Never a dull moment

HI Everybody,

It's been a while since I wrote and you'll find out why as you read the blog, it's been errrrmmm an experience.

We left you at Ludddington on the Avon, the next day we headed for Stratford and our last river lock.

That raised us to Stratford, passing the church where Shakespeare is buried.

Then back onto the canals, gongoozlers weren't in short supply.

Which let us into the canal basin, It was very very busy.

Though we did manage to find a mooring at the foot of Bill's statue.

We went ashore for supplies and picked up a crew member who had shown promise on an earlier visit. The girls then shopped until they dropped, even I got swept up in the buying frenzy. We all left Stratford with a new pair of sandals each. That evening we sat on the stern watching the boats and people go by. Then a big old swan swam by, right up to the lock gates and waited there. Jokingly we said he was waiting for somebody to open the lock for him. Then five minutes later the restaurant boat got ready to leave, they opened the gates, in he swam. The boat followed him in and down they went together!! Apparently he does this every night.

Friday morning arrived bright and pleasant and off we set. That was our first mistake. Round the corner and joined the queue for the locks. Eventually it was our turn, we briefed our new crew member on lock operation, we'd somehow for got to mention to her the 34 locks on the section she had joined us on?????

Great we thought, here we go! until we got to the next lock and BW were working on it, so we had to wait again. After that things picked up and we worked our way through the 14 remaining locks with little incident. though number 9 was a bit tight but we managed to barge our way in. Until we got to the last lock that is, then it all went very wrong. A fender dropped over the side unseen and wedged us in good and tight!







Two hours later, with one boat pulling, our engine full astern, the upper paddles open draining the canal above us into the chamber, two teams pulling ropes and a gang on the roof rocking the boat, cutting the fender free, hammering it down the side of the boat using a mooring spike. We were free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Thinking things couldn't possibly get any worse than that we headed on our way. 3/4 of a mile further on the engine make and ominous crunching, grinding, expensive noise and lost propulsion. BUGGER! we drifted gracefully to the bank.



The engine worked, the propeller was free, the gearbox seemed to be OK. Just not connected to each other?

All the boats that had been stuck behind us in the locks started to come by, they were all very helpful and we got a few numbers for mechanics. All of the mechanics said the same thing " the drive plate has gone" but none of them could get to us for at least a week. So I broke out the spanners and got stuck in. Luckily we had the good fortune to breakdown in a lovely little spot, right next to a railway station. Our crew member was able to get home easily enough the next morning.

Using some of my best swearing and several hours of contortions I had the offending article out. The drive plate lives where the clutch would been in a car.

As luck would have it Mum & Dad D were on their way home from London so came and rescued us and gave us a lift back home.

The boat was going nowhere and was safe so we made the most of our time.

On the Monday we got the bike out and went in search of replacement parts, after 8 weeks at four miles an hour the bike was a little overwhelming, but fun. Successful too, we scored an uprated replacement drive plate. Then we called by at Red Rock just for a look see. Funny being at your home mooring when your boat is a hundred miles away. Our next stop was to look at a wide beam boat.

On the Tuesday we got some new nuts and bolts and electrical connectors ready for the rebuild and the captain had a pampering session.

On Wednesday we went back to the wide beam for another look and a quick sail in her, after a little time to think about it we agreed to buy her. Collecting her mid July. Watch this space. Then we went along to our junior ratings sports day, celebrating his 3 medals with ice cream.

On Thursday Mum & Dad D ran us back down to the boat, happily they wanted to have a look around Stratford. We got back early afternoon and set about rebuilding.

Scarily it all went back together pretty easily.

Today while Mum & Dad D went for their day in Stratford we took Maya out for sea trials. We are pleased to report that not only did it fix the problem it has improved the boat beyond belief.


THE MEANDERINGS CAN CONTINUE.

The end is neigh

Three miles short of Stratford and the end of the Avon tomorrow.

Yesterday we left our over night mooring at Harvington, four miles up stream we stopped at Bidford for supplies. Then made it another half mile to the next lock. Decided it was just damned hot and called it a day.

We set off earlier today to get somewhere before the heat of the afternoon. Cruising the rivers is beautiful and good for the soul, but, not very interesting. You have the river, trees and fields. That's about your lot apart from the occasional bridge and locks.

This could be anywhere along the Avon.

The locks add a bit of drama they go from benign to ferocious at the winding of a gate paddle.




