Newbies maiden voyage.

[Guest]

This will have a lot of small, and often silly, detail, more than your cruise reports usually have, but this is a maiden voyage of two “newbies” and I think the little things are what other newbies will be interested in.

You don’t feel quite so daft when you realise that someone else has done it as well.

 

The boat is Dorothea, (soon to be renamed Odran) a 30’ Sea Otter. Neither of us have ever been boaters before but we’ve both done the I.W.H.C. last year (two days).

Crew duties are; Jan – steerer, me (Peter) – Locks & ropes.

Experience to date – two trips as far as Acton Trussell & back, 5 locks with an overnight on the towpath.

 

Day 1 - April 22nd

The plan was: from our marina at Penkridge on the Staffs & Worcs. to Great Heywood, Trent & Mersey to Fradley Junction, Coventry to Fazeley Junction then on up as far as Atherstone, turning for home just before the Atherstone locks. The trip was planned to be as lock free as possible so as to give Jan an enjoyable introduction to all of this. Until now she had taken a lot on trust, and I didn’t want her first impressions to be one long series of locks, especially with our lack of experience.

We left the marina late morning, weather bright and enough wind to make the exit tricky. We managed it by allowing the wind to turn us into the exit channel – lessons learned from the two previous attempts last year.

We stopped at the chandlers at Penkridge to replace the mooring hook I’d lost last time, but I only bought one. Bad decision as I was to find out later.

Further up we came across something large floating ahead of us – Jan was steering and I went to the bow and hooked it. It turned out to be a child’s “teddy bear romper suit”, thick and heavy. I decided I should deposit it as far away from the bank as possible otherwise it would just be thrown back in, so I held it close to the side (it was too heavy to lift out) and told Jan to take us in to the bank. When we came alongside I stepped off and got rid of it beyond the hedge.

Panic! Jan hadn’t realised that I was getting off, she was only expecting me to dump it on the towpath and stay on board. With Jan doing a great job with rudder and throttle to avoid leaving me behind, I made it back, just! We decided that our normal poor communication was going to have to improve if we were to avoid costly mistakes.

As we passed Acton Trussell – our furthest point until now - we gave each other a quiet smile; “Here be dragons!”

We decided to stop at Tixall Wide to enjoy the scenery that we’d heard so much about, but didn’t take the wind into account. It blew the bow off the bank before we could get ashore with a rope. We’d said no to an offer by a moored boater to “take a line” without realising why – they were all helping each other in the wind. We did a big turn and tried again, this time accepting the offer of help, and came alongside ok.

Standing on the bank with the centre line, I realised that I didn’t have anything to tie it to! Even if I’d remembered a mooring hook, we only had two, so if I secured the centre line we would only have one remaining hook for both main mooring lines! The end result of the ensuing comedy of errors was that we lost one of our two hooks in the cut and were rescued by the friendly boater with a magnet & line. He held the centre line and I secured the main mooring lines.

We had a cuppa and a breather before moving on – we wont forget Tixall Wide in a hurry!

Through Great Heywood Junction and onto the Trent & Mersey, we decided we would moor just beyond Wolseley Bridge for our overnight stop. Last mistake of the day, I did the classic, having secured the centre line I reached for the bow line from the bank instead of stepping onto the boat. There I was, feet on the bank, hands on the boat and the boat moving away from the bank! I heaved myself back onto the bank just in time with Jan collapsing with laughter. I must have looked like something out of a Buster Keaton movie.

Dinner on board was very enjoyable, which, considering all that had gone before, was no small thing.

 

Day 2

Next morning we cast off and got under way without any problems – we seemed to be quite good at that bit of it.

Rugeley was our first experience of Urban cruising and we found it interesting and not at all unpleasant. (seeing peoples back gardens instead of their front doors.) Beyond Rugeley is the Armitage cutting, which I’d read about at home and Jan had seen while browsing Nicholsons the previous day, but we’d both forgotten about it and we were too far into it to stop before we realised where we were. We gave a single long horn blast warning and crossed our fingers. We were lucky, nothing was coming the other way. As we emerged at the other end there was a boat waiting – I asked if he’d heard my horn and he said he had and thanked me for it with a smile (little did he know!)

First lesson of the day – read the navigation notes.

 

At Wood End lock on Bridge 53, just before Fradley Junction, I had a helper. A lady from a boat coming the other way arrived as Jan was moving into the lock (going up). The lady waited by the top gates as I finished closing the bottom gates and we exchanged smiles and hellos as I walked up to the top. She was very pleasant and gently pointed out that I’d left the paddles up on the bottom gates.

Second lesson of the day - people distract you and that’s when you make mistakes.)

