Prop Fishing

The mooting last night was very rural and quiet although Jan said she started to hear the early dog walkers around 6.30am when they came through the metal gate on the footpath to Fleckney.

It was a reasonably late start to the day as we delayed our departure from Waiouru to coincide with the opening of the factory shop at Yeoman Yarns.  Finding the factory proved rather easy having first looked on Google Earth.  It’s on the outskirts of Fleckney heading towards Saddington.

The shop is actually a room inside the factory which meant we had to pass through the administration offices to reach it.  Jan had a wander around whilst I asked the lady staffing the shop a few questions about the operation.

After reading the information on their website my assumption was the products were manufactured at the factory, but this isn’t the case.  All the yarn and wool is purchased in bulk from Italy and Spain.  The factory then breaks it down into smaller quantities for onward wholesale distribution.

Back at Waiouru we had a late morning tea before preparing to depart.  The Mio GPS was set up on the portside seat in a horizontal position so I could look down at it when steering.  It immediately became apparent this wouldn’t work as the sunlight (yes… there was sunshine today!) reflected on the screen.  It was then moved to the top of the sliding hatch cover in a vertical position.  This made it much easier to see.  The Mio proved to be very useful showing our position on Paul’s Memory-Map canal trace in real time and warning me when we were approaching locks.  I’m a convert!

We were joined at the first of today’s five locks by nb Flat Bottomed Girl and her crew worked with us through the locks until we stopped for a late lunch.

The batteries where showing 100% so we decided to stop for the day.  Another rural mooring all to ourselves!

Waiouru’s wake hasn’t been looking right for the last couple of days despite me placing it hard in reverse a couple of times.  So late in the afternoon I went prop fishing down the weed hatch catching an urban jellyfish and three skinny Birmingham eels.

The afternoon was actually quite warm and humid.  Has summer finally arrived?  Anyway, it was enough for me to change into shorts whilst Jan replaced her heavy slacks with a lighter pair.  After a nice dinner of roast chicken with new potatoes, carrots, leeks and zucchini I went for a walk down the towpath to look at the local Leicestershire countryside.  Jan decided she had already walked between five locks and decided she’s done enough exercise for the day.

Initially I thought this was a church but after looking at the Open Street Map I changed my mind thinking it might be Wistow Hall.  But after further searching on Google I’m back to it being Wistow Church.

A wandering we will go……

The internet connection last night was the worst we’ve experienced since starting our cruising on Waiouru.  Even with the phone connected to the Australian outback aerial on the roof the signal was constantly dropping out and it took ages to send the blog post.

This morning Jan was up very early (4.00am) and being the sweetie she is work me at 6.00am with a hot cup of tea and a biscuit to remind me we planned to move early as we needed to catch the bus back to Market Harborough.  Apart from the poor 3 Mobile connection last night’s mooring was quite nice and certainly quiet.

At 7.00am we slipped our mooring and with the engine (just) on tick-over quietly moved off leaving our fellow boaters to their dreams.  It was a short distance to Saddington Tunnel and in anticipation of it being wet inside we’d worn our new leather hats and rain jackets.

Jan sang her way through.  I think she might be frightened of the dark!

We found a short piece of armco piling just beyond bridge 73 where we moored and walked across the fields into Fleckney.  The No44 bus arrived approximately 10 minutes later.  Our seniors concession pass wasn’t recognised by the on board scanner but that didn’t seem to worry the driver.  It was a very interesting 40 minute drive to Market Harborough as the bus took a very long and circular route passing through small villages and rolling countryside <marvellous>.

The first task at Market Harborough was to go to the post office and collect our Post Restante parcel.  The teller did mention she hadn’t handled a transaction of this type very often and went to speak to someone more senior.  I had offered my bus passes as proof of identity as it has my photo on it.  However they wanted to see my debit card (which doesn’t have a photo?).  We duly took possession of the package and then Jan went to Sainsburys whilst I headed up the High St to find a shop that could take some passport photos of me for my visa application.  I’m reluctant to use those automatic booths as I’m not convinced I’d be able to produce a photo of the required standard.  One of the pharmacies had a photo centre and once in possession of my six photos I headed back to Sainburys to help Jan pack all the purchases into our day packs.  We then went to a tea room for a light lunch.  The choice of shop was mine and; as usual; I failed spectacularly.  The tables were dirty, along with one of the plates, and there were lumps in the sugar bowl.  Now you know why I’m reluctant to take Jan out for a meal!

