Cruising in the Snow

Elaine here ...

Last night I spent all night making up little 6" x 3" bundles of sticks and then fixing them to the bow and sides of the boat ... because there was talk of icebergs in the cut today and we had to protect our newly painted boat.

Then I was awoken from my busy dream by the dulcet tones of the screeching alarm clock!  Phew glad it was just a dream but what an exhausting night I had!

OK - so back to reality - today was the day for being relaunched into the water.  I must have had the weather on my mind while sleeping last night - and quite rightly too because it was indeed very cold and snowing !  I thought it was Spring?!

We piled out of bed and got the boat all ready to go ... while checking around the boat I noticed Paul's graffiti ...



Little NB Bramble was in front of us so she was first off the 'water shoot' ...

I wasn't sure how all this was going to work but it seems that there are two guys on a winch manually winding the boat towards the top of the slope while the other winch (from the winch room behind) holds on to it ... sorry if this isn't very technical !

They said it is very hard work winding the winch ... here are two of the volunteers hard at it...

They really are amazing guys, all these 'slipping guys' - they are all volunteers from the boat club - getting up on a Sunday morning in all weathers to do their bit for the club.  They are also very amusing with all their tales!

In went Bramble ...

Down the slope ...

One down, one to go, with the Lord and Master looking on !

Paul gave the Bramble guys a hand with their dog, Digger.  Such a lovely dog but a little bit bigger than our boys ... 

Off goes Bramble to the Great Heywood boat sales place ... up for sale !

Next up the mighty Caxton ...

and the snow starts in earnest !

Paul fretting about his (big) baby ...

See?!  Fretting or Freeezin?!

Like a roller coaster - down she goes ...

Not quite in the water yet ..

Slowly does it ...

 

What an angle ... wonder what the poor pussy cats were thinking at that moment !

... and then we were off - cruising as the snow fell - no icebergs though !  Paul was braving the elements outside, driving the boat - he put the stern cover over the back seating area and kept the back doors open so that he could feel a bit of heat coming through on his legs.  It was lovely and warm in the boat with the multi fuel burner doing its thing.

I only had one lock to do today so I thought I had better catch up with a bit of hoovering. The carpet in the boat was abominable, what with all the mud being dragged in, plus the cats being let loose on their kitty litter all day yesterday!

So, there was I merrily doing my bit - hoovering up and all around the fire when whammo the hoover tube slipped and slid against the fire glass - and this is the result ...

Yep - a girt big crack right across it !  So I shut it down and we are letting it burn itself out now so that we can get to replace it ... soon!  Bloody Bugger is all I can say!!

We went past another blogging boat 'Moore to Life' so I took a quick snap from the window!

We stopped at Great Heywood this arvo, so not too much cruising today as it is completely freezing cold and horrid outside!  Paul was frozen to bits when he came indoors.  It would be nice if we had a fire to keep us toasty but now we only have the remnants of a fire - the central heating will have to come on very soon !  (Then the cats will have to move position from the fire to the radiators!).  I am so glad we do have two forms of heating on the boat - you would be stuffed with only one at times like this!  We have decided to test out the Post Restante system and order a replacement glass on line, to be delivered to Stone Post Office ... where is a car when you need one?!