As you may have read earlier, my boat required the bottom reblacking when it arrived from Kent, as it was pulled along a plank when putting it on the trailer. With Roy's help, I took it out twice to do the prop and shaft, but didn't have time the first year. Then last year they put the gates on the slipway, to stop it's use, so it has taken until now for Roy to get permission. He now rents it, along with the bank and a mooring for his boat. So I've finally got the job done, plus all other major work.

When the river rose slightly I phoned Roy to see if he wanted to take his boat out. He said he was busy, so I started the oil change and the job of looking at the oil pump. The water level has to be up a little; otherwise the trailer wheels run off the end of the slipway before the trailer is under the boat, and it was the first time he had tried to take his current boat out. He rang back shortly to say he would like to take the opportunity, so I finished my job and met him at Southrey, then going with him to Chapel Hill. I brought his boat up for him while he returned to his sister's farm to get the tractor and trailer ready. I had a pleasant trip on his boat, and when I arrived back, found it was still difficult to select neutral on one engine. Something he later struggled with when we were trying to get it onto the trailer (grin).

We went to get the tractor and trailer, which hadn't been used for two years, due to the locked gates. He has fitted new tyres, so they should withstand the weight of his boat and there were just a couple of the smaller wheels to put back on, then we took it to the slip. I did enjoy unlocking the gate, having waited more than a year.

We put his boat on the trailer after a few attempts, but the tractor wheels were spinning and wouldn't pull it all the way out, despite my using the dif-lock and had also put a chain around the drawbar and hydraulic arms to put more weight on the wheels. We adjourned to the farm for a while, thinking we would have to come back with another tractor in the morning. Later we returned to the slip for another try, and I moved the tractor across to realign the trailer with the rail lines, as the wheels were trying to climb them. I was now on dry concrete, and with the trailer wheels free of obstacles, and more traction, I managed to pull it clear. We had already scraped the bottom of his boat, well Roy more than me actually, and when he cleared up afterwards, found eight buckets of fresh water cockles had been stuck to the bottom.

The next morning I returned and helped Roy wash the sides and prepare the rest of the underside. We finished blacking underneath, and Roy painted the plimpsole line, leaving only the side blacking to be done the next morning. After an hour or so to let it dry we swapped the boats with mine. Being much lighter, I had no trouble pulling mine up the slip on the trailer. As soon as I looked around my boat I had a shock; the cutlass bearing was hanging off! This is the bearing that supports the prop shaft at the back, and it was next to the prop. No wonder I'd had felt some vibration. I soon realized this had only happened recently, probably the bang I had heard on my first exploratory trip up the Kyme the evening with Allan. On the return this was the rattling sound I had heard, thinking it may be the engine. If I had not been lucky enough to find it quickly, it would have caused serious damage to the tube, and could even have worn through the shaft with me loosing the prop. This would have meant a serious repair, and maybe the end of my boating, so a welcome stroke of luck.

Most people take a week to take their boat out, clean and prepare the bottom and reblack or antifoul. Two boats in four short days can't be bad for two old men, and me with my limitations.

Since then I've painted the hull, and refitted the metal bar on the front, which got caught when the boat was put back in the water. I've cleaned the inside of the cabin and wheelhouse, and also I've had to realign the engine, and true the prop shaft, as the stern tube was moving sideways, causing it to leak. This is a difficult one to stop, and more work than I intended, however it works, and I must live with the limitations that came with the boat, otherwise it will require major work to remount the engine and connect the propshaft using flexible joints.

So she's more or less shipshape; at last. Well for the time being.

Some more trips - some the most enjoyable so far.

I've managed regular trips on the boat so far this year, and in fact many have been some of the most enjoyable I've taken.

Lots of short trips to Southrey, a few to Boston, one with a trip into the Wash, and another upstream to Torksey. I've also had another trip up the Kyme as the pub reopened, so it was a good excuse to go again.

I've been very lucky with the weather this year, most taken in lovely sunshine. The Boston trips have been particularly enjoyable, even the 'fishing trip' into the Wash, where all I caught was seasickness.

I've since found out plankton grows in the sea very rapidly when the sun first shines, and as spring was late this year this meant the sea was cloudy in mid June, hence no fish. However I got everything correct, tides, times, wind, strength and direction. All I forgot was the sea takes a day to settle in the Wash after windy weather.

We journeyed to Antons Gowt to spend the night, thereby leaving our free night at Boston for our return the next day. It was a pleasant trip out, but although it didn't look very rough, I found my boat was rolling from side to side quite violently. I've since discovered this is called a short sea, and can be uncomfortable. Particularly in my small boat, whose hull has derived from a Megavissey Tosher sailing boat. As I tried to drop the anchor, the shackle pin stuck in the hole. I stood in the open hatch, hardly able to keep on my feet, as the boat rolled from side to side, but as soon as I put my head down to try to free the chain inside, I was ill.

