Oxford
Open Doors weekend passed without incident in rather inclement weather,
although the rain held off that had been forecast. This was the third year I
had steered one of the trip boats and much of what went on can be read here from the
previous year. http://nbstronghold.blogspot.co.uk/2012_09_01_archive.html
Stronghold
was booked in to a mooring at Bossom’s Boatyard, Binsey for two weeks, while I
did my stint with the Narrow Boat Trust on Nuneaton and Brighton, loading mixed
fuels on the pair of boats and then taking them to the Black Country Living
Museum for the weekend.
I
was due to join the boats at Awbridge on the Staffs and Worcester Canal, but
heard from the previous captain, Steve Morgan, that there was a problem with
the Lister engine on Nuneaton, which caused the pair to grind to a halt at
Milford Bridge on the Staffs and Worcester, some 2 miles west of Great Haywood.
Subsequent
investigation by our usual Lister expert, showed that the engine had
sheared a cylinder head stud and repairs
could take a few days, plus the weekend and a definite date for completion was
not forthcoming, so all I could do was to keep the crew informed of progress as
it happened, hoping that none of them had pre-booked rail tickets for the
following day. Fortunately, none of them had done that and also there were
several days in hand before the boats were due for loading.
This
was to be my first “command” of the pair, without the presence of either of my
mentors, John or Barry, so I was a little nervous about taking over the
responsibility. Although my crew were experienced and I had sailed with them
before, I had no other captain to refer to if things went wrong. I need not have
worried, as we all gelled into a good team on the trip and they gave me excellent
support.
I
was also concerned about the indecisive nature of the engine repairs, which
could take just a day or two, or even until the end of the week and not knowing
what progress was being made, added to my feelings of insecurity.
I
was also in a quandary, as I did not wish to twiddle my thumbs on a mooring
alongside Port Meadow for what could be several days outside Oxford and no pub
for quite a long walk. However, I decided that a trip further up the Thames
would keep me busy and somewhere that I had wanted to explore for the last few
years, so I took off that afternoon and spent the evening on two pints of
Wadworth 6X at a very reasonable price in The Ferryman Inn at Bablock Hythe.
Although they had Wi-fi there, I had to sit beneath the TV to get a reasonable
signal. Luckily, no one was watching TV at the time!
I
cruised up as far as The Rose Revived at Newbridge in the pouring rain, where I
could get a phone and Wi-fi signal in the pub. It is quite an upmarket place and
I was dressed in the usual scruffy boater’s outfit and Drizabone coat and
soaking wet to boot, so I did feel a little out of place. The news was good
for the engine, which had been repaired that morning, but not so good for me as
I was now 12 miles and 5 locks from Port Meadow. It was time to make a run for
it at full speed, so that I could catch a train to Stafford the following
morning.
I
had arranged to meet up with Colin Wilks at Stafford, so that we could share a
cab to Bridge 105, via Tesco to stock up. All went well and we spent the night
on board until David Thompson and Graham Roberts joined us the following
morning. The back end cloths were folded on the top planks, as advised by
David. I had briefly seen this done on You Tube and it proved to be a very easy
and efficient way of doing the job. This was to be the first of several
techniques that I was going to learn on this trip.
All
went well the following day, with no problems with the engine and we made it to
The Fox and Anchor at Cross Green, which is still on the Staffs and Worcester,
despite their web site positioning it on the Shroppie!
 |
| At the end of the day. |
The
following morning Mouse (Michael Daltry) appeared on his bike on the towpath
and watched us pass by. I was the only one who had met him before, but even I
did not recognise him in his cycling gear and helmet – how embarrassing!
The
butty ‘ellum was unshipped at Wightwick Mill lock and was returned to it’s
rightful place with use of the Pull-Lift suspended from a bridge, as has been
described in previous blogs. Once again, the point of balance has to be just
right, to get it back into its pivot holes.
We
pressed on to Dimmersdale Lock, where there was a winding hole just below the lock,
where we had to turn the boats individually, before reversing another half mile
to John and Jenny’s coal yard. I took the motor and the butty was bow hauled by
the rest of the crew, neither of which was easy, but we made it in reasonable
time on Friday afternoon and were now back on schedule.
We
said goodbye to Graham and David as they were whisked off to the station by
John, as he was on his way to deliver a load, so we were now down to three for
loading, which I was rather concerned about, but we need not have worried as
John managed to change a delivery and could help us out, for which we were all
grateful.
 |
| Yet another tonne! |
 |
| The stevedores take a break. |
I
took to John and Jenny immediately, as did the others on the crew and despite
the hard work of loading, there was a lot of humour bantered about over the
weekend. A few visits to The Bell confirmed the humorous interactive
relationship between us all.
