Back on M for an Autumn cruise, we`ve had a week of frantic activity (which in canal boating terms means that we've not finished for the day by lunchtime). All done because we wanted to spectate the Tour of Britain in Rugely, Staffs.
We left Pillings Lock, scooted down the Soar in lovely, sunny weather and then hoofed it through to Fradley. Last night (Wed 12.9) we stopped at
Taft Bridge and this morning walked up to the A51 to see the race go by. Lord Wiggo (far right, above) was well back from the leaders but like all these athletes, he was still travelling faster than the average bus - and on pasta power, not diesel. Mind you, the escorting motorcycles and cars easily made up for the environmental credentials of the cycles. We couldn`t help thinking, judging by the look on the faces of the cyclists, in terms of fun, motorcycling wins by miles, literally.
We were in the marina at Pillings Lock for a few days before we set off, to complete some essential maintainance and have solar panels fitted. M now has two 100 watt panels on a `tilt & turn` mounting (M&R Controls) that allows us to direct them towards the sun - essential, we think, for Spring and Autumn cruising. We shall see. All we can say at this stage is that we are hoping not to have to run the engine so much. Today, moored in the sunshine, the panels are generating between 7.5 and 11 amps. They seem to be able to give us up to 2 amps in cloud or near dusk and dawn. Free energy? Not quite; they were not cheap.
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| A `low energy` Trent at Alrewas: calm, quiet and peaceful; It hasn`t rained for days. No need to gun the engine. |
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| The Tour of Britain crosses the Trent near Rugely, Staffs. |
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| M gets energy from the sun, which saves us running the engine when we are moored. But they still have to be carried about by a diesel engine. |
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| Fast and fun. And on two wheels. |
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| The environmentally friendly two wheels - carried about by petrol. |
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| Rugely power station provides the backdrop for the Tour, and puffs steam at M`s solar panels. |
