Journal

Harefield Marina, where it all began and Brexit becomes a reality…

It’s End of June, Quintessence is back where we bought her. This time she’s in the wet dock, ready to be painted. Time is now for a new color, battle ship grey, as Ian the man in charge said.

The roof had to be cleared of all the stuff we had on top, but also the engine room as Adnan had a major to do list for the engine room too. Most of the stuff from the living room area, inside the boat, went to the back as all the windows will be taken out as well. We were told that the windows will be sealed with plastic and there is no need to worry for the new solid wooden floor… Anyway, we did as told and we moved back in with Lennaart in Finsbury Park for another three weeks.

23 June 2016 belongs to the past and the Brexit vote result is out. Britain voted for it. The morning of the 23 June was a bleak one, waking up has seldom felt so distorted. The seemingly impossible has become real. Driving up to Uxbridge felt like a betrayal, Natascha didn’t wanted to set foot on Boris Johnson’s constituency. What on earth has crossed their minds? The Empire is long gone, it will not be resurrected, ever, and the UK can’t sail on it’s own in the murky waters of global economy and politics. The UK of 2016 is part of Europe. Period. Yes, many things within the EU are not right but jumping off the cliff seems significantly more pointless than staying part of it and trying to bring change about it in a meaningful way. All that talk of ‘red tape’ and restrictions. What about all the EU regional funds that flowed in to UK communities to make people’s lives better? Will the money now come from Westminster? We often have the impression the cash stays within the M25, will it change with exiting the EU? We particularly felt sorry for the younger generation of the UK, the prospects of being able to study in Europe or live there have been significantly reduced. And there will be a mountain of admin work to be processed, taking away the focus on other pertinent issues in the country. Like housing?!

So many we know, who are from the European mainland, who also couldn’t vote, felt the same. We all felt betrayed.

But now back to Quintessence, some unsettling news from that end too. Ian started sanding the steel and it turned out that the roof was full of rust. One of the previous owner must have just painted over it, to disguise the rust, used some cheap paint that let the water through. Ian said that this means it isn’t a paint job, as initially agreed, but a restoration job. He needs an extra helper, meaning more money for us to pay.

It also meant more work for us helping Ian. For two days Natascha was hammering off rust of Quintessence with a chisel. It occurred to her that she was also quite often hammering on her thumb, seemingly not being very good at it. Then came the revelation, she wasn’t that bad a it, but when people work on a boat sitting in water, it moves, which is a rather natural thing. Hitting the chisel can be a challenge, all of a sudden.

There was absolutely no time to make a single photo during the restoration, sadly. We were so stressed with the workload and panicked occasionally that we won’t finish on time. On top Natascha still had to work on the pay job too, three days a week. It wasn’t an easy time physically and mentally. We had some serious arguments, but maybe that is part of the process. Furthermore we have this rather long cruising trip ahead of us. We had to get to Coventry, climbing over the Chiltren Hills and back down again. Hundreds of locks to work…

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Journal

The new boat writing?

We had H1 Reber from the Graphic Design Studio Buro Destruct in Bern designing a new boat writing for Quintessence and we envisaged something more contemporary. Ian the boat painter recommended us a sign writer, with whom he often works, and this chap came by for a quick chat. Well, he wouldn’t do that modern stuff, his idea was more scrolls and an old school writing. No sign writing then until we could find somebody who could do such a writing.

These were the variations:

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Log

Journey to Harefield Marina

Summary

This is a trip of 2 miles, 3¼ furlongs and 2 locks from Uxbridge Bridge Winding Hole to Harefield Marina travelling north on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford).

This will take 1 hour and 14 minutes.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Uxbridge Bridge Winding Hole to:
Swan and Bottle PH

Chef & Brewer. Also known as Way’s Wharf (Offside)
a few yards, 0 locks
Swan and Bottle Visitor Moorings

24 hour moorings. Also known as Three Ways Wharf (Offside)
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Denham Marina ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Denham Boat Services 7½ furlongs, 1 lock
Frans Tea Garden ¼ furlongs, 1 lock
Denham Visitor Moorings

14 day moorings (£25 per day for overstaying)
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Harefield Marina

Musk Marine Sales. Braunston 79 miles
1 mile, 2 furlongs, 0 locks

Totals

Total distance is 2 miles, 3¼ furlongs and 2 locks. There are at least 2 small aqueducts or underbridges.

This is made up of 2 miles, 3¼ furlongs of broad canals; 2 broad locks.

 

 

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Journal

Uxbridge – Pro & Contra

Uxbridge is a funny place, it turned out to be a Brexiteers heaven, of course. Could it be because it is the constituency of Boris Johnson, the chieftain of the Leave campaign?

The referendum was ahead of us and most of London seemed against Brexit. Not in Uxbridge though, which isn’t Central London, but still, it’s Greater London. A lot of boaters had Brexit support posters on their windows or showing other paraphernalia related to it. There was quite a profound anti Europe sentiment in the air.

Brussels was the nemesis of the moment. The pesky foreigners were invading the UK and this had to be stopped. The term ‘red tape’ was used again and again.

As foreigners, these sentiments seemed strange, unfamiliar and we felt a bit uneasy about it. The UK felt like a pressure cooker under too much pressure and that the lid will blast off any moment. We did not want to get in trouble and refrained from making photos of those ‘Brexit boats’, nor did we want to get involved in any discussion. Weird times.

