Boating from home to home

28th & 29th September

On a misty morning yesterday we set off at half eight for Great Haywood or points south of there.

Aston, Sandon, Weston and Hoo Mill locks went by, Sheila steering and I working the locks. We crossed with other boats at all of them, and had to queue at a couple. The cut is quite busy at this time of year. It always used to be our favourite slot – the schools are back, there's a good chance of fine weather and there's still enough daylight for a decent cruise each day.

In this context, it's noteworthy that Stone Canal Cruising had had all their boats out last week, and had them all booked out for the next two as well, including one hire of six weeks.

The weather was in fact quite damp yesterday, so I spent the time between locks down below, reading and surfing the net, as you do. It's a hard life, being retired!

The other thing that struck me as we went along was the way in which the canal system falls into chunks in my mind. Coming through Harecastle means that you feel in a very different part of the world to the canals of Cheshire to the north, and similarly, though with less reason, passing Great Haywood has the same effect.

There are two areas that feel like home to me now, the one that we've just left around Poynton where Sanity was born, and the one round Alrewas to which we're headed, because Elanor lives near there, and we are back there so regularly for the medical and dental stuff.

We got to Great Haywood just in nice time for lunch, so stopped on the moorings before the water point to eat it. After, we had to hang about for a bit to get onto the service moorings, then watered and started a wash load before setting off again for Wolseley.

Another short wait took us through Colwich Lock, and we tied in our usual spot at Wolseley for the night.

Boats continued to pass to and fro, some stopping near us. One such did so whilst I was in the shower. I first heard a lot of engine revving outside, then a call of "Brace, brace, brace!" from Sheila, shortly followed by a massive clang and lurch as Sanity was struck a glancing blow by the other boat.

By the time I was dried and dressed, it was all over. Sheila came back in having helped the all female and foreign crew of Ophelia, Shakespeare hire boat, tie just behind us.

Complete novices, they'd had a total of twenty minutes instruction from the yard before setting off. First reaction in my mind was to censure the yard for not providing a more thorough training, but then I thought back to 1975 and our first trip.

On that occasion, the instruction consisted of a lecture addressed to all the hirers together, gathered round the stern of the largest boat going out (ours, but that's another story). It covered starting and stopping the engine, how to steer, and good advice to take the right angle turn at the first junction by coming to a stop in the entrance and then putting the helm over and revving up.

We'd also had a guided tour of our boat ("These are the wine glasses; all the hire boats are putting them on this year, so we thought we should as well. This is the toilet bucket, and here's a spade; if you can't find a sanitary station, just push your way through the hedge into a field and dig a hole.")

I guess expectations have risen in lots of ways since those days.

Today we had another relaxed start at half eight, and in less than an hour were in Rugeley. A trip to Wilkinson's and Morrison's was followed by a coffee on board before joining the melée on the cut.

South of Rugeley the canal gets very narrow in places, especially through Armitage, and this makes for exciting boating when it's busy. Today was no exception, though thanks to prudent boating (yes, it was me steering before we have any sarky remarks from certain regular readers, you know who you are) and a good look out from Sheila in the bow, we avoided any actual fender to fender confrontations.

We got to Bridge 55 near Kings Bromley marina in time for a slightly late lunch and a quiet afternoon. The Indian Summer seems to be over, with rain this afternoon, and wind and rain forecast for the next few days. This is hard luck on Sheila, whose turn it is to steer tomorrow. First task will be to go into KB for diesel and a pump out, and it's not the easiest of places to manoeuvre in during a rainstorm.