Time to enjoy

We left Percy on loose ropes knowing with the help of fellow boaters fast ( quit a few) and slow they would rock Percy into her new home.

We've been twice since once for a further attack on the mooring  - bush cutting and further grass trimming to realise the concrete on the mooring . First visit was a day job and we've just come back from a couple of nights aboard.

The latter stay was a bit unplanned as Rachel is off work atm so we went to rest and recuperate which we did. I'd forgotten just how nice these moorings are of a summer evening or a early summer morning fishing. I was due an  evening fishing session but there was a match that went on to 8pm. Now I'm a fisherman but I still find the pole inches from the bow very intrusive - especially when the angler makes no attempt to speak. 

James one of the farmer family who own the moorings came by and took away all the 'Green' we had collected. We put a request out to the local village facebook group for a second hand Keter shed ( we did not want to buy new) and got a result of a nearly new one someone was moving out of the village. So that will be cited in the next week or so so I can once again empty the forcabin as well as build a solar frame for the 400w panel I have to charge up the Ecoflow Delta 2. A few pallets to make a compost heap and we will be about sorted. I might just re-lay the slabs to make a nice seating area. 

When I did fish in the morning it was quite magical total peace just the noises of the countryside and it was a joy and privilege to experience the early morning dawn and waking of the area. 

We had family priorities to attend to so we came home  - more on that maybe in a future blog.

More mooring maneuvers put Percy through it

Why o why can't we be happy with what we have  - or had. Ever since Percy's enforced jail term in Great HS2 marina we have been heading back to Shedbon, in our minds. As detailed previously we took a giant leap to the mooring's just past the Anchor pub - known locally as Bob's moorings. 

We were promised one which did not become vacant - the fella who should have moved gave reasons not to...we were offered another that we didn't fit on  - we camped on a friends mooring and then was offered one that we could not get a guarantee we'd not be moved again from - and we paid 65 feet for it and we are 60 foot ! We asked to be assured the mooring didn't have dogs next to it - our neighbour - a lovely fella but he did have four dogs ! 

So it wasn't the easy move we expected and planned for. 

A couple of weeks ago I woke to read of a 60 foot mooring at the moorings we were happy with and left for blacking from in late 2021 to which we could not return to due to a breakdown and stoppages. I was on the waiting list so contacted the farmer and was told yes it was ours if we wanted it..... what followed was a couple of weeks of to'ing and fro'ing all while dealing with some difficult personal stuff at home.

Yesterday we headed to Percy with a view to moving  - a veritable bridge hop under bridge 44 back to Shebdon Farm moorings...... However the mooring had been unused but paid for (!) for the last 30 months so was well overgrown  and very silty - very silty !

Yesterday afternoon we set to removing all the vegetation - no small task and I ended up with  a nasty sap burn from a Hemlock plant that Rachel identified but I forgot about in my gung ho approach to getting the job done. We did what was needed just before a great thunderstorm arrived and washed the rest of the day out.

Today we looked at the weather forecast and set off to wind in Grub street only for the weather forecast to be very wrong so we got quite a soaking before we approached the silt. And boy was it silty.... up and down rev backwards and forwards, two other boater and Rachel on ropes, boat hooks digging at the silt to lift it. It took well over an hour to get anything like close enough but we were all wet and knackered so we left it to the speeding boaters (thankfully) to move Percy about over the next few weeks to dig her in. 

So we left tired but pleased with our planning communication and efforts. Shame we had to leave but Rachel is working tomorrow so I'll go back and have a take two on the veg on the mooring.

It's lovely. Dropped down so a bit private, protected from the wind, water close by, car by the boat good fishing and a view of the Wrekin. 

We will take Percy out a few times to the two winding holes and dig her in and blow out the silt over the next few months. 

Someone said all good things should have some difficulty in attaining - we certainly get that  ! 

The Shroppie is a lovely canal

Our final day and another lazy start as it was Rachel's Birthday. We set no alarms and slept until just before 9am... letting your body wake you is a singular pleasure of retirement for sure !! 

No boats until about 9.30 then a convoy of 6 went into the cutting  - I'd not want to meet that convoy !

We set off back to the mooring in ever hotter temperatures arriving back after a lovely cruise about lunchtime. We pottered and read and relaxed until it was time to pack up and drive home.

One issue is C&RT's contractors random towpath vegetation management. Sometimes strimmed sometimes left but non of the canal edging cut making getting on and off a boat dangerous as you cannot see where you are stepping ?

Only 15 hours of engine running - the Ecoflow did a great job  - see Here for that info. We did 10 locks but walked another 36 ! 

We need to get the new mooring more sorted and some boat jobs but we can do that during the really busy summer holidays when we can sit and watch the boats go by ! 

