About Me

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After thirty years of hiring, I finally bought my own 50ft boat in 2005, which was built in 2001 by Andicraft at Debdale Wharf. I mostly cruise single handed and have no problem with that, although it does take a little longer than with a crew. My mooring is on the Wey Navigation, so I have a choice of routes on the Wey or the Thames.

Friday, 26 May 2017

Summer Cruise 13


Wednesday 24th May.

I woke up to a brilliant day in Stoke, with the sun shining and warm already at 07.30. After chatting with various people on the tow path, I managed to find time to have breakfast, put some washing in soak and write this up after two days, before lunch.

Sealing up the solar vent and Houdini hatch was next on the list, now that the weather was dry. As usual, Capt. Tolly’s Creaping Crack Cure was on hand to do the job and a couple of applications should make both waterproof once again. I laid the wet wrung out washing on the hot cabin top to dry, with mooring chains to keep them in place. The cabin top was too hot to touch, so the washing was dry in an hour or so.

I also washed off the top bend, which had received severe scraping at Uxbridge when the wind was blowing me onto the off side high sides. I intend touching up the paint later, even though I am now without the paint catalyst; I think it will go off in the hot weather without it – we shall see.

Later Kathryn invited me for a meal at The Navvy, which was two steaks and a bottle of Hardy’s Shiraz for £20, which was very good, but too many chips for me, as usual.

Thursday 25th May

I watered up before leaving Stoke and moved off about 09.30, having said cheerio to Kathryn and thanked her for the meal last night. I was thinking of mooring at Gayton Junction, but there were no moorings available, a lot of them moored up were continuous moorers, moving from one 14 day mooring to the next and then back again. Once again, it was one of the hottest days of the year so far. It must be time to break out the shorts and sandals!
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More fine adjustments to the skin tank cooling on the way, which involved stopping on a straight section and lifting the boards above the engine and lightly tapping the tap with the windlass; it has to be about right now!

I found a mooring close to Bridge 24 at Weedon and was trying to think of what was there. I found myself talking to a local, who had a mooring, but no boat yet. When he described the shops and pubs, it all came back to me from last year, when I stopped here for one night http://nbstronghold.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/.


I later had a walk to The Malters Arms, which was rather noisy. I also updated the NBT Pubs database, with the addresses of The Malsters and The Plume of Feathers. Looking in on the Weedon Ordnance Depot, I realised that I could now walk in freely, as there were retail businesses in some of the buildings. Further investigation to the end of the estate is now possible, so I may well do that later.

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