I’ve taken this blog over from Jo to speak of the trials and tribulations that we have experienced recently and the problems faced in fixing them. This one may be a bit mechanically nerdy but some (Jimmy Mason) will love it I’m sure!
Since Jo’s last blog we had a problem, whilst in Braunston, with engaging forward drive. Normally it should engage at about 850 revs. However, for the past few days of travel it wasn’t engaging until about 1200 – 1300 revs. This has the double effect of both screaming out until engaged and then it going in with a thud, which is detrimental for the gearbox. I knew it had something to do with the control lever used to engage drive so I had to undo everything from the control console to get at it. Whilst unable to identify the actual fault, I knew that past of the drive cable was held with a cable tie which, obviously, was a no no.
I have learnt a little mantra whilst boating and that is ‘sometimes your strength is knowing your weakness’. I was ill placed in knowledge to solve this and so I went hunting for a mechanic and then realised that we are members of the RCR (Rivers and Canal Rescue). These are the RAC equivalent and so I called them and they said they would have an engineer to me shorthly. True to their word, Abby turned up with her mechanics tool bag and a youthfulness that aged her the same as our kids.
She was brilliant. I guided her to the area and she immediately identified the fault and was able to repair it there and then which meant no cost to us. Whilst we were chatting it turns out that she was a local Derby girl and only lived in Borrowash! Small world.
Feeling upbeat about the repair we set off towards Leamington Spa and had good cruising up to the top of Stockton locks. This is an 8-lock flight going to Long Itchington. We set off last Saturday (1st) and were enjoying ourselves until we started hearing a sound that we were familiar with, the prop-shaft spinning in the the gearbox coupling. The end result was that we had no forward drive and had to pull over between locks and investigate. We couldn’t move under engine propulsion so had to do the last couple of locks the old-fashioned way, by pretending we were a couple of shire horses and pull Daisy through them.
This was a bizarre experience but I guess it’s how they used to do it in the old days. Jo is great on research and she found a chap called James from the Warwickshire Flyboat Company that happened to be at the bottom of the flight. I spoke to him and was directed to moorings close to him but, as it was a Saturday. He was away for the day but would come upon his return. We found moorings at The Blue Lias Inn and accepted a temporary defeat. To the pub for a glum pint for three whilst we licked our wounds.
James did come to us later and diagnosed something I would never have known. The drive shaft is 30mm diameter but the gearbox coupling it sits in was an imperial 1 ¼ ” which is slightly more so regardless of how much you bolt onto the shaft, eventually it will clamp itself onto the coupling instead of the shaft. This was probably a fit from the factory and the boat happily existed for numerous years if she didn’t travel far. Because we’re continuous cruisers, the problem has come to the surface due to the miles we’ve done.
James had to order another which would take a few days so Jo took the opportunity to nip back to Derby to see family and friends, and especially Lily. I stayed behind as I wanted to learn about the fault and repair so spent several days being a bit stranded with nothing to do but eat and drink Daisy dry.
Having had the repair successfully done, I set off for Leamington Spa on Thursday (7th) alone. This was because the train station Jo was coming back to is there and she is due back today.
I set my alarm and was off by 8.00am doing it all alone. Boy did it seem weird. I’m used to having Jo, and dare I say Zak, and I was unsure how I’d be. Luckily the weather was dry and very autumnal and I only passed 2 other boats throughout the day. I completed 12 locks and I had to ‘set’ 10 of them (water needed to be put into the lock before I could enter).
Up, down, up, down I went but it was ok. I found my rhythm and was soon enjoying it. The time alone gave me time to think and observe my surroundings. Very Buddhist of me I know! I even found the time for a couple of pics and saw another sunken boat.
I arrived at Leamington at about 2.00pm having completed 6 miles and moored up 2 minutes from the train station where Jo will be arriving.
What have I learnt from being on Daisy on my own these last few days and cruising the cut with my thoughts? Well it’s this – ‘The best adventure you take in life is the one you share with someone’.
Love to all, Paul x
Leave a Reply