The bus journey back to Fleckney appeared to take less time but that might have been because we were the only passengers.

Back at Waiouru I opened the parcel to find the Mio P350 PDA we had purchased used off eBay for £20 was in it’s original wrapping.

That was a surprise and a positive start.  PDA’s pre-date smartphones but are not all that old.  When purchased new the Mio would have cost the original owner around £250.  And our bid of £20 was accepted.   It wouldn’t turn on and I was hoping all that indicated was a flat battery.  I was right <phew!>.  A couple of hours were spent configuring the software and connecting it to the laptop.  Then a sample map was loaded.  The <@#$%^&> screen was blank.  More fiddling around until I accidentally touched a button and the map appeared.  All of this could have been much quicker if I’d taken the time to read the instructions instead of diving straight in.  It’s a bloke thing! 

Paul <Waterway Routes> you may want to note your maps appear to work on a Mio P350!

The plan is to mount the Mio somewhere in the cockpit where the steerer can see it.  I’ve placed it on top of the sliding hatch as a temporary measure to see what it looks like.

The inbuilt gps was still finding its location hence the series of red lines and dots around our location.

It’s possible to transfer user data between the Mio and the laptop.  The Mio will also record our route as a ‘breadcrumb’ and we can add points of interest (eg, mooring spots) as we are cruising.  So we should be able to build a personal record of our cruises that can be laid on top of the standard maps.

Tomorrow Jan is planning to visit the factory shop at the local Fleckney woollen mills.  She probably needs more wool for the latest knitted blanket!  After that there might be time for another short cruise north.

Heading to Fleckney

The mobile signal is very poor at our current mooring.  Only one bar despite having the phone connected to the powerful aerial on the roof.  It’s also intermittent with the connection regularly dropping out.

We filled the water tank before heading to Debdale Wharf for a pump-out.  NB Uccello was already there on the canal side having the same ‘treatment’ so we were asked to go into the marina and reverse into the slipway.  That was a test of my ability.  A 90° turn to the left followed immediately by a 90° turn to the right and then I had to reverse back into the narrow slipway.  We made it by taking everything gently.  The marina staff gave Waiouru a very thorough pump-out and a good rinse.  We were then asked if we were satisfied (we were).  They did a good job and the cost was reasonable at £12.  We don’t put ‘blue’ in the tank.  Whilst at the marina we purchased 10 litres of oil and a new oil filter as the engine will shortly require another service.  The price for the filter and oil was much lower than we’ve previously paid and they accepted our waste oil from the last oil change.  Another two 90° turns and we were heading towards Leicester.  The plan was to stop short of Saddington Tunnel and moor. 

Fleckney is in the top left of the above map.

The intention was to moor prior to the tunnel so I could walk forward and see if there was a suitable vacant mooring at the other end.  Tomorrow we plan to walk into Fleckney village and catch the local bus back to Market Harborough.  I walked to the tunnel and then over the top.

Southern portal

The path over the top

The length of towpath at the northern end was a little “hairy” and I detoured around it on my return.

There doesn”t appear to be anything architecturally outstanding in Fleckney.  It had a post office, pharmacy, pub and a good sized Co-op on the main street.  The bus stop is opposite the Co-op and I noticed the route number to Market Harborough is 44.  Fleckney is mentioned in the Doomsday Book and until the 19th century it was a farming community.  A brickworks and hosiery were then built.  However these days most of the community commutes to work.

The shopping list consisted of one bag of potatoes and a top-up for the mobile phone.  All of which was purchased in the Co-op.  Google Earth shows there is also a woollen mill at the southern end of the village and as Jan is a knitter we will probably make the effort to visit the factory shop.

A boat was just exiting the tunnel on my return trip and I managed to get the camera out of the backpack (it was under the bags of spuds) and take one of my consistently poor quality photos.

The afternoon was spent attempting to merge maps of the UK.  Currently we have the Open Street Map of the UK on the gps.  The following is a sample of the map detail in our current location.

As you can see the map contains the footpaths but the canal and terrain detail is very basic.  We also have the free Topo map of the UK and the following is a sample of the same area.

The Topo map has far more canal and terrain detail but doesn’t show the footpaths.  What I want to do is combine the detail from the two maps. 

