Date - 7 April Day - Tuesday Start - 1000 End - Wendover Arm 1400 Well the Peacock performed as expected giving 2 calls at approximately 10 minute intervals starting before it was light. He was accompanied with the sound of the trains. This must be one of the busiest sections of rail outside any large city. There seams to be a train constantly in hearing distance. We decided last night that one of the first jobs today would be to get the toilet tank pumped out as it was at a critical level. It was only a couple of locks and a swing bridge to Glebe Cruisers at Pitstone where there is a DIY token operated pump out machine, Diana purchased a token for £10 and I read the instructions carefully before inserting the token. When I did the lights changed as described, I pressed the green button, the pump started but the level of vacuum was zero. I tried sucking up canal water to prime the pump with no success. The chap from the yard came over and fed the water hose straight into the pump suction and then quickly reconnected the suction pipe, we were away and the tank started to empty. He left me a spare token in case the time left was to short to finish the job which was just as well as it cu out half way through. The second token had the tank emptied when there was a shout to shut it down, apparently a hose on the discharge of the pump had burst round the back of the boatyard. We thanked them kindly and left them to it. Just as we entered Marsworth bottom lock another boat came into view so we waited and it turned out to be a single handed boater who was more than happy to do his share of the work. We stayed together all the way up the Marsworth flight to Bullborne where he carried straight on and we turned right down the Wendover Arm. At Bullborne dry dock they were steaming some timbers to repair a boat. They had a wooden steam chest with the planks in it, but instead of the normal boiler feeding it with steam they had a steam cleaner running with the lance pocked inside the steam box and a tiewrap on the trigger. We carried on down the Wendover arm, once past the flour mill we found the canal very shallow, much worse than last time we came this way but things improved just before the pump house and the newly restored section was no problem. We moored for the night at the very end of the arm with our bow touching the end dam.
You will find our latest position at http://tinyurl.com/Harnser-s-route -- Brian
