Mike Stevens' UK Inland Waterways Pages

TRIP REPORTS : THE FELIS CATUSYEARS

THE LAST SEASON WITH OUR OLD BOAT, 1982

PART 3 : Mid-season

Click on a picture to see a bigger version with a caption

We resume the story with the boat at Mile End.

MAY HALF TERM : MILE END RALLY

Peter & I came straight from work. I helped Marcus Boudier, the Rally Harbourmaster, marshal boats that had been there all week, while Peter helped the site crew. We had an early dinner in the Golden Bird, a Chinese restaurant which Wendy and I had patronised in our student days. The we boated up to just before Old Ford lock for beer at the Royal Cricketers after an evening helping Marcus check in arrivals. We went back to the Rally site carrying half the Rally staff (Ray & Hazel Dunford, Doug & Anita Lear and others) back to the main site. Peter was steering and unsighted by all the people sitting on the boat's roof.

At 07:24 we went back up to Old Ford to collect from Marcus the boaters' packs we'd need for the check-point at the other end of the site. At one point Peter commented "I didn't realise they were three abreast there when we came past last night - I was only steering to miss two." On the way back we used the Rally water point before taking up our position as a check-point for arrivals immediately above Johnson's lock. Peter and I worked shifts on the check point (not very busy) while painting the boat (Peter) & some tat (me). I managed some tat sales. There was a good beer tent. Peter gave the boat 4 side fenders and I ordered new bow & stern fenders.

Wendy & Ian joined and Claire (Peter's current lady friend) visited for the day. Most of the day was spent on the Rally site. Wendy, Ian & I all did sessions on the IWA Branch stand. At tea-time we set out to take Peter & Claire for a run. We planned to go to Limehouse Basin in company with Alto-Stratus, whose crew was supplemented from Tasclyn. Just before Commercial Road lock we decided to turn back because of the incidence of rubbish & punks. Back at our mooring, Peter & Claire left for home.

Islington tunnel

That left Wendy, Ian & me on board. We had a frustratingly late start because the fender-maker couldn't get to us very early. We moved a little way up the cut then the fender man arrived and we fixed the fenders in place. At 11:52 we set off in company with Too Good to Hurry. Ian wasn't very well. Wendy had recovered from a migraine, but was in her usual rally sulk. I was boiling up with too much sun, muck sweat, paint from the fender job & resentment at Wendy's deciding to move off before I had the chance to clean myself. At St Pancras lock we used the sani station & got rid of rubbish (including "Hairy Herbert", the old bow fender) en passant.

By Little Venice we were all now more or less recovered from the gremlins of earlier in the day, as we headed westwards on the Paddington Branch. In the later part of the afternoon we had some engine trouble : smoking & cutting out, so stopped at 19:43 at Horsendon Hill on a pretty mooring on the off side. Wendy did dinner, eaten outside.

We made a leisurely start after doing some odd jobs but nevertheless we were on the move by 06:17. We passed through Bull's Bridge junction and stopped at Yiewsley for breakfast & shopping. Then we went into the Slough Arm, to High Line Yachting at Iver where between them and us the engine problem got cured. The exhaust hot-air trunking had come adrift and used air was overheating the engine. I built a new support for the trunking and bought a proper replacement for the mising bleed screw. We rejoined the main line and our next stop was at the Swan & Bottle, Uxbridge for more shopping, including finding out about exchanging our Shell gas bottle for a second Calor one. It turned out that it can be done but needs the right paperwork. Then I did a late lunch on the move and we went on to an overnight mooring above Iron Bridge lock at 21:19 , where Wendy served dinner on the back deck

It was another leisurely start on a really beautiful morning. We started at 07:35 and Ian served breakfast above Lady Capel's lock. At Home Park Mill lock (a.k.a. Five Paddle Lock), Ian left to catch a train home from King's Langley station. Wendy & I went to a good pub lunch at The Albion, Apsley, (which, sadly, is no more). Shortly after starting again we found ourselves under bridge 50 at Hemel, sheltering from a storm. After the storm there was so much flood water in the cut that we had to wait for another boat's crew to help force the bottom gates at Bourne End against 5" difference in level. We continued to arrive at Mike & Lindy's at Berkhamsted at 18:37, stayed on board overnight & went home on the milk train.

near Watford

Apsley

A WEEKEND GOING NORTH

I came up on Friday evening and shopped in Berkhamsted before setting off northwards with a bad road. One lock was turned round in my face by a Cowroast boat. I just cleared Cowroast lock by dark and went on to moor at the Grand Junction Arms, Bulbourne, just in time to order food. I drank with a chap called Brian from Gandalf the Grey.

