How many RCR engineers does it take ...

... to look at the engine?


We were moored just above Hatton Top Lock last night. This morning I walked down to have a look at the locks and the café, and saw a large collection of River Canal Rescue vehicles. Aha! An ideal opportunity to ask about the oil round the rocker cover. Well, Shadow has gold cover, so it would have been foolish not to. Just about every RCR engineer in the country peered into our engine 'ole!


One of them jumped in and removed the rocker cover bolts, had a look at the gasket, and pronounced it overcompressed. He put it back with a couple of extra washers under the bolts to give even more squeeze to the gasket, and told me to take it down the top lock and see if that had fixed it. I took it down, and lo, the oil leak was fixed. I also asked about the plastic compression joint in the cooling system, and, yes, hand-tightening is sufficient. So that's two faults sorted (although it obviously needs a new rocker cover gasket).


RCR were having a jolly - sorry, meeting - involving staff from all regions. The boss man has a rather distinctive hat, don't you think?


We went down the flight with a boat with no visible name. I was so busy lockwheeling that I didn't think to look at the name on the licence or, more simply, ask. They stopped at the bottom and we carried on to the Cape of Good Hope for lunch. Then a leisurely cruise to where we are now: Wood Lock, before Bascote.