Always busy service wharf at Great Haywood
Rock’n’Roll is moored in the marina for a bit, and Carol came round and joined us all for tea in the afternoon.
Saturday’s weather was a bit iffy so I took a day off the painting, having a couple of good walks with Meg and just generally relaxing. Sunday looked better, so I set to and repainted the fore-end cants first thing, before getting lunch sorted for us and the Lifers. It was a bit of a rush paint job, but I was confident it would be fine.
New can of paint, clean 2 inch brush, well rubbed down surface and thoroughly wiped down with white spirit. So you can imagine my reaction when the paint refused to flow and level out.
Rippley paint finish.
I just downed tools in disgust! I’ll have to leave it 2 or 3 days before I can flat it (again!) and reapply the paint.
Peter and Jennifer off NB Mactras Filia stopped by for a chat, they’re heading back to Anderton in a round-about way, leaving the boat at Uplands then heading home to Oz for the winter. We’ll look out for them next spring.
Then after lunch Maggie (NB Forever Young) came to find us, and joined us for the evening. Several bottles of wine were consumed throughout the day… but it was great to have good friends around.
Today was move on day, Carol came to say cheerio, so did Maggie although she’ll probably catch us up later in the week, and Chas and Ann helped us down through Haywood Lock.
Waiting for the lock, Mags and Ann nattering, Chas and Molly waiting patiently
Coming up the lock was Mactras Filia
There was a queue of several boats waiting to come up, so there were plenty of helpers on the lockside.
Haywood Lock queue
Our final brief encounter occurred near Little Haywood. We slowed down as another boat approached a narrow stretch with a few moored boats about, and the oncomer turned out to be Sue and Ken on NB Cleddau. Shouted greeting were exchanged as the boats moved apart again. No time for a pic, too many moored boats to avoid…
Queues were once again the order of the day at Colwich Lock. We had three boats ahead of us when we arrived, but it was worse in the other direction. The crew due to come up when we dropped down had arrived well over an hour previously, and had helped six boats up ahead of them!
Water squirts around the top gate and cill at Colwich Lock
A bit chaotic below the lock as two new arrivals hadn’t realised that the line of moored boats was a queue….
We’d planned to moor just beyond Taft Bridge, and pulled in under the bridge for eggs…
…then just beyond for diesel.
NB Ibex is a new addition to the canal scene here. And yes, the sign does say 74p / litre!
At that price it’d be rude not to stop, even though we only took on 45 litres. Cash only, at the moment.
We pulled in just a little further up the canal, and, after lunch, I got ready to put a coat of red on the bow flares and the right-hand rail.
All wiped down and I started putting on the paint – and the same happened again! The paint just wouldn’t flow, collecting in ripples like a ploughed field! Bearing in mind that this is a different can of paint and a different brush, there must be a common denominator. And there was. The cloth I’d used to wipe down with white spirit before painting. It can out of my rag-bag, a bag which stores the discarded old towels, tea-towels, and various other sundry items of clothing no longer fit for purpose. Close examination of the old tea-towel I’d used from the bag revealed a distinct aroma of furniture polish. The cloth was contaminated with Pledge or Mr Sheen! By wetting it with white spirit, I’d merely succeeded in applying diluted polish to the surface. No wonder the paint wouldn’t flow out.
It was too late to wipe off the blue, that is already hardening, but the newly applied red came off with a spirit-soaked cloth, then the whole lot was cleaned once again with an old, clean tee-shirt before painting again. No problem this time around. Whew.
So there’s my last boat painting tip. Make sure you know where you’re cleaning cloths have been before you use them!
Nicely flowing out paint on the bow flares and handrail
Another coat in the morning before we move off, then there’s only the left side handrail to finish, apart from the decoration on the bow. Not counting rubbing down and refinishing the fore-end….
Locks 2, miles 3
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