A gentle potter

Thursday was a day for revisiting a bit of the canal that we had only been on a year ago. 

After the captain had finished her morning session on FaceBook we had a leisurely breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast. Funny how we hardly ever have this at home but, on the boat, it is a great favourite of ours. 

Once again, the generator stopped generating but after last year's experiences I pressed the magic button and everything came back to life again. Whew! I've said it before, but a little knowledge with me is a dangerous thing. 

I've also been having some trouble with the stern gland. For those of you who followed the blog last year you will know that I tightened it up quite a bit then. Well, this time, I took up some more of the floor boards and got both hands dirty, tightening up even further. Next time she's out of the water I think a repacking is in order. Something I probably can do but the thought of having water coming in the boat while removing the old packing is something I do not want to experience on my own. 

We set of toward Gayton junction and, just before the junction, there is one of the old turnover bridges. These bridges were built every few miles so that the horse's towing rope could be changed from one side to the other to relieve the strain its shoulders and back. 

The junction is quite busy today with several moored craft along its length. 

At the junction we turned left toward Northampton and we made our way along past Gayton Marina up to the first lock on the Northampton arm. It's not a long journey but it is very pleasant and quiet. It's also fun turning (winding) the boat just before the lock and getting it just right. 

Returning to the junction there were a couple of boats messing about at the water point. Once they were sorted, it was right turn and heading back toward Bugbrooke. We stopped for lunch and decided to stop where we were for the night. 

Spent a bit of the afternoon scratching away at some rust at the front of the boat. Luckily it was inside the boat because it decided to rain just as I was putting on a coat of Hammerite black. Over with the front cover and carry on in the dry. However, it was so bright outside that it was difficult to see what I was doing without shading my eyes. Must have looked quite an odd sight from outside - that is, to anyone mad enough to be walking in the rain, that is! 

Still, a good job done and it don't look too bad!