From dominicfam@proweb.co.uk Mon May 3 18:24:42 1999 Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 19:08:14 GMT From: Brian L Dominic Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org To: canals@blacksheep.org Subject: TRIP REPORT: The Voyage of the Doris Katia (3) Part the Third - in which we get repaired and really unwind (Coventry Basin - Glascote) Cast: Brian Tristan - younger son (17 and built like a brick s***house) Paul - Tristan's mate Club Line Fitters. I turned the alarm off at 0645 - next thing I knew it was 0900! Never mind - we were off by 0910 to Club Line - we arrived at 1000. A new seal on the weedhatch and a further suckout of the bilges left the boat feeling much easier to handle - the bilge pump was also re-installed where the builder intended - it had been "borrowed" (I suspect to pump out the normally dry "interior" bilges) and wired into a 12 volt plug. Water and bread were also obtained and we eventually set off at 1140. It was nice to see many towpath improvements in the Coventry area - nice fencing, statues, seats (some ingeniously made from old pipe and fittings) and a decent towpath with brick strips across to discourage motor cyclists. Unfortunately this didn't work, and we saw one youngster on a "monkey bike" (one of those with the small wheels) leaping into the air as he tore down the towpath at maximum revs! We arrived back at Sutton Stop at 1300 and continued on up the Coventry. There are times when I find polishing brasswork very therapeutic (pause for cries of "You can come and do mine, then!") and this was one of them, so after lunch it was out with the Brasso and the line of roof vents, brasswork on the coal stove, handles on doors, miner's lamp (quite what THAT's doing here, only the Major knows) all got dealt with. Passed Charity Dock, where most of the boats looked like deserving causes! Having passed Marston Junction, it was interesting to see a section of canal outside Nuneaton with telegraph poles still alongside - something you now normally only see on old photos. By 1600 at Bridge 33 the prop needed clearing again, and we paused at Valley Cruises to look at their attractive 2-berth boat "Elan Valley" - a nice design which gets round the "nearly get on your hands and knees to get from a side corridor to a trad stern" problem. Left at 1650 and cleared Atherstone Bottom Lock by 1840 - a pleasure to work and walk with easy gear and immaculately manicured towpath. Moored for dinner at 2030 between bridges 64 and 65. Dinner was Internet Stew, otherwise Mexican Vegetable Stew - Thanks, Judy! Set off again 2100, got through Glascote Locks with the last of the light and moored beyond bridge 74A at 2200 by a new housing estate. 26 miles 11 locks Brian Web Sites: (Golden Valley Light Railway) http://www.proweb.co.uk/~dominicfam/ (Canals) http://www.proweb.co.uk/~dominicfam/boat.htm