Back up 'The Oxford'

Though we've navigated south on the Oxford Canal twice with our new floating homes, today will see our very first boat trip heading north on the same waterway.

As we head up the Thames to Osney Bridge, there on the bend into Osney Stream is a familiar boat to us from back in Reading. For many years, the distinctive narrowboat Dryopteris was moored on the river side of Burghfield Island, and we must have walked past it thousands of times. No sign of its owners today, so we don't know if they're permanently moored in Oxford now.

We are soon turning off the Thames and eastwards into the narrow channel that leads to Isis Lock - the southern start/end of the Oxford Canal. We've loved navigating the Thames, partly because its relative width and depth make for a fairly easy journey in which the surrounding countryside can be most appreciated. Now though, comes the challenge of the complete opposite - the extremely narrow and often very shallow 'Oxford'! Fortunately we're travelling in a narrow boat with a shallow draft (depth below waterline) so we should be able to cope with the change of navigation...

Until, that is, we have to steer into very shallow water, allowing an oncoming boat to pass, and unbeknownst to us, pick some rubbish up with our propeller, or 'prop'! Now something is wrong - the tiller is vibrating a great deal, even though engine revs are only about 1100rpm. Chris wonders if we have a sudden engine problem, but other clues suggest not: firstly the pattern of water behind the prop is wild in all directions, instead of a smoother, straight disturbance; secondly as we slowly steer towards the bank, Pelangi's forward motion is reversed by the moderate breeze and we're going backwards! Chris puts the gearbox into neutral, grabs the centreline rope and jumps onto the bank so that we can pull Pelangi in and moor up.
The mooring is a private permanent one and a neighbouring boater comes over to tell us we can't stop here, "this is Fred's mooring"! He's happier when we explain our boat has a breakdown, and returns to his own boat.

Though about a foot below the waterline, the top of the propellor and its shaft can be accessed from a metal hatch behind the engine compartment, that is bolted down to prevent flooding of the engine room. When Chris unbolts the hatch and reaches down into the none too clear water for the propellor, he's grabbed by a giant-squid... ... sadly/luckily the truth is far more mundane - something fabric has wound itself round the very end of the propshaft and part of the prop itself. Today, freeing it isn't hard and we're soon underway again and waiving cheerio to Fred's friend; sometimes though, it can take ages to free a fouled propeller.

We pass Duke's Cut and lock, a connecting arm to the Thames north of Oxford and suburbs such as Jericho and Wolvercote - placenames made famous in the Inspector Morse TV series!
The weather forecasters have got it right for once, and at 2pm it's raining right on cue, so we're mooring up just before a hamlet called Thrupp.
Tomorrow, in better weather hopefully, we'll be making for Aynho Wharf and a break from cooking, for Jo, as there lies a recommended pricey pub-restaurant. Yep, it's Chris's turn to pay!Lue lisää