I shouted at them! They ignored me and said I’d get used to it again!
We slowed our speed passing the marina at Rawcliffe Bridge. The boats here were stuck between the breach and the stop planks at the caisson for months with fluctuating levels. At least there is now a route out should they choose to take it and a short distance to pootle should they want to.
M62 to New Bridge
More fishermen lined the banks. The last little kink in the canal before the M62 bridge and we could make out New Bridge where just beyond the breach site is. I managed to zoom in with my camera. I could see the cofferdam, a chap in high vis and diggers moving about, all quite hazy at nearly two miles away.
Cofferdam ahead
We carried on to near the chimney that stands on it’s own on the north bank, winded and then pulled in. Now where were the mooring pins?! We’d need tyre fenders, these weren’t attached to ropes yet! We managed it in the end watched over by the second mate.
Stop faffing and let me out!
As Tilly knew where she was as soon as I opened the cat caravan the other day we had no hesitation in granting her shore leave. In fact a little bit of encouragement was required. A short walk along the towpath with plenty of sniffing and admiring the view, which contained no cats what so ever!
Tilly came and went working her way through quite a lot of ‘Thank you for coming home’ Dreamies. We had an early lunch and when Tilly reappeared she was licking her lips we suspect she’d found a friend to enjoy for lunch too. Her first in over six months.
A walk up to look at the breach was next passing numerous fishermen, apparently since the breach the fishing has been really really good along this stretch, maybe it’s something to do with the water being pumped round the cofferdam and all the extra air in the water.
Lots going on
I’m saving telling you about the breach until tomorrow as today was way too exciting for just one post and tomorrow will be a boring day in comparison.
Tilly had a few more hours coming and going, or snoozing on the bed through the afternoon. I got my work out and Mick worked on our escape plan.
From New Bridge
He made phone calls to the Lock Keepers at Selby and Keadby. Selby was just the answerphone, but a chap answered at Keadby. He was a relief keeper so wasn’t willing to offer advice. Over the next few days they were expecting several boats from our direction.
On Friday there is one boat headed out from Selby. They are hoping that when they reach Trent Falls or End, the tide will be such that they will be able to turn up onto the Trent as the tide turns and help push them up to Keadby, no beaching or anchoring for them.
Over looking Drax
Then on Monday three boats are setting out from Goole an hour before high tide. Originally this was two boats who had hired a pilot to go with them, another boat has decided to tag along. They will make their way to Trent Falls anchor for quite a few hours. Then about 40 minutes after the flow starts they will have enough depth to start to head up the Trent to Keadby. Mick estimates their journey will be around 12 hours and on a spring tide. We’re not too keen on doing the trip on a spring tide and four boats all anchored might be interesting once the tide comes in and starts moving them about.
So it’s still looking like we’ll head to Selby before going down stream. But a chat with Selby is a must.
During the afternoon I got a text from my doctors surgery offering me my second jab at the Rugby Club in Scarborough. I went to the website to see when appointments were available, another two weeks and only on one day. Would that day coincide with the perfect day to go round Trent Falls?!
Mick called his surgery and as yet they don’t know when the next batch of vaccine will arrive with them, but he was told he could go through the NHS website to book elsewhere. A look with various options of location came up with similar dates to Scarborough. Would we be able to make it to some of the venues in time? Should we just head to Hull? Until we know which tide we’ll be taking, we will not book anything. Jabs are important, but so are tides. I however have booked one for Scarborough just in case, I can always cancel it if we can get them elsewhere.
Back through the caisson
With some work achieved and Tilly home we decided to head back to the marina. Staying out overnight would be lovely, but tomorrow is an early start with a trip to Scarborough, so we have no choice.
The cruise back wasn’t so sunny, dark clouds were looming. It still felt good to be moving on the water again. Tilly considerably quieter inside than on the way out this morning.
Back into Goole
Of course as we came through the caisson gates the wind picked up, it started to rain. Mick turned Oleanna back in towards her pontoon and I hopped off the bow at the first chance. An Andy manoeuvre to get the stern in was needed to fight the wind, trying not to grate the paintwork on the bow with the overhanging pontoon was quite hard. The centre line was tied to a cleat to stop Oleanna being blown onto our neighbours. The bow line tightened, centre line loosened, a touch too much. Stern line passed over, pulled in, all as it started to SNOW!!! Well thank you!
