We got up about 30 minutes earlier than normal, and I must say that extra half hour must make all the difference as I am tied out now and it is only 1700! I saw the blokes start moving the boats at the entrance of the dry dock so went up to have a word. They wanted us bow in so we were the right way round. When I got the thumbs up we headed to the dock and poked our nose in. Once just in the gate we switched off the engine and we were pulled in. The gates were difficult to seal behind us and took a bit of jigging and poking to get a good seal. The dry dock is drained by a sluice that drops the water out into a by-wash.
The boat has just taken the blocks and we are 'ashore'.
There was a huge native crayfish climbing the gate.m It was one of the biggest I had seen but the photo didn't come out good enough. There were fish and frogs too.
Less than a year after the last time we are in the dry dock.
The blacking looks in good condition, as it should after less than a year. There are a couple of bubbles but that is all.
The prop only need a bit of heat to free it of the shaft but the bent tip can easily be seen on the top blade. It must have got bent when the blade embedded in the log and then the log was clouted on the hull.
We were in the dry dock at 0840 and we were floating out again at 0950 so it was a pretty quick turn round. We were followed in by a boat that was having a blacking carried out. We were pushed out on to the wall but we are sitting out side some cottages and on the tail end of the lock landing. When it is quiet tonight we will punt her down a little so that we are opposite the barbeque area where we are out of the way and have sun on the solar panels.
I then started rubbing down the back doors ready for a full paint. I managed to get a coat of anti rust undercoat on before a shower of rain started. After lunch we went for a walk to the bottom of the flight of locks to get rid of our rubbish and see the lie of the land. We walked back round the reservoirs and found a chance for picking some more fruit.
Lock cottage half way down the Marsworth flight of locks.
Startops End Reservoir.
A tree with some Mirabelle plums just ready for picking. I always try to remember a couple of carrier bags at this time of year to take advantage of these occasions.
Some of the pickings. As far as I know the yellow ones are Mirabelle plums. The red ones are wild plums and the black ones are damsons. I have already processed the bullaces so I can't show you them I'm afraid Ann. I checked and they are a bit smaller than the damson and a bit bigger than a sloe and are round like a sloe rather than the shape of the damson. It seems that some people call any wild plum a bullace but I think that I will stick to the black fruits.
Bullaces
5 comments:
Those plums look so much better than the ones for sale in the shops! I have just looked up Bullaces on the trusty Wikipedia , they suggest that us Yorkshire folk know them as wild damsons, maybe that is why I have never heard of them?
OOoh I am jealous!! the fruit wasn't ripe when we there last month--except for the cherry plums. Good on you for a lovely bit of foraging!
JaqX
Hi Both,
The plums were just right, not falling off the trees but just about to. They did look gorgeous and I hope that they will taste as good. There are loads of damsons, wild damson/bullaces and brambles around here and they just aren't quite ripe yet. The sloes seem to be about ready too so I will have to look out for some cheap vodka. I thought that I would try a damson ketchup this year and also a blackberry cordial. I will make some blackberry vinegar too as that is lovely on pancakes and Yorkshire puddings. Any other ideas would be welcome. I hate to pass by when there is free grub there but then I have too many to use and I am already low on jam jars. I may have to buy some at Wilco's. Tony
Hi there, I'm following your bent prop story closely as we have a couple of bent blades, the result of a piece of 2x2 on the end of some rope :(
Did the boatyard sort out straightening the prop for you? We have managed with ours for a few weeks now, only problem is that reverse iffy! But we do need to get it sorted, unfortunately we are too far north for Bates :( so will need to look for another dry dock.
Hi Both,
Bulbourne Dry Dock were very accommodating. They soon had the prop. off and sent it off to a place in Isleworth. They charged the earth to take it there and bring it back but on the whole it was done okay. Try to to see if your insurer will pay for it despite it being a while ago. They told me that the increase in premium would be 10% next year and 5 % the next and then 0%. That means that it was loads cheaper still than paying for the lot. Good luck with yours.
Cheers for now, Tony and Helen.
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