Friday 1st May The last lap -------------- Being within striking distance of the famous secret bunker at Hacks Green we were minded to take the tour. But we couldnt find it.
That reminded us of the day we were to have the future unveiled by the clairvoyant at Stewponey. Unfortunately her booth was closed that day due to unforeseen circumstances. We didnt manage to cast off until 11am and seemed to have missed the best part of the day, weatherwise. Under ever darkening skies we chugged on Nantwich, Hurleston, Barbridge. Before Hurleston we were passing a boat om which there were sudden movements aboard and we expected to be in for a bo££ocking as the side hatch rattled. Fortunately for us it was a friendly Richard Tanner on nb Cartref and we were not guilty of any misdemeanour. First knockings in of pins for this trip at Bridge 4 as the rain set in and the lunch bell tinkled. The realisation dawned that we were almost at our destination the 4th chapter in terms of Uncle Morts bases after Kings Bromley, Pyrford and the G&S. This disregards a couple of short terms at both Glascote and Saltersford. There was the arrival to overcome northeners, bank holiday weekend, moderate winds and so forth. But all went well and appropriate dock lines and fenders were set, followed by a fish & chip supper at the marina Bistreau. A weekend of gentle maintenance and cleaning will ensue, and then a number of more significant tasks will exercise the boating lobe of the Beeky brain. 1)In our 9th season the question of replacement batteries (4 +1) will raise its ugly head. For a couple of years they have been down on performance which really means the red light on fridge starts winking or the invertor cuts out. Ill need some advice on safe sequence of disconnection and reconnection. 2)A number of hoses on the cooling system are beginning to show cracks so a drain down and replacement seems sensible, Trouble is these hoses are linked with 22mm copper pipe stubs and I have struggled so far to find an automotive style rubber hose of suitable inside diameter. 3)The PRM gearbox selection jolt continues. What is this pressure arrestor stunt that people talk about, is it reliable, effective, expensive ? Does it prolong the life of the gearbox or merely the arguable sanity of the mechanically sympathetic owner ? I suppose itll be a Mort.blog or Beeky-twittering next time out of the marina. Hoping to arrange a mini gig or two up in this Cheshire zone, if anybody is interested. Cheers for now. Beeky