Tomorrow morning we plan to go through Saddington Tunnel and moor at the far end before walking to Fleckney where we’ll catch the 44 bus to Market Harborough to collect our Post Restante mail (if it’s there!).

Speed Reading

Around 38 years ago I was a student on a 12 month intensive training course.  Each day large quantities of written information was being given to us to read and remember.  The staff obviously realised we would struggle to digest all this written material so at the beginning of the course there were several weeks of speed reading training.  We would be taken to the theatrette and shown films that consisted of chunks of text which were displayed in sequence.  You had to read the text and at the end of the session fill in a questionnaire that confirmed you had read and could recall the information.  Each subsequent session resulted in more text being displayed and for a shorter period of time.  Apparently the objective was to train us to read and remember an entire sentence rather than individual words.  I’m not sure if it worked for me, but I did pass the course!

Yesterday I was reminded of this training when I was emailed the following.

7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15.

If you can read the above, you have a strange mind, too. Only 55 people out of 100 can.

I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

OK…. so you’re part of the 55% of the population capable of reading it!

As for today….. There was time for some tidying up and a small amount of cleaning and polishing parts of Waiouru’s external paintwork.  We then went to the pub and ensured Jan had her weekly fix (a Sunday roast beef lunch).      Jan here…First roast lunch in four weeks, somebody who shall not be named forgets there is a Sunday each week.

Once back on Waiouru Jan carried out further internet searches in an effort to find a glass splashback supplier who would be able to measure the galley.  Derek & Carrie (nb Uccello) had suggested a company very close to the Bridgewater Canal.  No doubt we will eventually find a suitable supplier.  It’s the last major piece of outstanding work on Waiouru so we’d like to get it completed.  More urgently, we need to purchase a ‘top-up’ for the mobile phone and the supply of potatoes is also running low, so we’ll definitely be cruising tomorrow.  

Another blogger and the BMV is dishonest!

Surprisingly this morning I remembered to record the readings off the Victron BMV before starting the engine.  It was showing 95.5Ah had been taken from the batteries and the SOC was 92.9%.  The battery voltage was 12.6V.  The Smartgauge was showing the SOC as 79% and the voltage the same at 12.6V.
The capacity of the battery bank is 900Ah of which 50% (450Ah is available without damaging the batteries.  A couple of quick calculations meant the 95.5amp hours used equates to a remaining SOC of 89% at the total capacity of the battery bank (900Ah) or 79% at 450Ah.  So at the moment the BMV isn’t accurately reporting the SOC as a percentage.  However the Smartgauge was reporting the SOC as 79% which is ‘spot on’! It appears my recent attempt to synchronise the BMV hasn’t been successful.  We’ll have to try again and manually synchronise the monitor.
We moved off the mooring with the intention of moving to the water point at the base of the Foxton locks.  Meanwhile Jan walked ahead to open the pedestrian swing bridge before the junction.  There was a boat moored before the bridge and one of the crew had a friendly look on his face as I approached.  Just as I recognised the name of the boat the crewman said “Hello Tom…. I’m Derek” and I said “I read your blog!”…….  To which he replied “I read your blog”.  Derek then said to me “You’re coming for coffee.  But you probably didn’t know that!”  And that’s how I found out Jan had accepted an invitation to have coffee on board Uccello. 
It didn’t quite work out that easy.  We were able to get a 48 hour mooring beyond the water tap and the garden hose was just long enough to reach the inlet on the tank.  But the pressure was woeful.  By the time we’d topped up the tank it was lunch time so the walk back to Uccello was delayed until after lunch.
By the time we made it back to Uccello some liquid sunshine was starting to fall.  A light knock on the roof roused Bungie who promptly barked at Jan.  We received a warm welcome from Carrie and Derek despite our delayed appearance.

