Picture this, it’s evening and we’re relaxing for one last night on the boat before heading off for a fortnight in the campervan. Ian pops to the back of the boat to get something and suddenly shouts “There’s water!!” Of course there’s water, we’re living on a boat, on a canal, there’s water in the canal, there’s water in the taps, the toilet, the sink etc. I wonder if he’s completely lost the plot, but his yell sounded a bit strangled, so I get up to go see what water he’s talking about and discover him standing in about 2 inches of water in the back cabin. Yikes, we’re sinking!

 

Sorry for no photos of the actual incident but we were both kept a bit busy working out what was happening and dealing with the imminent threat of sinking. After much scurrying around and more shouting we eventually discovered that the pipe from the water tank under the bow deck had come loose and, probably for about an hour or so, had been emptying the contents of our 900 litre water tank into the bilge of the boat. As the stern of the boat is lower than the bow the water was collecting at the stern and weighing the back of the boat down. The fact that we were currently standing in 2 inches meant that the water had already filled the space below the floorboards, and yes, there are various holes along the side of the hull that would allow canal water in if they became submerged and slowly flood the boat with dirty canal water. Thankfully this water was clean; we weren’t sinking yet, only the back cabin was flooded, so…

Problem 1: Find and stop the leak
Solution: Turn off the service tap at the bottom of the water tank in the bow and go hunting.

Problem 2: How to get nearly 900 litres of water out of the bilges (which are obviously well below the water line of the canal)
Solution: Use Heather to operate an electric drill with a pump attachment and extended hoses to suck the water from under the floor and onto the banking (not directly into the canal in case it had any particulates in it from the bilges), this took about an hour.

Problem 3: Restore our water system (so I can put the kettle on)
Solution: Get Ian to scramble under the bow with jubilee clips to reattach the very badly behaving water pipe.

 

And then count your lucky stars that it happened before you went to bed and that you always remember to turn the water off at the tank before you go away! We’d managed to figure out what was wrong relatively quickly but had been horrified by how fast the water tank had emptied whilst we were sitting relatively close to it. By now there was now no water left in the tank, but we do have two full water containers (for emergencies!!) to use when we get back to the boat after our land adventures. These will have to last us until we cruise far enough to find the next canal side service point with a water supply.

 

 

 

We are now (hopefully) fully recovered from our near sinking experience and as I type this we are in North Wales sitting by an open fire watching the sunset over Cardigan Bay. We’d recommend all of the campsites that we’ve been on. The first was on the Lleyn Peninsula called Porth Iago, a cliff top site with access to a quiet sandy beach and the Welsh Coastal footpath.

The second was a little cracker, Nantcol Waterfalls Campsite at the edge of Eryri National Park, we both went wild swimming and it was a stunning location with lovely walks.

And yet again we have come back to Shell Island near Llanbedr. Despite the fact it’s the biggest campsite in Europe, there is so much space (300 acres) so you don’t feel crowded and the sandy beaches go on forever – well at least to Barmouth. You have to time your walk to fit with low tide, if you want to stay on the beach. Ian’s walked it and discovered that after 12 miles your legs ache a bit but the cooling caress of the sea really helps those tired bones (makes them go numb!). If you miss a stunning sunset, there’s always the occasional porpoise to spot across the bay whilst you eat your breakfast. Fabulous.