Time now to leave Coventry and wander slowly back to Brinklow Marina. We have been able to give the new battery a good test and let it go down to 37% overnight, not having cruised for the past couple of days. One of the factors that persuaded us to make the upgrade was the ability to have a couple of days off cruising without great concern about battery power.
Alongside where we moored was once a swing bridge. OK, so the bridge is actually still intact but has not been used for some time, leaving more room for visiting boats.
We have probably shown the surviving wharf crane before but have included this shot to show that the weather today was very different from the weekend. Althiugh is was expected to be very cold at night by the time were were about the clear skies and sunshine had already taken the edge of the chilly air. By the afternoon it became definitely warm!
As we set off so did others - we think at least five left today - good news for the couple of boats we passed coming into the city no doubt hoping for a good mooring in the basin. Just after setting off, looking back, it is clearer how the basin is divided on to two arms.
Neither elsan nor refuse facilities were accessible in the basin so they will have to wait until we reach Hawkesbury but we were almost out of water so only went out of the basin to the the couple of water point just after the entrance bridge (originally built as a security feature to control entry of boats and local miscreants! `The roadside edge of the basin is now quite open to provide an amenity access for visitors and local people. It certainly seemed quite popular. We were not the only leaving boat to need to fill.
The arched footbridge again - here with a bright blue sky and a few wispy clouds.
Not too slow a tap - not quite the fastest but even with two of us filling at the same time we reached 'full' sooner than we expected and were able to continue on our way.
Another of the converted buildings at Electric Wharf. This building is known as Cable Yard and was part of the original power station but other than what might inferred from the name we have not really found out much about its particular role. The letters LE on the end were once part of CABLE. It is now a mixture of offices and apartments and was specifically designed with eco credentials in mind.
Cash's Houses once again - just 'cos we can!
We continued to retrace our steps back towards Hawkesbury. We did not spot anything specific of note but it was a pleasant morning for cruising. We had a slow boat ahead so it was just as well we were not in a hurry! The section of canal was once not one of the finest as detritus from canalside industry and poor housing marred the experience but for some years now it has been very different even if it is taking time to throw off it past reputation.
Another view of Exhall Basin looking very different from a year ago.
We called at the service block immediately before the junction for much needed disposals. In the process Mike discovered that one of the cassettes had developed a small leak around the vent fixing but fortunately we have some spare part. With luck they included a new o ring that seals the unit from leaking to the outside.
We then made the sharp turn under the splendid cast iron footbridge. Fortunately we judged it correctly as there were several unhelpfully moored boats in places where they should not be, including two on a lock landing with a very clear No Mooring sign - it is nit even necessary to be able to read words to know what it means! A couple of other boats were tied up outside The Greyhound pub which seemed yo be doing a good trade today. Just made it that bit trickier for unwary boats coming to the stop lock just after the junction. Christine managed to operate the lock - it may be only a small rise but still needed some effort! Her first this year, but then we have only worked 9 locks in total so far.
5.9 Miles - 1 Lock
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