Bulbourne Junction	On Saturday I set off at 07:47, with an initial intention of looking at the new dredging on the Wendover Arm. At Bulbourne junction I tied back-to-back with a visiting boat from the Rochdale and we set off down the arm as a Pushmi-pullyou. After a few minute's break at the far end by Tringford pumping station, we came back again and I had breakfast at the junction.
The Pushmi-pullyou	Tringford stop lock	Tringford pumping station

I set off down Marsworth locks in company with Howard Bowden & friends on a modern residential n.b,. Mountbatten, from the River Tove below Stoke Bruerne locks. We stopped at the Ship Stores, Marsworth, went together for beer at the Red Lion, then waited for a thunderstorm to finish. We set off again, still in company and moored together at The Globe, Linslade. I went to the pub with Mountbatten' s crew.

Marsworth locks

Startopsend lock

Marsworth

Fenny Stratford

near Simpson

Milton Keynes

On Sunday I started at 09:10, still with Mountbatten. I used the Fenny Stratford sani station, watered and joined the others again for more beer at The Plough, Simpson before having lunch on board. I'd hoped to leave the boat at John Woolard's at Old Wolverton, but his moorings were full up, so I went on to moor opposite the Barley Mow, Cosgrove.

A SHORT WEEKEND

We came up from London on Saturday evening and started boating at 09:01 on Sunday, stopping for breakfast between Grafton Regis & Yardley Gobion, then went on to have lunch at Stoke Bruerne, winded and came back to moor at John Woolard's at Old Wolverton at 18:25.

A WEEKEND'S POTTERING

We travelled early on Saturday from London and set off at 09:38, finding a lot of trouble with weed-induced overheating of the engine. We stopped at The Plough, Simpson (the log doesn't record whether for lunch or just for beer) used the Fenny Stratford sani station, watered and went on to moor overnight at The Globe, Linslade.

below Grove lock

above Church lock

On Sunday we started at 07:27, stopped for breakfast above Church lock and for lunch at bridge 136 on the Tring summit. We had no engine trouble all day - it must have been caused by weed the previous day. I started, and almost finished, painting a new water-can. We left the boat at Mike & Lindy's in Berkhamsted at 18:57 and went home.

A MAINTENANCE WEEKEND

Wendy & I did various jobs on the boat at Mike & Lindy's.

A LONG WEEKEND

Berkhamsted

Mike Foster had fitted a better alternator pulley for us so that the alternator would be more effective at low revs. Wendy & Ian arrived on Friday afternoon & shopped. Then I came ( I probably had a Union committee meeting that day). Mike & Lindy's tame gosling was very much grown and now had its white feathers, but sadly had deformed wings. We set off at 18:30, sharing locks with a group of Scouts from Aberdeen on Cowroast hire-boat Elizabeth of Glamis. We stopped somewhere past Cowroast lock at 20:42, to discover that we'd left the mooring pins behind, so had to improvise. Wendy cooked.

Marsworth

Marsworth reservoirs

Next morning Wendy scrounged a lift, with the chap off William Cobbett, back to Berka to get the mooring spikes, while Ian and I set off at 06:50. At Tring station bridge Wendy & the spikes rejoined us by train. We turned into the Wendover Arm and Ian cooked breakfast, which we ate at Tringford stop lock. We went back to the main line and continued northwards, noticing lots of alfalfa & scabious down Marsworth flight. Anglers too. At lunchtime we stopped at the Ship Stores, Marsworth, where Ian & I went to the Red Lion while Wendy loafed. In the afternoon we continued in company with small efficient cruiser Trekka, stopped briefly at Leighton Buzzard wharf and arrived at The Globe, Linslade, at 19:24, where we moored to a nearby field, watched by potentially piratical slugs. I cooked dinner, eaten on deck before a thunderstorm.

On Sunday the others loafed for a long time while I investigated a water-pump problem. The spiders & the radio agreed about the weather. Below Soulbury top lock we took on water and Wendy started cooking lunch which we ate at a mooring below the locks, where the log records "Scrapers' twitch all day!" Our cabin roof was canvas-covered Masonite with many layers of paint of all colours which was flaking off, so we were trying to strip off all the old paint in preparation for repainting it and, hopefully, acquiring a waterproof roof. Wendy did dinner.

Monday started with an outdoor breakfast & more scraper's twitch, before we set off at 08:47 seeing several heron. We used Leighton Buzzard sani station, then came back to leave the boat at 11:55 at Wyvern Shipping, Linslade, where one of the Griffin family (owners of the yard) advised us to live with the water-pump problem until the pump needed taking out for some other reason.