From Tim_Boddington@compuserve.com Mon May 3 18:56:57 1999 Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 08:25:48 -0400 From: Tim Boddington Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org To: NGc canals contribute AA Subject: Trip report - Blue Heron part 5 (long) [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] DAY FIVE (11/5) Grendon to Ansty It was a grey and miserable morning, raining and cold. With the prospect of the Atherstone flight before me - and I didn't enjoy this flight the last time I went up. I dressed up well to combat the elements. Boots, an extra woolly, what I call my 'wet' suit - the lot. We motored up the half mile to the bottom lock and Thea came on deck to manage the boat while I would get off to operate the locks. I stood on the gunnel to get out of her way while we approached the side. SPLASH! And ther I wus standing up to me waist in the cut! For only the second time in 20 years. At least I missed hitting my hip on the gunnel this time. The first time this happened I was working single handed on the Caldon. The boat continued without me as I stood in pain and unable to haul myself out. I quickly realised that I had dropped my windlass (a favourite). Walking around on the canal bed failed to find it. I was surprised how warm the water was, certainly warmer than the rain! I hauled myself out. Thea thought it all very funny. Oma couldn't understand what was going on. Two boaters quickly arrived from other boats - I thought to see if they could help. But no, they just wanted to know if I was going through the lock! I don't think they ever realised that I had just been in! A change of clothes left me wearing Thea's thermal coat - I felt a bit like Norman Wisdom in his undersized outfit! After that the locks were pretty uneventful but I was much more aware of just how slippery everything was. These locks do not have foot bridges over the tails; one has to jump the short distance from one gate to the other, something I never normally give a second thought to. But I wondered whether safety considerations might dictate the installation of foot bridges where the locks are deep enough. At one lock the steerer abandoned her post for a comfort break so I took over and drove Blue Heron into the lock, not something I do very often. I just touched the head gates and brought the boat to a quick stop. Thea, in the bathroom, lost balance and fell backwards into the empty bath.. No, No, in defence of her modesty I simply can't go on with this story And so along the top pound of the Coventry Canal. Near br.34 there are some impressive earth works to create a new marina at Springwood Haven (see WW 6/98 p68). Hartshill yard still looks a picture. Pity there wasn't more light to take it with. Past Nuneaton to the disused Griff Arm and the change bridge 18. Between the two there is a towpath on both sides of the canal but Nicholsons doesn't recognise that. At Marston Junction I spotted the leaflet box under the bridge so I drove in to collect a copy. Alas, there were none. Backed out and continued to Sutton's Stop. Charity Dock looked more like a wreckers yard - in and out of the water. I pulled up in the narrows approaching Sutton's (Hawkesbury) in order to nip over to see what was going on before committing myself to the turn. An artist was at work on his painting of the pump house. He earnestly waved me over and said that the couple handling a boat just out of the stop lock were absolutely hopeless and couldn't do anything right. I should be very careful if I was thinking of going round the turn. He said they had stopped to think it out! One can only imagine what mayhem must have preceded comments such as these. As I went round the bridge he went and repeated it all to Thea - he was a frightened man. There they were, holding the boat in, the engine off. They looked lost and shell shocked; extraordinary when you consider that the lock has only 6 inches difference. Perhaps they'd tried to come through without opening the gates or something, I don't know. I asked them which way they were going and they were heading Fradley way; therefore they had to take the turn and pass us. They said they were wondering how to get the boat around the U turn. It didn't look to me that that was what they were really discussing! Abandon ship all hands more like! Anyway I took the bow rope, suggested they get on board, put the tiller hard over - and maybe start the engine. They came round the turn hardly touching the sides, I threw the rope into the well, bade them a happy journey and pushed them off (into oblivion?). Oh, and I told them this was the most difficult manoeuvre on the waterways and they had just done it faultlessly. Well you have to encourage these people towards a happy holiday don't you. God alone knows where they finished up! I'm wondering whether to phone Rose Narrowboats and ask if they had to collect a boat this week; or maybe dredge it up from a deep lock somewhere! By this time Thea had come around them and took the turn in one and straight into the lock. I thought it best not to look back. The cruise to Ansty was uneventful. Don't miss the last thrilling episode where you will read about wet paint in the mist. Tim Boddington 'The Macclesfield Canal - 1998/9 Guide' Now published at UKP1.95 or UKP2.50 post paid in UK 'Preparing for BS 7799 Certification' Now published by BSI DISC at UKP27.50