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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Monday 14th June

And it rained - most of the evening and some of the night! I set off at 7.30 (I do mad things when I'm single handing!) with it looking like it had more rain to offer, but it held off! Cruised the last remaining couple of miles of Thames to Kings Lock, where I turned left at the top into Dukes Cut, passing the lines of queuing cars off to real life. I saw the remains of the fallen tree that had closed the cut a few days ago and went into the stop lock - my first narrow lock of the trip, shortly
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Sunday 13th June

A lie in listening to the rain! Which soon stops. Penny packs her bags, a bit of a sort out in the boat and we move the couple of hundred yards to tie up outside the Rose Revived. Kim duly arrives, I take another beer and we have lunch in the sunshine. Kim and Penny return to the real world and I'm all alone! So, an afternoon cruise to about 1/2 a mile below Eynsham Lock on something that might be a mooring! It shows one in Nicholsons and there's no 'no mooring' sign and the arrival of the farme
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Saturday 12th June

Hmmm late posting today as I got back to the boat last night after beer and nearly 2 bottles of wine! So now I'm struggling to remember yesterday! Weather was cool and windy to start, but the day got better as it went on. Wildlife count was 2 curlews and 2 kingfishers today, we also got to see the red arrows who appeared to be in the vicinity of Fairford. A couple of cows tried to get onto the boat during the night, a noisy process in which they didn't succeed, they did manage some more lick mar
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Friday 11th June

Dull and overcast this morning, but soon cheered up with a very nice bacon roll! A steady plod along the 6 miles and up the 3 locks to Lechlade, as good as on our own again, at St Johns lock just before lechlade we were the first boat through this morning and it was now 11.00! We were amused by the tame ducks at Buscot lock, apparantly the keeper was feeding them in march when the weather was bad and they kept coming back. The wildlife this morning extended to another kingfisher and a curlew. We
Tim

Tim

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casper ghost's Blog

Another day's work...

Working alone on Casper, this time I finished off the ceiling, put up the last of the insulation and started some lining at the very back. I'm just using some old plywood which came out of the boat's bedroom, but when i'm finished it won't be visible. I've decided to remove my octagonal port liners, which I made when originally fitting the boat. I haven't yet worked out what to replace them with, what I need is a piece of 6mm ply with a neat circle cut out, but i'm thinking how to cut it out, la
casper ghost

casper ghost

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Thursday 10th June

And away we go again, very overcast, chilly, windy and looking distinctly like it's going to pour down at any minute! But, undaunted (me anyway!) we head off towards Lechlade. Uneventful cruising, it's like we're the only boat on the river! At Eynsham lock we discover that Dukes Cut is closed due to a fallen tree, hopefully it'll be cleared before I need to muse it on Monday, otherwise it's a 6 mile detour! The river is now very Wey like, trees, fields and twisty turny, in fact it's a bit samey
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Wednesday 9th June

And the day probably dawned, if we could have seen it that is! It's raining, can't complain, been out for nearly 4 weeks and had the umbrella up for less than 30 minutes in total, not bad methinks! So, through Clifton Lock, the first one we've done fully ourselves (before 9.00 so self service) Then by the proposed site for the Wilts and Berks canal junction, on on into Abingdon by the original junction site. Abingdon looked quite nice from the river's perspective, don't know why, but I was under
Tim

Tim

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PSSCB 2010

NOW I KNOW WHERE THE MONTH WENT...

It appears that the whole of May was stolen...at least that's how it feels, as it went so fast! How can you just lose a month like that? I put it down to simple absent-mindedness...I'm rather hoping it's going to turn out to be like one of those moments when you lose your glasses, then find them perched on top of your head. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find that being home and back at work is just a nasty dream....? Well, maybe not!   So, the final statistics for our grand cruise?   Well,
Janet S

Janet S

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Tuesday 8th June

It seemed to rain all night, but I think being moored under a tree may have contributed to this thinking, but it did rain a lot, indeed, it started again as I was about to get going, so we delayed this to about 10.00 when it seemed to have stopped. The final bit of all our yesterdays (I think!) I remember doing a walk a couple of times from Pangbourne to Goring, this is what we cruised first today. Goring very pretty, but the lock keeper definitely gets the most miserable to date award! All the
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Monday 7th June

Little bits of yesterday in today! Marlow to Pangbourne, through Henley, Wargrave & Reading, bits of the river frequented by me in many places in years gone by. Off around 8.30 or so and through Hurley, memories of Venture Scout canoeing here, then on through Hambledon, canoeing again and the many camps had in the area. Then stopped in Henley for lunch and a walk about, saw NB Hobo (the boat who accompanied us along the tideway the second time) and I forgot to say yesterday we also got waved
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Sunday 6th June

My fourth Sunday of the trip, but alas the penultimate one! A bit strange today, passing through all those places where I've previously spent many hours on the bank, so to speak. Windsor to Maidenhead, where I walked on my scout standard 6 mile hike, the sounding arch at Maidenhead where I spent many hours with my Father fishing for barbel, passing within a mile or so of where I was born in Taplow, Maidenhead to Cookham where I remember walking with a girl from school, Formosa Island where we sp
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Saturday 5th June

Last day on the Wey! Just as hot as yesterday so the first couple of hours before the sun really gets up are very pleasant. Tom and Tasha very keen to get on with the few remaining Wey locks, Penny just sat and watched! Through Thames Lock with no delays this time and back out onto the Thames and the left turn to Shepperton Lock. No problems handling the boat in the enormous Thames Locks and plain sailing to Staines where we tied up for a rest and lunch and ice cream. Onwards through Bell Weir L
Tim

Tim

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casper ghost's Blog

Starting the Ruston...

