31st July 2011 - I won, I won, I won!

It's currently 2300 ish and I've just finished dinner and I need to go to bed. There are no pictures today because I didn't take any! If you're all good, maybe tomorrow!

In a nutshell, I went to the awards ceremony, just in case, I was fairly convinced I hadn't done enough, then my name is called out. I'm really chuffed, ok, need a new anorak I know, but I've won the Inland Waterways Association, A. P. Herbert, Market Harborough Challenge Trophy 2011, for making the longest direct cruise on inland waterways to the Burton on Trent festival. Also part of this (but you're not sharing the prize!) were messrs Preston, Dunning and Jones, Penny and Son Dave. From what I can make out, this is the only award which has been running continuously from the first ever festival at Market Harborough in 1950!!

Then of course I went for a celebratory couple of pints, I've got people asking me what I won the trophy for (I'm carrying it around with me) I check out a couple of techy things for the boat, have a pork roast baguette for lunch and walk back to the boat, I can't stop smiling.

I near the boat and it occurs to me that not many boats are 'on the move' so I think 'I'm off' So just before 1400 I cast off and head towards Fradley. No queue at the first lock (Branston) but the wind blows the boat into the trees while I'm closing the gate on leaving. Straight into the second (Tatenhill) as a boat is coming down. Straight into the third because a bored bloke is working it!. Then I get to Wychnor and encounter four boats waiting to go up. Never mind, it takes an hour, but then things get spread out again, plus people are (sensibly) stopping for the night. I pass through Alrewas then on to Fradley, no further lock delays. I get some  passers by to shut the gate at Junction Lock for me so I can focus on turning left onto the Coventry canal, no problem, I pass through the swingbridge and take the opportunity to fill the water tank. This water point has the slowest tap in the world and it takes 30 minutes to fill up! It's 2030 when I set off again, looking for a place to spend the night. this happens 4 miles later in the dwindling daylight.

I have dinner, and we're back to where I began!!

Today: 12.5 miles -   10 locks -        7 hours
So Far:  602 miles - 473 locks - 306.5 hours

30th July 2011 - The craft workshop

I walk Penny to the station and then go directly to the site as I'm booked to do 'button fenders' in the craft workshops at 1030. On the way in I'm spotted and thanked for the job I did last night, no problem says me, it was a good laugh! Then I get four bottles of beer as a thank you, need any more help I said! I've arrived ten minutes early and queue to enter the site. I discover that the people in front of me had their propeller fall off on the way, so they've finished the journey by train! I only ever joked about this happening and didn't think it possible, time to check mine I think? I grab a bacon roll and a coffee and get stuck in.

I'll let the pictures do the talking:

Dave Walker was running the workshop, the same guy that I did a side fender with last year, and that's still hanging up down the back! I'm really pleased with this, it's better than the one fitted to the boat! But my arms ache, it took four hours (the workshop was supposed to be only three!) and I had a lot of help with the finishing off. Mine was the second one to be finished, I suspect Dave wanted to get away! I went over to the beer tent, I was supposed to be on duty, but sod that, I needed beer. While I was beering up, I realised I also had to carry the bloody thing back to the boat! And the beer! On a wonderful hot, sunny day.

One thing I did notice while 'beering up' was that bthe festival was lookinjg very busy. I was pleased as I thought last year was a bit quiet, still nothing next year due to olympics, for which I didn't get any tickets, then apparently Newbury in 2013, looking forward to planning a journey there already!

I get back to the boat and take up my harbour master duties with gusto by sitting on the back drinking the beer and having lunch, it was 1630. I deliver the last newsletter to 'my' boats and resume sitting, it's more pleasant now as the sun's dropped behind the trees. A little bit of sorting out, some chilli for dinner, take a photo of this passing by:

It's a scale model working boat towing a canoe with Bolinder engine noise that sounds just like the real thing, it's a great piece of work. Now to update the blog!!

29th July 2011 - A day at the festival

The festival opens at 1200 so we stroll along the towpath to see what's happening. We get in and almost immediately check out the beer tent with a pint of Titanic Lifeboat. We slowly amble around the various stalls and presentations and end up having some Indian snacks form lunch accompanied by cider from the cider tent. It's all boaty stuff, we wander through the Viking encampment without being raped or pillaged and Penny checks out a couple of the new boats on show. I'm not interested as there is a fully loaded working boat arriving on the other side and all I want is for it to be me arriving with it. We walk over the bridge to the towpath historic boat moorings and walk down to Dallow Lock. There is a loaded working pair locking up (Clover and Fazeley) and as they do so another pair arrives to lock down to turn (Australia and Kangaroo).