I sheepishly closed them and between us we worked the top paddles, filled the lock and opened the gates. Jan brought the boat through and I smiled and said thanks to my helper, leaving the gates open for her. As I made to leave, she reminded me to close my paddle!

At Shadehouse Lock, the first of the two going into Fradley Junction, there was a young family with two small boys and Mum & Dad were explaining what was happening. Mum was trying to encourage the eldest boy (12ish) to help, so I joined in and got him to help me with the gates, watching so he didn’t trip and fall in the lock and getting him to push with his back. All very useful because I managed to work the lock properly as well as deal with the onlookers.

Through all the boats at Fradley, some of them breasted-up so it was a squeeze, and turned into the Coventry through our first swing bridge. We moored for the night, managing to do it quite professionally this time. (I suppose it’s all relative!) While using the showers, and attending to the trash and Elsan, I added to our stock of mooring hooks and stakes at the BW shop. We had a good dinner on board and an enjoyable walk before bedding down. We’d enjoyed our day and were still learning lessons.

 

Day 3

In the morning we filled up with water and realised that we’d moored on a water point. The previous evening the moorings had been almost empty so we hadn’t noticed, but by morning others had arrived and now two ladies from a boat further down were waiting for the point. They didn’t know we’d been moored there, they thought we were just watering, so we chatted while we finished watering. They intended to “hold” the point while their men folk moved their boat up, after we moved off.

Jan was still below so I slipped the moorings and took her out while maintaining conversation with the two ladies – another opportunity to practice the distraction thing. Managed it without any problems. Possibly getting better at this.

After a long, quiet cruise to Hopwas we attempted to moor behind another boat but were again defeated by the wind. This time we didn’t know it was blowing – we’d been sheltered as we approached and the wind was coming through a gap which we moved into and the bow was out and away before we knew what was happening. Foolishly, I attempted to reverse back into the lee in order to try again, but the wind just blew us across to the other side, where there was a little white day boat moored. With our bow pointed at the other boat we couldn’t just go forward so much shuffling with fwd and reverse was needed before we could move further down the moorings. All this in front of all the people enjoying the sun on a Sunday morning!

We moored correctly further down. This wind thing is going to need practice.

After a long, late, afternoon lunch in the Red Lion we enjoyed the weather in the pleasant village surroundings before moving further out to moor overnight, just before Dunstall Bridge. When we got there, we had to pull alongside with the wind blowing us off the bank (again!). This time we did it properly but at the last minute we realised that there were no pilings and our spikes and mallet were in a front locker. I went ashore with the centre line and Jan threw them to me and stayed on the boat, we knew not to risk losing the boat to the wind with no-one on board.

Over another good dinner on board we decided that things were beginning to feel better. We were improving and had managed the wind this evening when we moored.

Day 4

Away at 10am towards Fazeley Junction where the Coventry joins the Fazeley & Birmingham. We would be continuing along the Coventry but needed to shop at Fazeley. I needed to stop at the BW office and as there was a boat already at their mooring we tied up on the other side of Peels Wharf to wait. When it moved off, we moved onto the mooring, so that was twice we’d come alongside and moored, without getting it wrong.

We moved on further, past the junction itself and moored again to go shopping. (We decided that we were getting good at this mooring lark at last.) Went shopping at Fazeley, over the Watling Street Bridge, Tesco Express, just the job. We moved on through the Glascote Locks and moored again for me to go to Hudson’s Boatyard, but there was no pedestrian access from the canal into the yard. All I needed was a 10amp fuse so I got some at a garage just off the bridge – so much for Hudson’s Boatyard.

All this had taken up most of the day such that if we had continued with our plan, we would have been mooring either within the urban area of Polesworth, which we didn’t know, or on the final stretch up to the Atherstone Locks which would be alongside the railway line. We didn’t like either option so decided to turn at the Hodge Lane winding hole, just before Alvecote and overnight back at Hopwas. Being only 30’ turning is never a problem and we had a pleasant trip back through the junction and on to Hopwas. We had no problems when we came alongside at the locks at Glascote and also when we got to Hopwas. We began to feel that we’d got the technique at last.

Dinner on the boat, feeling much better about ourselves – I even went for a couple of pints before settling down for the night.

Day 5

We had a lazy morning with a late start and enjoyed the quiet and peaceful cruise through the countryside back along the Coventry. We stopped at Streethay for Elsan, water and rubbish and moored at Fradley for an afternoon lunch. I made use of the shower facilities and at the BW shop I replaced one of the mooring stakes I’d bought on the way down, then, as the day was drawing in we went for a walk through the wildlife area and decided to overnight where we were, at Fradley.

 

Day 6

In the morning quite a strong wind came up just as we were starting off.

