Bartimaeus

On our last full day with Bryn, we had passed a moored boat and the owner leant out of the window and called to us. He recognised us as an Ortomarine boat which surprised me as I didn't recognise his and it does not say Ortomarine on the outside. He said he had heard the name Bartimaeus from his friends who had Electric Dreams. "Oh, Den and Andrea, they have our engine!" I promptly got in touch with Andrea with a photo of her friend's boat. It was a smart looking boat!

I got a fast reply asking where we were heading and said they were in a Marina. It was not far away and so I started suggesting we meet up. It turned out they were not aboard and they had plans to go away for their anniversary in the coming days. I thought that it would not suit them to see us but it transpired they would come past the boat and meet us. The timing was perfect for us. Shane had the  intention of calling into the nearby Aqueduct Marina for HVO and it was only a mile from the marina where Electric Dreams was moored, Venetian Marina, but they did not do one night moorings. There was a minimum stay of a week but we thought we could moor outside or at Aqueduct Marina.

We saw Bryn off at the station for what was to be a long journey with four changes, one more than anticipated. He kept us up to date each time he had a change. 

We had walked back to the boat past a railway bridge. I had noticed a different bridge protector there. It was particularly interesting to me that there was protective posts against horse pulled barge ropes on the railway bridge. The railways became the new freight carriers and the boats would have dwindled and latterly those that remained in business mainly had engines, and no horse towing which allowed them to be single handled. Yet clearly the bridge had sustained damage and had several attempts to protect it.

The part we were now driving through was very pretty with a view over lush fields,  such a change from the dry summer, and trees changing colour for autumn. Shane wants to come back this way to moor here again, but now we weren't stopping as we wanted to get the HVO and the tank was pretty low. 

We had already had the incident where the gauge for the water had been over 20 litres out and we had run out of water. Shane has now changed the water tank gauge readings but we have never emptied the fuel tank to know how accurate it is. The fuel gauge was in the red saying less than 40 litres. Aqueduct Marina was not far away and the only place we know of where we can get HVO in stead of diesel.

I rang Aqueduct Marina and asked if we could stay there for a night. Shane planned to do a full battery charge plugged in. When I rang I was told they were full and couldn't fit us in. I said that we were coming for HVO anyway so I would see them later. He mentioned that some berths were currently empty but "spoken for". 

We arrived and found the marina busy. Someone was on the service jetty already and after a while of us hovering nearby, they asked if we needed to come there. They said they would be at least 2O minutes. It was a good job it wasn't windy. Another boat came in and was also waiting. On the other side of us another boat was being put back in the water off a trailer at the slip way. A swan came and paid us some attention while we waited. Perhaps he likes to check out new visitors, but we also thought he was displaying and perhaps wanted us to get out of the way.

Once at the service jetty I went in to ask about HVO at the chandlery as directed A woman came out to unlock the container and pull out the hose and was glad we were correctly positioned, having reversed on to the jetty. The HVO hose is short and might not run the length of the boat. I imagine it is not uncommon for people to come in forwards but for their tank to be at the back, as that is most common place. The diesel pump is at the other end, where that positioning would work, but any HVO customers would then have to turn round, which can take quite a while.

I went back in with her to pay and mentioned them being full, when we had hoped for a single night. The lady at the chandlery office expressed surprise and wondered if we might get on a visitor mooring but wasn't sure if they had electric hook up.

While I was paying a man remarked how quiet our boat was and asked if it was electric and what the range was. He has a diesel boat but had been considering a move to electric. He already had an electric car. I told him we had a generator and so range was not an issue as we could charge from within the boat. He asked  if we had converted to hybrid from diesel. I told him it was built electric but had changed from parallel hybrid to serial this year. 

I went back to the boat and decided I would check at the office again about overnighting. We know that if moorings are empty while a boat is away for the weekend, that marinas will let it out to someone else meantime and we could see plenty gaps. The man on the phone had also said he knew they were full as he had recently been checking for someone looking for a longer stay, so I decided to double check if a single night might be possible. In the office I spoke to a man explaining I had rung earlier. Maybe it was a change of staff member, a changed situation or a change of mind after the phone call, but this time the guy said a boat had moved and he would have a look and said we could fit on and gave me a berth number. I paid and waved to Shane and made my way round to the berth on foot. 

