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Appendices - Trip Reports 2006.

Trip Report - Napton to Saul, 13th - 18th June 2006. by Pete Harrison

Tuesday 13th June 2006: We arrived at Napton Bridge (Oxford Canal Bridge 111) at 11:45 having being driven up from Bristol by my wife as I had come directly off a night shift. We found the boats tied singled out in a fairly good position and unloaded all my boating gear after obtaining permission to use the pub car park alongside Bridge 111. As I take quite a lot of stuff this took some time and as we enjoyed a picnic lunch on BRIGHTON my friend Richard Scarfe turned up having come by train from Watford and then bicycle from Rugby. Richard remembers seeing narrow boats on the Grand Union Canal when they were in full trade but has done little boating on working type narrow boats, although he has boated with me twice before on another pair and has done loads of pleasure boating. By 13:00 the boats were more or less sorted out and so we set off, the crew being me as steerer, two of my sons (Jack 17 and Luke 16) and Richard whilst my wife went to Leamington Spa to pick up another of my sons (Dan 20) who was due to arrive from Hull. A prolonged stop was made at Napton Narrowboats to acquire diesel. Unfortunately I forgot my debit card “pin” number (after the diesel was in the tanks) so about an hour was lost whilst the situation was resolved – although this did give us the opportunity to fill our water cans and sort out the boats a bit more. By 14:30 we were clearing Wigrams (Calcutt Locks) and making our way towards Stockton at pace. The plan was to make the top of Warwick Two (Cape Locks) in time for food at the Cape of Good Hope pub. My wife and Dan met us whilst we were dropping through Stockton Locks and after helping us through she left us at Stockton Bridge (Blue Lias pub – Bridge 23) taking with her Luke who was only on a day trip due to school exams. With the benefit of both Richard's bicycle and my knowledge of this stretch we were tied up above Warwick Two in plenty of time for food. With our orders placed behind the bar I returned to the boats to mop them off. Wednesday 14th June 2006: This was always going to be a big day and a 05:00am (!!!) start was in order. I do not usually like to boat for more than twelve hours but I was sure it would put us in good stead, and it would be an easy afternoon anyway. We cleared Hatton by the time most people were getting up for work and enjoyed breakfast on the Eight Mile Pound (eight miles from Hatton to Knowle). 08:30 saw us making a start on Lapworth Locks, our first narrow locks a new experience for Richard. I now find it easiest to tow across the lower reservoir pound at Lapworth as B.W.B. have placed a signpost that interferes badly with a bowhauling line. From the second lock from bottom (Lock 19) I went on alone with NUNEATON leaving the inexperienced Richard with my two experienced sons. My job was to “drive and draw” (see “going uphill” below) whilst BRIGHTON came up in relative ease being three handed. We cleared Lapworth Locks by 12:30, being delayed by slow pleasure boats in the last four locks. The gearbox oil cooler also became choked whilst ascending these locks due to the build up Summer debris (grass cuttings, weed e.t.c.) and was cleared whilst waiting for BRIGHTON to come through Lock 6, it requiring a tow to Lock 5. As soon as we started out of Lapworth Top Lock it was clear that the Birmingham level was several inches lower than usual as we ploughed our way through the mud towards Birmingham. The outskirts of Birmingham gave much more trouble as we bumped and ground our way through the bridges. Only two blade fulls, one a pair of trousers and the other a tyre were caught at Shirley and only 5 yards apart. The swing bridge near Kings Norton (Lifford Lane) was open and looked derelict. This used to be a favourite place for yobs to cause problems as you slowed down for the bridge. Dan thought that the bridge was off its turntable – lets hope so and that it stays that way ! At the old guillotine lock at Kings Norton we were greeted by a woman running down the towpath waving her arms. It transpired that she was on a pair of hotel boats that were stuck whilst exiting the lock (coming towards us) and that the canal was blocked. Having local knowledge I know it is essential to get the motors line right when entering and leaving this lock, something the hotel boat steerer clearly did not know as he was several feet off line. I was asked if I would pull them off, which I was quite happy to do as I could make no further progress with them in the way. Whilst I was lining myself up for the pull the hotel boat steerer powered his fore end into the bank where it was even shallower, leaving me struggling to remain afloat and unable to assist. They were soon free and the butty steerer said to Dan and Jack on BRIGHTON that they would not learn any manners from me as I was trying to push my way through. We had no problem entering the guillotine lock where Richard left us as he had