Jan worked the swing bridge and then walked round to the shop, catching me up at the first lock. I took the boat through the junction and up to the first lock and tied her up, managing fine despite the wind. Things are a lot better.

We joined a queue at Wood End Lock, bridge 53, because a boat had jammed going into the lock. It transpired that a piece of sawn-off tree trunk had jammed between the open gate and the gate recess, sticking out into the lock, just under the surface. When the boat hit it, she was jammed solid in the lock entrance. It was nearly an hour before the combined efforts of BW and two boaters freed the log, with a 10’ length of 2½” pipe and a sledgehammer.

On to Rugeley - fully aware of the Armitage Cutting this time – and approaching Rugeley we had our first experience of a total downpour, full waterproofs needed. Did some shopping in Rugeley between the heavy showers. Nicholsons is very dismissive about Rugeley but we thought it was very nice, the people are very friendly and it has a nice atmosphere. There is a good Morrisons Supermarket there. (Bridge 66).

After our shopping trip we moved on to moor again at Wolseley Bridge for our overnight stop. We seem to be handling the boat without so many problems now, so things are looking up.

Day 7

I did my solo act again in the morning, cast off, got underway and took us up to Colwich Lock, alongside and tied up all without any problems. The learning curve seems to have flattened out. After the lock the weather worsened, with strong winds and heavy rain and it stayed that way until well down the Staffs & Worcs.

At Baswick Bridge (100) we coped well mooring in the wind and Jan produced a terrific brunch of all the eggs bacon & mushrooms that we needed to use up before going home.

We (I) had one final lesson to learn, it’s called “complacency.”

Everything was going well now even though the weather was atrocious, our teamwork was good and the techniques were working. At Deptmore Lock I’d opened the gates and Jan was bringing her in nicely, when I noticed the old lady sitting in the window of the old dilapidated cottage there - I’d thought it was deserted, it’s miles from anywhere.

I got caught daydreaming and the boat was in and the gates needed to be shut, so I had to scurry about to catch up. After we’d waited for about 5 minutes we both decided the lock was taking an unusually long time to fill – I’d left both the bottom gate paddles up!

Thank goodness there was no-one else around, I never checked to see if the old lady was laughing.

At Longford Lock the side wash swept us over on the way into the lock.

At Cross Keys Bridge (83A) kids tried to spit on us as we passed underneath and were defeated by the wind. They ended up spitting on themselves. Ha! The wind’s not so bad after all.

We had to go past our marina entrance in order to fill up with fuel, which meant that we then had to turn round in a normal width canal, we had about 12” to play with but managed it fine. The prop stays clear as the depth is good at the fuel mooring point.

One last problem was that we had to cope with the wind in the marina while we got ourselves alongside our pontoon – manoeuvring in the wind, in the marina, is our personal nightmare. Suffice to say we came alongside, berthed and tied up without anything going wrong at all.

To misquote Dr. Doolittle in Pygmalion, “I think we’ve got it – by Heavens I think we’ve got it!”

We’d done 75 miles and 24 locks and our Learning Curve had gone from vertical at the start to something more normal at the end.

The engine hours told us we’d averaged 5½ hours per day.

 

Postscript: About 8 or 9 days after we got back home Jan said “I’m really looking forward to going out on the boat again - lets have a look at the calendar”

Edited May 17, 2005 by Guest

[Amicus]

Wunnerful!

[nichimyo]

oh excellent! I'll buy you a pint in the virtual pub next time we're in...

[Bernie]

Sounds like a wonderful first cruise, so glad you enjoyed it and the 'mistakes' you have admitted to we have all made in the past, and still do occasionally.

[Golden Duck]

We all make mistakes. Sometimes its through lack of experience but they can often be caused by a momentary loss of concentration.

 

We've all been there and we never stop learning. Its even more difficult when you have a group of children onboard who want to ask you questions as you are steering and trying to negotiate a tricky bit with a 11'2" beam !

 

We also have our interesting moments from time to time.

 

We came up to a lock yesterday and found a BW maintenance boat moored on the lock mooring. We couldn't get the Duck alongside the mooring, so we moored abeam the BW boat. It turned out that the BW man was painting the white part of the balance beams at the lock. As we passed him, he told us to mind out for the white bits as the paint was still wet.

 

Try supervising blind children who want to help with the locks but have been told to mind out for the white bits. We didn't have the heart to exclude them from getting involved, so we were trying to tell them which part of the beam they could touch and which they couldn't. That was an exercise in communication in itself !!!

Luckily, we all emerged unscathed.

 

Barry

[Alan Saunders]

Thanks for that Wyman, I enjoyed every word. Its very courageous of you to admit your mistakes. We have got it wrong sometime but few of us will admit to it!

