Domestic and Family affairs

 Saturday July 17 Looking after the batteries at Quedgeley and a visit to Evesham 

This morning, the engine is running, while we do two loads of washing, then run the dishwasher. If you have a 2500W device running, just over 100 amperes are drawn from the 24 volt batteries, but with engine running the engine’s alternator can supply over 50 amperes, reducing the drain and potential damage to batteries. Our new (to us) 300W solar panels are doing a great job keeping our batteries fully charged, so we don’t need to run the engine daily when not moving, normally. 

John reckons they supply about 5A at best, at around 50volts to the MPPT controller. The charging power is often only about 70-150W, but this is enough to cope with our new, more efficient fridge and maintain the batteries at 100% during the sunny summer months.

Honeypie is not too keen on the engine, but other boaters remark on its quietness.

The bridge keeper has been painting his bridge, while waiting for boats.

Evesham is about an hour from us, Newport and Leicester, so we are meeting up with daughters Jo and Sarah there today - hooray! A picnic lunch in the shade was planned, and we had a tasty picnic in the scenic park.

Reaching Evesham riverside, we walked with Honeypie by the Avon, enjoying the shade on this hot day. Honeypie showed her swimming abilities as she kept cool in the Avon.

The Hampton chain ferry was operating, too.

Narrowboats and canoes came past as we all walked under the riverside trees, around the old Abbey grounds.

Gloucester to Quedgeley on the Gloucester Sharpness Canal

Wednesday July 14 Gloucester to Quedgeley (4 miles, 0 locks)

We’ve had a short break from Annie, visiting family at Nottingham and Leicester, returning to Annie Wednesday July 14 lunchtime, at her mooring beyond Llanthony Bridge at Gloucester Docks. 

We moved Annie the short distance to Sainsbury’s to shop, after which Liana took the car to the Pilot Inn at Quedgeley. As I set off in Annie, there was little transmission to the propeller from the engine, like a slipping clutch, so I guessed the hydraulic PRM150 gearbox was short of oil. I managed to get ashore, tie up, add oil and set off again, after phoning Liana to warn her of the delay. The bridges are operated by bridge keepers, and you must wait for the green light. Some swing open, while others are high enough to pass under.

We found an excellent shady mooring in the winding hole opposite the old oil terminal wharf before Sellars Bridge.

Friday July 16 at Quedgeley and a Stroud visit

We have now had a leisurely couple of days at Quedgeley on the Gloucester Sharpness Canal, drying the washing, walking Honeypie and reading, plus chatting to cyclists, walkers and anglers passing by. Loads of boats of all types pass to and fro, too. 

Yesterday, we chilled, walked Honeypie and tried out the Pilot Inn pub at Sellars Bridge, Quedgeley. We had been recommended to try the rack of barbecued ribs, which were immense, and Liana enjoyed her Starboard Platter. We shared a big sweet, too! Wadworths 6X real ale was good, too 👍

Today, we are visiting Stroud and walking the canal to view the improvements.

We have enjoyed our walk around Stroud and up the Thames & Severn Canal, before Spag Bog, watching Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix qualifying, and reading in the shade back at Annie’s mooring.

A weekend in Gloucester

 Saturday 10 July in Gloucester Docks

After wishing John’s little Bro Phillip a Happy Birthday, we spent Saturday enjoying Gloucester, walking around the cosmopolitan dockside area, the Gloucester Quays shopping centre and the town centre. John bought a book about working life on the Cotswold Canals from the National Waterways Museum. We chatted with other boaters, ate on board, read and watched Ashleigh Barty win Wimbledon.

On to Gloucester

 Friday July 9 Tewkesbury and on to Gloucester (13 miles, 2 locks)

After breakfast, we clambered up onto the quay and had a good walk around town. We appreciate all the (fairly) unspoilt Tudor buildings along the Main Street, busy with traffic.

After a good Costa coffee, we returned to Annie via the lock. John took this photo of the warehouses, which looked to be leaning to him!!

 From our weedy quay we set off for Upper Lode Lock, the only one before the lock you must respect at Gloucester Docks.

We shared the lock with NB Flint, who then turned and moored at Lower Lode Hotel, by the Cheltenham College boathouse and the second confluence with the Avon. Soon after, we passed the Yew Tree Inn moorings, by the Avon Sailing Club, where we have stopped before, and then, hidden by willows, the Coal House inn moorings.Haw Bridge Inn moorings, where we saw the hotel boat Duke 2 again, is the last for a while, as you can’t moor at the Red Lion or The Boat at Ashleworth safely. That’s enough info for the drinkers!!

It’s pleasant if unexciting scenery, but at least you can see more nearer to Gloucester, as the banks become lower in places.

At Upper Parting we left the main river to follow the narrower, winding channel three miles to Gloucester Docks. John rang the lock keeper, and we had to wait “on the chains” with a following narrowboat, against the high brick wall, once a sailing ship jetty. 

John looped the stern rope around the chain on the wall so the current did not sweep us past the lock. John spoke again to the lock after a huge white cruiser appeared and just missed the narrowboat waiting behind us. He told us it had taken an hour to travel the thirty miles from Worcester!! So much for the speed limit.

The two steel boats entered Gloucester Lock first, then the cruiser,  with plenty of revs and aiming left, as the current sweeps you to the right just as you are about to enter the lock. Worth knowing!!

There was plenty of room on the visitor moorings close by the lock. These have a great view of the Dock area.