Looking North from the footbridge:

And South:

Fazeley:

Australia, Kangaroo, Clover & Fazeley:

Trying to get Fazeley onto the mooring, there isn't enough water:

We return to the boat for me to resume duties as harbourmaster. I get a phone call asking if I would help out with the illuminated boat parade, of course I will! So I'm to be on duty at Shobnall Bridge, the end of the parade to prevent chaos should a boat return along the single channel before it's clear. Myself and Penny walk to the footbridge to listen to the band playing, but it wasn't so we return disappointed to Shobnall to await the illuminated boats. I can hear from the radio messages what is going on, and don't anticipate a boat getting to me until at least 1045. There's quite a crowd here and many more at the centre of things. Eventually we get the first three boats, but then a long wait as the next three decide to tie up on their moorings which are before the bridge. The crowd is disappointed and I radio this to control, but to no avail. We get five more in quick succession, the dwindling crowd is pleased and I struggle to contain  five boats in the winding hole while they all get turned and keep out of the way of each other. This is achieved, more by luck than judgement and at 0030 I return to boat for sleep, Penny having got cold and given up much earlier. It was good to see so many local people out to enjoy the boats, I understand all the houses further down joined in with lights and flags. What I should have done was to take pictures, but sorry, I did not!!

28th July 2011 - A day in the life of a harbour master

I assume the duties of harbour master at about mid morning. It invloves a lot of sitting about answering (only a few) questions, mainly about where to book in. I walk up and down a couple of times to make sure everyone is happy and all is well and that's about it. Other than ensuring all the boats are tied up in the right place, we're really here to help in the event of some sort of emergency (fire, medical, etc) as we have radio contact with the site which is a mile or so away.

Some of the historic boats arrive:

There's a showing of 'The Bargee' tonight and the quiz. I'm not bothered about the film, in fact I lend my copy to another boater who doesn't want to walk back to the site. I'd have liked to have gone to the quiz, but obviously it's more important to go to the station to meet Penny. I promised I'd have a meal ready, so we get fish & chips on the way back to the boat (I really couldn't be bothered to cook). There's far too many chips, but the swans appreciated them in the morning.

27th July 2011 - The boats start to gather!

Fully briefed and all kitted up from yesterdays meeting, I assume the duties of Harbourmaster for S18 through S47, feels like a miles worth when you walk it, but I think it's about half a mile and 50 or so boats.

Some shots of the boats gathering for the rally:

And looking towards these from me on S18:

Not so good eh? That and the Marstons trucks that seem to work 24 hours about 20 yards from me! I became aware of this at 0100!! Up early to walk the section, then off to the rally site to book in and sort out a couple of boats who are where they shouldn't be, along with some other mooring issues, then to spend all morning playing boats as more and more show up for opening on Friday.

I hand over to Brian at lunchtime and take things easy for the afternoon. I'm off to Birmingham later for a curry and maybe a drink with Chris. Just have to remember to catch the last train home.

26th July 2011 - I arrive at the National

For a change it's me who's woken by a passing boat at stupid o'clock! It's 0530. I wake again at 0630 as a second boat is passing by, I get up, have a bacon roll and coffee and join them. I'm on tickover for the first mile and a half as I pass the many moored boats at Willington. Always a popular stopping off spot this, must be something to do with the three pubs, a Coop and a Chinese takeaway. It must be one of the few canalside villages to really profit from boats. Through Willington and I cross the River Dove on an aquaduct, there are quite a few moored boats out here too, a few showing signs of setting off. Some moorhens benefit from a stale bread roll and I approach Burton-Upon-Trent. All is pretty quiet still, but I can see at least two boats behind me. I pass 'The Navigation' pub at Horninglow Wharf, the first canal trip pub I ever visited!

The Navigation PH:

I pull on to the lock landing at Dallow Lock and recall that it was the first canal lock I ever did. It's the first narrow one since Foxton.

