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Boatman's Banter



January 2009

Happy New Year to everyone from all onboard Hadar. Today, 3rd January 2009, has been an ice breaking day. From the Summit of the Oxford Canal just above Claydon Top lock the Cropredy. Not everyone enjoys having to travel through ice, primarily as it takes the blacking off but there are times when the needs must. Bearing in mind that if the weather is likely to turn worse, I would rather be near facilities than stuck out in the countryside. If we get iced in here, at least we can empty the toilet and get water by jerry can if necessary, and with plenty of diesel in the tanks we will be ok. There is a small shop by the bridge which sells just about everything we might need in an emergency.

Breaking through thick ice is quite an experience. At times it was up to about 20mm at its thickest. Hadar engine has plenty of spare poke and she ploughed through it really well. The noise of breaking ice is very akin to breaking glass, and it is the only sound that is actually louder than Hadar’s engine! As the ice gets thicker it also tends to fly from the bow in quite dramatic form. This is a good way of gauging the thickness of the ice when you get accustomed to it. As with any 70ft boat taking the bends in a canal is tricky. To perform a turn any narrowboat in essence moves sideways. Not an easy thing to do when the ice is thick. At quite a few corners she just carried on in a straight line towards the outside of the bend. No problem, just slip her into reverse before she reaches the bank, and with a bit of luck she should fracture enough ice alongside to be able to complete the turn. Sometimes it takes a couple of runs dependant on the ice thickness, and also the depth of water. The Oxford canal is quite shallow and this affects any such manoeuvring, as if the ice isn’t bad enough, hahahaha.



Ice around locks is usually not too much of a problem, filling and emptying the lock usually takes care of any ice within the lock. Opening lock gates may take a couple of swings of the gate, but the principle is to open it as far as it will go and close it fully. When the next attempt to open it occurs the gate itself will act as a huge paddle and should wash the loose ice out into the canal, allowing the gate to fully open. Another aid is to run the boat up to the gates, something that working boats do quite regularly; this breaks the ice up quite nicely. Closing the gates also can trap ice between the gate and the wall. A quick probe around with a boat pole with a spike usually solves this problem. One thing that not many people are aware of is that any ice alongside the boat whilst in the lock can be a problem. As with most narrow locks they gradually get narrower lower down. Thus any ice alongside the boat can jam the boat. What happens is that the pieces of ice end up vertical and it packs in and fills the space between the boat and the lock wall. It doesn’t take a lot of effort with the same boat pole with spike to push this ice to the stern where it is out of the way. Come up through locks does not have this problem as the lock gets wider as the boat rises. If you have problems opening the gates enough to be able to get the boat then the re-employ the pole again to break the ice. Definitely do not try to push the gate open with the boat as; if the ice is thick enough, it could break through weak planks in wooden lock gates.

Of course crew safety when locks are icy is essential, and a careful lookout should be kept at all times. Naturally everyone is aware that the ground could be icy and slippery but the not so obvious is things like handrails can be cold enough to freeze a hand to, if touched without gloves on. If like last night when the temperature dropped to -5.3ºC overnight, handrails have very little volume and thus the whole rail looses temperature very quickly. The same applies to hand rails on boats. Although the cabin side can appear cold, the handrails will be colder. Enough to freeze flesh to it, a bit like being stuck with Superglue! It will hurt.



Even setting off from the mooring can be fun. A useful tip is to break the ice in front of the bow with that very useful pole with a spike (you always wondered why you carried it around). Don’t use the spiked end, but use the other end to create holes in the ice. Then once you have created a few holes, create one and leave the pole in the hole and use the pole as a lever, this should crack and break the ice even when quite thick. Do this for a few meters in front of the boat and this will make leaving your mooring a lot easier.

Well that was this mornings fun and games. Of course this year was the first year we spent Christmas and New Year out on the boat. Last year although we were onboard Hadar, we were stuck at the boatyard with the engine in bits. We were moored at Braunston for the Christmas period, and the summit pound of the Oxford canal for New Year. We were both rather surprised at the lack of boats moored at Braunston for Christmas. There were a few moving out of the marina for the duration, but considering we had been told that Braunston gets very busy at this time of year. I took advantage whilst being moored at Braunston to visit a dentist in Daventry to get some temporary fillings done, because knowing me if I didn’t you could guarantee that at 9:30pm Christmas Eve and the toothache would kick in big time, hahahaha. Christmas dinner this year comprised of duck and roast veggies . I had suggested to Jo that we try something different from turkey for this year, and I suggested duck, and very nice it was too. Especially with the gravy that Jo concocted for it. I am not sure what was in it but it tasted lovely. We cut back on everything else this year for practical reasons. No Christmas pud or cake. We just do not have the space in the galley. But then what is Christmas about? Is it really about stuffing ourselves full of food we don’t usually have, don’t really need, or even really afford? And then there is the drink. It should be about enjoying Christmas and I would rather eat enough to feel comfortable and enjoy it rather than end up with indigestion or worse. We chilled out for the afternoon in front of the coal fire and tv with mince pies and sausage rolls. (Mince pies and sausage rolls is a sort of standing joke with us, in that before I met Jo and following my divorce, Christmas and New Year cooking for me comprised of sausage rolls and mince pies, which were easy to do!)

This new year we decided to stay up and see the new year in, something we haven’t done for a few years. We were even treated to some local fireworks from the nearby farm in the valley below. Great to see and they didn’t go on for too long, we like that farmer.

Of course Jo decorated the boat inside and we had our Xmas tree set up. It makes the boat look really nice. We have noticed a few boats that decorate the outside, a bit like some folks decorate the outside of their houses. They look nice but not very appropriate on a working boat.

We are now both looking forward to our 2nd year travelling and the delights, highlights and anything else that comes our way.

Hadar
banter@hadar.org.uk


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