At last we've refilled the water tank!
The time bandits were about again, and what was planned for a 10am start slipped to 12.30, meaning that the cob shop where lunch was coming from had closed. Undeterred we set off for Quo, and once aboard immediately set off for Foxton.
En route, Lizzie heated some water and washed out the water tank ready to fill up at Foxton, and on arrival, we moored right next to, but not on the water point.
Hunger got the better of us so we went up to the Inn for lunch and once again time slipped as we waited nearly an hour for our food, doubly frustrating as James and I were meeting Bob Whale to play some tunes in the garden of the Bridge 61 pub, and by the time we got back to Quo, someone else was on the water point.
Lizzie kindly offered to stay behind and fill the tank when able, whilst James and I did our stint with Bob. We love playing at Bridge 61 because it is like a rehearsal with people overhearing you rather than listening, and they showed their appreciation for most of our efforts ... I'm glad to say that we are definitely getting better at performing, more relaxed, and it is more fun each time. We jokingly thought of calling ourselves "Bob Whaley and the Mahlers".
Six o clock soon came around and reluctantly James and I left Bob to perform alone. We had left Liz's car in the visitors car park near bridge 60, so James went home that way, and I went back to the boat.
Liz had successfully filled the water tank to the brim, and it was now just a case of opening the tap and allowing the pump to fill the system, whilst we kept a watchful eye out for any leaks.
Once again, Quo was up to the mark, the Calorifier refilled in no time, and I bled all the air from each tap in turn without incident .... what a joy to have water on tap again.
We immediately turned and headed back to Debdale, where my reverse mooring was the best yet, requiring no poling, pulling or pushing, just straight back under power on to our pontoon :o) ... Quo handles much better when the bow is lowered by a full water tank.
With the boat squared away, we were actually able to wash our hands at the sink, in HOT water ... bliss.
NB Quo Vadis
Saturday 18 May 2013
Friday 17 May 2013
Satellite Shenanigans
Work and weather are once again conspiring to keep us away from Quo :o( .
However, one thing I did was to buy a satellite TV kit and thus the saga begins.
For some time, I have been contemplating replacing the TV aerial with a Dish, as the aerial was mounted at the back of the boat, with a long cable clipped to the port handrail running all the way to the front where the TV is and when on the move, the aerial lay on the cabin roof, and acted like a magnet for the centre rope when mooring etc. ... it had to go. The dish could be fitted to some existing holes where the roof overhangs the front doors, just above where the TV is.
Now I know that every spring for the last few years, Aldi have sold the Ross Satellite kits, so I waited, and waited .... I am not, unfortunately good at patience, so I soon started to trawl Ebay ... Bingo!
A couple of weeks ago, I got one for £40 + £10 p+p, never used and in perfect condition said the seller .... I should have been a bit dubious of the seller, as, not only was he called " Sexysam", but he was obviously a caravan owner to boot! :o)
To cut the long story short, the kit was indeed in pristine condition, but after about 4 hours of trial and error trying to find a satellite signal I was beginning to think that boats and satellite dishes just don't work together. I looked on both TV and boat forums without any real conclusion .... and then, last Sunday, Aldi started selling the kits again, so I took a gamble and bought a new kit for £59.99.
After the trials of the previous kit, I knew exactly what needed to be done to set it up and within 5 minutes, I was watching Freesat TV in high definition .... hurray!
The Ebay kit was obviously faulty, so substituting parts from the working kit to the duff one, I deduced that the LNB was the problem, and rather than prat about posting the kit back, the seller agreed to a £10 refund, part of which I used to buy a new LNB ... so I now have a spare, fully working kit .... any takers?
We went over to Quo this afternoon and I completed the installation, removing all the old aerial cabling, and re-routing and tidying the new ones. I was surprised by how "movement-proof" the system is, no amount of rocking the boat interrupted the picture, and I think that the dish can stay up on the move, by turning it sideways on it will act like a gun-sight.
Tomorrow, we hope to fill the water tank for the first time this year, and have a quick spring clean ready for a family outing later in the month. With luck, the weather will be OK in the afternoon, and friends Bob and Lesley will join us for a cruise down to Bridge 61, hoping to play some music in the garden later, can't wait!
However, one thing I did was to buy a satellite TV kit and thus the saga begins.
For some time, I have been contemplating replacing the TV aerial with a Dish, as the aerial was mounted at the back of the boat, with a long cable clipped to the port handrail running all the way to the front where the TV is and when on the move, the aerial lay on the cabin roof, and acted like a magnet for the centre rope when mooring etc. ... it had to go. The dish could be fitted to some existing holes where the roof overhangs the front doors, just above where the TV is.
