It's Christmas Eve and in our house we should be ready for Christmas in about a week. Ah well, we're as ready as we'll ever be I suppose. Lights are twinkling, boughs of holly and ivy hang precariously from picture hooks and our conservatory is doubling as an extra fridge because the proper one is over full. Meanwhile back at the Herbie Wards there's work to be doine.
First we have the result of the
Favourite Stopping Place 2023
. After sleeping on it, the judges (ie me) have decided to give the Award to
Coventry Basin
Poor old Coventry doesn't get anything like the recognition it deserves as a canal destination. Maybe it's because it's 5 miles down a cul-de-sac from Hawkesbury and because some years ago it was noted for having a lot of rubbish in the canal. Well let me assure you that the canal is clean and tidy now and the 5 mile run in is a pleasant and interesting one. Go for it.
Boating is not all fun and games. Sometimes things go wrong and often the problem can be that things go wrong when you are miles from anywhere. Getting help can seem almost impossible. Last year of course we had the drama of Kath falling in the canal on a quiet afternoon when nobody was about to help. Fortunately a nearby boat we thought was empty, contained a strong young man who came to our rescue.
Drama No 1
So it was nice this year when we were able to help someone else in a similar predicament.
Rounding a bend we saw a boat skewed across the canal with a bunch of snior citizens faffing about at her stern. Then we noticed one man in the water looking helpless as he tried in vain to reboard the boat. Luckily after Kath fell in I had bought a ladder should such a thing happen again and so we were able to deploy it to help the poor bloke out of the water. He was very shaken, and even with the ladder he needed a lot of help clambering over the taff rail. It was a team effort but I hesittate to think what would have happened if we hadn't have been passing with our ladder.
Drama No 2
South Oxford Summit. The wind had been too strong for boating for 24hrs and we were moored up by the radio mast ( a popular spot). Eventually in the afternoon the wind dropped somewhat and we set of gingerly towards Fenny Compton. I suppose we'd been going for ten or fifteen minutes when I noticed the engine temperature gauge rising rapidly. I slowed down, but to no avail. The temperature rise was inexorable eventually reaching the point where we had no option but to pull over to the bank and investigate. The wind was still pretty strong and we could hardly hold the boat as the wind tried to pull her away from the bank. The bank was soft mud, and the mooring pins we hammered in weren't really enough to hold us for many minutes. We were still some way from habitation. After a while letting the engine cool, I opened the coolant filler and of course the engine cooling tank was empty. I could see a lot of water beneath the engine. In an hour it would be dark. Yikes. We couldn't stay there, we'd be blown adrift in the night. I refilled the tank and we set off at tick over desperately hoping we could make it to Fenny and safety. The temperature was rising again and with luck it reached no-go point just as we arrived at Fenny bridge. Phew. We retired to the pub to wind down. Next morning a nice RCR man came to our rescue and replaced the hose which had broken away from its end.
So two dramas with a happy end. I'll decide which was most dramatic between now and next post.
In the meantime I hope and wish that anyone who might read this (there must be somebody out there) has a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.
The awards will continue after boxing day
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