 

You seem somewhat concerned with the wind - having a boat similar in size to yours I know that the wind can be your friend as well as your enemy. When I sailed a dinghy it had a pennant at the masthead to indicate the relative wind direction; I have 6" of wool tied to the top of the radio ariel on my narrowboat for the same purpose.

 

I know its a different thread but you are a true (real) boater - determined to learn from experience, willing to listen to others and certain that you will never know it all.

 

Me too - Alan

[Yamanx]

I saw so much to recognise in that description.

 

Well done and have a good trip next time. You will!

[Curly]

Wyeman

I think everyone will agree, you learn an awful lot in your first few trips! To reduce the chance of loosing mooring hooks in the cut I find it helps to thread the hook on to the rope before you put the hook on to the piling.

[stuart]

Glad you had a lovely trip.

 

The wind can really catch you out and definately sorts out the men from the boys!

 

As a newish boater myself it does take a lot of practise - I'm still learning!

[Guest]

Well now! The best bit is that so many of you wanted to come on here and make a supportive comment. Thank you, all of you.

And Curly, OCM edited my original version which had a comment at the end of the first day "Lesson one - put the rope thro the ring, before you put the hook near the water". I never said who dropped the hook - so I wont say why OCM edited the item

[Guest]

I have 6" of wool tied to the top of the radio ariel

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Alan

Like it! I'll do the same.

I'm seriously considering asking my marina if I can erect a small mast at the footbridge over the entry channel, so as to hang a little windsock there. It's pretty open at Otherton and therefore always windy. All the boats have difficulty. Do all marinas have narrow exit channels? Ours is about 8' and our first ever attempt to get out was a total disaster. We ended up back on our pontoon, the wrong way round!

We can at least get in and out properley now.

 

Peter

[Guest]

Try supervising blind children who want to help with the locks but have been told to mind out for the white bits ........  an exercise in communication in itself !!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Barry.

I'm impressed. I worked most of my life for a large international company and attended many courses on communication - upwards, downwards, peer group and one-to-one (Transactional Analysis !?). Spent an afternoon once, at a residential course, in pairs, one blindfolded, the other only allowed to speak, not help.

Dinner was chaotic! We certainly learned a lot about communication and also training.

But - "... supervising blind children who want to help with the locks but have been told to mind out for the white bits ..." that takes the biscuit!

I doff my hat to you.

 

Peter

[bottle]

Wyeman

 

Enjoyed your report could not stop laughing, not at you but with you, I have been there and done all that.

 

I remember one time we were aproaching a lock and the wind was not exceptional so put crew member ashore and I waited with boat.

Lock set, moved forward but just a few feet short and the the wind gusted, thats it lost all control and was blown sideways into the turning point (large one).

Ended up broadside in the turning point, bow and stern in mud, partner unable to help to far away to throw rope. I can look back now and laugh but at the time I invented new 'Anglo-Saxon' words for wind.

[DHutch]

Its very courageous of you to admit your mistakes. We have all got it wrong sometime but few of us will admit to it!

Yeah, that very true. Also long as your mistakes done do too much damage, and dont end up with anyone dead!

 

Ive been helming EmilyAnne since i was about 8, but i still make loads of mistakes!

- One of the worst mistakes thats every been made was when my grandads crusing friend took half the wheel house off on a low bridge

- I also once hit a boat when we met under a bridge (on a bend, after i had whisled, when we had no reverse, Doh!)

 

 

Daniel

[kawaton]

i remember getting caught on the cill of a lock, panicked, and sent the boat forward as fast as i could. this resulted in the rudder being ripped off.

Being half way through the hols, and obviously needing to get back to base, a swift trip to the nearest boat yard was called for.

i lost 4 hours (needed drydock), and £100. in hindsight, thats bloody quick, and cheap.

But i still learned fast.

 

Just take a look at most cills to see i'm not the only one to get caught. (just the only one to act in such an odd way?)

 

You dont really know how your gonna handle it, until it happens.

 

some peoples mistakes are just more costlier than others. and sometimes its not you who pays for it, so remember that when paying fees.

and bite your tongue when your boat takes a bit of a bashing from a novice

Edited May 18, 2005 by kawaton

[DHutch]

i remember getting caught on the cill of a lock, panicked, and sent the boat forward as fast as i could.  this resulted in the rudder being ripped off.

Doh! - We managed to bend our prop on a mud bank once, our mooring had silted up around us again (it was just after a lock) and in geting off we stuck the stern into the opposite bank!

- I've also knocked the stearing lines of the pulleys more than once now, and as is the way, it alway happens when your trying to do somthing aquward, you hit the rudders end stops, and ping, no stearage!

Edited May 18, 2005 by dhutch