Derek & Carrie on nb Uccello.  Apparently Bungie doesn’t like rain drops!
We were both quite interested to note Uccello has a very similar reverse layout to Waiouru.  Actually there were many similarities.  Both were approximately the same length,  semi-trad, reverse layout, pump out (yes… we discussed toilets), open-plan interior, etc.
Derek & Carrie mentioned they had done some cruising in the company of fellow kiwi’s Dot & Derek (nb Gypsy Rover) before they returned to NZ.   All good things come to an end and Derek & Carrie have decided to sell Uccello after cruising the lovely waterways for approximately seven years.  If you’re interested in  finding out more about Uccello you might want to look at their blog site <click here for the link>.  
We haven’t yet decided which way we will turn when we reach the junction of the River Soar and the River Trent.  We’d been thinking of turning West towards Fradley Junction but then though we might go up the Erewash Canal as it’s so close to the junction.  Derek & Carrie have suggested we consider turning East and go down the Trent and on to Lincoln.  Looking on the map it appears possible to turn onto the Stainforth & Keadby Canal and then head towards Sheffield before heading north to the Calder.  We could possibly go as far as York returning via the Leeds & Liverpool.  Our only reservations are the thought of cruising on a large river (but then we did the Thames) and would we be able to also organise my visa application.  Some thinking to be done!

More on batteries & fenders

Apparently we are new to the neighbourhood and the locals have been checking us out.  This lady has been along twice and only seems to disappear when dog walkers pass.  Unlike Australia, the countryside isn’t infested with them so we assume the climate isn’t quite as conducive to breeding or they more natural predators.  The latter is less likely.

The Victron BMV600

Today I started doing what both John (nb Phoebe) and Paul (nb Waterway Routes) do daily and record information about the state of the batteries from the BMV on a spreadsheet I’ve created.  This morning the BMV was showing we had consumed 55 amps since the batteries were charged yesterday and the state of charge (SOC) was 96%.  The voltage was 14.5V.  The Smartgauge showed the SOC as 88% and the voltage as 14.45V.  On starting the engine the BMV showed an initial charge of 132 amps but after approximately 10 minutes there was a change in the sound from the engine and I noticed the amp reading had fallen to 68 amps.  One assumes the Bulk phase had completed and Absorption started.  I then left the engine running for several hours until the BMV was showing just under 16 amps going to the batteries.  The Kipor generator was then connected and the engine stopped.  The Kipor continued the battery charging using the Victron combi.  After an hour I noticed only 6 amps were going into the batteries and the solar panels were producing just under 10 amps.  It seemed a waste of petrol to run the generator when the solar panels were producing all the necessary power to recharge the batteries.  Two hours later the batteries were only taking 1 amp and the solar was producing sufficient power to charge the batteries plus run the constant load on the boat (fridge & freezer).

I’ve also tested the generator and it’s capable of producing a maximum charge rate of 32 amps.  A good strategy seems to be to run the boat engine until the BMV shows the charging amps have fallen to 32 and then run the generator until the solar panels can complete the charge.

Fenders

Yesterday afternoon there was a boat selling fenders moored in front of us.  However the weather was liquid and I decided not to venture out.  This morning they left before we had an opportunity to speak with the crew about additional fenders for Waiouru.  However they passed us again in the afternoon so we raced outside with our queries.  The boat is nb Ratty (from Wind in the Willows) and the couple aboard were most helpful.

nb Ratty

As a result of our discussion we now own a second bow fender which will hang below the existing fender and protect the blacking from those low concrete and steel edges.  We’ve also purchased two long “sausage” style fenders for either side of the bow in the hope they will protect the paintwork below the gunwale in the vicinity of the cratch.

The price was very competitive and the service exceptional.

A good walk and the battery monitor installation is finished

The day started cool with a slight wind but I decided to go for the planned walk anyway.  It was a good decision as there were some heavy showers after my return.
The plan was to walk five sections of footpath not on the Open Street Map.  It was a circular route because I also wanted to visit the church and Tower in Gumley.

Footpaths not previous on the OSM now recorded and uploaded.
The total length of the walk was just over 12.5km which isn’t very far.  I guess I’ll need another walk in a few days to get some additional miles under my feet.

The route is in red and the canal in purple and green
Much of the countryside is coloured bright yellow from the paddocks fields meadows of ripening Rape.  However the following meadow was covered in buttercups.  It’s been many years since we last saw buttercups.  They grown in NZ but I can’t recall seeing any in Australia.

I’d reached the end of the sections I’d planned to record when I arrived at point A marked on the map above.  This is where I discovered the footpath passed under the canal.  You have to wonder whether boaters realise they are passing over the footpath.

