Not the view you really want to see when out for a new year cruise! The plan was to head up to the weir at Maisemore, go over it as it will be drowned in the swollen river and go do some sightseeing in the floods upriver. Not to be, sadly.
I was up to Gloucester, approaching Lower Parting when I noticed the strong smell of petrol. As I’d been working on the tanks I wondered if I’d left something loose, so I pulled it onto Alney Island to check.
The problem wasn’t the tanks - they were all good. It was the fuel filter / water separator that was leaking profusely! This was replaced last year as the old one had rusted through, and new one was leaking from an O ring. Cleaning and tightening the joint fixed it and tried to restart. Not happening! The battery chose this moment to collapse! No sign of distress from the battery recently but it had gone.
Bugger!
Nothing for it but to call Nathan and hope he was around - which he was, and an hour later he turned up with a mahoosive battery and some jump leads. I did feel a bit guilty- he had to drag it a mile over fields from the nearest road. But not too guilty- he did owe me a rescue after a famous incident with his boat!
Anyway, engine started and I headed back, leaving Nathan to drag the battery all the way back to his van 😂. Like I said not too guilty!
Batteries seem to get a hard life on my craft - I only seem to get 2-3 years from them. I probably should replace every second year as a matter of course, but normally you can tell when they’re getting tired before they collapse.
So I never did get to see the floods but a least the cobwebs did get blown out!