Dallow Lock:

There's been a few boats up and down already and I can see the 'N' moorings start from the end of the lock landing, not many boats here yet which is a surprise! However, upon exiting the lock I can see the festival taking shape and many boats both sides of the canal, some breasted up. I tickover through and find my mooring 'S18' which is just beyond the Marstons pipe bridge.

The Marstons pipe bridge:

I seem to have been here before! Several times!!! All tied up, I go to check in to see if any help is required today, apparently not but there's a harbourmasters meeting at 1600. Ok. I walk to Morrissons for at least some milk, spend £60 and find it's an awful long way back!! 'S18A' arrives, my buddy for a few days, it tries to get in beside me, but it's a deep drafted boat and can't get to the edge. They have dogs and want to be on the towpath, so disappear to try to get another mooring. I tie the boat up for a second time. I tend to the petunias and use the garden shears to trim the towpath a bit. Then off to the 1600 meeting.

Today:     6.5 miles -     1 lock -          3 hours
So Far: 589.5 miles - 463 locks - 299.5 hours (don't know why, but I wish I'd hung around somewhere for 30 minutes to get round 300 in!)

25th July 2011 - Warning! Don't go into Midland Chandlers with your Credit Card

It was another fine, clear windless morning, so I set off at 0700 on the short cruise to Weston Lock. It's set for me so nice and easy, up we go. It's nearly full and lo and behold, there's a boat coming the other way. It's a perfect morning.

I pass one of these every mile:

It's a bit of a way to Preston Brook! But I'm not going there! Between Weston and Swarkestone locks boaters are starting to wake up and get themselves on the move, most it seems to get past the nasty rally!!

I come round the last bend before Swarkestone to see the lock being set. It's a Canaltime boat crew, I recognise them from yesterday. I slow right down and pass the Canaltime boat which is moored about fifty yards from the lock. We exchange good mornings and I assume we are sharing the lock, so I slide in as the crew open the gates. I climb out of the lock to hold the boat to the side while they come in, and get very confused as another boat (it was following me) enters the lock with me! I look at everyone wondering what is going on, then we're locked up by the Canaltime crew. It was probably that the Canaltime boat was not on the lock landing that caused the confusion, but I suspect the other boat knew exactly what was happening and 'stole' the lock. Very bad form. I apologise (I don't know why, I didn't do anything wrong!) to the other boat and tell them that next time they should move the boat to the landing to avoid any confusion. I think it's only their second day ever on a boat so didn't really know what to do. I told them (at the next lock) that I would have had serious words with the other boat. I think they put it down to experience. I stop at the waterpoint as two more Canaltimes wait to lock down, I wait for a third to finish watering. I chuckle as the shower is running while they fill up, I can't complain as I've been known to do this!! I wonder about how many Canaltimes there are? While I wait I dead head and water the petunias.

The Petunias:

Water tank is full just as the aforementioned Canaltime boat and another come cruising past me. So I set off at a dead slow pace to avoid having to wait for too long at Stenson. I arrive at Stenson and wait for quite a while. Two boats are just going in, and the two who passed me at Swarkestone are still waiting. Never mind. I stroll up to the lock, windlass in hand to help, but it's not necessary there's a lot of people about, most of them eating ice creams from the lockside shop. Another boat arrives and we tie mine to it to make it easier. All's going really well until both of the lock gates won't open fully, theres not enough oomph to make it through. I drop down, start the enging and add the required oomph and we hurtle into the lock, remembering to throttle back before we destroy the cill. I shut down, climb out and we lock up. There's a boat waiting to come down so we untie and go our separate ways again. I cruise past Stenson Marina, this is where it all started one day in July 1977, probably 34 years to the day!! It's got a lot to answer for this place!

Stenson Marina:

I cruise the last mile or so to the Nadee Indian Restaurant, yet another pub converted into something just as useful! And this one is canalside!!

The Nadee:

I then have the idea to walk down to the Mercia Marina Midland Chandlers, just for something to do, and of course to study all the nice shiny things on the shelves that I'm not yet aware of needing! Off I go, it's just over half a mile or so, and wow! isn't the marina big! 580 boats I think. I spend £80 on absolute essentials then stroll back to the boat and wonder what to do with them!!

Right, where's the Indian Restaurant? Oh yes, it's just over there!

Today:  8.5 miles -     3 locks -  4.5 hours
So Far: 583 miles - 462 locks - 296 hours