M/V MAERIN

From Cambellford we traveled to lock 18, and decided to stay for an additional day to stay put for the weekend traffic, as well as take in the flotilla of classic boats that was scheduled for the weekend. We enjoyed some pleasant weather for a change, with some actual sunshine! Hastings is a small town, but we found a laundry, hardware store, grocery, and some local restaurants. Great stopover! We moored to the lock wall, and although there were no services, we actually do just fine without power or water. We did run the genset for a few hours in the morning, but if the sun’s shining, the solar panels bring the batteries up to a full charge during the day.

The main engine has continued to run rough, and has been keenly worrisome. So after consulting with some outside sources, I turned my attention to the fuel system with the intention of eliminating any potential air leaks. A common diagnostic method is to replace a section of the fuel line with a piece of clear tubing with a loop. The loop will accumulate any air that’s being introduced into the system, and assist in finding and eliminating leaks. Air entrained in the fuel is not good, and can cause the symptoms of rough running I’ve been plagued with for some time. I visited the local Home Hardware and purchased a piece of tubing to install with fittings I already had in parts inventory. The tubing will be left in place unti the air is eliminated. I did not expect to find any though, I had re-done a lot of the fuel system with the express purpose of insuring that it wouldn’t leak air. It’s entirely possible to have air ingested into the fuel lines yet show no symptoms of fuel leakage whatsoever. The tube will tell the tale! While I worked with the fuel system, Barb took some wash to the laundromat just a block away to catch up on some laundry.

Once the chores were out of the way, we took Molly up along the canal wall where there was a sloping shore, and an adjacent wall. Perfect location for some swimming! She loves the canal cruising, each day offers up brand new smells, new areas to explore on our walks, a variety of Canadian grass she probably hasn’t sampled, and frequently an opportunity for a swim. The lock tenders love her, because she loves to rout the geese! That means less goose poop for them to deal with. They can make quite a mess of an area!

Saturday we enjoyed the procession of boats to and from the lock, and later in the afternoon, we watched as the flotilla of classic and antique boats came through the locks and motored past our location. There were some very nicely restored classic boats, quite a sight!

We left Hastings on Sunday morning, headed for Peterborough.