From this point onwards all the footpaths were already marked on the map.  When I arrived at point B (map above) there was a sluice with a very familiar looking mechanism located beside the junction of the footpaths.  The water course looked like it was running between Saddington Reservoir (point C) and the canal.  I checked on my return to Waiouru and the reservoir was built in 1802 to feed the canal!  A walk up to Smeeton Hill (515ft) provided a good view of the reservoir and surrounding countryside.

Saddington Reservoir

Looking SE towards Foxton Locks and Market Harborough
I eventually arrived at the northern aspect of St Helen’s of Gumley church.  Wikipedia has some interesting information about Gumley <click the link above>.  The village was first mentioned in 749AD although I would doubt any of the buildings date from this period.

The church was apparently built in the 14th century but subsequently modernized in 1874.  Gumley Hall was demolished in 1960 but the Tower House remains.  It was the water tower for the Hall and the existing surrounding building used to be the stables.

The weather vane on the top of the tower had 1870 on it and I was somewhat dubious about the date.

However a photo and information in Panoramio states the Tower House was constructed in 1870.  I thought it looked much newer!
In the afternoon a fellow boater kindly lent me his hole saw (thanks John) which enabled me to finally complete the installation of the Victron BMV600.

Now the BMV600 is easy to monitor I’ve begun to watch the current flowing in and out of the domestic battery bank.  The first thing I’ve noticed is the Smartgauge isn’t 100% accurate.  Two hours after the Smartgauge reported 100% the batteries were still accepting 10-12 amps of charge.  A further two hours later they were accepting 8 amps. This means when the Smartgauge is first reporting the batteries are 100% charged they are actually only 90-95% charged.  We need to use the generator or shore-power to complete the ‘Float’ stage to enable the BMV600 to be synchronised.  That’s not going to occur during the next few days.

Are we being stalked?

Not according to John and Margaret (nb Phoebe) who appeared two boats in front of us at Market Harborough this morning.  We last saw them at the top of the Foxton Flight where John introduced himself as a long term blog reader.  Their cruising plans are as fluid as ours.  Anyway, it was nice to have the time for a longer conversation and find they have a link to Sydney where their son now lives.  Apparently they spend Christmas in Sydney most years which, in our opinion, is one way of swapping snow for flies!

John on Phoebe

Thank you to those blog readers who have sent suggestions on how to get our mail using the Post Restante system.  This morning I did what I should have done yesterday and walked back into the post office at Market Harborough to enquire whether they operated a Post Restante service.   They do!  We have decided to continue slowly cruising and will catch a bus back to the post office next week to collect our mail.  Hopefully it will have arrived by then.

It was great having family and friends visit us and spend the day cruising from Foxton to Market Harborough.  My ego was puffed when my brother-in-law sincerely complemented me on my 14 12 9 point turn winding Waiouru in the Wharf basin.

We left Market Harborough at midday and slowly cruised back towards Foxton with the engine doing 1250rpm.  It didn’t take much longer than going there at 1500rpm and we only collected leaves once instead of the four times during the earlier trip.  We’re now moored on the 48 hour mooring between Foxton and the junction.  We had to push Waiouru back 4 metres so the dome could find the dot in the sky and then Jan hung out the washing which had been done during the cruise.  At was a late lunch (for us) around 2.00pm.

The clothes line has certainly paid for itself

In the afternoon I walked back towards the locks and took a photo of the field of Red Campion we saw on the way up to Market Harborough.  We now know the name of the plant from a comment left by Debbie & Dave of nb Chuffed (thanks guys).

I’m not sure why there would be a field full of Red Campion because as far as I can establish there are no known uses for the plant except as a herbal remedy for snake bites.  The farmer must know something that I don’t!

Looking across the countryside we could see a tower and church steeple in the distance.  I’m curious… I want to walk there and explore.  Perhaps tomorrow!

The Tower House and the parish church of St Helen Gumley

I love coming upon these quintessential English church steeples protruding through the treeline.  The plan is to stay here two days and then move on towards Debdale Marina.  At the moment we’re just killing time waiting for the mail to arrive.

Market Harborough

After a very late night yesterday; and an even later blog post; much of today was spent purchasing and carrying essential food supplies back to Waiouru.  There has also been time to reflect upon events from yesterday.  We think generally the day with our visitors went well.  The two meals (lunch and dinner) were very good.  Jan and I both enjoyed the fish pie at the Foxton Inn and the meal in Market Harborough last night at the Three Swans was excellent.  The customer service at both locations was also good.

