It took us four days to travel from Milton Keynes to Yardley Gobion a distance we would normally do in a day but we were killing time. The plan was to be at the nearest point to Silverstone racetrack to get picked up Saturday morning and spend the weekend watching Spencer race the MR2.
The weather was still hot but the odd shower threatened...
That didn't stop us doing some...
Maintenance on the boat.... Painting was the order with Leonie doing the sides and front deck....
While I.....
Done the coloured stuff......
While moored at Yardley Gobian we noticed a couple of cyclists having some troubles so we walked along the towpath to them to be told...
We left London on Wednesday, now Friday, to cycle to Nottingham via roads and towpaths, haven't had a puncture until the last mile and we've had three.
There was a problem trying to inflate the tube he'd just repaired so we took it back out and I gave it the water test in the canal, all good, so back in the tyre try again. Still going flat.
After several minutes of frustration we / I discovered it was his method of application whilst transferring air from the hand pump to the tube.. That sorted the tube stayed inflated the tyre became a usable part of the wheel and everyone was happy. They'd used there spare tubes and a patch or two so I handed over a couple of patches in case they had another bad mile.....
Ready to....
Move on.. The lady was from NZ, Auckland, and has been living in London 20 years....
John picked Leonie and me up early Saturday morning....
First job at the racetrack after qualifying was....
Get the barbecue going and feed the troops.... Some how, probably my cooking reputation preceded me, I ended up in charge of Michelin Star food presentation both days......The consumers were amazed at how many different ways one can cook a Pork & Leek Sausage... underdone, spewing out, charcoal... etc.....
Whilst some slave over a hot plate....
Others don't care... John making sure the beer was okay to drink by me later... Karen, Spences "Better Half" and son Ryan showing ball skills....
Saturdays racing was in the Nippon Challenge class. Way too fast cars but you get a Qualifying and two races to learn the track which costs less to enter than paying for practice on the Friday.
Sunday it started raining about 6.30 am and "Big Bertha" the cyclone sent it down at times very heavy. Racing continued but it wasn't until 4.30pm that it fined up enough for a dry race, the last, and the results were good.
Silverstone is not a spectator friendly track and it's difficult to get good racing photos....
I guess up in the largest stands would be better but every stand entrance way was padlocked viewing from the terraces was the only option..
Spencer in Race Mode in the MR2...
Chasing a Hyundai around Copse corner.....
Spencer bought a spare MR2 for parts but it's good enough to race...
So good mate Steve does the steering... NY Cab colours.....
Here Steve....
Out brakes and goes Under a Hyundai entering Copse... the cars are doing about 95 - 110 mph here....
Then after....
A Hard Days Work.. Steve's loaded the car for home....
Back at the NB by 6.30pm Sunday it was earlyish to bed, we slept at Silverstone in a 9 seater van that converts to a camper with a pop roof, Spencer had just traded it on behalf, to catch up on some shut eye.....
Next morning we set off, the winds blowing strong and a NB has just moored about 3 feet in front of us, I cast off hurriedly to avoid the close by boat and turn the boat at the nearby winding hole. Proud of the manner I achieved all that in the wind and single handed the fact that I'd left the Armco chains that we tie our ropes too still on the Armco escaped me... Well at least until 5.30pm that day when I went to use them to moor up.
Pissed with my stupidity I eased the pain by reckoning that if Leonie had of been "on deck helping" in the morning the chain thing wouldn't have happened.... Hey that's my story and I'm sticking to it....
Sixteen quid fixed the problem.
Moving on we passed under yet another bridge this time with some...
Mosaics to lighten it up.....
Then on to Stoke Bruene....
Plenty of onlookers and note the tall poplar tree bending in that wind....
If one doesn't want to....
See out the windows.. or do any outside maintenance then decorate with Ivy....
Around a bend and my Eagle vision spotted something 500 odd yards away on the side of a hill...
Zoomed the FZ200 in and....
Deer it was.......
The temperature had dropped about 10 degrees on the days before.
Didn't matter.....
To this Dude doing some painting.... wonder what he wears on a Hot day??...
Into the .......
Blisworth Tunnel where we met and passed 3 NB,s... without touching.... 3057yds long.....
At the Buckby flight of 7 locks nearing Norton junction we teamed up with NB Silver to share lock duties...
Margaret and Lyall were very efficient and Margaret was an extremely good operator steering the NB...
After the flight we were going to moor up but Lyall said they were going to do the next flight into Braunston, 6 locks, so we carried on...
Approaching the Braunston tunnel... 2042yds....
NB silver leads the way...
The engine in NB Silver...
An "Old School" Gardiner... although rebuilt to new standards.....
We got to the third lock and there was a problem.... Some "Dick" had left some paddles or gates open and the next pound, reservoir between locks, was dry, like a moored boat had no water around it..
This required going back up and opening paddles and gates to let water flow down via the locks to refill the drained pound...
It put an extra hour on the job but worked. In fact things sort of flooded down stream.
When we were in a lower lock awaiting to leave through the bottom gates....
Excess water from upstream was still pouring over the top gates... Freaky if it caught the rear of the NB.....
By the time we done the last lock it had evened itself out again....
We moored up a late 8pm and went to the pub with Margaret & Lyall for drinks and tucker.....
Noticed NB Yarwood moored in Braunston and next morning...
We had the pleasure to meet and talk to Lesley who was out taking Floyd & Fletcher walking....
Then it was time to say...
Addios to Lyall & Margaret....
Turned Right....
Onto the Oxford canal.... Grand Union behind to the Left & Right....
Passed this....
Motor Home project....
And another bridge with the......
Familiar Fault Lines...... they wouldn't fall down... would they??...
And then after 3 months and probably 500 double locks it was...
The Hilmorten "Single" locks.... like we'd died and gone to Heaven...... so easy.......
Manchester is getting closer.....
