I Am Onboard!

[DandV]

Enjoy it! Best wishes. Hopefully we will bring some of the magnificent weather we have been having here when we arrive in exactly one month! We are making progress in acquiring our own boat and hopefully we will be out cruising shortly afterwards when we should at some stage catch up.

 

Don and Val

[8 Hairy Feet]

Hurrah!

Watery wandering to you!

steffxxx

[Sean & Coral]

Congratulations Alan! We too are almost there, with the delivery of our widebeam to Newark next week and then a shortish cruise up to our mooring in Lincoln - can't wait!! Good luck and above all else.....enjoy!!!

[Laurie Booth]

Well done.

[Dyad]

Congratz Alan, see you at Gnosall.

[Crabtree]

Congratulations Alan, look forward to hearing about your experiences! Enjoy experimenting with the stove and getting used to life afloat!

[Kiwidad]

Thank you to all for your good wishes.

Particular thanks to those I met at Loughborough, who offered a very friendly welcome to the boating community and affirmed my decision that this was the right choice.

Look forward to seeing old and new at Gnosall.

Kettle on!

 

Alan

B%gger the kettle, stock the fridge :-). Look forward to seeing you again in Gnosall

[Alanji]

B%gger the kettle, stock the fridge :-). Look forward to seeing you again in Gnosall

Yes, looking forward to meeting up again and a bit more time to chew the fat, as I only spoke to you briefly.

Although I certainly appreciate the occasional pint (and the ????? at Luff went down particularly well) it is usually usquebae for me. Been sharing a few nippy sweeties with James, who runs the brokerage at Nottingham, this evening. Must say I was very lucky to have bought through such a good broker having read some of the tales on here. They were so helpful all through my buying and their after sales service has been fantastic and provided what I suspect few, if any, other brokers would.

The kettle is off!!! The usquebae is going down too well

 

Alan

[Salopgal]

Really so pleased for you. I hope you have a wonderful time getting used to a life afloat. Wonderful folks out there to meet and greet!

[Grace and Favour]

Yes, looking forward to meeting up again and a bit more time to chew the fat, as I only spoke to you briefly.

Although I certainly appreciate the occasional pint (and the ????? at Luff went down particularly well) it is usually usquebae for me. Been sharing a few nippy sweeties with James, who runs the brokerage at Nottingham, this evening. Must say I was very lucky to have bought through such a good broker having read some of the tales on here. They were so helpful all through my buying and their after sales service has been fantastic and provided what I suspect few, if any, other brokers would.

The kettle is off!!! The usquebae is going down too well

 

Alan

 

Should be Laphroaig Quarter Cask

[tillergirl]

Congrats from us too.......................see you around the cut

[Alanji]

Should be Laphroaig Quarter Cask

Now that I would go along with! Only got a Bowmore "small batch reserve" on the boat which isn't at all bad.

See my suggestion on the Easter banter thread just posted.

 

Alan

[Homer 123]

Only 10 more days before I complete on my house and will be joining you. Feeling very stressful as so much to do and still working until schools break up next week. Also panicking about handling the locks on my own. Hopefully in 3 weeks time ill be feeling a lot more relaxed about the whole thing!

[Ally]

Congratulations, and not before time..you have timed it very well though to start out properly now! Enjoy your wanderings and the folk you meet...glad to hear we set you off on a good footing!!

Many happy cruising hours, days and months to you!!

[matty40s]

Well he's off. Yesterday was the first stage, Nottingham to Shardlow. Piccies later.

Alan set off this morning breaking ice ( "what aboot my blacking!!").

He will keep going until it rains.

[Alanji]

Yep, through two 11ft locks with no problems. Ah, except when I climbed the ladder at Weston with my centre rope forgetting that I had put the internet dongle on the roof. The rope was under the wire leading to the dongle. And the boat was moving away from the ladder. If I pull on the rope, the dongle goes in the water. Scooted down ladder and managed to free the rope and get back up.

Two lovely days cruising and many thanks to Matty for his help and support - the next pint is on me - particularly as I forgot my wallet when we went to the pub!

