December and winter came hand in hand to a canal near us as they did for many people in diverse locations this week.
We love winter on the boat when it’s crisp and cold outside and cosily comforting inside. The cold as we open the back hatch takes our breath away, but when we return to the boat, we are embraced in the all-enveloping warmth from the stove. My favourite winter activity is stepping down into the boat!
Monday started this week with mud, gloopy, boot-sucking, paw-encasing mud. Tuesday, I spent working at the computer toasting myself gently beside the stove, enjoying the sun streaming through the window beside me. On the odd occasions I moved from the computer to the kettle and back, Boatdog instantly chose to keep my seat warm (or pinch it as the case may be!).
By Wednesday the towpath was crunchy as temperatures dropped and mud froze. It made for much easier walks and running, and brought some stunning sunsets. The evening colours here in North West Leicestershire are truly remarkable, and at this time of the year nothing short of stunning. The only trouble in November is that the light disappears rapidly – not helpful when bumbling off down the towpath for a run and finding oneself returning in near total darkness. At least there’s more chances of seeing tawny owls in the fading light even if it’s almost impossible to see where you’re putting your feet! Memo to self – keep a head torch in your running jacket whatever the time because enjoyment often makes you stay out too long!
Thursday, though, brought a different feel to the canal as well as the towpath. As we woke and began moving about on the boat, we could hear ice cracking around us. The first freeze of the canal this winter for us had begun. Normally I welcome the ice, but not this week. This week, for once, we had places to go, and ice can stop narrowboats in their tracks.
In the days of commercial canal traffic there ice breakers were employed to keep the waterways open. These heavily plated vessels were generally narrower than a standard barge, that helped prevent them getting stuck in pack ice, particularly around locks or bridges. As the ice became thicker, more and more horses would be attached to pull the boat through the cut. The record apparently was 16 horses attached to a single boat!
This week we are leaving our home for a while to join the family for pre-Christmas celebrations together. Just as in a house, on a boat, freezing weather can cause pipes to burst with horrendous results. We don’t want to completely drain the pipes and water tank. As our only heating is the multi-fuel stove without us being on board there’s no one to stoke the stove, and so everything on board will get cold and potentially damp. That’s not a good feel for any home and its contents.
So another advantage of a floating home is the capacity (theoretically) to move it to somewhere where it can stay warm and safe whilst we’re away. That is unless the canal freezes and stops you moving! Ice can cause scratch damage to blacking and paintwork on a narrowboat. It can be far more serious for GRP cruisers. To be honest, when there’s ice, we enjoy staying put, often enabling us to put off moving day and outstaying the 14-day maximum stay on mooring spots. However, this year we had booked a space for the boat in a marina where we could attach a mains power cable, pay for electricity and leave a small electric heater working on board to keep the chill off whilst we were off the boat. That prevents pipes freezing, stops mould and damp, and also makes our home rather more pleasant to return to in time. It would be a shame to spend the whole family Christmas celebration wondering what on earth we might be returning to.
Thursday morning was sinking heart time as we were due into the marina on Friday early. The forecast had suggested a cold night, but somehow, the amount of ice around caught me by surprise. The forecast for Thursday night meant an early start on Friday to get to the marina would be impossible. We took the decision (with fingers crossed) that by early Thursday afternoon, if there was enough of a thaw to let us move safely, then we would before the cold air returned to create another freeze.
It was a bit of an anxious morning on Thursday but after lunch there was enough of a thaw to be able to turn the boat and head south once more. We made it to the marina to be greeted warmly and headed to our berth to revel in the sheer bliss of getting off onto a pontoon (duck and goose poo is better in many ways than mud as you step off, and even better when frozen!).
Within hours we were attached to the glories of mains power, and revelling in hot, unlimited showers as well as finding water and waste disposal just steps away. This is how the other half lives it appears, and on the few nights we are on board and the many more we are away this month it will be a real gift to ourselves and our boat.
Boatdog has been a little unimpressed so far because the power has allowed me to put the immersion heater on to heat enough water to give her a nice deep bath to wash away all that previously collected mud! She dried rapidly by the fire and now all clean and fluffy has been able to take up a new role as a fascinated bricks and mortar Guarddog.
As we enjoy our family pre-Christmas Christmas – we wish you a warm and safe start to winter and December.
Pickingupducks 