other commitments, although he would have liked to have come all the way to Saul (even though he was very unimpressed with the combination of a butty and narrow locks). The length from Kings Norton Junction to the entrance of Wast Hill Tunnel was a real effort, passing another hotel pair in the shallows for good measure. Once clear of the tunnel the rest of the journey to Tardebigge Top Lock was much easier as the bridges were only full of mud. We tied opposite the B.W.B. maintenance yard and made use of the local facilities again, this being one of my favourite tie ups. Thursday 15th June 2006: Although yesterday was a long day this was the hard day psychologically. I used to bring my sons to Tardebigge when they were younger where they would help boats pass through the flight of locks. I always said that one day we would help a working boat through Tardebigge – clearly today was our day and we were now three handed. I had no prospective destination for the day as I did not know how long Tardebigge would take us, and it was due to be the hottest day of the year. I towed BRIGHTON down the first pound and then set off with NUNEATON into the flight promising the Dan and Jack an ice cream at the bottom. Once again it was my job to “drive and draw” (see “going downhill” below). A good routine soon developed and it was not long before reaching the half way point, passing RAYMOND being bowhauled back up the flight after recent cabin repairs. The boys worked hard and we stopped for our ice creams at Stoke Prior. Unfortunately the shop there is no longer in business so I had to disappoint them, but we did stay tied up for an hour for a proper lunch – and it was very hot. We were away again by 14:30 and made steady progress towards Worcester, only having one minor problem with BRIGHTON sticking for about half an hour in Astwood Top Lock. Unfortunately this temporary blockage upset two boaters although neither did anything to assist except suggesting a phone call to B.W.B.. Once clear of Lock 17 it made sense to push on to Tibberton where we had been recommended a good pub. The moorings at Tibberton have changed considerably since I was last there twenty one years ago. Back then it was very shallow with only one permanent mooring. Now there are loads of “private” moorings followed loads of vistor moorings. In the distance the visitor moorings looked full so I chose a suitably vacant “private” mooring. Clearly I have taught my boys well as they completely ignored a local who complained about us stopping where we were. He eventually started on me but I was more interested in washing my hair and getting to the pub (having already mopped the boats off). It turned out we have a mutual friend and he was then more than happy for us to tie there, even letting us use a tap in his garden to refill our cans. The pub was excellent providing such large helpings that we could not drink ! I also had the opportunity to buy the ice creams I had promised earlier. Thursday 16th June 2006: Tibberton village store opened early for me the following morning allowing me to get an 06:30 start. Dan spent most of the morning on the bike, closing gates behind us and setting the next lock ready for us. The towpath going towards Worcester is a registered cycle path and is very good. I had been pre-warned about Lock 6 where the bottom tail walls have come in several inches. This is no problem for modern boats but is a pinch point for the high fore end of an empty large Grand Union motor. There are several differing views of how to overcome this problem and I elected the least dramatic. Whilst setting Lock 5, which is only about two hundred yards away, I drew all four paddles and lowered the adjoining pound by about twelve inches. This allowed NUNEATON to float out of Lock 6 with about two inches to spare although it was very clear how narrow these tail walls are. To be on the safe side BRIGHTON was towed out of this lock but would have come out on a bowhauling line with ease. Both Diglis Basin’s at Worcester are in the centre of a major construction programme with the inner basin being drained. As the remaining basin is accommodating boats from the inner basin as well as those from the outer basin visitor moorings at Diglis have been suspended. We had passed a couple of boats coming north during the morning and I was optimistic at finding a good mooring at the Commandary, leaving only one narrow and two wide locks to the River Severn. Sure enough a perfect space was found outside the Commandary and we settled down at 11:30 to an afternoon off. My wife visited us for lunch and whisked Jack away who had other commitments for the next few days. Dan fell asleep for most of the afternoon (well he is a student !) whilst I pottered about the boats preparing them for the show at Saul. I rehung the stern fenders on NUNEATON so that they are now pointing slightly upwards, I fitted a chain “jumper” onto the rudder of BRIGHTON. Hopefully this “jumper” should prevent the rudder lifting off whilst passing over debris on the canal bottom