Packing up for winter

Monday 13^th October; Hanbury Junction to the marina

We awoke to fine drizzle, not the best weather for packing up!  We stayed where we were for a couple of hours, getting most of the packing out of the way, and once the drizzle had cleared Dave did some outside stuff too.  The damage from the bottle strike is much less obvious than it was although it still needs a bit of work, but at least will be protected over the winter.  A swan family was hanging around, but paddled off once it was clear there would be no food forthcoming.  I think it’s the family from the marina. The cygnets have a lot of white feathers now and I’m surprised the parents haven’t seen them off yet.  The swanlife website suggests it’s the development of the white feathers that triggers the territorial instinct in the parents.   

By the time we moved down to the marina the vollies had arrived on the Hanbury flight and were fully occupied with three boats all going down – we were the middle one.  We stopped at the wharf to fill up with fuel and do a pump-out before slipping into our berth.  There was very little wind which made it fuss-free.  Dave spent an hour or so down the engine-hole making sure everything was all set for winter.  I took the first trolley-load of bags to the car, the contents mostly from the galley cupboards which are now empty apart from a few tins.  I discovered the car was filthy, the windows so covered in dust that Dave had to take a bucket up to give it a clean before we could leave.   Because of the dry weather the dusty element of the ballast-type surface of the roadway round the marina gets kicked up every time a car goes by.

It took till four o'clock to finish cleaning and packing up.  As usual, we wondered whether all the bags and bedding would fit in the car and leave enough room for us, but it always does – just.  With everything turned off that needs to be for winter, taps open and the water tank virtually empty, I just needed to close the cratch cover.  The new zips are great (winter winds would have quickly ripped the fabric of the old ones which had started rotting) and the replacement Velcro too, except for one little bit.  I think the canvas must gradually shrink just a little as it ages; I seem to remember it was like that on Chuffed too.  I might try adding an extra bit of Velcro next year – I’ve still got the canvas-mending tool I bought to repair Chuffed’s old cratch cover.

It wasn’t that grubby when I took it in for repair, honest

On past form it’s unlikely we’ll be back before the New Year, but you never know.

Trip stats;

Worcester and Birmingham canal, Droitwich Junction canal.

34 locks, 19 miles, all but half a furlong on narrow canals – only the basin at Diglis (where we winded) is classed as broad because of the locks going down to the Severn.  2 tunnels – Dunhampstead, once each way.