 

And Matty has promised to give me a tow if he passes me on the way to Gnosall

[JayDub]

Yep, through two 11ft locks with no problems. Ah, except when I climbed the ladder at Weston with my centre rope forgetting that I had put the internet dongle on the roof. The rope was under the wire leading to the dongle. And the boat was moving away from the ladder. If I pull on the rope, the dongle goes in the water. Scooted down ladder and managed to free the rope and get back up.

Two lovely days cruising and many thanks to Matty for his help and support - the next pint is on me - particularly as I forgot my wallet when we went to the pub!

 

And Matty has promised to give me a tow if he passes me on the way to Gnosall

Congratulations Alan, so jealous it is unbearable! Hopefully I'll be following you later this year but at the moment plans have been thwarted.

 

Enjoy!

[Alanji]

Bit of a nightmare day yesterday. No phone signal, radio rubbish and my computer/internet connection started playing up – and it was raining. Ah well, I thought, I will have a go at getting the TV up and running – rugby tomorrow!. Previous aerial was Kaput and I had a new one but the wiring was a bit dodgy. All connected – channel search – zilch. Take the electric panel off to get at the wiring, decide to make a cup of tea and the fridge was without power. S*** can anything else go wrong? Was about to pull the fridge out to check connection/power when I had a thought- maybe a wire had come loose when I pulled the panel out? I have two 12v trip panels with eight switches on each. A bit of trial and error ascertained that the whole top panel was out, including the fridge and lights. The power lead to the top panel must have become disconnected. Of course the rear of the panel is almost impossible to get at (in a cupboard) and has a mass of wires and cables. As far as I could see all connections were on and there were no loose wires.

 

As a quick fix I could have switched a couple of connections to get the fridge and lights working but would still have needed a solution. A phone call to Matty and he suggested there might be independent fuses for each bank. Into the engine compartment – no sign. Boat manual revealed no fuses in wiring other than trip switches. Bless him, Matty said he would drive up and we agreed to meet at Stenson Lock. Hire boat was just going through and waved me in – my luck has changed! No, the bottom gates would not fully open and I got wedged in between the lock gate and the hire boat. Now stuck. Fortunately full ahead by the other boat and full astern for me dislodged us. After they had gone through I thought I might as well go through while waiting. Another lesson learned – do not climb onto the roof at the side adjacent to lock wall. Jacket and trousers covered in mud and slime.

 

Then Matty turned up and after a cuppa and hot cross bun found the fault in 10 minutes. As I thought, it was the power connection to the top bank but the lead which had come off had been buried in the tangle of cables – I am sure I would have found it eventually, wouldn't I?

 

And more good news – connected the TV up again and a full set of channels Come on Scotland! (and England).

 

Such is boating I suppose.

 

Many thanks, Matty.

 

 

 

Alan

Edited March 16, 2013 by Alanji

[Retro69]

Hi Alan

Its all part of the fun

goodluck

[tree]

Glad you got everything sorted and Matty is such a star, a true knight in shining armour. I remember when he kindly came to check my stove as I was convinced the rusty bits at the top of the flue lol were due to smouldering , and he patiently checked it over and reassured me that it wasnt due to smouldering. Enjoy your travels Alan and keep on smiling

[i love my narrowboat]

Congratulations Alan, we have lived on our lovely boat for 2 years full time and LOVE it... wont be all fun and games but would not swap it for the world, ILMNB x

[Alanji]

Going well on my journey to Gnosall and now at Tixall Wide.

At Colwich lock, yesterday a kindly soul said "Stop on t'boat I'll do the lock for you". I later found out he was the ex lock-keeper and 83!!!!

Late start today - time to get the thermals on!

[Kiwidad]

Going well on my journey to Gnosall and now at Tixall Wide.

At Colwich lock, yesterday a kindly soul said "Stop on t'boat I'll do the lock for you". I later found out he was the ex lock-keeper and 83!!!!

Late start today - time to get the thermals on!

Look for the barn owl at tixall wide in the evening

[Alanji]

Look for the barn owl at tixall wide in the evening

Too late - I've left! Just stopped for a cuppa soup and a warm. Was milder than I thought when I started but seems to have been getting a bit colder.

[mrsmelly]

Look for the barn owl at tixall wide in the evening

 

Love barn owls. There is a pair in the field at the side of Sawley Gulag, I was watching them last evening. There was a pair in the cleeves at Lower Heyford a few years ago that hunted early evening whilst we barbied.

 

Tim