Fenders down going into a lock? No way!!!!

 5th November

Ouch...right arm and right knee, played me up all night even after the painkillers. I was lucky though,  there were no broken bones! Ian put it down to how well padded I had been with the amount of clothes I was wearing to stay warm!

• A thermal vest with long sleeves
• T-Shirt
• Jumper
• body warmer
• Thick Fleece
• Thermal leggings
• Thick socks
• Jeans
  

 5.30 am then and a cup of tea was being drunk in bed, 7.00 am and a full English breakfast had been devoured! But it was gone 9 am before we got underway.

 No right turn back onto the canal from the Whitchurch arm, it would be nie on impossible anyway, but roughly 300 yds as you steer to the left is a huge winding hole. I winded FS, took a photo of the Alvechurch hire fleet (t'was very difficult to get through yesterday so packed across the canal were they) and they had taken a long length of moorings before the base. Is that allowed or does CRT turn a blind eye!

You can see why there was no right turn.

 

Through Whitchurch lift bridge and we met those two boats again. They were about to set off and normally getting ahead of them would be a cause for celebration, we would get to the locks first but not today. We needed water and two cassettes had to be emptied so just before the staircase lock at Grindley Brook, they passed us.

 And a lockkeeper was still on duty. Strange as we had been told they stop at the end of October. Not that we are complaining 'cos it is so nice to have help.

 

 

Ian sent me these photos as I was descending. Wonderful how a bit of carpet can help with leakage!.

And my photo

The staircase locks. It was the top lock where the carpet had been nailed into place.

We met them again sooner than expected. They were travelling together and the second boat's engine had overheated. Stopping was necessary if no damage was to be done, so the chap from the first boat (such a nice man) set the next lock for us.

At the bottom lock a problem had arisen. I noticed this chap with a pole bashing away at something. Turns out he had wedged the boat half in and half out of the lock entrance and it was all because he had left the fenders down! He was trying to dislodge the fender but it was stuck fast.So once again a reason for not leaving fenders down. Ah, I can hear folk saying, "Well It's never happened to me" No and I expect it had never happened to this boater before either but there is always that one time.... Some locks are narrower than others, most are very much older and brickwork can degrade over time and start to bow inwards, and anyway...that's what rubbing strakes are for. They can be touched up with more bitumen but lift a paddle, get 'hung up' by the fenders and all manner of nasty things can happen, mainly a sudden drop or worse, being tipped over. The cost of boat repairs would be a damn sight more than a splash of paint on the gunwales!

 

Ian managed to get him free by heaving on the center rope and telling the boater to reverse out. It worked but when he was up and had got level with me, I could tell he was not a happy bunny and then, well I couldn't believe it... he crashes into the bank, the bow almost lifts out of the water and swearwords came out of his mouth. He then proceeded to tell me that he’s past caring what happens to the boat, how he hates that lock, hates this flight, hates being on the water and that he had put the stern on the cill in that very same lock and nearly sunk it a few days ago on the way down. Ian did ask him why he kept returning to the Llangollen if he hated it so much and his reply, he prefers to overwinter above Grindley Brook where he is free to moor where he likes....hmm...methinks maybe he is one of those 'over stayers'! 

We only made it as far as Willeymoor lock. Dropping down the lock and with the pub right on the doorstep, well we decided we might as well stop for lunch.

Tad expensive here we thought. Food was okay, although the salad was a bit wizened. I went fishing while Ian sorted out our motorhome holiday with the senior Jameisons for next year. It will be in North Wales, somewhere in the Snowdonia area. Three pitches were booked so that's one thing we won't have to worry about any more. I had envisage another year with difficulty in finding sites so very glad that is all done and dusted. 

And wildlife,