New Year in Bugsworth Basins

by Chris Adams

Crew: Chris, Kay, Helen, Jennifer & Tim

Friday 29 December : Arrived at about 1.15pm and Rodbaston was ready for us - the Heritage team are really quick with their turnarounds. After loading up I drove to Congleton Station to pick up Jennifer and Tim who had travelled down from Manchester. We let go just before 2.00pm and tried to get as far as possible before nightfall ... we moored up in the atmospheric former rail / canal interchange about a mile north of Congleton.

Comments about the boat / Winter Maintenance ...

Paintwork: A very good paint job has been done - it's not perfect as already some of the rust spots have re-appeared but the boat looks better than it's done for nearly three years. The signwriting on the starboard side looks as though it was done with some grease around as not all the paint has stuck - just needs a simple touch up with black paint (if the rain ever stops !). A perfect job has been done to the gouge on the side hatch exterior - I'd have no quibbles about paying the going rate for such a good job. I've reminded Heritage that the exterior woodwork stills needs Sadolin treatment.

Propellor: There's no hint of any unpleasant noise anywhere within that 1200 to 1600 rpm range - so I'd say that the fitting of new prop. has been a 100% success - certainly exceeded my expectations. The cups still rattle at idling speed (950 rpm) and Alan Clarke, at Heritage, suspects that this could be improved by fitting stiffer engine mounts as he believes that incorrect mounts were fitted when new - I seem to recall that Maestermyn thought something similar. Alan Clarke is pursuing Ownerships for a definitive answer.

Side hatch interior: I spoke to Bob Woodgate who basically recommended that we have the same "fix" as Chisbury had. This involved the use of marine ply with cosmetic beading fixed to it to give an impression of an inlay. Also leave a gap at the bottom of the woodwork and drill drainage holes in what effectively becomes the gutter of the doors. From what I could see the Chisbury job looks good - not as good as the original doors but much better than our present doors which have soaked up even more moisture since our last trip.

Chimney: It had been feared that the chimney may have gone walkabout. However it was simply resting in the painting tunnel.

Sea Searcher Magnet: I bought another one, as agreed at the AGM - I'll charge this to the sinking fund sometime.

Cafetiere: I replaced the one that we damaged on our last trip.

Pipe Fender: I bought a length of rope on return to Heritage to fit to the pipe fender that Paul Bateman has already reported about. However in the gathering gloom I could not find the fender itself so had to leave the boat without finishing the job - rope is inside the boat.

Kettle: It's already been reported that the kettle handle was broken. I fixed it with super glue and is, in Kay's opinion, now perfectly safe to use.

Stools: I was supposed to remove the worst of the two plain stools on board but forgot (!). Perhaps whoever is on board next could do this. I'd earlier said that the thermos cups left on board were ours ... as it turns out they were not ours so we have not removed them.

Saturday : Set off at daybreak, about 8am, while the young 'uns slept on. They were all up in time for the Bosley locks which had all been left with the bottom gates open which was handy for us. The towpath was a quagmire making us grateful that there would be no other locks to get through. Filled up with water at the top, then realised a few hours later that the water from the tap had been brown - probably through lack of use - we quickly bought some bottles of water ! We found ourselves with a bit of time to spare so called in at the recently reopened Fools Nook for a pint or two. We didn't try the food but the menu looked interesting and the place was popular with diners. In the afternoon we motored on and moored at Bollington aqueduct at about 3.45pm. Jenn and Tim headed off to the Spinners Arms so that they could catch up with the football results. After eating on board Kay and I went on a little pub crawl around the interesting village.

Sunday : Another 8.00am start to ensure that we were moored up in Bugsworth before nightfall. After a couple of hours the swing bridge crew decided to get up in time for the four bridges on the Upper Peak Forest canal. Jenn and Tim dropped Helen, Kay and I off at the junction near Whaley Bridge. We went for a pint in the nearby pub then shopping at Tescos. After then walking to Bugsworth we found the boat moored up with Jenn and Tim polishing the brasses. The polishing team then went to check that the Navigation would be a suitable place in which to spend New Year's Eve. After two hours they deemed it suitable and returned to the boat to eat and rest. We all headed to the pub about 10.00pm to be greeted by the new licensee, dressed as Dracula, who took over three weeks ago. They still serve food, but being New Years Eve there wasn't any on so can't comment on the menu. Had a great night in the pub returning in the early hours to let off the fireworks that we'd brought with us.

Monday - New Years Day: Late start (!) ... tried to unlock rear door but it felt like I was using the wrong key ... I wasn't. Tried all the usual tricks, tried some spare keys, tried WD40 but the lock felt as though it had seized up. For the rest of the week we all had to use the front doors to get on and off. When back at Heritage they eventually cleared whatever was jamming the lock and they thought that it was probably a build up of rust that caused it to seize ... Bob Woodgate will be consulted ... hopefully they'll convince themselves that the lock is now reliable to avoid the cost and inconvenience of a new lock and set of keys. Anyway, on New Year's Day we headed back along the Peak Forest to Marple. As the Marple locks were padlocked for emergency repairs we took up the possibility of mooring on the lock mooring bollards - a great spot to moor. We then escorted Jenn & Tim down to Marple Station from where they caught the train back to Manchester. The cheap day return fares from Marple to Manchester cost only £1.30 and with plenty of trains plus only a 20 minute journey it all makes Marple a useful point from which to have a day or evening out in Manchester. Kay and I then had a wander (and a pint or two) around Marple.

Tuesday : We'd pre booked a training day for Kay to boost her helmsman's experience and practice manoeuvring. We booked Malcolm Allcard <www.toplocktraining.co.uk> who is well qualified for such training courses. Malcolm lives in that superb house right at Marple Junction. After a safety briefing we set off for about 5 hours of winding, hovering, bridge hole approaches etc. etc. This was made even more fun with the strong winds and rain which kept company with us for much of the week. At the end of the day Kay was very pleased with what she had learnt and recommends such a course to anyone who is slightly nervous about the more demanding manoeuvres sometimes necessary on the canals. Normally such courses last a full day but because of the short daylight hours we had 6 hours training for a fee of £125.

Wednesday : Stopped at Bollington for some essentials then on to the Fools Nook for the evening. We ate on board before going to the pub which, being a mid week evening, was very quiet.

Thursday : Back to Heritage, arriving at about 2.30pm. Our early finish was so that we could get home in time for Helen to attend a College Awards Evening.

EOH Report:

Replace gas cylinder.

Pump out both toilets

Fill with diesel.

Valet booked and paid for.

	Former Canal / Rail interchange nr. Congleton
	Marple Junction