Back onboard 15 Jan 2011

Well we are back onboard arriving early this afternoon. My first job was to fit a new accumulator, although it was the same make, size, colour as the old one it came with a different plumbing fitting on the end. The easiest thing would have to changed the fitting, but I am very wary about giving anyone a chance to wriggle out of a guarantee so I modified the plumbing to suit. Next job was to refill the domestic water system and pressure test everything, it all looks OK. The only problem now is that we have used virtually all our supply of water refilling the system. Following getting the water in the system I was able to light the Dickinson stove. I always find this burns a bit on the low side until the diesel warms up a bit so I have to run it a couple of notches higher for a day or so. I then moved to the Boatman's Cabin and lit the stove in there, good job is only small as we are almost out of coal as well, but we will probably meet the coal boat this week so I will get another bag off them.

I had a quick look round the engine and it fired as soon as I turned the key and at about 4 pm we were off. A boat had just passed going down the flight so we expected the lock to be against us, what we didn't expect was for the bottom gates to still be open and both paddles up. As the boat laid in the lock we loaded up from the car and got the dog aboard, he is to stiff and unsteady to cross the lock gates now to get to our moorings.
Once loaded we dropped the lock and just cruised to beyond the lock moorings to stop for the night, we would have gone a bit further but we wanted to walk back up the moorings and thank Graham and Carol for moving Harnser back to her moorings after the ice thawed last weekend.

Tomorrow we should be heading off towards the Ashby with a bit of luck and a fair wind