Park Farm Marina

Day : Saturday
Date : 1 June 2019
Start : 1100hrs
Finish : 1500 hrs Marina

Well its the start of yet another month so can I just remind you all to check your CO and Smoke Detectors.

A very quiet night here last night at Bramble Cuttings, even the Owls went to sleep before midnight. A big thank you should go out to The Broken Cross Boat Club for both creating and maintaining these lovely peaceful rural moorings.

It was 11 am when we left, after the rain had stopped, that wasn't the reason for the late start, we only had a short way to go and I didn't want to get back too early. It took us just over an hour to get to the winding hole at Middlewich, turn and get back to where we moored last night, someone had already taken our place arriving in good time to get a spot.

CRT have completed raising the bank at Croxton Flash, only just in time as the old concrete edging is already just submerged, last year it only overtopped with the wash from passing boats, so the ground must still be sinking.

As we passed Whatcroft flash two Grebes were showing off to each other, I would have thought it a bit late in the year now.

We stopped for lunch on a section of piling just north of bridge 177. I had met 6 between the bridge and here and probably 18 since Middlewich and not one was a hire boat.

Back at the marina we are in a different slot as they are laying the mains electricity along the pontoon we normally moor at, so it was a case of collecting the fenders and hanging them in the new spot. All we have to do now is clear up ready to go home in the morning.

Map of the whole weeks trip.

Today's Journey

Miles 6 Locks in 2½ hours

Post script

I was checking around the engine this afternoon, checked the oil as I changed that a couple of days ago then the water. Looked into the header and saw a black oily mess, engine oil in the cooling system is not good, a thousand expensive causes ran through my mind. Although it was oily it wasn't milky or gooey, just like someone had poured oil in there, bit more of a think and the obvious culprit is the oil cooler stack leaking, this is a Polar one which are not made any more. Anyway I set to and removed it without making too much mess, draining the oily coolant into a bucket which I have since separated 99% water at least and the cooler will be going home for a pressure test. Don't you just love boats.