At the other end of the Asda tunnel there stood a tall silver birch, self seeded in the bit of towpath that was cut off when Asda was built. Recently some gales brought it down across the canal. It was difficult to get past, so somebody cut it at the edge of the copings, leaving the offcut in the water. It was easier to get past, but still a nuisance.
Yesterday I adjusted "Forget me Not"s gearbox as we'd been having trouble getting it to engage forward gear properly when it was hot. After doing the adjustment I took her for a test trip, through the Asda tunnel, wind at Eli Whalley's then back through the tunnel.
When I reached the tunnel I thought it a good idea to do something about the tree, so I tied it to a dolly and towed it. with all the branches it created a lot of drag. Back at the basin I left it alongside the boat for the night.
This morning I had arranged a training trip. Sadly one or two people couldn't make it, but Laura Hough and Lee Brady did. They helped me to pull the tree out of the water, then we set off for a return trip to Lumb Lane.
Neither Laura or Lee had steered a boat before, but both did very well, not only steering competently but managing the controls and quickly giving a chuck back every now and then to clear the blade of leaves and plastic bags. Laura winded the boat at Lumb Lane and Lee brought her alongside "Lilith" back at Portland Basin successfully. A good day.