Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 10:29:0 From: Tony Brooks Reply-To: Canals To: Canals Subject: Trip report (long) Report of my first major "voyage" Thanks for the advice about the tideway, all went well. I left Norton Junction at 14.00 on Monday 7th July, at about 15.00 the left, rear, T stud fell off (yes fell off & just dangled on the rope) at the tail of Braunston top lock. Lucky JennyB is a cruiser so had lots of uprights to tie the rope to. Lovely cruise down the South Oxford, noting Draco (minus park bench was still at rest). Got T stud welded at Anyho, seemed a very helpfull lot & only charged 15 quid. Family came to meet us at Lower Heyford and went to the pub for a meal - a bit shambolic with menu running out fast. Spent the night trying to stay in bunk when the freight trains went past - not a good mooring choice. Arived Oxford midday Thursday where crew took train back home. Wife came out on Friday evening to crew back to Reading. The river was alive with the sound of narrow boats on Saturday morning, and most mornings, until about 10.30, then a few cruisers began to appear. Carried out cooling system capacity tests where no-one was looking in preperation for the tideway - all well - steady 75 degrees. Noted how fast a narrow boat will go and how little wash it makes in a decent depth and breadth of water! Salter's steamer put me aground on inside of Shillingford bend - I know it is bouyed, but I never expected the steamer draw to lift and move a 16 ton narrow boat so far. Thanks to the skipper of someting like a Seamaster 25 who pulled me off - if I appeared less than keen it was not lackof gratitude on my part, more a concern for his nice stainless deck fittings & the thought of what trying to snatch a steel narrow boat off a bank would do to his front deck. I will not have a word said against the tuppaware brigade, all were friendly (apart from a later incident.) Picked extended family up from Goring and made way to Chestnut Walk/Homebase moorings. Ran hard aground for second time that weekend. There appears to be a block of concrete about 3 metres below the "fisherman island" and about 1 metre to the right. This caght myself and two others that day. Again thanks to all the other NB owners who helped to pull us off - the yougsters aborad thought it the best bit of the trip. Spent three days tripping on K&A for family and friends - note Nichalsons - no refuse facility at Sonning lock! County lock in Reading had no notices, but local opinion has it that the bottom gates are left OPEN - come on BW get soem notices up. Single handed to Staines where wife met me on Friday for trip to Teddington. All well apart from only bad manners by cruisers on whole trip. Two large cruisers powering up lock cut and into main river two abreast, showed no intention of giving me any room & expected me to move even firther to right - hard luck - I was not going aground again, I weigh 16 tons, am made of steel and going down stream (I also have a 1/2" bottom) - I recon I have right or way so hold my course. At last minute offending cruiser cuts across companions bow to give me room ( I was about to blow 3 short & see what they would do). Notice they bot had defaced Wavey Navy ensigns. Wife left at Teddington and son came aboard to "crew" for me down tideway. I plugged water tank breather. Left Teddington at 05.45 on Sunday for Limehouse. Felt a right prat talking into mobile saying "Woolwich Radio, this is narrow boat JennyB leaving Teddinton for Limehouse. Felt an even bigger prat later saying Charring Cross Control, this is narrow boat JennyB requesting permision to proceed. At the London Apprentice noticed the boat had started to rise and fall a little despite the appearance of a flat calm, by Putney the tide was swirling arround the bridge supports - it could have looked frightening if I had not met worse with the Thames in flood. Had to instruct crew NOT to approach bridges by cutting across piers taking shortest path. Approaching Charring Cross (only one arch open) high speed cruiser could not wait astern and cut between me and bridge pier at speed - son got wet whilst trying to take impresive photoes of me, boat and parliament. Under Blcakfriers railway bridge, line up on London bridge & try to set a course for the centre of Tower Bridge - someone had built a block of flats outside HMS Belfast so view of Tower bridge blocked - turned out to be a cruise ship, with another one below Tower Bridge. Now about 9.15, a few passengers on both ships taking photos and waving at the strange craft slipping past, I raise hat and shout "good morning" - did not think raising a pint and tosting their good health appropriate. The first and only water bus crossed river and came past, his wash was fine, but the bounce back, running over the tide caused the boat to move a