but as one link is split the rudder should not become damaged if caught on something more solid such as a lock cill. As I refuse to use a tall exhaust (stack pipe) whilst empty and the small exhaust (titch pipe) is missing the front face of the pigeon box had become blackened by engine exhaust fume. This cleaned off fairly easily but the blackening on the engine room roof around the pigeon box and exhaust took several hours to remove as it has been there for much longer than this trip. I also took the opportunity to carry out a few running repairs to the N.B.T.Ltd. bicycle as this is a valued item of equipment that requires constant maintenance. Much of the early evening was spent entertaining a German family who were enjoying the last evening of their fifth canal boat holiday. They were most interested in the boats and had a full tour that included both cabins and the engine room ! Friday 17th June 2006: The two wide locks at Diglis Basin are not opened until 08:00 which gave me time to give the engine a thorough check over, including the gearbox oil cooler, prior to going out onto the River Severn. The anchor was set up just in case and good mooring lines strategically placed. All rivers command the greatest of respect and I have seen the River Severn in anger on several occasions. At the same time you can give yourself some advantages with good preparation, hence the thorough engine checks (also by chance Waterways World magazine recently published an article on the River Severn and Gloucester and Sharpness Canal which included the telephone numbers for both the lock keepers and swing bridge operators. This information combined with a mobile telephone ensured that each lock on the River Severn and each swing bridge on the G. & S. Canal was ready for us and we suffered no delays). We were clear of Diglis Lock (the big one on the River Severn) by 08:30 having had a leisurely descent of the two wide Diglis Locks on the canal, assisted by the lock keeper who now owns and lives on BEXHILL (BEXHILL was paired with BRIGHTON throughout most of the 1970’s and 1980’s although with three different owners). The River Severn was as boring as I remember with its high banks and no discernable features. Three and a half hours saw us passing through Tewkesbury, but nothing of the town can be seen from the river. Another three hours saw us entering Gloucester Docks and Andy Belton on the lockside to welcome us. Andy removed some of his wood from BRIGHTON’s hold once we were tied up and stayed with us for the night, Dan vacating BRIGHTON to give Andy his own space. Gloucester Docks is also the subject of major construction works with several projects under way. I am sure that future owners of these expensive new homes will be in conflict with the late night trip boats that operate from these docks as these boats are unbelievably noisy, most of which comes from the D.J. ! Saturday 18th June 2006: Andy left us at 08:30 and we were away shortly afterwards. The first swing bridge out of Gloucester had been vandalised during the night but an early phone call to the bridge operator gave him plenty of time to open it by hand. The next couple of bridges are high so do not need opening although the traffic light system must still be adhered to. 10:30 saw us tying at Saul and after about half an hour we were directed to another mooring by one of the harbourmasters. The usual period of cleaning up the boats for the next crew and shutting them both down (isolating both engine cooling water inlets, gas, batteries e.t.c.) followed and we were away by 13:00. During the evenings I read the previous trip logs with interest: The boats had come all the way from Rickmansworth to Napton with the rudder out of the skeg. Below water the shaft which forms the vertical rudder post rests in a cup at the end of an arm which extends from the boats bottom to directly below the “Z” tiller (rams head). The arm and cup are generally known as the skeg and are the same on both working and modern narrow boats. It is not unusual for the rudder to be lifted above the top lip of the cup and dropped again, but out of alignment. This is usually caused by rubbish on the bottom of the canal (which modern boats skim over) lifting the rudder but can happen, as in this case, by NUNEATON being allowed back onto a lock cill when going downhill. To refit the rudder into the cup requires considerable leverage from either a plank of wood or a substantial mooring stake (I used an angle iron mooring stake of about three feet long). This lever should be placed on top of either towing dolly with its end under the “Z” part of the tiller (rams head). By pushing down on the lever and manipulating the tiller the whole rudder and tiller (rams head ) can be lifted about 6 inches and lowered back into the cup. This may take a few attempts but I have done this job on NUNEATON in pitch black darkness whilst boating through Birmingham a few years ago. I had no problems at all with cooling water having on the first day topped up the engine header tank (with fresh