That Tyrely bottom lock ....

Another lovely warm summer day and we set off quite late for a stop over for lunch in Market Drayton.

We initially stopped opposite Toms moorings a bridge before the services. Only on walking to town did we double check the notice to realise we could only moor overnight or Market days. I expect it is to allow the boats on Toms moorings ( in front of the new houses) to get off their pontoons? It was all very ambiguous. We hopped back on Percy and cruise to the other visitor moorings near the main road into Market Drayton.

We shopped ate and browsed a few shops. How can one town be so different to another only a few miles apart. Market Drayton is struggling compared to Audlam for sure. 

We got back on the boat and set off for the Tyrley locks with a boat nipping out in front of us. We slowed as we knew they would be off up the flight before us but on getting to the lock landing their boat was pinned to the rock face opposite that horrible (now unbaffled) bywash. The fella on the stern was giving the engine everything to try and get off but no avail. Eventually the bywash eased just enough for him to scrape in. Fair to say he and his lady lock wheeler were a bit shaken up. 

I tried to explain to him about the amount of water that can come down this flight and appears out of this one bywash - if one or up to four locks are emptied simultaneously all that water comes out via the one bottom bywash which is a lot of water ! Now when we ascend(ed) I asked Rachel to open one top paddle to put the pound water thru the lock not via the bywash - I explained this to him but I think he was a bit shaken up ( literally) 

It certainly can look benign but in a few seconds becomes a raging torrent. It's a place I'll go to on the bike to do a bit of Gongoozling !

We motored on into Woodseaves cutting and pleasingly did not meet another boat.

I was very surprised to get a mooring at Goldstone Wharf  - in fact there were only three boats there when we arrived. Another lovely quiet mooring. We arrived about 6.30 pm so late and pleased to get a mooring on this limited section of accessible morings between Tyrley and Norbury.

Another lovely cruising day albeit with a bit of excitement !!

Friends meeting and as good as it gets cruising

We were away quite sharply at about 8.30am to get through Woodseaves cutting but still managed to encounter two boat, one holding back for us around  the High Bridge 57 and the other as we came around the corner approaching bridge 56.

The only negative of the day was to see how the idiot who purchased the cottage at the top of the Tyrley flight has blocked the winding hole with his canal boat and put up a no winding sign ( on our return he had put a rope across the winding hole also) - what a twat. If we need to wind there we will use his gunnels as the pivot point. An email will be sent to  C&RT asking how he can block the navigation in such a way. 

Anyhow we had a nice drop down the 5 locks and got a bit sad when we passed the bench where I've previously taken pictures of me and Leia .... sometimes the sadness catches you unexpectedly.

We cruised passed John and Jan's Boat Jubilee as we entered Market Drayton and we stopped and emptied the cassette at the services. We needed a shop so decided to stop at the top of the Adderley flight and walk the 6 plus miles into Audlam. We had been contacted by Carol ex of WB Still Rockin who had noted we were heading to her village. We met up at the Shroppie Fly for a drink and a good old natter. Lovely to meet you in person Carol and George, we will let you know when we are on Percy for a mini cruise from the mooring ....

Broken handrail ....

The baffle at the bottom bywash is no more, horrible lock entrance again - more on that later

We walked back to Percy in the lovely warm evening sunshine to a relaxed and very quiet evening aboard. 

Lots of photos today as it was just so nice ....

New mooring first overnight and an oil change for the record at 1025 hours

Lots of things have kept us from Percy but in true form she was waiting for us at our new mooring along with a lot of very tall grass ! Rachel set to unpacking for our mini break aboard while I set to looking for lost Japanese soldiers in the jungle outside the boat. I decided the slope looked better uncut and if we stay here we will drop some wild flower seeds in for next year. I cut the top flat boat side and up to the boat as well as a car shaped section. If Bob the farmer wants to cut the rest happy days I suspect not. I prefer it to the manicured look of our new neighbours mooring.

This morning I started a new inverter install but missing wood to mount it on and time to do it were all missing  so dropped that and did an oil change instead. For the record it was changed at 1025 engine hours, checking back to this time last year it was done at 917 hours so just over 100 hours 

We set off just after 12.30 to wind in Grub street as we wanted to head north. We waved two boats past us so as to not hold them up/embarrass ourselves while winding ! Then it was a slow cruise to Goldstone Wharf which was plan A - got the end mooring and booked into the pub for food later. 

If I'd ever had a new boat build this would have been its name 

Thats some difference in either draft or ballast ! 

Rachel guiding Percy to the Goldstone wharf moorings. Last time we were here was the post de coke run back in February 2019 

We are planning an early'ish  start tomorrow as we need supplies in Market Drayton as well as trying to get a good road thru the Woodseaves cutting.