I knew I couldn't stay there, so went to shallow water over the sandbank, where it was much calmer. After freeing the anchor I stayed only yards from the sandbank, pleasantly lying across the back of the boat in the sunshine until I recovered somewhat. Then I motored up and down the channel, which was fun with the slightly choppy sea. I was hoping to find some fish, and even tried the paravane I've bought briefly, but not one beep from the fishfinder. I would like to go again later in the year, and just catch one fish, because I've been twice now and caught nothing.

Just before this trip, towards the end of May I learned the pub had reopened in South Kyme. On my first trip on the Norman we were going to have a drink, only decided there wasn't time, so would do so at a later date. Three weeks later, I discovered the weed had grown, and the pub was shut, however that is the only time I have continued to Cobblers Lock, the end of the navigable section. After that it closed down, and it has taken a campaign by the villagers to stop it being sold off for a house; finally reopening as a pub, so this probably my last 'unfinished business' on the Witham and tributaries.

I had to go alone, but the weed was not too bad, and much to my surprise I found a boat coming down when I was at the lock. When you can almost count the boats that have used this waterway this year on both hands, to meet a boat at the lock once is a stroke of luck, but to do it twice as I have, well fate must be good to me this year. There has been a small convoy of narrowboats make the trip to South Kyme for the weekend, in-between my trips, and the missing paddle has had a patch put over the hole in the gate to stop the lock emptying as soon as the guillotine is lowered. They have also dredged the river through South Kyme, where some bank reinforcement material was accidentally dropped in, enabling narrowboats to get to Cobblers Lock to wind. I had no need to go that far; in fact I would definitely not get out of the village under the low bridge this time. However I moored in the village and was rewarded by a very nice photo of my boat in this pretty part of Lincolnshire. I met one or two friendly locals, and had a drink before coming back. The weed was a bit of a problem in the lower level from the lock, but had it been a week or so later it would have been almost impossible. As it was Wud coped very well, only getting stuck three or four times.

I recently had an enquiry from a buyer for Wud however thankfully fate intervened and he had time to think. I really don't want to sell at the moment, but must be sensible, however it's doubtful to appeal to many, so I should be ok.

Anyway, just in case he did phone the next weekend I decided to take a trip upstream to Torksey. Only the second trip upstream this year, and I had an enjoyable time. Once again there was a small incident; a young man had tried midnight swimming and had not returned. When I got back to Lincoln on the Friday, the pool was closed to boats as divers were searching for him, so I moored and walked home, returning the next day to take the boat back to Bardney. Sadly a few days later the divers found his body. People still don't realize it's not a good idea to go swimming in the early hours after midnight when they have been drinking.

We undertook a trip to Boston the next week, so I've travelled the full length of the Fosse Dyke and Witham in the same week for the first time.

On two of my trips to Southrey I've had a couple of great nights; the first saw me sleep on my boat, with me just escaping a hangover. The second I prepared to stay, but didn't escape the hangover. The first I've had since starting boating.

A couple of days before I decided to make the most of the nice weather and go to Bardney. Since learning I was not selling Wud, I've painted a mouth on the front, however not being the best of artists, many said the teeth needed to be larger. I was intending to have a quiet day, with a bit of light painting before going to Southrey to 'play' at clearing a bit of the weed around the bank, in preparation for the Gala on Sunday. Several of Roy's friends were coming, including someone we met at Boston, who has only recently finished his boat after taking 10 years to build it.

But when I backed Wud out of the mooring, the propshaft came out of the coupling again. I have remembered to check the grub-screws are tight, but did not know they had become tight in the threads. The weed in the Witham is worse than ever this year, and so I've often had to reverse hard to clear it. Such tooing and froing will soon find any weakness in engine, or drive train. So I spent the next three hours repairing the flange and loosening the grub screws. I should have done this at the start of the year, when I first found it loose, but now at least I can remove the propshaft if necessary.

Later I went downstream to Southrey once again; arriving with perfect timing as Roy arrived a few minutes later. I had phoned to say I was going, and he had made a 'weed rake' just a short bit of wire fencing with a bit of wood through it. But it worked well, and we soon had much of the weed from around the moorings. We have made another small homemade jetty past the slipway, so I, and others visitors have somewhere to stop and get off.

Later an old friend of his who is now very poorly, was coming with his family to have a meal in the pub, and later visit his boat for a coffee. Roy had thought it would be mid evening when they finished the meal, but it was late evening before they arrived. I had not come prepared to stay, so I had to return to Bardney, setting off at around 11.30. It was a bit misty on the river, making it difficult to see through the windscreen, so I stood looking over the wheelhouse, steering with my outstretched leg, on the slow journey back. Lock was set against me of course, and it was 2am when I finally got home. Boating is supposed to be a leisurely pursuit, however I seem to spend money, work and go without eating and sleeping, much the same as with the Stock Car (grin).

A week or two earlier I had towed a large boat from Bardney to Southrey to enable it to have the engines refitted. They had been removed in the lock, but after reconditioning, BW stopped them being lifted back into the boat, so we had stepped in to help.

A quiet few days now in preparation for 'the big trip'. I hope to go to Thurmaston near Leicester for the Dawncraft BBQ at the end of July. Once again it appears I will have to struggle up the Trent on my own, as all my friends are otherwise engaged on those days.