Instead we enjoyed the canal around Uxbridge and focused on the natural beauty. We also had a major project ahead of us – Quintessence was about to receive a new color. She was about to be painted and Ian Prince, the boat painter, came to see us in Uxbridge.

Green Uxbridge, it’s so green and lush, a constituency predestined for the Green Party UK?

Quintessence still with her old paint.

Adnan waiting in anticipation, where is Ian?

That’s one way to hang the washing, quite a good one, actually. One to copy?

 

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Log

Journey from Uxbridge to… the other side of Uxbridge

Summary

This is a trip of 6¾ furlongs and 1 lock from Uxbridge Boat Centre to Uxbridge Lock Winding Hole travelling north on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford).

This will take 30 minutes.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Uxbridge Boat Centre (Also known as Uxbridge Boatyard Dock) to:
The General Elliot PH

14 day moorings
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
The Dolphin PH ½ furlongs, 0 locks
Uxbridge Visitor Moorings

14 day moorings. Also known as Uxbridge
3½ furlongs, 0 locks
Swan and Bottle PH

Chef & Brewer. Also known as Way’s Wharf (Offside)
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Swan and Bottle Visitor Moorings

24 hour moorings. Also known as Three Ways Wharf (Offside)
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Denham Marina ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Uxbridge Lock Winding Hole

Also known as King’s Mill
1¼ furlongs, 1 lock

Totals

Total distance is 6¾ furlongs and 1 lock.

This is made up of 6¾ furlongs of broad canals; 1 broad lock.

This will take 30 minutes.

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Log

Journey to Uxbridge Boat Centre

Summary

This is a trip of 17 miles, ½ furlongs and 1 lock from Meanwhile Gardens Moorings to Uxbridge Boat Centre.

This will take 5 hours and 30 minutes.

From Meanwhile Gardens Moorings travel west on the Grand Union Canal (Paddington Branch) for 11 miles, 7¾ furlongs to Bull’s Bridge Junction, then travel northwest on the Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford) for 5 miles, ¾ furlongs and 1 lock to Uxbridge Boat Centre.

Route

Grand Union Canal (Paddington Branch)
From Meanwhile Gardens Moorings to:
Kensal Green Bridge No 4

B450
4¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Kensal Green Stop & Shop Moorings

4 hours moorings
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Kensal Green Visitor Moorings

14 day moorings (14 days in one year – £25 per day for overstaying)
2 furlongs, 0 locks
Grand Junction Arms

Young’s
1 mile, 7¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Grand Junction Arms Visitor Moorings

7 day moorings (£25 per day for overstaying). @Disraeli Road, Harlesden, London Borough of Brent, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
½ furlongs, 0 locks
North Circular Road Aqueduct 7¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Sainsburys Alperton Moorings [see navigational note 1 below]

Also known as Alperton
1 mile, ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Piggery Bridge No 12

Alperton
¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Black Horse Bridge No 15 [see navigational note 2 below] 2 miles, 1¾ furlongs, 0 locks
The Black Horse PH (Greenford)

Fuller's
a few yards, 0 locks
Greenford Visitor Moorings

14 day moorings (£25 per day for overstaying). Also known as Black Horse Visitor Moorings
½ furlongs, 0 locks
Northolt Boatyard

High Line Yachting (Northolt). Also known as High Line Yachting (Northolt)
7¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Engineer’s Wharf Moorings

Residential Moorings
1 mile, 1 furlong, 0 locks
Willow Tree Open Space Moorings

Also known as Site of Yielding Dock
3¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Willowtree Marina 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Uxbridge Road Visitor Moorings

7 day moorings
6½ furlongs, 0 locks
Bull’s Bridge No 21 [see navigational note 2 below]

Although now a footbridge it used to carry Bull’s Bridge Road
1 mile, 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Bull’s Bridge Junction

Junction with Grand Union Paddington Branch. Opposite is a dry dock.. Also known as Bull’s Bridge Wharf, Bull’s Bridge Dock
a few yards, 0 locks
Grand Union Canal (Grand Junction Canal – Main Line – Gayton to Brentford)
From Bull’s Bridge Junction (Junction with Grand Union Paddington Branch. Opposite is a dry dock.. Also known as Bull’s Bridge Wharf, Bull’s Bridge Dock) to:
The Old Crown PH 4½ furlongs, 0 locks
The Woolpack PH 4¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Tesco Yiewsley Moorings 2 miles, 0 locks
Cowley Peachey Junction

Junction with Grand Union Slough Branch
1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Packet Boat Marina Service Wharf 1¼ furlongs, 0 locks
High Line Yachting Chandlery (Cowley) ¼ furlongs, 0 locks
The Water’s Edge Bar

Bar and Restaurant
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
Cowley South Visitor Moorings

7 day moorings (£25 per day for overstaying)
4¾ furlongs, 0 locks
Cowley Lock No 89

Towpath crosses over lock gates
½ furlongs, 0 locks
Toll House Bistro a few yards, 1 lock
Cowley Sanitary Station

Also known as Cowley Services
¼ furlongs, 0 locks
The Malt Shovel PH

Vintage Inns<BR>Braunston 83 miles
a few yards, 0 locks
Uxbridge Boat Centre

Also known as Uxbridge Boatyard Dock
7¼ furlongs, 0 locks

Totals

Total distance is 17 miles, ½ furlongs and 1 lock. There are at least 4 small aqueducts or underbridges.

This is made up of 17 miles, ½ furlongs of broad canals; 1 broad lock.

This will take 5 hours and 30 minutes.

 

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