We were the first, to meet a gremlin, losing our reverse gear somewhere near Gt. Bedwyn! It was suitably retrieved by cheerful help from Reading Marine (Aldermaston). !
Having cured this, we then became plagued with uncontrollable surging of the engine revs, which again were diagnosed by RM as being dirt in the fuel, caused by the violent disturbance of the fuel tank contents whilst the boat was conveyed by road to and from Bristol for repairs over the Christmas. This contamination was continually clogging first the separator, and then the fuel filter, and so upsetting the governor. The temporary cure was simple, if tedious - a plentiful supply of filters, and their frequent replacement, together with the necessary bleeding! Thus I discovered a new fact of life - don't buy common motor accessories, if marked Volvo - they then will cost twice what they would cost if labelled for anything else! A later improvement was to make a bracket and fit the old (original) separator as a second-in-line - the first to catch black muck and gum, the second to catch water! This made a great improvement. Also, some stuff called Aquasolv that Andy had had around for some years unused, proved helpful in making water burnable! Later we tried something similar by another maker. It IS cheaper, though, to just keep the fuel tank full to the brim - it lets less condensation in, that way!
Hungerford residents take their siesta!
The passage of the several powered lift bridges became increasingly fascinating , with their variations on manual/automated operation. The infamous lock, canal/river and bridge combination at Woolhampton was the most fearsome, more so for the land-based operating crew members, than for the boat steerers, as to the former, the bend through the bridge, and the speed of the boats urged on by the river flow, was all too apparent. No wonder the edges of the bridge abutments are lined in heavy rubber! The total automation of the Aldermaston bridge is only spoiled by the nearness of the enormous lock with its vertically arched lockwalls.
An undredged part of the K&A.
At some places, such as Theale, the scale of the Geo maps can be deceiving, especially if one is used to the 2" to the mile Nicholson's. Boaters can be convinced that it is "only" a short way to the shops or whatever, only to learn the painful truth, after a half-hours slog pulling an empty shopping trolley, with the realisation that the worst is still yet to come, with it fully laden, on the return journey!
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