From lj59@dial.pipex.com Sat May  1 11:21:25 1999
Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 08:33:46 +0100
From: Dave Green <lj59@dial.pipex.com>
Reply-To: canals@blacksheep.org
To: canals@blacksheep.org
Subject: Walsall Canal

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Jane picked me up from Heathrow on Friday (bag still in Frankfurt - thank
you Lufthansa) and off we went to the boat for the weekend. The plan was to
move the boat from our mooring at Warings Green on the north Stratford to
Norton Canes on the Cannock Extention Canal so as to be ready for the
Pelsall do in three weeks time. We had arranged to leave the boat with
Graham Edgson of Norton Canes Boatbuilders - he built the shell.

Uneventful trip to Birmingham and moored opposite the Indoor Arena where
they seemed to be getting ready for something called the Eurovision Song
Contest.

Next day we made our way down the main line and onto the Walsall Canal. Oh
boy. The water was about a foot down and despite clear up campaigns was
choked with rubbish. We stuck under every bridge hole bar about four. We had
to call BW out twice. Once when we stuck immovably on something right in the
centre of the canal and once when we simply could not get over the
obstructions in the narrows where a factory electric lift bridge used to be.
On both occasions the BW team consisted of a lengthsman and his lady
assistant. They were great. For the first un-sticking we got a rope ashore
to them and with a combination of muscle and engine power got clear. The
second time they appeared with kebs and removed an unbelievable amount of
crap from the narrows. The main culprit was a very large cigarette machine.

I don't think at any time did we manage to go for more than five minutes
without a trip down the weed hatch - one lot of rubber tightly wrapped
around the prop took an hour to clear.

Of course the main problems were caused by the low water level but the
amount of rubbish was just incredible. We filled four dustbin sacks to
bursting point with stuff from the prop and that doesn't include the big
stuff that we had to leave on the side of the canal (offside where
possible.)

In total the six lock free miles from the bottom of Ryders Green locks to
the bottom of Walsall Locks took nine and a half hours.

There were some good points though -
 - the first class response from the BW help line
 - the excellent helpful attitude of the BW rescue team
 - the friendliness of the locals who without being asked volunteered to
pull on   ropes    and saved us having to call out BW more often
 - the good condition of both the Ryders Green and Walsall lock flights

Of course others using the Walsall may find more water than we did
(especially just before the rally I suspect) but my advice to anyone
contemplating the canal would be the following (none of which we did
ourselves of course):

 - travel with at least one other boat for mutual assistance
 - have at least four able bodied people available
 - carry a long and a short handled keb

It goes without saying that you will need the usual weed hatch tool kit
(bread knife, hacksaw, wire cutters, bolt croppers)

After the Walsall it was heaven to turn onto the Curly Wurly (Wyrley and
Essington Canal).

Have fun
Dave
nb Willy No-Name