Rodley

Wednesday 9th Aug
Had a good run up from Leeds through all the locks - came as a shock to have to wind them after a few months of mechanised locks!
We arrived in Rodley and managed to moor on the 7 day moorings next to the swing bridge so plenty of time to catch up on a few things.
On arrival I noticed oil had sprayed on each side of the gearbox as well as oil in the bilges, all pointing to an oil leak. I removed the gearbox on Thursday morning to investigate, suspecting the oil seal I replaced a few years ago, however it turned that the nut that holds the output flange and seal in position had worked loose. Its a poor design as the only way to lock it in place is to deform the nut shoulder onto a small flat on the shaft, this is ok, but if something gets around the prop and the engine is reversed it is usually enough to loosen it. I put a call in to the manufacturer and they suggested thread lock to hold the nut in place. This nut also prevents oil from leaking out of the output bearing and I would of though a seal should have been fitted to the assembly, the manufacturer said not and I will just have to see how it goes? I have also filled  the cavity behind the nut with sealant so fingers crossed that it lasts for a while. A big thanks to Andy and Mick at Atlantic Bearings for supplying me with all the required parts.
The other bit of news is that we have secured a short term mooring at Barton Marina near Burton Upon Trent, this is so we have somewhere to leave the boat whilst we are away at various functions and holidays towards the end of the year. The location is ideally placed for us to get north or south using Cross Country trains from Burton.
We plan to move up to Apperley Bridge on Wednesday 16th, we  will leave the boat in the marina there, whilst we are away to Bristol for a few days.