Retirement with No Problem

17th – The Folly to Nr Napton Junction via Calcutt Locks, Grand Union Canal and Oxford Canal, 6 miles 0 locks
Today – Napton Junction to Braunston, Grand Union Canal, 5 miles 0 locks

The rain didn’t want to stop yesterday, we waited as long as possible until in the end we had to leave Napton well after lunchtime to meet with Roger at Calcutt Marine. He produced his spec and estimate, and it was close to the figure we had in mind. Booked No Problem in for a new engine first week of October. We have been having what I can only describe as a cavitation of water round the prop, a noise that is quite annoying to Vic, although I don’t find it too bad myself. I think he has been worring that it was more than cavitation, maybe bearings gone…. but I’m sure if it was that then we would have had problems with it earlier, it has been going on for quite some time.

Roger had a listen, and was almost certain that it was the prop needing a ‘feathering off’. Of course that means out of the water. No Problem is due for a blackening of the hull at the beginning of next year anyway, so now we have more decisions to make, shall we ask Calcutt Marine to ‘feather’ and do the hull? Or do we wait ’till next year to do the two together? Ummmmm decisions, decisions. On top of that, we still haven’t decided on whether we will have a go at doing it ourselves yet!

We settled for the evening just up from Napton Junction, but with no phones and no internet connection and no satellite decided to move up to Braunston today. The weather was beautiful early this morning, then after walking Lucy the heavens opened again, so I settled in to do a bit of computer work for an hour or so until the skies cleard and we moved on down to Braunston.

I couldn’t believe how many boats passed us this morning in either direction, for sure there were over 50, the most we have ever encountered in all our time on the system in such a short time, no wonder I had reservations about the building of that new Marina at Napton, good grief, how many more boats can the canal take round here?

We don’t normally move at the weekends, and I was worried that Braunston would be chocker block full with all the boats around this morning, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a really nice mooring opposite the church on the northern side of the village.

I popped up to AJ’s just on the off chance that they would be open so that I could get the front canopy, but my luck wasn’t in, never mind, will call in on Monday to collect that. Sticking the rod out this evening, caught a superb roach close to the boat just as two boats were passing in opposite directions. I had to wait to reel in until after they had passed and was pleasantly rewarded with a good 6-8 ouncer.