I
was pleased that Steve Morgan answered the call for help and Steve Green &
family joined us unexpectedly to assist with loading too and although there is
limited access to the loading area, they were able to relieve others to make
the job go so much faster. John Jackson was able to load tirelessly, as he is
so used to it. It took between 10 and 15mins to load 1 tonne and it was
important to stack the bags evenly in the hold so that they did not build up to
become an unstable load that could move when the boats were under way, or when
they were trodden on. John was the expert loading advisor and Mouse was appointed loadmaster and made a very good job
of it too. Even after working on both boats, he volunteered to load 9 tonnes
onto John’s boat Roach, whilst we clothed up the pair – oh to be young again!
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| The Green family supervise loading........ |
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| and even start issuing orders! |
We
eventually pulled the pins on Sunday afternoon and made our way towards Compton
for the night, where we were due to meet Terry Woodley. All was going well on a
bright afternoon until we ran aground in the middle of the cut one lock below
our destination. Someone was on the bank and could let water through the lock
above to refloat us. The same happened in the next pound and we were all on
board wondering how to cope. There were no volunteers to paddle to the bank but
Mouse managed to row the butty over and get a bike off to cycle up to the next
lock. We could see a figure in the dusk waiting for us on the towpath and
wondered if that was Terry. Sure enough it was him and we had kept him waiting
for nearly two hours. He was welcomed aboard and we found a deep mooring for
the night, before retiring to The Swan for beer and a Chinese restaurant for
food.
The
following morning, the Wolverhampton 21 loomed ahead, which would take a whole day
to achieve with its single locks. Previously, a boat owner called Richard from nb Dream Maker gave
me his phone number and suggested that I ring him if we needed any help locking
up. He turned up on his bike that morning, without even being asked and was a
great help all the way to the top, so many thanks once again.
 |
| Colin steers and Richard lock wheels. |
I asked Colin to
steer the motor first and when I said that if he got the snubber around the
blades, it was traditionally his turn to get in the water and clear it, the
look of fear on his face had to be seen! Mouse took over the afternoon shift
and because neither of them had steered a loaded pair before, I had to brief
them on the technique, but they both did a first class job and the propeller
remained clean all day.
 |
| "Come on Colin, it's my turn on the motor!" |
The first two pounds were fairly long, so the motor
went up first and then towed the butty through. After that, the pounds were
very short and the same technique caused the motor to ground, because we were
taking two locks of water out of the pound, so water had to be run though the
lock above, which just compounded the problem further ahead. What to do? By
this time a queue was beginning to form behind us, so I decided to let them
through. We then tried tying all our lengths of rope together to make up a very
long snubber, so that we only had one boat in a pound at the same time.
Unfortunately, there just was not enough line to do that, although the motor
was closer to the lock above and there was less chance of it grounding. By this
time, John Jackson appeared on his bike to see why all the pounds were empty,
but he did not bring any extra line with him! By now, we were only two locks
from the summit level, so continued to the top lock as we were. An alternative,
suggested by some “nose in the air know all” on the bank, was to bow haul the
butty through all the pounds. As the butty boat was now close to 40 tonnes,
none of us thought that was a very helpful idea, as it would probably
contribute to heart attacks all round!
I
learned useful technique from John on that trip and that was how to stop the
bow hauled butty before it hit the cill
in the empty lock. When it is about 6 to 10ft from the cill, draw one top
paddle half way up. This achieves three things, a) it stops the boat, b) it
holds the boat against the cill, c) it assists in closing the bottom gate. I
have used this method several times since on my own boat, when I take the
engine out of gear as it enters the lock, before I get off and go to the top of
the lock and half draw one paddle. No need for a line off, but the speed of the
boat has to be just right.
 |
| Terry gets his hand in. |
It
took us eight hours to finally get to the summit level, where we said goodbye
to both Richard and Mouse. They both had to cycle back 9 miles in the dusk to
Awbridge, but it was all downhill. We moored in Broad St. Basin, as advised by
Barry and John. This was a secure area in the middle of Wolverhampton, with a
lockable gate. There were showers, water point and an Elsan disposal as well as
a night club in the old FMC warehouse, which soon made itself felt by the head
banging sound from within.
 |
| Well packed into Broad St. Basin. |
We followed John and Jenny to the Great Western pub
soon after a meal and enjoyed some well deserved beer in this heritage pub
close to the rail station.
It
was only about 3 hours to the Black Country Living Museum from our mooring and
it was Terry’s turn to have a steer of the motor along with Colin as mentor. There
were no locks to negotiate on this stretch, although there were some tight
bends as I found out steering the butty. Terry had previously had a fair
stretch of steering the butty and soon got the hang of it. Of the two boats,
the butty is the most strenuous one to steer, because of the size of the
rudder, which must be close to a square metre.
 |
| Terry's turn on the motor. |
Before
we left the main line, we stopped to have drinks (non-alcoholic for a change)
with John and Jenny, just above Factory Three Locks, as they were off to make a
delivery and go through the Netherton tunnel to moor close to Ma Pardoe’s, aka
The Olde Swan at Netherton. .
 |
| It's goodbye for the moment. |
We were all little envious, as I was the only one
who had previously been there and it is a CAMRA Heritage Pub, which is well
worth a visit. We continued towards the Black Country Museum and into the arm
to wind in the entrance by the lift bridge, where we contacted Nick Wolfe, who
had a prime spot for us at the back of the Bottle and Glass pub.