 Shane found me easily. The man who had seen me in the chandlery came over for a further chat, once we were in position. He is very keen to change his engine in the future.

The woman in the next berth greeted us and I said we were here just for a night. She had certainly been surprised that she had a new neighbour. She was very welcoming and said how nice this marina was. Certainly everyone seemed friendly.

In the morning we had filled the batteries the fuel and the water tank and set off off to the other marina, having established with Andrea when they would be there. A mile and a lock is quicker on foot than by boat. She indicated we had time to come by boat. I worked a lock and another man came up behind us and closed up for us so I could get back on. We didn't want to hold up Den and Andrea who had changed their schedule to fit us in and we knew they would get there first.

En route we saw a bridge that could do with a bit more support as we could see right through the brickwork. Not sure that is a lucky number seven.

Den and Andrea had checked we could leave Bartimaeus on the service jetty/ visitor moorings and we're waiting to receive us at the jetty and showed us to Electric Dreams which is very smart inside and out having been fully refurbished when they bought it as a diesel for conversion to hybrid. They had retained a few features of the layout and got others that were completely new but meshed so well it was hard to tell that it wasn't all completely new. They had also made other big replacements as well as altered kitchen fittings and furnishings. As well as a change of propulsion system and new solar panels, they had changed the toilet system, installing a pump out tank rather than cassette toilet, and in stead of  having to find a water point to fill their water tank, they had a water freedom system that filters the canal water. So we were greeted with the offer of a cup of canal water as she filled the kettle.  We enjoyed a tour of the boat and chat over our coffee and it was very nice to hear how much they were enjoying their boat.

We let them get on to their next event on a busy day and took ourselves to the chandlery for some de-ionised water for topping up the batteries. We considered buying a new set of fenders at Den and Andrea's recommendation, but they only had one, not a pair. We went to the cafe for lunch and I had a teapot that turned into a cup and teapot.

Shane had noticed the boat that was behind us at the first lock had also pulled on to the jetty behind us. He is looking to buy another boat. We both seemed to be ready to leave at the same time so in stead of popping out in front of him again Shane suggested to the man that he could go first through the lock and Shane would help with it and then I would come through. The lock moorings are the other side of the canal from the jetty we were on, and I had thought I could just go straight from the jetty to the lock when it was ready, but another boat arrived just in front of me on the jetty, making it a slightly more awkward departure so I decided to move over slowly, reversing away first and getting secured on the lock bollards before the lock was emptied and the water got more turbulent. I had plenty of time while the lock filled to make the move.

The next day was a new month. November began misty, no surprise there. What was a surprise was a hefty wasp settled on our door.

It had seemed drowsy but seemed to liven up when Shane put it in a glass. We decided to take it off the boat to release it and make a slow getaway. He was going to step off as I went under a bridge but there was a change of plan when we saw another boat approaching the bridge from the other side. We shouldn't rush there then linger, so I pulled to the side and waved them through and while we were pulled in, Shane achieved the wasp release.

Further on Shane informed me we were approaching a junction and turning left into a narrow opening. He went to the front to spot for the turn, and as there was a bridge blocking any view of the junction itself, to check for traffic. When we were part way through the bridge he waved to me to stop and go back as there was a boat coming. I retreated. Then he waved me forward saying the boat was waiting for us. We were turning towards them so they had quite a wait, while I turned and pulled out of their way, but then as they moved off I saw behind  them, coming through the narrow opening were four more boats lined up, so I ended up with quite a long wait for them all to pass through, before I could pass. 

There was also a fishing competition on but they were beginning to pack up as we passed and despite perhaps being a bit fed up that their last bit of the day had been taken up with a line of boats passing, they were good humoured with us, especially as I said we had had to wait for the long line too. 

We had the company of cows overnight. While it was still misty and the light fading it was very still and they were reflected in the water coming for a drink.

A lone cygnet joined us. We had seen a whole family earlier. All, like this one, were almost but not completely changed to adult plumage. The others had been a little whiter in fact.

I have been working through a long middle section of my autumn coloured scarf and reached the end of one of the colours. The next section is one the main colour without striping with a contrast but the colours of the previous section are so similar and varied that the change is almost imperceptible, but I can tell.