Dipsticks

Arriving at Norbury Wharf to get ready for a trip down to Stourport I thought I'd better check the fuel situation. The only way you can do this on Starcross is to take a long metal rod and dip it into the fuel tank, trying to remember how far up the rod the fuel comes when its full.

Unsurprisingly, given that I hadn't refilled since our trip to Marple via the "Four" Counties Ring, I needed more and as there are not many places on the cut where diesel is cheaper than Norbury Wharf (56p per litre before tax) I pulled over to the wharf for a refill. One of the things I like about Norbury Wharf is that when they know you they ask you if you wouldn't mind serving yourself. They even trust you to tell them how much you've put in and, of course, they allow you to declare your own split between "propulsion" and "domestic" use for tax purposes. So, feeling very important under the gaze of the gongoozlers at the wharfside cafe, I filled the tank. After using the dipstick I'd reckoned that I needed 100 litres to fill the tank so I felt particularly chuffed when the pump cut out, with the tank apparently full, at 99.9

Walking in to the office to tell David how much I'd put in I apologised for not making it exactly 100l to which he did a quick double-take and said "That pump's set to cut out at 99.9 - if you need more you'll have to re-set it".

So much for my skill and judgement!