Discussion
ensued about which pub to visit that evening and I worked out that Ma Pardoe’s was only about two, miles as the crow flies.
As we could not go in a straight line, we took a wrong turning and ended up at
a giant Tesco. I nipped in to buy something, while the other two waited
outside. As I was leaving the store, Colin phoned to ask where we were, as a passerby had
said that it would take at least 45 mins to walk to the pub and it would be
easier to get a cab. I asked a woman on the escalator where this Tesco was and
after giving me a funny look, I had to explain that we had come by boat to the
BCLM.
“We’re
at Berntryielan” she said.
“Sorry,
could you repeat that please” said I.
“Berntryielan”,
she repeated.
“Could
you say that more slowly please” I said again.
“Bern Trey Eilaan”.
“Oh,
Burnt Tree Island,” I said.
“That’s
what I said in the first place.” She replied!
“You
did indeed, but I’m from daaan saaaf so, sorry to be so thick!” I should have
replied.
So,
eventually we got to Ma Pardoe’s and what treat that was. Not only was the beer
between £2.20 and £2.80 a pint, but the food was excellent. We finished our
meal before John and Jenny arrived and I think we eventually got back to the
boats through an early mist, or was it just a haze?
 |
| The famous Ma Pardoe's. |
Colin
left the following morning, but Terry stayed on until Friday. We did some
tidying up and Terry went walkabout around the museum. I met up with my
daughter at Mad O’Rourkes Pie Factory at lunch time and found out that beer
prices there were the same as further south, but an interesting pub, with lots
of Black Country memorabilia and interesting food, including battered chips and
Desperate Dan Cow Pie – complete with horns. A certificate was issued to anyone
who could eat a whole one.
In
the meantime, while I was out enjoying myself, Terry set about polishing the
brasses, which had not been done for some time and had completed the lot by the
time I returned.
Friday
came and Terry departed, only to be replaced by Barry and John later in the
day. We went off to The Fountain that night for a meal and beer, which was the
usual Midland prices as was the food. The Fountain is famous as the home of ‘The
Tipton Slasher’, a bareknuckle fighter of distinction in the 19th
century.
Most
of Sunday was taken up with talking to various people around the museum and
back at the boats. I got talking to Nick Wolfe about clothing up and use of the
uprights used to make the top planks more rigid, as well as different ways of
tying top strings. I also talked to Blossom on nb Darley and watched him tie up
his side cloths, using uprights too, of course. I still have a lot to learn
about clothing up, but feel I am getting there.
Barry,
John and I had a visit to The Pie Factory for a meal and they both opted for
the Cow Pie, which would have been a challenge for me, but they both coped
right to the end and received their certificates.
 |
| John relishes Desperate Dan's Cow Pie. |
 |
| Well satisfied customers. |
I
met up with Henry Johnson again, the last time being at Braunston Historic Boat
Rally, but then I did not know his name. He is related to Alice and Tom Lapworth, who also put in an appearance. I’m
not sure what his experience is, but it’s enough for Malcolm Braine to entrust
him with Cactus, which Malcolm has owned for 50 years. I was fortunate enough
to meet Malcolm after all those years of reading about him, so he is one of my
heros. I managed to get some pics of his 15hp Bolinder, while I was there.
 |
| Malcolm Braine, standing centre, talking to Henry Johnson on Cactus. |
 |
| !15hp Bolinder in Cactus. |
The
following morning, Dave Thompson gave me a lift to Wolverhampton station and I just
managed to catch the train to New Street, where I got the train back to Oxford,
and so to my boat, which was still secure on it’s mooring.
After
a weekend at Banbury Canal Day (more of which later), I caught up with the pair
at Iffley Lock on the Thames and travelled with them as far as Reading, where
there was to be a crew change. It found it strange to be travelling in the same
company, yet apart on my own boat. On this part of the trip, the VHF radios
were put to good use, so I could keep in contact, even though I was often far
behind or ahead. I could also get ahead when approaching a lock and ask the lockie
to prepare the lock in readiness for the pair, which saved a little time.
On
the far side of Iffley lock we experienced The Prince of Wales, which was a first
for me, especially as there was Wadworth 6X on offer and the food was very good
too. I remember saying to a bloke that Barry was talking to in the bar “I’m
sure I know your face.” To which Barry replied “You should, he is the lock
keeper!” An excellent and welcoming pub that deserves a return visit.
I
finally said goodbye to John, Barry and Lawrie at Reading, having thoroughly enjoyed the
whole trip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSOJkGpdHiE&list=PLYB1bILo6eLMG5GesebZErOiKlKCrv2kl&index=89
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