0 locks, 8.23 miles, 1st cruise this year, 1 wind, 1 months notice, 1 nervy cat, 1 boat speeding along, 3 moving boats, 27 fishermen, 1 breach visit, 2 sides of the bridge, 1 Inn started again, 2nd jab invite, 2 much happening at the same time, 1chat with a lockie, 1 answer phone, 1 friend, 1 happy cat, 1 snow shower, 4 very very cold hands, 1 Mrs Tilly stamp of approval.
All that rain yesterday was added to today with some very blustery torrential showers. I’m really hoping that all the dust that had accumulated on the cabin sides has been washed off saving me a job. Lisa popped her head round the side of the hatch, she was heading back to Scarborough, so depending on when we leave we may not see her again until later in the year.
At 10am my phone rang and it was Sainsburys here with our delivery. Mick let the driver in and we off loaded our shopping by the van, the blustering wind keeping us away from the back doors which really wanted to be closed! Quarantine goods were left in the cratch and everything else brought in to be sorted.
Filling Up
Yesterday we’d turned the freezer on so that it could chill down ready for things today. Fish pie mix, peas, sausages, mince and a large chicken which I jointed and bagged up into meal sized portions. There was still plenty of room, most probably only half full, but enough for a couple of weeks meals, just fresh veg required.
Herbs and spices back on the shelves
The car then was finally emptied, lots of knitting, panto model, shoes and work things. Now Mick could return the hire car to Scarborough. We’d hoped to be able to assist the company in returning it to a different base like Hull or Doncaster, but sadly that wasn’t possible. So Mick set off late morning as I sorted things to make space to do some work.
Paint from pantos past
I’ve commandeered another shelf in a cupboard at the front of the boat for work things and have kept a shelf in my clothes cupboard free for the model. Last panto I made my own model box and it fitted in the cupboard wonderfully. It now has a box for protection which the other day I trimmed down knowing that the height would be a problem.
That way it fitted perfectly. A shame the box was an inch too long meaning the cupboard door wouldn’t close. A line was drawn on the box for trimming later.
In my work room at the house everything has it’s place, a slightly messy place but easy to get at. Here on the boat storage requires things to go into places in a certain order. So I spent the first hour collecting things together I’d be needing for a few hours work. One thing was in the folder in the drawing board slot, stools removed, folder slid out, item found. Everything put back. But where was the carbon paper? Had I put it in with my model making bits? With card and tracing paper? Drawing board slot emptied again, then put back. It was with my sketch books at the front of the boat.
Studio all set up ready
By lunchtime I was ready. But sadly half way through painting the back drop for the pub I made a bum decision on a colour. I’ll leave it overnight to see what I think, but I may have to start the whole thing over.
Mick had a pleasant journey back to Scarborough. He managed to catch a train from Seamer to Hull and made the one minute connection onto a train to Goole. A short distance out from the station he spotted some jolly brickwork on the side of some houses.
Boat
The rain came and went all afternoon. Had Mick taken his waterproofs? The mile walk from town to Viking Marina has little if any shelter. He decided to go into town to see if we could upgrade our internet to unlimited with EE.
Currently we have my phone on one account. Then Micks phone, a data sim on the boat and a data sim at the house on another. We have never used all our data, but now with lodgers in the house this will change and you can’t really not offer wifi. Mick managed to miss most of the showers by being in EE for getting on for an hour but he succeeded with the plan. A little paddling was required to get him back to the marina so apart from his feet he was more or less dry.
Train!
Tilly spent much of the day keeping a beady eye on the moorhens on our pontoon. They appear to be building a nest, thankfully under the pontoon and not on Oleanna. Here’s hoping this stays like this as we don’t want another reason to be added to the list stopping us from being able to move.
0 locks, 0 miles, 0 car now, 2 big bags still to stow, 1 model box box trimmed to fit, 1 backdrop failed, 2 busy moorhens, 1 level dropping, 2 soggy socks, 0 limit data, 8 weeks paid, 6 more possible.
