Well we didn't win the Six Nations, Ireland managed to put it over on the French which left us as runners up on points difference. I can live with that as it was B. O'D's last international for Ireland and he deserved to go out on a high. We did get the Triple Crown as a consolation.
This morning we set off from Coole Pilate heading for Nantwich, we got to Hack Green Locks, the last two narrow locks for a while, the rest of the locks down to Chester are wide.
As we pulled in to the lock landing we were suddenly aware of a horrible noise under our feet and the wash spread out in a wide fan, definitely something on the prop. The usual ploy of a quick burst of back'ards had no effect so after struggling through the two locks we pulled in. Down the weed hatch I went, a preliminary exploration revealed what felt like material of some description firmly caught around the prop and shaft. It was none too warm in the water but I set to with my trusty pruning knife, the kitchen scissors, the bread knife, a lot of bad language and I even tried the Bargee Bill prop cleaner, a contraption bought when we first got the boat, a device that looks somewhat akin to a medieval battle axe and is about as much use for removing rubbish from the propulsion equipment. That was a real triumph of hope over experience.
Persistence eventually succeeded, an hour toiling in the grim depths revealed, in several horrid pieces,
the sad remains of a nylon jacket, it had been bound tight to the submarine parts by its own zip and adjusting cords.
On our eventual arrival at Nantwich there was nothing else for it, we adjourned to The Vine in Hospital Street, our favourite watering hole, for a well deserved libation. Hyde's Manchester brewery and excellent beer it is.
Watch this space...........
2 comments:
ONLY ! a nylon jacket !! I once caught a lump of wood, many yards of BW aware tape, & a complete flat hosepipe, (stopped the engine rather quickly that lot did !!) at those very locks !!
Ouch!
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