I made an enquiry about the cost of casual moorings in the basin and was informed it cost £10 per day, which included electricity.  We are currently on the 48 hour moorings just outside the basin and have decided not to go into the basin and pay for the shore power.

We used the camera in the smartphone to take photos today and these were downloaded to the laptop at the end of the day before being deleted from the photo.  I now discover only one photo downloaded and the remainder can’t be retrieved!  The most noticeable building in the centre of the town is The Old Grammar School

Apparently it was built on stilts in 1614 so the butter market could continue to be held.  The money for the school was donated by Robert Smyth who was from Market Harborough but went on to become the accounting and financial manager of the London Lord Mayors Court.  The school sent a number of its students on to Cambridge and Oxford.  Two of the most notable are John Moore who went on to be the bishop of Norwich and Ely.  In the 20th century William Bragg and his son were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in recognition of their work into the analysis of crystal structures.  Interestingly, there is a connection to Adelaide, South Australia.  William Bragg spent 23 years teaching at Adelaide University.

The sole negative for the day was my failure to establish where we might be able to take delivery of some mail we’d like sent Post Restante.  I phoned two post offices who stated they didn’t accept the mail and a third didn’t answer the call.  I then attempted to call the principal post office in Leicester on a “pay” number only to get the standard government run-around through their automated system.  After repeatedly being directed to the website the call was eventually terminated (by them) after the canned voice told me all the operators were busy.  Then I tried to find an email address on their website.  I don’t know who designed the website but I do hope he/she wasn’t paid very much for their effort.  It’s awful.  Eventually I found a contact form but… of course….. the 4 fields relating to an address were mandatory.  We don’t have an address!   All I want is a list of post offices who accept post restante mail…… You’d think that wouldn’t be too hard.  Try finding it on the website.

Foxton Locks and overseas visitors

This morning we moved Waiouru forward to the water point moorings above the Foxton Flight to top-up the water tank whilst our visitors had a look around the museum and the incline plane.

We were the only boat waiting at the top when nb Phoebe arrived with John and his wife aboard.  John introduced himself as one of our blog readers (are they all following us around England?) and mentioned he had been following the blog from the time we were living in Adelaide, South Australia.  With a small smile on his face he mentioned to me he probably knew more about the construction of  Waiouru than I did!

John on the stern of Phoebe.  Great to meet you John!

Our visitors were from Perth, Western Australia.  The party consisted of my sister and her husband along with her sister-in-law and her husband.  If that was difficult then they were Julie, Paul, Karen & Dave.  The plan was to have them work Waiouru down the 10 locks either working the lock gates and paddles or steering the boat.  With the assistance of the volunteer lock keeper, Allison and the supervision of the boat captain (Jan) it all went very smoothly.

Julie opens the red paddle whilst Karen waits to openthe the white.  They remembered… “Red before white you’ll be alright!”

Mum is too frail to make the journey all the way to the UK and she had therefore decided to treat us all to lunch giving Julie the money before she left Perth.  The pub at the bottom of the locks looked like it was serving food and we immediately started looking for a mooring once we’d reached the bottom of the flight.  It was Julie who was observant and noticed there was a vacant mooring adjacent to the pub beer garden.

Waiouru moored against the beer garden…. Great mooring!

The girls then started into their “internet fix” calling Perth via Skype to check how badly the kids had trashed the house in their absence.  The boys rehydrated!

After lunch we leisurely cruised the stretch of canal into Market Harborough.  Dave and Paul took turns at the tiller and did very well with their steering.  Being keen ‘yachties’ might have given them an edge. Julie wanted a photo of me  and managed to take one just as I was taking a photo of her.

Paul, Karen & Julie

Whilst Karen and Julie headed into Market Harborough to find some accommodation for the night I walked with Paul and Dave to collect the car back at Foxton Locks.  I’d previously identified the shortest walking route using the online OS maps which had then been downloaded on to the gps.  The route took us through fields of bright yellow rape and paddocks of sheep. On our return to Waiouru we discovered the girls had the accommodation booked and also identified a good venue for the evening meal.  Two cooked meals in one day….   The main meal was tasty and the dessert divine.

At this rate we’re going to have more chins than a chinese phonebook! (I stole that line off my sister!)