Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 15:10:21 +0100 From: Mike Stevens Reply-To: Canals To: Canals Cc: Canals list Newsgroups: uk.rec.waterways Subject: Trip Report : BCN Marathon 2000 BOAT : "Coronation" (1895 Bantock horse-boat conversion). For more details iof the boat, see Jeff's web site at http://www.folkwise.co.uk/coronation/coronation.html CREW : Jeff Dennison (skipper), Mike Stevens (navigator & lockwheeling), Andy Greener (weedhatch & muscles) & Jan Greener (chef), Josher the dog. INTRODUCTION Wendy & I ran out of available boating days to get "Felis Catus II" to Birmingham in time for the Marathon, so when Jeff Dennison posted on the newsgroup that he had room for another crew member on "Coronation" for the event, I volunteered myself for the place. FRIDAY 23RD JUNE I arrived in Brum about 21:00 to find Jeff & Josher (the Jack Hoodle) alone on the boat on Holliday Street Aqueduct on the Worcester & Birmingham just outside Gas Street Basin. Ian Cardinal & his daughters had been Jeff's passage crew but couldn't stay for the weekend. Kevin Maslin had cried off as he had been commissioned to do an article on the whole event for one of the mags so couldn't stay with one boat, and Andy and Jan were to join us next morning. Nothing was known of Glen Peckett, who was expected. Off to the "Tap & Spile" with Jeff for a couple of pints, then we picked up some burgers from a van on the way back. Jeff asked me to take charge of the log & planning. He had set us a pretty ambitious target - almost exactly the route we did with Ben Scott in 1998 but in the reverse direction. Given that Coronation draws 3ft, we'll be travelling pretty slowly on quite a lot of that route, so will have to do some phenomenally quick locking if we're to have a chance of completing the plan and getting back to Gas Street by 1500 on Sunday. Jeff had also decided that we'd do it in what I think of as "Fulbourne-style" with a number of short stops and sleeping in turns rather than a single six-hour sleep stop. SATURDAY 24TH JUNE Andy & Jan arrived shortly before 09:00, closely followed by Alan Jervis with our information pack and a message that Glen won't be able to join us as he's stuck on the Oxford Canal in "Badger". Jan offered to take charge of the kitchen for the weekend and promptly started making us all egg sandwiches, which some of us were still eating as we started on the dot of 09:00, passing through Worcester Bar a few minutes later. We turned into the Oozells Street Loop and stopped at Sherborne Wharf to buy diesel, and to let other boats get ahead out of our way down the locks. On the move again, through Old Turn and down Farmner's Bridge locks. Barry Green on "Lily Maud" and Farnon Carty on "Peking" were moored at Cambrian Wharf. Possibly scrutineering? We had a bad road down the locks (as expected) and with all the bottom gates open. Jeff decided it would be best if he did all the steering in locks, as the boat is a very tight fit for length and one has to be careful with the butty-style 'ellum lest one lifts it off its pintles by a moment's inattention. I lockwheeled. We cleared the Farmer's Bridge flight in 65 minutes. Before Aston junction we had our first weed-hatch stop of the weekend. The design of the sterm produces a very quick-access weedhatch, which Andy was to get to know intimately before the end of the weekend. At Aston junction we headed down Aston locks and it seemed that who-ever was leaving bottom gates open turned the other way at the junction. We encountered a very low pounds between locks 9 & 10. As we passed Salford Junction, "Vega" went into the Tame Valley ahead of us, so we knew we'd be following her up the locks. Kevin Maslin made a rendezvous with us at the bottom of Perry Barr locks for a photo-call. We crossed "Marcassin" in the locks. After a weed-hatch stop above the locks, the engine boiled a few minutes after we re-started, so we decided to tie up and eat a late sandwich lunch while the engine cooled down. Not sure what the cause is. "Finch" and "Jennifer Eccles II" both passed us while we were tied up. We were on the move again after about an hour and turned right at Rushall Junction. We saw a couple of scrutineers at Rushall bottom lock, and then followed another boat (don't remember who) up the lock. I was still lock-wheeling and forgot just how long the pound before the top two locks really is, so ended up walking the full 1.5 miles. At Longwood Junction we hoped that the boat club might have its bar open, but sadly not so. But we stopped here anyway and ate huge bowls of chilli that Jan had prepared. "Kesho" and "Ammelina" went past heading down the locks. After the meal, Mike I it was time for a kip, while the others took the boat on to Daw End bridge, where they stopped to try a new canalside pub, "The Boatman". I decided I preferred sleep to beer for once, and the other thought I'd had the best part of the deal. All the beer was nitro-keg and the pub was very noisy. Our crew helped another boat through the bridge'ole when it got stuck. "Missy Lee", "Venetian Queen" and "Grumbleweed" were all sighted. Of again a bit before 22:00, I was still sleeping (when circumstances allowed!). It was light enough for boating without the headlamp until well after 2200. Past Aldridge wharf we had another pause to cool down a boiling engine, and another near Walsall Wood bridge - this time Jeff spotted it getting hot before it actually boiled, so only had to refill the header tank. Each of these boilings happened straight after a weedhatch stop. One theory is that when the engine stops, the heat of the block is still heating the water, which isn't being pumped round, so it boils and created an air lock (steam-lock?). DAY'S RUN : 10 hr 40 min 16.2 miles 46 locks SUNDAY 25TH JUNE Off again at 00:15, the Daw End was proving very slow and we'd used up nearly all the time we'd saved earlier by efficient locking, so I was getting worried about whether we'd complete the route by 1500 today (or any time today!). Arriving at Catshill Junction, we decided to see what the Wyrley was like in comparison with the Daw End & turn back at Ogley if we didn't like what we found. The only real problem we had on this stretch was getting past a tug belonging to Ken Field (from