The Beach Boys

Original post 18/06/08

Day 12

Fired up the engine by 10.30am and toddled up towards the windly windly hole come water point at Cropredy. While I held Lady Elgar into the side waiting in the queue, Nora plodded over to the Bridge Stores for some supplies.

I was still queue waiting when she returned, Her bags seemed rather light. She was outraged! " they hardly have anything" said she......"No bread, no veg, no potatos".......I sent her back with instructions for more Coke and Tobacco.

She returned heavily laden and sheepishly said she found a back room this time with all we needed lol.

Finally got our turn at the water point which has water pressure of biblical proportions. After our hose had flown out of the filler hole for the third time searching for suitable victims to drench we resorted to holding it in place. Eventually water tank full and toilet empty we set off up the first lock towards the summit level.

There was a steady procession of boats coming down and at least one following behind us. Intermittant rain and strong winds were the order of the cruise. A young chap working a boat coming down the Lock at Cropredy informed me that he had dropped his windlass in front of the bottom gates at the next lock so if I had a magnet I might get some results. We had a good few attempts at trying to find his handle but eventually the boat behind us came into view so we had to leave it.....so if your in the area with a magnet.....Broadmoor Lock bottom gates may prove fruitfull.

At Varneys Lock we waited for another boat to come down and again the boat behind us caught up just as Nora was steering through the bottom gates. I was just starting to pull the gates shut when, imagine my surprise to hear the top paddles being drawn by Mr Nobby Nobster of Nobbsville. Anyone who has cruised the South Oxford knows that most of these locks have a vicious draw on em so I have always taken the boat right upto the top gates where the water holds her in position. Lady Elgar suddenly shot forward in the grip of the flow and I called out to Nora to go full reverse. This made little difference and LE's button fender smacked into the cill. Nobby Nobster had toddled off back to his boat......I guess he mustve been in a real big hurry.

The annoying thing, When things like that happen, Nora thinks its something shes done wrong and knocks her steering confidence when in reality there is nothing she couldve done to prevent the collision.No visable damage done to either LE or the lock, we exited, and approached the next lock

. As I came in to drop Nora off I put LE into reverse and there was an almighty juddering and shaking from beneath me.....they certainly wernt GOOD VIBRATIONS. So I leaped off with the centre rope and we dragged the boat to a stop. Being so close to the lock we pulled her back off the lock holding area and tied up.

I gave her a quick touch of reverse and the shaking and shuddering happend again with the steering step also vibrating, a short burst of forward gave no vibrating at all. I shut down the engine and had a smoke.

Having read Trevors book 'Living The Dream' I had a slight inckling that the prop shaft had shifted backwards. I just didnt know if there where any sheared bolts or loose nuts. I lifted the floor in the Boatmans Cabin revealing the propshaft and it looked like it had shifted backwards a good half inch or more. What I couldnt see was the connection with the gearbox. There is an access hatch under the Battery box to assist in this so I set to, removing 2 of the four domestic batts to allow access to the joint.With everything eventually undone and 2 batts removed I checked the UV joint and found all secure? very strange.

I went back to the BMC and pushed the propshaft, forward, back into its normal position.....I then tried to pull it back again but found I couldnt budge it.....the only thing I could find to tighten up was a small nut with an allen key head on the rear bearing. Everything else was tight.I reconnected all the batts and restarted the engine.

Forwards gear no probs.......reverse...no probs either....all very strange....The only thing I could think of was that Noras emergency reverse from forward gear direct into full reverse mustve been enough to throw the shaft backwards......We both made a mental note to always pause for a second or two before engaging reverse from forward.
No further problems or troubles and we eventually tied up on the summit just past The Wharf Inn where we had promised ourselves an evening meal in the pub.

Our evening meal proved to be quite amusing.

Nora's starter was described as Mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce.......They turned out to be thinly sliced button mushrooms in an hint of garlic oil. I had Filo Prawns with sweet chilli dip....Being a customer of Costco, I recognised them as coming from that fine emporium..."ya cant go wrong with deep fried stuff" I proudly announced to Nora as she fiddled with her mushrooms.

While waiting for the next course a couple next to us were served their main....He complained that his Sausages in onion gravey ....had no gravey...The waitress said she would bring him some in a jug.

Our steaks finally arrived but not the onion rings...We asked the waitress for vingegar, a fork and if our onion rings where expected...she said, " oh sorry, I normally work the bar, Im sure they will be here shortly, Ill just get your cutlery"

The man next door finally got his gravey as he finished his last sausage.

Our steaks wernt too bad but the chips were oven chips and Nora's veg were Raw, not even Al Dente. However, when the onion rings arrived they were spanking hot...see ya cant go wrong with deep fried food.

I appreciate that they must find it difficult surviving on summer trade but youd think they would at least get a chef who could cook instead of leaving it to Darren in a back room with a Deep Fat Fryer and a large bag of Tesco Value Mixed Salad.

Braunston tomorrow....all being well .

PS its blowing a gale outside and I think ive just heard one of the roof pots of flowers blow over