The last few days we’ve been very busy in the house. Our last veg box arrived with asparagus the first of the year and some orange and almond cake, the last from Tree Top Press for a while
Once the carpets were dry, furniture could go back, some of it moving to different rooms. The biggest item being the sofa I’ve had for about 20 years which moved from one side of the house to the other.
Four packages
Thursday morning the replacement arrived. A three seater sofa bed from Sofabed Barn. In the past they have provided us with sofa beds for both Lillian and Oleanna and we’d been looking for one for the house. Yes a big squishy one from Loaf had been appealing, but at about twice the price well out of our league.
With instructions and 12 bolts we set to, under the super visionary eye of Tilly. Much easier than an Ikea flatpack build we were soon done. The choice to have feet had been a wrong one, so we removed those and a slight adjustment the following day means we now have a comfy, easier to get up from sofa, the sofabed may come in useful in years to come.
Front cloth
I needed to get the front cloth finished for my panto model. I’d hoped to have the design completed by the end of April, but with Oleanna being out of water for a week and being busy around the house I hadn’t done anything on it for at least two weeks. Add to that new inspiration for the galleon as I’d changed a calendar, that scene now needs repainting.
Version three of the cloth came up trumps which meant I could take some photos and send them to the costume designer so that our designs will work together. As I took the photos I checked I had all the model bits, carefully packing them away in a shoe box. A few days ago I’d trimmed down the travel box for the model, getting rid of any excess height. Next my two boxes of model making bits and paints were repacked. All drawings and tracing paper along with supplies of card added to a folder and another sheet of cartridge paper was stretched onto wood. The theatre designer who’s been living in the attic for the last six months was all packed up again, ready to move.
All a boat designer needs, hopefully!
The back room downstairs was starting to be filled up with packed items. In the bedroom I had three bags on the go. Winter, everyday and storage, our wardrobe would need to be emptied. A whole suitcase was filled with excess socks, 4 weeks worth having gone into the normal bag.
Which case is going where?
Boxes of irreplaceable things were packed up and either returned to upstairs upstairs or put in the shed (a back bedroom), but unlike seven years ago not everything needed to be cleared out making it a much easier job.
Tilly obviously knew something was going on, so took up residency in her escape pod. Well that was until I turned it into a suitcase for her toys! Which she immediately unpacked.
Gradually as the week has progressed so has the house tidying, sorting and cleaning. So today became moving day. No time for the weekly Geraghty Zoom we were too busy loading a hire car, cleaning the kitchen, making beds, cleaning showers. I think the house hasn’t been this clean since we left it to move onto Lillian seven years ago. But was there going to be room for Tilly?
Will it all fit?
With the wheelie bins filled to the top, the car full apart from one gap, it was time to encourage Tilly into the caravan! Now if we’d been moving the boat today we’d not have let her out, but here its’ a different story. I knew if she was nowhere to be seen all I’d have to do was meow and she’d come running.
The last fishing rod swinging on a king sized bed
What! Again!!! That’s the third time I’ve been in the caravan in a week! This really isn’t on!
We now hoped that the powder we’d been adding to Tilly’s food for the last week would kick in and that she’d have a stress free trip in the car. Well her SHOUTING wasn’t quite as loud. The traffic leaving Scarborough was typical Bank Holiday traffic, stop start stop start! By the time we got just a few miles out of town we realised that Tilly may be quieter but there was an aroma coming from the back seats.
We pulled in at the top of Staxton Hill, Tilly was moved to the driving seat in her caravan and Mick managed to find a box of tissues. All in all I managed to tidy the situation up and not loose a cat. Poor thing I so hoped the move was going to be worth it for her. Shouting from the back of the car came and went all the way to Viking Marina in Goole.
First out of the car, Tilly was the first into Oleanna. I closed us into the bathroom, not sure what state she was in. From past experience I positioned the caravan in front of the gap under the door into the main cabin. She wasn’t too messy and very soon I felt able to open up the door.
People have been asking if I thought she’d remember the boat after six long months in the house. Well as the door opened up, there was no need to find a hiding hole. A couple of sniffs in the air and she jumped straight up to one of her favourite sitting positions.
I can see those eyes
It smelt a touch different, but She said that’s because the floor has had an oiling. My Houdini shelf looked all spic and span too, a little bit slippy if I’m honest.