We have moored up for the night at Luddington, Shakespeare was married here. It's a beautiful spot.



After lunch we crossed the lock bridge.



To do a spot of extreme paddling.






Before going home to Maya for a sausage buttie tea.

Longest day

The longest day of the year and a beautiful summers day on a lazy river.

Not a lot happened really, just peace and relaxation and the English countryside slipping by.



We got near to Evesham and found a free pump out for the loo, well it was right next to the sewage works. Then we sent the tow path rover ashore and went into Evesham to stock up on provisions, we'll be blown if we can find a supermarket there so we left again with a harrumph. To Evesham lock where a gaggle of Italians in venetian rowing boats passed by.



It seems that with every lock on the Avon there is a weir and with every weir there is a mill. This is typical of the ones we've seen.



Tomorrows mission is to find supplies or we'll have to eat the ships cat, if we had one.

Peaceful moorings

Yesterday after I posted the blog it was time to BBQ while we watched the setting sun.

It was a lovely warm, still evening. Owls were calling and bats wheeled overhead. We had some sky lanterns left over from the wedding so we set them free.

It was so still the first one went straight up, burnt out and came back down to earth about 5o feet away. We went and retrieved it. The second went even higher and caught a bit of a breeze and sailed so far we lost sight of it.

We had a lazy morning enjoying the seclusion before setting off and avoiding some more ancient monuments.

We came to Wyre lock. Home of Wrye Piddle beer, and the most unusual lock I've ever seen. Apparently built like this to combat lateral ground thrust.

Then we moored for the day on an island in the middle of the river.



Tomorrow we are looking forward to passing tiddle widdle island, I kid you not. Further upstream we pass sausage island.

Avon calling !

Another day another river. The Avon is much smaller than the Severn and a lot slower. So progress up it is much easier, more relaxing.

The captain's T'shirt summed up the day nicely.

Then we approached our first lock, signalled by a weir.

We then found out why the guide books said to tie off the boat fore and aft.

River locks are much more violent than canal locks. The water is literally being forced in.

After avoiding ancient scheduled monuments we moored up for the evening and awaited our Kiwi guest.

This morning we took our new crew member on a short cruise up the Avon.It really lived up to our blog's title. It meanders spectacularly, this is one old lazy river.

Arriving at a lock our guest was a little bemused as to why you should need a lock on a river, why not just sail up it?

You need the weirs to maintain a navigable water level, otherwise the water would just run away. So you need locks to get up the different levels, plus narrow boats don't shoot rapids too well.




Carrying on a little further up stream before having a brew at a lovely secluded mooring and making the return journey back to her car.

We then headed back up stream to the mooring.






Heavenly.

Back tracking north

We left Sharpness early yesterday morning and headed back north to Gloucester.

We knew we were getting close when we passed under the biggest swing bridge I've ever seen!



To spend another night in Gloucester docks, much quieter this time. What with it being mid week and no football matches being shown at the pub.



We sat on the wharf and watched the sun go down while the sea cadets paddled themselves round in ever decreasing circles.

Then this morning we set off passing through Gloucester lock and back onto the Severn. With the captain at the helm we headed into the current. Not as bad as we had feared it would be, didn't slow us down too much.



Then I took the helm and found something else to obsess over, a straight wake!



Next came the Avon, well after the lock keeper came off his lunch and let us in.



We've moored up in sight of Tewkesbury Cathedral. Ready to press on tomorrow where we are to collect a very special guest who is on a fact finding mission from New Zealand

End of the line

Well we can go no further on this canal, we've reached the sea ! off in the distance were the two Severn crossings.

We still haven't seen a working boat despite all the warnings in the guide book, but as we got closer to the sea the boats we did see got bigger!

We stopped just short of Sharpness as it still has working docks, but there is little else here just a great view over the Severn estuary to Wales.

.

So we mounted our trusty steeds and went to find the very end of the canal.



One very orange jacket saw it's first public outing too.

The canal terminates at a tidal basin with what would have been a huge set of lock gates out to the sea. They have been blocked up now and we weren't about to venture any further. Apparently the Severn has the third highest tidal range in the world. Not narrow boat friendly.

Though the railways tried it.



Until a ship wiped it out one foggy night. The bridge is long gone, but the ship that did the damage can still be seen at low water. As too can the remains of the railway swing bridge where it passed over the canal.




Tomorrow we turn around and start heading back up stream to the Avon.