Canopies Completed and British Waterways say Lower Rate Licence!!

Moored Great Haywood, Trent & Mersey Canal

Washing was the main priority today, oh and fixing our dripping water pump.  Tim of Staffordshire Canopies was passing Penkridge this morning and offered to pick us up a new bit.. well the diaphragm actually.. from Midland Chandlers.  We have never had to sort the water pump before, so I phoned SHURflo, and they were absolutely brilliant, describing in detail what we needed to do.

While we were at it, we decided that it was well overdue to check the filter.. no we didn’t ever clean that since we bought NP.. and what came out was an elastic band!!  Our first efforts at trying to keep the hose in the filler was to tie it up with an elastic band.. but one day it disappeared into the tank.. heh found it now though!

So that is all fixed now.. no more drips and a nice dry tool cupboard.

The back canopy is coming in handy already for drying washing.. a great place to hang all the shirts to dry while the rain poured down outside.  I didn’t take the finished product canopy pictures yet.  This last week was busy with the family visiting, and we had lots of things to do today.. might do them tomorrow if the weather is nice..

Here a couple of the front canopy.. showing how Tim and Lisa firstly make a ‘paper cratch cover’..

Then after Tim cut it out and Lisa completed the sewing bit,  back they came to put the fittings onto the boat and the fittings onto the cover in-situ again… To do the ‘watery side’ their narrowboat Hundred Akers was brought alongside so they could work off that to compete the job..

I was sitting out the back on Thursday last.. well trying to escape from my grandchildren for a few minutes  , and as I sat under the back canopy I thought it would be nice to have a skirt round the seating area.. wondered really if it would be possible.. so spoke to Tim that evening, “Yep, we will give it a go for you” was his answer.  He had never done one before.. but hey look at this!..

As Chas and Ann of NB Moore2Life said when I showed them the pic “Nice shoes Sue”  Ha.. yeah but nice skirt round the seats too!  Hides all the junk we keep under there…

Tim measured up at 9am on Friday.. then out came the paper again to make the pattern.. by 2pm it was fitted and finished.  There are buttons hidden on the inside bottom to keep it from moving about.

I am absolutely over the moon with the work that Tim and Lisa have done, as I said before their level of workmanship is high, completely as the customer would like, any changes no problem and their attention to detail is a priority to them.  This is one hell of a good canopy maker totally recommended to anyone thinking of having one done..

Well we are still at Great Haywood.. just hope the post arrives tomorrow then we can be off.. we are overstayed by one day here.. We arrived on 15th October..

But the best news of the week for us came on Thursday morning from Maffi with an entry in the guestbook to say that British Waterways are not now going to class our boat for a higher rate licence and not as they had proposed.. we will be in the lower rate after all!

1.3. The lower rate will be payable by people licensing the boat for
sole or family use.
1.4. The higher rate will be payable by people licensing the boat for
multiple users. Multi-use is defined as boats used for hire and reward
and any boats in multiple ownership for which the rights to use are
managed through a business or legal agreement.

The above is part of a press release from British Waterways.. We are both not only delighted but very relieved!