After her stressful journey, seeing how she reacted to being back on the boat actually brought a tear to my eye. Unpacking food back into the drawers Tilly sat on top of the drawing board cupboard to watch, the nearest to this in the house was on the end of the dining table in the next room.
Hiya!
When I returned with the next boxes I wondered where she’d got to, until her head popped round the door frame, she was sitting on the shelf she’d commandeered when we first moved onto Oleanna. Next thing a change of collar. From blue to red, Tilly changed from being a house cat to a boat cat.
Change of collar
Another trip to do back to Scarborough tomorrow and then we will all be back in our happy place.
Help I’m a prisoner on my own boat!
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 hire car, 1 production week of sorting the house out, 1 model packed, 3 beds made up, 1 shed full of stuff, 1 kitchen floor still to wash, 2 smelly incidents, 1 travel sick cat, 2 boaters back on board, 2 collars, 1 boat cat back where she belongs.
Yesterday news came through from the Goole Escape group that C&RT would be updating their notice regarding passage through Ocean Lock in Goole.
Mick’s inbox was checked frequently yesterday, nothing. But this morning as we were having our cuppa in bed the following appeared.
Update on 16/04/2021:
We have been advised by Associated British Ports they are to open up limited penning for leisure craft from Monday 19th April.
Bookings will be controlled by the Duty Assistant Dock Master at Ocean lock on Tele: 01405 721128 on a first come / served basis and with a 24 hr confirmation call required.
ABP will offer a penn out at 1hr before HW and a penn in at 1hr after HW on daylight tides only and this will be managed around commercial traffic.
PLEASE NOTE: penning outside of these offered times is not available and that at no times should vessels anchor in the Goole reaches nor any part of the Ouse from the area of Skelton Railway Bridge to the Apex.
We won’t be one of the first boats to leave Goole. But we have been looking at the tide times to see when might be a possible tide to get us round Trent Falls to at least Keadby. Then the next tides to carry on upstream to Torksey and Cromwell. There is a date in mind and research to be done regarding Trent Falls.
The list of jobs at the house has gradually been getting shorter. Builders have been giving the roof and chimney stacks some tlc over the last couple of days and Frank has fitted us a new bath panel. The bathroom just needs to be decorated now.
New panel and a touch up on the plaster
Appointments for all three of us are in the diary. Sadly no news of our second jabs yet.
Press stud replaced, blind ready to go back up in the bedroom on Oleanna
The list of jobs on Oleanna remains long, but work will start on that list soon.
England on the Wold for panto
My panto model, which I’d been hoping to get finished by the end of the month, will have to sit on the back burner for a little while whilst things get sorted.
0 locks, 0 miles, 1 good update, 2 relieved boaters, 1 booking to be made, 2 many jobs to do, 1 press stud sorted, 1 chicken jointing lesson to be given (Frank), 1 quizzical cat, 1 garden catch up to fit in (Duncan), 2 busy but smiling boaters.
*This post was superseded by A Glimmer Of Hope yesterday*
Panto spiky trees
Whilst waiting for news regarding the breach and possible escape from Goole we’ve not been idle. Well I say we, but in regards to boaty things Mick has been the busy one whilst I’ve been working painting my panto model.
Town Square buildings
On our last visit to Oleanna we brought back the life jackets. These were in need of a service, in fact a year overdue. Last time we paid for them to be checked over to much consternation from readers. This time Mick followed instructions on Youtube.
He checked for any damage, wear and tear. Weighed the gas bottles. Checked the dates on the firing mechanisms. Blew the whistles. Inflated them and left them overnight (well a couple of days) to check they remained inflated.
New firing mechanisms
A couple of the firing mechanisms had a few months left on them and Mick had broken one of the clips that is used to indicate that a firing mechanism has been manually fired. The green clip obviously needed replacing so it was worth getting a couple of new mechanisms.
When they arrived the oldest dated mechanisms were swapped out for the newest and put into the jackets we use the most, these will last us till 2024. The middle aged ones were put in our two spare jackets, these will last till December 2022. The oldest ones we are keeping as spares and run out in February 2022.
