Running hot

When you read this it may be a lot cooler but on the 24th July I was hosting my ex boss  and friend Ian who has in the past taken day boats out but never the full monty - 60 foot and 17 tons of narrowboat.

We chose a nice day - a hot day for it and duly set off for a 7 hour cruise to wind at High Onn and back with a stop off in Gnosall for a pint.

It says much about our friendship  - we worked together for 20 plus years that we never stopped talking about just about everything ! Ian took the tiller from the start and with only one small moment of panic (he was not used to the push pull and speedwheel controls) steered us safely and professionally for the whole trip.

One thing I was acutely aware of was the engine temperature. I'm still bearing the mental scars of the trip to Shebdon when Percy overheated (new pump impeller was needed but not known about at the time) so when the gauge started to creep up to 70c I was watching with much concern. In the end all was well and Percy's Lister did not miss a beat. The canal must be about at its warmest this time of year and with 30+ C air temperatures it was a decent test.

A great day ended with wine and pizza by the boat and more reminiscing into the late evening.