bit and kick up some spray. Phone Limehouse to be told they can not prepare for me becuase they were about to lock 11 narrow boats out (to go to the Barrier I think) so I must tie up at the entrance pontoon . Finally identified the Limehouse entrance and made my turn to end up 20 yards down stream and about 20 yards off shore with the revs reduced to just stem the tide whilst I assesed the situation. Noticed a tide rip about 3 mtres wide just offshore, between me and entrance. Increase revs, move up so bow is about 3 metres above entrance, put boat at slight angle, reduce revs so tide moves boat towards shore, when time looked right tiller over, full revs, bow into slack water, stern having a job to come up against rip, then into entrance with bow on one wall and stern near pontoon. Son pushes bow across with pole & we tie up. Son decides to scale about 20 foot vertical ladder to get paper - the most work he has done for weeks! Eventually through Limehouse and onto cut, at Bow we run into a boat ralley and notice Felix Catus in attendance. Son leaves to catch underground train to music rehursal. I start to make my way up river - whre do all those coconuts come from? Get pumped out and fill water tank at Broxbourne on Tuesday and move down to Festival - a good show all round, but I would have prefered more trade stands with cheaper equipment etc on them, first class entertainment. Two friends and wife join me on Friday for the fireworks, and two more come Sunday - all equally full of praise. Left show at 07.45 on Monday for the long trudge back to Norton, wife as crew. Thank goodness for the BW crews on the locks - those ****** Lee lock gates. Through the first tunnel where I picked some thing up on the prop, tried to reverse it off, out of the tunnel & put some revs on and inspect the prop wash, looked like it had cleared so set revs back, get shouted at by fisherman about not speeding up - cretin, I ignore him. I recon he was getting jarred off by all the boats. Up Camden locks in a thunderstorm, I get soaked. Little Venice full - what is that din - we run right slap, bang into the Notting Hill Carnival. It must be against all environmental and safety legislation, the 1/4" plate roof was throbbing with the din. Lots of baracking and jeering because wife insists on showing Rosey & Jim dolls in window - pick up something arround prop - sod it - open throttle and keep going. about an hour later feel safe enough to stop and remove the remains of two plastic bags. Pick son up from West Drayton station on Tuesday morning to help lock wheel for us, a very good run. Found tanker apparently discharging into canal at Uxbridge so reported it to BW. Steady locking all the way to the Ovaltine Factory where we spent the night. Spent most of Wednesday locking up with another festival boat from our marina. On Thursday caught up with three Bridgewater Boats ( see another post) locking singleton first and then the double. We paired with the winner of the cruise to festival. I give Julian a waveand have a brief chat at Bourne End. Have a meal at the New Inn, Milton Keynes. Very good value, a shame about the menue - all garlic and messing about. Get to Stoke Bruern mid day Friday, whilst waiting for bottom lock the first "commercial" boat from the show arrives with head light on, together with a trad cruising boat. They pass two other boats waiting and breast up in mid channel and head for lock. I protest at this - I am happy for any "commercial" boat to take precidence althgoug BW stated they have no such right, but not trhe cruising boat. The woman on the Cruising boat says she is "commercial" because they have a sticker on. Skipper on boat behind me spitting blood over the said pairs conduct earlier, BW man comes to confirm lack of precidence and to give other skipper a complaint form, saying they were fed up with the complaints this pair were generating - the fun of boating. As that pair clear lock and our crews draw the paddles the familliar chug ammounces the iminant arival of another commercial pair, and unseamly scrammble with myself and other skipper jambing ourselves into the lock mounth. I feel bad about this, but I also have to get back home and can not wait all day for a string of commercial boats. Reach top lock to be greated by usual crowd of onlookers/"helpers". Eyes needed in back of head by all crew, too many inexperience people on lockside without supervision, I could see an arm or head getting crushed between boat and balance beam. "Helpers" help wife to close gate without being requested or asking and push her off step, she falls and breaks wrist. Northampton General beats the Royal Berks hands down with its efficient A&E department. Visit musium on Saturday and have a long haul back to Norton for 7.00pm. Home by Midnight. A very interestingand satisfying four weeks. ---