Now I know that every spring for the last few years, Aldi have sold the Ross Satellite kits, so I waited, and waited .... I am not, unfortunately good at patience, so I soon started to trawl Ebay ... Bingo!
A couple of weeks ago, I got one for £40 + £10 p+p, never used and in perfect condition said the seller .... I should have been a bit dubious of the seller, as, not only was he called " Sexysam", but he was obviously a caravan owner to boot! :o)
To cut the long story short, the kit was indeed in pristine condition, but after about 4 hours of trial and error trying to find a satellite signal I was beginning to think that boats and satellite dishes just don't work together. I looked on both TV and boat forums without any real conclusion .... and then, last Sunday, Aldi started selling the kits again, so I took a gamble and bought a new kit for £59.99.
After the trials of the previous kit, I knew exactly what needed to be done to set it up and within 5 minutes, I was watching Freesat TV in high definition .... hurray!
The Ebay kit was obviously faulty, so substituting parts from the working kit to the duff one, I deduced that the LNB was the problem, and rather than prat about posting the kit back, the seller agreed to a £10 refund, part of which I used to buy a new LNB ... so I now have a spare, fully working kit .... any takers?
We went over to Quo this afternoon and I completed the installation, removing all the old aerial cabling, and re-routing and tidying the new ones. I was surprised by how "movement-proof" the system is, no amount of rocking the boat interrupted the picture, and I think that the dish can stay up on the move, by turning it sideways on it will act like a gun-sight.
Tomorrow, we hope to fill the water tank for the first time this year, and have a quick spring clean ready for a family outing later in the month. With luck, the weather will be OK in the afternoon, and friends Bob and Lesley will join us for a cruise down to Bridge 61, hoping to play some music in the garden later, can't wait!
Monday 6 May 2013
At Last - Some boating!
At last, we've had some decent boating weather and we did our best to make the most of it.
A flying visit (by car) to Midland Chandlers on Friday secured some fresh water tank blacking, followed by a quick bite in The Boatman and an up and downer to Foxton Locks, during which a Sparrowhawk gave a brilliant flying display down the towpath past us at head height, then darting into a thicket to disappear.
After work on Saturday, I was able to put the first coat of blacking on the tank, but the sunshine made it really difficult to see what I was doing :o)
The male swan gave us a visit as he waited for his eggs to hatch we gave him a tiny piece of cake and he showed his disdain.
As a reward, we had a quick cruise to Foxton and back.
Sunday afternoon saw me putting on the second coat of blacking in the tank, once again followed by a cruise to Foxton, past the Marina swan's nest, resplendent with half a dozen signets. We were joined for the return trip, just after sunset by Liz's brother Geoff and his wife Liz, a particularly lovely trip in the half light.
Monday afternoon was our first decent cruise of the year up to Saddington Aquaduct, where we were able to moor up in the feeder channel. The sun shone, the birds sang and we just lazed about for an hour or so in that particularly beautiful spot. Strangely, only one other boat was there, by the spillway. Normally you can't find a mooring there when the sun is out.
The return journey was beautiful, the wind had gone, so we just pottered along at 1000 revs in the warm sunshine. With the new silencer, at that speed, all you can hear is the distant mechanical clatter of the engine from under the soundproofed cover, meaning that you can still hear all the canal-side birdsong .... just wonderful.
A flying visit (by car) to Midland Chandlers on Friday secured some fresh water tank blacking, followed by a quick bite in The Boatman and an up and downer to Foxton Locks, during which a Sparrowhawk gave a brilliant flying display down the towpath past us at head height, then darting into a thicket to disappear.
After work on Saturday, I was able to put the first coat of blacking on the tank, but the sunshine made it really difficult to see what I was doing :o)
The male swan gave us a visit as he waited for his eggs to hatch we gave him a tiny piece of cake and he showed his disdain.
As a reward, we had a quick cruise to Foxton and back.
Sunday afternoon saw me putting on the second coat of blacking in the tank, once again followed by a cruise to Foxton, past the Marina swan's nest, resplendent with half a dozen signets. We were joined for the return trip, just after sunset by Liz's brother Geoff and his wife Liz, a particularly lovely trip in the half light.
Monday afternoon was our first decent cruise of the year up to Saddington Aquaduct, where we were able to moor up in the feeder channel. The sun shone, the birds sang and we just lazed about for an hour or so in that particularly beautiful spot. Strangely, only one other boat was there, by the spillway. Normally you can't find a mooring there when the sun is out.
The return journey was beautiful, the wind had gone, so we just pottered along at 1000 revs in the warm sunshine. With the new silencer, at that speed, all you can hear is the distant mechanical clatter of the engine from under the soundproofed cover, meaning that you can still hear all the canal-side birdsong .... just wonderful.
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