water – and it did not require filling again) and opening the lower cooling water inlet valve. It appeared to me that this lower inlet valve, which is below the engine room floor, had not been opened for some time as a considerable effort was required to open it. Due to the nature of raw water cooling there is a constant problem with debris being drawn into the engine cooling system. On NUNEATON this debris collects on the inlet tube plate of the gearbox oil cooler and takes only minutes to clear requiring only a flat headed screwdriver to release two jubilee clips. I am sure that NUNEATON’s cooling system is overcooling the engine. This does not really cause any problem except allowing carbon to settle in the exhaust system and causing the engine to smoke after prolonged periods of low revs, i.e. in lock flights. Once up to motoring speed this smoke goes completely making the tall exhaust pipe (stack pipe) un-necessary even though the small exhaust (titch pipe) is missing. In my opinion an empty motor using a stack pipe is a sign of extreme amateurism. I appreciate that everybody has their own way of doing things but I find this is the most efficient way of working a light handed (two, three or four people) pair through flights of narrow locks and is often quicker than mob handed pleasure boats. This system is similar to that used by some crews when the boats were in full trade and I have used it for years. Going uphill: "drive and draw” means that the motor enters a lock with the steerer closing the gates behind it. The steerer then draws both top paddles to fill the lock and then walks on to the next lock, drawing both paddles to empty that lock but leaving the gates shut. By the time the steerer gets back to the previous lock it is just about full. By going into forward gear the motor will start opening the top gate giving the steerer time to wind down both top paddles before getting back on board. When the boat is level with the top gate reverse gear is selected at “steady” revs and the steerer steps off again. The forward momentum of the motor should see it give enough space for the steerer to half close the top gate before the boat reverses into the gate and finishing the job off. Whilst the motor is closing the top gate the steerer is at the other end of the lock drawing the towpath side paddle to empty the lock for the butty. With the paddle drawn the steerer is finished at this lock and takes the motor up to the next lock gently nudging the bottom gates open, it having been emptied by the steerer earlier in the routine. This routine is repeated for the whole flight with the motor only waiting to tow for the longer pounds. Because the motor steerer is drawing off the lock behind him (ready for the butty) the butty does not need a lock wheeler. Instead there is sufficient time for the bow hauler to open the bottom gates as he is 70 feet (if a 90 feet bowhauling line is used) ahead of the butty. The third person steers the butty whilst the fourth (if available) with the butty helps wherever required but always closes the gates as the butty leaves each lock, a job the professional boaters did not have to do. Going downhil: “drive and draw” means that the motor enters a lock with the steerer closing the gate behind it, either by strapping using the forward momentum of the boat to shut the top gate with a substantial line or by pulling it by hand. The motor is left in forward gear whilst descending the lock. The steerer then draws one bottom paddle to empty the lock and then walks on to the next lock, drawing both paddles and waiting for the lock to fill. Once full the gate is opened and both paddles wound down. The steerer then walks back to the previous lock, which will now be empty and opens the bottom gates and winds down the paddles. As the motor was left in forward gear it will start moving out of this lock on its own. With some urgency, but without running the towpath side top paddle is drawn. This will cause the motor to be flushed out of the lock (and it is still in forward gear !) so again some urgency will see the steerer drop down onto the engine room roof (the engine room has a flatter and less cluttered roof than the cabin) and back between the hatches in time to select reverse gear to almost stop the motor in line with the bottom gates. The short shaft (or cabin shaft) is then used to push the bottom gates shut, which come shut with a bump as one of the top paddles is already open. This lock is then filling for the butty, the top gate of which can be opened by the bowhauler when he arrives as he is 70 feet ahead of the butty (if a 90 feet bowhauling line is used). The motor steerer then takes his boat to the next lock where he has already opened the top gate earlier in the routine. Again the third person steers the butty and the fourth person (if available) can be used where required but always closes the gates behind the butty as it leaves a lock, a job the professional boaters did not have to do. Pete Harrison.

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