Liverpool and Boating

Today was very nearly a faultlessly awesome day. Having got to hancocks swing bridge (Bridge 9, Leeds Liverpool Canal) near Aintree with a day in hand we worked through the boat (mainly the engineroom!) cleaning and tidying and doing bit of work on making sure all was in good shape for the canal link down to the docks and the all important mersey crossing the following day.

I re-plumbed the feed water pipework to the feedwater injectors which had suffered frost damage over winter taking out the temporary repair and making it easier to clean as it formed a inverted siphon passing from the hotwell under the floor boards before running upto and out of the injectors meaning it can built up a sludge of boiler treatment and oily residue which then fills the strainer as soon as you get a bit of water hammer in the largely unsupported pipe.

We also talked to some 'youths' as tom (my grandfather) would call them, a group of 4-5 teenagers who after time we invited onboard to look around the boat as they had never been on one despite having them pass there houses all these years. Being a steam narrowboat EmilyAnne attracts a wide range of interest and we often show people around the boat and engine room but someone whos passionate about canals as well as the steam and enigneering and only 23 myself, showing interested young locals around is a fulfilling as anything else, there almost always very positive and very great full and at worst it cant do any harm to the boater-local relationships. All good so far.

Sadly however, for the first time as far as we know in the history of doing this (the boats 20 this year, just three years behind me) this time a rather sour taste was left once we realised that my mobile phone at been taken in the process after i had left it on the table while cleaning the bilges. After searching the whole boat in the hope that i'd not put it where i thought it had we where left with just a empty hollow feeling and a slight unsettlement of the stomach.
- Not just for the phone (an identical replacement sourced for £40 through ebay) or the loss of messages/contacts/calender (last backed in January, sigh!) but also for the sake of the boys in question who stole it after we had talked for so long and shown them the boat and, on the surface, got on so well.

Heyho, while every cloud has a silver lining, all silver can develop a layer of tarnish on the surface.

Life goes on, and a bit of brasso later the tarnish is removed and come the following day we where in Salthouse dock in the center of Liverpool, showing people interested round our boat. Mobiles firmly in pockets!!

Winding up!

Im now in loughborough enjoying my last week or so at a student here, working on the kitcar preparing in for the trackday at the end of the month and for the germany trip, repairing and painting the motorclubs storage container, and various BBQs and nights out with coursemates and friends.

I love summer and I love loughborough, its been a great 5 years and while its sad that its coming to an end Ive learned a lot and im looking forward to what lies ahead.