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Pontoon In Snow

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Pontoon in snow image
Pontoon in snow

In Came the Snow 2021 and it left the pontoon as hard as iron and water like a stone…

With the Marina frozen, the natural toing and froing of the narrowboats moored therein stopped. Instead of the natural susurration of the hull in water, we were treated to a banging, each time the wind moved the boat.

We had been expecting to be gripped in place but this was not the case. The fenders normally stopped the boat from banging against the pontoon it was moored to. However, the ice stopped the boat getting near. It was a combination of the water underneath the ice, a small gap between boat and ice and the wind. Other boaters commented on the phenomenon.

rp – peace and narrowboats

In Came the Snow 2021

In came the snow and ice in 2021. Is it cold on a narrowboat? Yes, it’s bl**dy freezing when it’s sub-zero temperatures outside, it’s first thing in the morning and the stove’s gone out!

However, once the fire’s lit (third time lucky , fourth time lucky…), the Webasto is fired up and we’ve got thick jumpers on, it’s lovely.

To be fair, we had plenty of warning. So, we had stocked up on coal (smokeless fuel) for the stove and diesel for the Central heating.

I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of snow and cold. “Everything looks so beautiful”, “I love a walk in the cold”, “It’s so invigorating”. I’m more “We’re gonna need more coal and diesel – it’s going to be expensive”, “The towpath will be un-traversable due to the mud”, “When’s it going to warm up?”.

But, for the sake of dispelling my churlishness, here are a few images. They are from the Marina, as in came the snow in 2021

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Silverdale as snow begins to fall image
Snow starting to fall on Silverdale
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - View of Marina in snow image
Across the Marina
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Prow in the Snow image
Prow in the snow
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Silverdale in snow image
Silverdale in snow

The snow has all gone now, it never hangs around long and some warmer weather is among us.

rp – peace and narrowboats

Moving Silverdale – ‘fill her up’

Moving Silverdale – ‘fill her up’.

A visual documentary of our last journey of the year lol! We move to get fuel, out of Whilton Marina, onto The Cut (sort of) and back – a few hundred yards. Perfect day for it tho’ – no wind, no rain and no boaters (The Buckby Flight is closed for repairs). She handled really well, we really enjoyed moving Silverdale.

murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - rp - The Takedown image
The Takedown – “I’ve got this”
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - rp - The Takedown 2 image
“Whoah, Just this bit now”
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - the canopy image
“I’m still under here somewhere…”
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Moving Silverdale 4 image
“Where does this flap go?”
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Moving Silverdale 5 image
I almost look like I know what I’m doing!
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Moving Silverdale 6 image
On the move – now that’s a Helmsman’s pose!
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Moving Silverdale 7 image
Actually on The Cut
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Moving Silverdale 8 image
Destination in sight (no, not the lock)
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - fill her up image
“Fill her up – how much?”
murpworks - The Tales of Silverdale - Moving Silverdale 10 image
Back under the bridge into the Marina – precision perfect!

rp – peace and narrowboats