New box of cogs.

FL's mechanical Technodrive gearbox has always been a clunky beast when engaging forward or reverse, I have hankered after a hydraulic box for ages.

The drive plate had started to rattle and protest loudly over the past couple of months and needed changing.

As this requires the gearbox to be removed to get at it I decided to bite the bullet and get a PRM150 fitted at the same time. This type of box requires an oil cooler fitted into the engines cooling system too. The engine has to be lowered by 10mm to align it all.

I collected all the parts from Kings Lock chandlery, Charlie the engineer at Canal Cruising did the fitting.

New drive plate.

Hydraulic gearbox and oil cooler.

FL's wrecked drive plate. 

PRM fitted to bell housing

Gearbox fitted and working.

Gearbox oil cooler 

What a difference it has made to forward and reverse gear selection, now engages quietly with no clunkyness. 

Red Tide

Just back from a break on the gulf coast of Florida with friends and daughter, unfortunately for us a few days in, a Red Tide struck which affected a 175 mile stretch of coast  from Naples to Dunedin.

The authorities have cleared up 100's of tons of dead fish from the shoreline, you can imagine the stench in the Floridian heat. Along with the smell the algae blooms give off airborne toxins that make you cough.

Red tide aside we still had an enjoyable break.

LuLu's

At the Double Tree

A silver lining to remind us of home.

A breakfast Bloody Mary with bacon.

At the Dali museum

The Conch

The Salt Rock 

PJ's Oyster bar

Inter coastal waterway

Caddy's Pub

Another Irish bar.

I first used this fishing pier 35 years ago 

Now condemmed

National Memorial Arboretum

On a glorious sunny afternoon we visited the National Memorial Arboretum,the 150 acre site has  over 350 memorials set amidst 30000 trees in the centre of the country. 

"The NBA is the UK's year-round national site of remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, United Kingdom. It is a spiritually uplifting place which honours the fallen, recognises service and sacrifice, and fosters pride in the UK's Armed Forces and civilian community." - Wikipedia

The Shot at Dawn memorial

Commemorates the 309 British and Commonwealth soldiers facing a firing sqaud for desertion during WW1

Of all the thought provoking  memorials that we saw and the stories they told, this one left me welling up..... Post traumatic stress disorder was not known about in WW1

I researched John Abigail (well I googled him really) his story is here .. Hero

Salvador Dali

We spent an afternoon in the Salvador Dali museum in St Petersburg. No one seemed to mind me photographing some of his work.