Aldridge Marina), which was moored outboard of a mud-hopper. Andy tried giving them a wide berth and ran aground. After several tries, he found the only deep water involved rubbing along the side of the tug. Through Ogley Junction, and the Anglesey Branch didn't seem to produce any problems. Approaching Anglesey Basin, we passed "Jennifer Eccles II" (again) and "Hattie", both tied up with no signs of life. At 02:00, just as we were wondering how we could get some evidence to be able to claim the points for being here, Rupert & Alison Smedley's boat "Ben" came towards us from the direction of the basin, so we were able to be witnesses for each other. Alison was steering helped by some folk I didn't recognise. We learnt later that Rupert and some other friends of mine had all been inside at the time trying to sleep. A brief pause in the Basin to draw breath and see what it looks like at night, before we winded and headed back. There was a boat moored right by the water inflow, but we didn't go over to see who it was, for fear of waking them up. Ogley and Catshill junctions were passed on the return trip with no further problems. We saw Edwin Fasham's "Ferrous" tied up at Brownhills wharf - it looked as though he was fairly close to the bank, which was a bit surprising to see at that spot. But I think "Ferrous" may be quite shallow-draughted. Various people took it in turns to get a couple of hours sleep on the run down the Wyrley. Jeff and Andy had worked out a way of clearing the weedhatch safely while the engine's still running on tick-over, which seems to avoid the boiling problem. We reached Birchills junction at 6:34 and joined the Walsall locks branch. We were a little concerned as to whether we'd find these had been fitted with handcuff keys, as Jeff couldn't find the one that should have been on the boat. At least Jeff's earlier concerns about reaching the locks before daylight wasn't fulfilled, as it had been light since soon after 04:00. There were delays down the flight caused by some empty pounds. Part of the problem was that somebody had picked up a mattress on their blade and had emptied a pound to deal with it. Another problem was that the bottom gate of the bottom lock was leaking badly. "Florrie", "Margaret Ann" and "Ferrous" were all in the procession with us. Then, when "Florrie" (the boat ahead of us) came out of the bottom lock, the gate wouldn't close - it was held about 60% open by some big obstruction. After a lot of attempts, the obstruction, which turned out to be a lorry tyre, was located and removed by 08:25. The problem had been reported to "Mission Control" and a posse of scrutineers, including Elaine in her red bonnet, had come out to see what could be done. Also on the scene was Dave Kitching, hoping to join his boat "Spey". Checking back on the 'phone to Mission Control, he discovered that it was somewhere down the Walsall coming towards us, so we invited him to ride with us to meet it. We had another rendezvous with Kevin somewhere along the Walsall. I took a turn steering and was very surprised how light "Coronation" was to steer in comparison with out own boat, and at how big a movement one needs with this big butty 'ellum to have any effect at all - but perhaps that last bit's because we're going slowly in shallow water. The biggest difference, however, is the very different sightlines from the low standing position of a butty stern. Jan cooked us all a big breakfast, and Dave steered while we ate it. We met "Spey" just before 10:00 near Darlaston, and transferred Dave across to it. We later heard that it had got stuck very hard aground a bit later on. We passed through Tame Valley junction at 11:23 and headed up Riders Green locks. "Florrie" was running ahead of us, but ran out of diesel and moored above the bottom lock for somebody to go walkies with a jerry-can. There were quite a few competitors going up the locks, and at least one local boat coming down. I was quite surprised to find this flight also mercifully free of handcuff keys. I'd have thought that the track-record here of vandalism would have led BW to install them. But perhaps they're no bothered off the Main Line. John Palmer was scrutineering at Riders Green junction when we reached it at 12:47, and Kevin was there as well. John said that the fishermen on the bit of the Wednesbury Old from the junction to Swan Village had complained about the boats stirring up pollution, the EA had come to look and were muttering about closing the branch to boats. The Marathon organisers had closed it to competitors for now as a conciliatory gesture. We had originally planned to go up there, but even if it had been open we wouldn't have had time. "Marcassin" overtook us rather impatiently before we reached the Main Line. Back on the Main Line, we could open up the throttle and reach a normal cruising speed for the first time since yesterday's supper stop. So we managed to pass through Worcester Bar at 14:48, with 12 minutes in hand. We winded at Salvage Turn and then moored outboard of the FMC boat "Minnow" and chatted with a lot of other competitors & scrutineers. Andy & Jan set off for home, but I decided I was too worn out to travel, so took up Jeff's offer of staying the night on the boat. Three friends of his, who were to act as his passage crew home, turned up during the evening and met us as the Tap & Spile. Like Jeff, they were singers, so some singing happened in the pub. Then one of then went and found us some pies and chips which we ate on board before turning in. Next morning, Jeff was still asleep when I left something after 09:00 to catch a train back to London. DAY'S RUN : 13 hrs 45 min 28.0 miles 16 locks WEEKEND TOTAL : 24 hrs 25 mins boating ( 23 hrs 58 mins from Worcester Bar to Worcester Bar) 44.2 miles 62 locks POINTS SCORED IN THE CHALLENGE : I make it 383, which I reckon is pretty good for a full-length, full-depth boat. But it depends on whether the judges accept my interpretation of the rules about what is and isn't legitimately claimed as rest time, so we'll have to wait and see what their verdict is. -- Mike Stevens, nb Felis Catus II No man is an island. So is Man. Any off-list replies, please, to michael.stevens@which.net Web site http://homepages.which.net/~michael.stevens ---