We went mob handed today, me, brother, dad, daughter and Martha, the dog.. Fitted the last of the mushroom vents into Sleepy Hollow. We turned on the fuel tap and checked the joins for leaks, only had to tighten one. The hand fuel pump works well and the day tank seems fine. The only problem was than in fitting the engine we had slightly moved the position of the starter motor, which we now had to align again. This is a tricky job and the old starter motor I got for nothing sometimes sticks. B
casper ghost

casper ghost

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Friday 4th June

Up early and the news from home regarding the overflow is not good! So off to find a taxi to go and sort it out. £90 later and the ball valve tied up (it's the central heating header tank!) I'm helping Penny with the Sainsburys shopping trolley and having a chat with Isander who tied up on the service dock next to us. So, rubbished, watered and Sainsburyed we set off just after 10 to find the Farncombe day boat training session taking place at Catteshall lock. We watch and wait very patiently an
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Thursday 3rd June

Up we get and not a cloud in sight - again! A pretty river, twisting and turning, the trees and fields hiding the everpresent suberbia of Woking and Guildford. Newark Priory was a very interesting looking ruin. Through Guildford and a welcome ice cream at Millmead lock and on towards Godalming. Removed plants and cans from the roof for the very low Broadford Bridge, a chat with the Harley Davidson girls taking a lunch break at Unstead lock, at least I know where to go and get an MOT now. And at
Tim

Tim

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casper ghost's Blog

Ceiling...

I put up the polystyrene insulation and started fitting the ceiling. I've used the old wood that I took down, it's 1/2" thick ply t&g. It was too hot today for doing this but it's better than it raining.  
casper ghost

casper ghost

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Wednesday 2nd June

So the day dawns bright and clear! And off we go at 07.30 or so up the big wide river! Molesey and Sunbury locks, all narrowboats, you could get 9 to a lock!! Then Shepperton and the left turn for the Wey. Oddly, 6 boats arrive at Thames lock within 10 minutes of each other and it takes us nearly 2 hours from arriving to exit the lock, armed with expensive license and loaned windlass and instructions on how to handle your boat in a lock, I've only done several thousand so found this a bit strang
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Tuesday 1st June

A really good night's sleep, not getting up till after nine. Then off for a restock at Tesco, just as it's starting to rain! A walk round the whole basin, then back to the boat as it's raining a bit harder now. Time for me to catch up with the blog, and Penny knocks up a very tasty bacon and egg roll - yum! Lots of coffee, then the wait for our 14.00 departure. A Lee Valley hire boat ties up alongside - I didn't think hire boats were allowed on the tideway! What with VHF requirements and the lik
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Monday 31st May

Feeling a lot better than the previous morning, we have coffee and thanks to the wind being in our favour, wriggle out of the mooring, turn round and head back to Little Venice. It's very quiet, but it is only 08.00 or so. then along the Regents canal we go again! Lots of incredibly expensive looking houses and the towpath becoming increasingly busy as the day goes on. As we approach Actons Lock, there's a boat waiting for us, in the ensuing chat, they find out I'm heading back up the Thames and
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Sunday 30th May

Happy Birthday Tim! Wake up with head ache, I'm not surprised! Unblock toilet, make tea / coffee, and up the Hanwell flight we go. A boat is going up a couple of locks ahead of us, so Stephen does a grand job walking ahead and setting them all for us, we need water, so the law of sod dictates that all the active boats need it too! Never mind, there's always the next one. Chris produces a most welcome set of bacon / sausage rolls for brunch, then law of sod applies for the second time as we start
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Saturday 29th May

05.30 - Alarm clock goes off - ouch! A quick coffee and off the the station for the return trip to Limehouse, Wake new crew (Chris, Dave and Stephen) for tea, coffee etc and find out what happened at the SPCC safety briefing last night. Off to Frank's cafe for a good old fry up, a stock up of essential supplies at Tesco's then to hang around chatting to the SPCC guys for recommended moorings between Brentford and Bull's Bridge. Owned up to not having enough life jackets for the whole crew and th
Tim

Tim

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Life, The Universe & Everything - Grand Tour 2010

Friday 28th May

Off with clear skies, down the lock at Tottenham and onto the Springfield service dock for pump-out and diesel. Then onwards. Gentle cruising by the Olympic site as far as Old Ford Lock which had a boat in it and shut gates! So, onto the landing and off to investigate. They've been there all night, the gates wont open and are waiting for BW. So being a bit impatient, I leant through the window of the control room and pressed the reset button, the gates duly opened, but one of the top paddles sta
Tim

Tim

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