We’re in a heatwave. A time when living and working in a metal box doesn’t always seem the best idea.
It is also a time when social media and crowd intelligence/experience comes into its own. People are quick to share what’s worked for them, from draping cold wet towels over windows to setting up pumps to keep water from their mooring running over their boat roof.
This week started with us stuck in a queue at a lock outside Banbury. We had some shade and the temperatures hadn’t begun to climb to really unpleasant heights. After 26 hours in the queue we moved from 13th place in the descending line to 1st, and were hauled through by our ropes thanks to the efforts of Canal and River Trust staff and volunteers. The roping through was to avoid the possibility of engine vibration causing more damage to the lock structure weakened by a boat strike – a boat slamming into the gate of the lock that smashed the top beam and likely caused damage elsewhere.
From there we headed on in company with boats whose crews we had got to know well during our enforced halt, and two of us found ourselves rescuing an unmanned narrowboat doing a Suez manoeuvre across the entire canal. Using our two boats to push it across I got onboard and tied a one of our ropes to the roof of the casualty, throwing the rope to one of the other boat’s crew who had managed to get into a field alongside. Together we pulled it and managed to tie it up with our donated rope. The plastic twine with which it had once been tied was frayed and useless. From strands on piling some 200 yards further up the canal on the towpath side, it seemed that is where the boat had once been moored.
We took its details and reported it to CRT. If it is licensed they should be able to contact the owner. If its one thats abanadoned then sadly it can cost £6-7,000 of the charity’s funds tk get ir removved.
It was rewarding for the four of us to find a mooring and a pub where we could toast our team efforts at the end of the day. The boat won’t stay moored for ever though – the rope although stronger than twine will also be rubbed against the metal piling by every boat that passes, and we’ve certainly seen plenty of boats on the south Oxford.
We’re now moored up for a week in one place unfortunately not somewhere with massive amounts of shade and the temperatures are rising.
Collective intelligence suggests boat dwellers are using ingenuity to keep their homes cool, and many of these will work for bricks and mortar dwellers too. I’ve collated the top 10. If you have any to add please do! These hot spells are not going to get any less frequent.
1.Mooring under motorway bridges (usually wide spaces). Tricky in bricks and mortar I grant you!
2.Opening doors and windows but keeping curtains or blinds down on the sunny side. Obviously this means swapping over as the sun moves round.
3.Working in the evening outside when it’s cool and it’s easier to think – easier for freelancers!
4 Use fans or air con units wherever possible to move air around. Solar powered fans are particularly handy.
5.If you have to move then do that early in the day when it’s cooler, stopping mid morning.
6.Make sure curtains and blinds are thermal lined
7.Make sure your home/office is well insulated – not only does this keep things warm in the winter but at times like this it helps keep it cool. Our retro fitting of insulation is definitely paying off.
8.Use wet towels as floor mats for your feet, and for any children and pets to keep cool on
9.Take the advice of those who live in hot countries and take a siesta if you can. Sleep is often disrupted on hot sticky nights so becoming tetchy through discomfort and lack of sleep can be an issue.
10.Keep cold drinks on tap – I’ve got elderflower cordial in the fridge with lashings of mint from the roof and it’s proving invaluable
Boatdog has her own tips to share!
1.Walk early morning and late evening ideally near the river when a paddle is definitely in order
2.Keep my water bowl topped up
3.My cool mat which is activated when I sit or lie on it is very good (we even lent it to someone in the lock queue to try for their dog!)
4.Wet tea towels aren’t the best look but they help
5.Large meals are out but lots of little snacks in the day work better
6.Having a haircut has helped although being done on the boat by a far-from-professional groomer means I look more scalped than shorn in places. This approach applies to humans too – don’t wear too many clothes but enough to keep your skin safe
The weather really is causing a few problems for the roof garden. Veggies are being burnt from above and their roots sizzled from below. Some of the big baskets are doubled up to allow air to pass between the hot roof and the soil which seems to be working, and some have been given respite from the roof whilst we are stationary. The courgette seems particularly happy with this arrangement! Thanks Emma!
Next week we will be on the River Thames, and whilst levels are down they aren’t suffering as much as the canal network. At the moment the red markers indicate closures, and the beige indicate areas where restrictions are in place – reducing the times boats can travel through locks particularly. The common sense approach to using locks applies at this time of the year especially- it’s not first come first served at a lock but the first to go through is the boat approaching the way the lock is set. If it’s empty then the first to go will be a boat coming up and if full then a boat going down. That way no water is unnecessarily wasted.
Maybe next week if it’s still so hot and we’re in deeper water I shall be able to take advantage of some wild swimming to cool off. Wonder what Boatdog will make of me joining her cool down times? We shall see.
Pickingupducks 