All rolled and folded how it should be
The next job was to fold and roll the jackets back up into the covers. This is possibly the hardest part of the servicing. But they are all done and in the crate ready to be returned to Oleanna on our next visit.
Next was the VHF radio. We bought our hand held radio a few years ago and use it to listen in to the big ships around Goole and when we are on tidal waters. You should have your radio licenced and have completed a course to use it. Mick has been meaning to do the course for a number of years but had never got round to it, I suspect like many others. My sister-in-law had looked into it for his birthday last year, but it was going to cost too much.
With the only way out of Goole for the next few months being through the docks to Ocean Lock and down onto the tidal Ouse (when/if ABP allow leisure craft), we have decided the cost of the VHF course and test would be worth doing. ABP normally require leisure boats to have two crew, life jackets and a VHF radio. Should the chance arise to be able to pen down onto the Ouse we’d rather meet all the criteria.
Tilly assisting with panto
The RYA VHF/SRC (Short Range Certificate) Marine Radio Course can be done online for £75. Then the test costs £60 on top. Mick contacted Scarborough Yacht Club to see if they were running the courses and test. This was possible, although the test would have to wait until after April 12th and would be done on a one to one basis at the Yacht Club at Scarborough lighthouse.
Handbook included in the course
Once the course fee was paid a chap popped the handbook through our front door the following day and Mick was ready to do the course. The course takes around 10 hours and Mick has worked his way through doing all the modules in the last week. Before he books for the exam I’m going to look at the course too. Should we be in an emergency situation and Mick not be able to use the radio, I would at least know what to do.
Once the exam is passed Oleanna and her crew will meet all the criteria that ABP require, if this also means that we can cruise as a flotilla with other boats who haven’t got VHF all the better.
*Sadly later in the day Mick received an email saying that as Scarborough Yacht Club building would remain closed until 17th May, exams would not be possible until after that date.
A few days ago marked our 7th anniversary of being boat owners. Today marks our 4th anniversary of the three of us moving onboard Oleanna in Sheffield. So I’d best do a Where Were We
Where were we
2020 Lockdown Mooring 3, Calveley, Shropshire Union Canal. LINK
2019 Above Lemonroyd Lock, Aire and Calder Navigation. LINK
2018 Stourport, Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and Beverley. LINK
2017 Victoria Basin, Sheffield and Tinsley Canal and Crick Marina, Leicester Line. LINK
2014 Bugbrooke, Grand Union Canal. Sorry no link, we were on too much of a mission to write a blog. But we did get Lillian off the River Nene where her EA licence had run out and up the Northampton Flight, her first narrow locks.
With the Ever Given now un-stuck on the Suez Canal there are plenty of ships that have been held up in the Mediterranean and Red Sea, one report suggests there have been around 300 ships waiting for the way ahead to be clear. The traffic jam, longer than will be found at Minshull Lock on the Middlewich Branch in a couple of weeks, will take weeks to clear. Doing a Suez is now being added to narrowboat language up and down the country for when you get into one of those situations!
Meanwhile here in Scarborough fingers and rakes have been busy.
Origami paper
A month or so ago I was commissioned by my friends Dawn and Lee of Animated Objects Theatre Company to design a sheet of origami paper influenced by the Yorkshire coast, I was one of six artists to be chosen.
Partially folded
Last week an envelope arrived in the post with twelve squares of paper for me to fold into ships, two of each of the designs.
Ships
These have also gone out to numerous houses and homes along the Yorkshire coast as well as further afield to those who have links here, I know of two sets that have gone to Malvern.
All twelve ships were folded and carefully placed into an envelope to return last Friday when Dawn and Lee came to collect the model buildings I’ve been painting for them over the last few weeks.
Model Buildings for another part of the project
My 12 ships will be amongst another 988, making 1000 which will go on display in various places along the coast in the next few months. This is all part of The Odyssey a project taking place over the next three years. Have a look at their website to find out more about the artists involved.
https://youtu.be/yS7-H_HJtUM
To launch this phase of the project Dawn and Lee were up very early and down on the North and South bays a couple of mornings last week.
National Day of Reflection, 23rd March. Animated Objects
They busied themselves with rakes and created sand drawings. My favourite was Helen with ships in her hair.
