On to Great Haywood and a Sick Engine.

 Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August 2020 at Great Haywood.

M woke early to the sound of rain on the roof but it cleared up by the time we joined Bridget and Peter for coffee at 10:00am with Bridget's cousin, another Peter, and his wife Sue.

We finally set off about midday for the short trip to Great Haywood, where we planned to stay the night, pick up water and have breakfast in the café in the morning. As we arrived, another boat was just leaving the moorings opposite the café so we were able to slip in behind them. This was taken from the veranda of the café.

Just after we arrived, another boat pulled into the last space behind us. Their boat had a "Boaters Christian Fellowship" sticker in the window, so we asked them if they knew our friends Jan and Bob Wayment, whose boat "Barocha" was in build next to MM in the KG workshop. They have just retired from the BCF as Bob is not well. They did know each other, of course. Their names are Gill and John, a lovely couple, and we ended up having tea and Victoria cream sponge cake with them on the towpath.

Each morning that we are out cruising, we switch the engine and the power inverter on so that M can use her hairdrier. Putting the engine on minimises the drag on the batteries. So early on Saturday morning, M turned the engine on - but it stuttered lamely and clouds of smoke poured out of the exhaust. Clearly the engine was very sick. 

We had arranged to meet Andy and Michelle Kellaway for breakfast in the canalside café and it was lovely to see them waiting for us under the gazebo outside the café building when it opened at 9:00am.

There is an Anglo Welsh hire base at Great Haywood so R went to see them. They were very helpful but, as it is a changeover day with hire boats coming in and out, they asked if would we mind waiting until tomorrow, when they wouldn't be so busy. R agreed. We did try several other options, but no-one else could spare the time as every engineer was busy.

In the afternoon, our friends Angela and Stuart passed on their two boats. They moored up at Tixal Wide, just round the corner on the Staffs & Worcs canal, and walked back with their combined total of four dogs to join us back at the café for tea.

Yesterday: 3 miles, 2 locks and 2.8 hours.

Trip: 8 miles, 3 locks and 4.9 hours.