Boatmove / Rumpus Fun Cruise May

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The Tuesday Night Club on Tour

Tour 2001

Boatmove / Rumpus Fun Cruise May / June

2- Blisworth to Birmingham. Grand Union Canal, Northern Stratford Canal, Worcester and Birmingham Canal, BCN. - Including New Main Line to Bromford Junction, Spon Lane Locks to Spon Lane Junction and Back to Cambrian Basin.

Sunday 27th May 2001

07.50 start. 08.10 pass Gayton Junction. 09.15 pass the venerable Peckett Springer - Badger at The Wharf, Bugbrooke - no sign of life - but then it was a bit early!!! (Millar Marine, Stow Hill, diesel 29p/L) Shared Buckby Flight with Seronella (I'm afraid the Commode D' Or kept thinking it was called Salmonella!) tidy 52ft Stenson Semi - Trad - Beta 1505 / prop shaft noise sounded just like Earnest's! Co owner was a still sprightly but disabled bloke.
Caught up with another boat for last two locks - Papillion. Neil clocked by John Bennett - having drink in New Inn. Next spotted John's boat, Jake B, by Stokie No1 coal / diesel working nb. John Chard aboard - also spotted Neil. Neil now thinks he is becoming infamous, or is it that all newsgroupies boat around Braunston? Out of Buckby Top at 13.40. Slow trip through Braunston Tunnel as caught up two boats and passed three going the other way still did not touch side.
Did Braunston Flight with young lads on dads boat Frenchlands - 15.05 - 15.45. Passed Braunston Turn at 16.00 and headed up N. Oxford for the quieter 14 day VM. A few still free and moored up at 16.00. Went up to The Plough for meal and pint. Over this Neil decided that we had too much time to go to Trent Lock via N. Oxford / Coventry / T&M, so left Linda and Wendy in pub, while Neil + Peter reversed back to Braunston Turn and headed up GU / Oxford joint bit - destination Birmingham! Stopped at the "Pink Floyd" moorings, just before Bridge No98. This detour took between 20.30 and 21.00. Linda and Wendy eventually caught up, by which time Peter had taken the dogs for a long walk. Straight to bed!

Monday 28th May 2001

Neil shoved off on his own at 05.55 from the Bridge 98 moorings. Turned right at Napton Junction at 07.10 and spotted a very shinny nb Merchant (the Kenway's) in it's new colour scheme a bit different from when Neil last saw it in it's shabby brown! At 7.20 Linda appeared for the Calcutt Locks. No one about.
08.30 into Stockton Top Lock and out Stockton Bottom at 09.30. Out of Radford Bottom Lock at 13.10 and had a very crap infested run through the Leamington Sump Pound. This includes a carpet removal stop! Stop in Leamington at Bridge 43 for Sainsbury's. Went to the unexpected Currys for mobile replacement (Neil had left mobile in his car!), greeted with normal incompetence so went straight to Sainsbury's! Came out with yet another small Ericsssssonnnnnn - and a free CD, after similar incompetence (still had one of last weeks promotion boards up!) Went for a one - 2 - one prepaid fone as coverage will be different from our normal Vodafone. Fairly easy to set up, but battery refuses to take charge! . . just as well I have back up old Ericsssonnn mega jobby (not so likely to loose this!)
Eventually arrive at Cape Locks at 15.45. Through Cape by 15.55, with the object of catching up a known single boat, for the trip up Hatton. Started Hatton Flight at 16.10 and caught up boat - Rose hire boat Buccaneer, with which we shared Fosse locks with. Not terribly coordinated assault on Hatton. Neil managed a bit of synchronised exit / entrance to locks at the top.
Uninspiring time of 2 hours 15 minutes to get up. Moored at top after long water / shower stop. Dinner in The Boatman pub, noted for it's particularly sticky tables (had to put down paper napkins!) - this pub has only been bettered in the sticky table stakes by the Black Boy pub at Bridge 69, GU! OK steaks all round. Yet another hot and sunny day, but cooled down quickly in evening.

Tuesday 29th May 2001

Very clear cloudless morning, but a bit fresh, soon warmed up though! Neil left Hatton at 06.35. Passed all the boats we knew were about, including Buccaneer. No one about. North portal of Shrewley Tunnel was particularly luxuriant, due to the large amount of water about.
Rowington Cutting was a bit bumpy due to the amount of clay / silt washed down and also the trees that had fallen - now all removed. Arrived at Kingswood Junction at 08.05 and went through link to Stratford. Followed nb Tansy up first of Lapworth Flight, but he gave up at Lk 14, for a dog walking stop. After meeting a few boats coming down, had free run up Lapworth, arriving at top lock at 10.25.
Dave Green's nb Willy No Name spotted at home on Goldsborough moorings. From here on we caught up with the exodus from Brum, strangely arriving in a wave! This was because Shirley Draw Bridge (now all BW key operated - with narrow deflector channels each side) was poorly and the boys in green had to operate it (09.30 to 10.30, 12.30 to 13.30 and 16.30 to 17.30) we passed through at 12.45, so bloody lucky there!
Increasing amount of crap in N. Stratford, definite tickover through bridge holes. In narrows above Shirley Draw Bridge we spotted nb Streamline. Neil was down the weed hatch at the time, doing a TNC moving crap disposal routine. After yet another carpet removal stop, we passed out of the guillotine lock and round the sharp turn at Kings Norton Junction.
We watched for a full five minutes a 65ftish UCC hireboat eventually ground it's way round. This then slow boat was dispatched quite soon afterwards. Much crap of the hard variety in bridge holes, much complaining of Tesco trolleys underneath!

AND NOW THE TRUTH CAN BE TOLD.....
The Commode D' Or's secret Brum agenda...
To do the bits of BCN denied last year!
This cost the Commode D' Or dearly - the WWW is still livid! - even a night
out in the Café Rogue did not suffice!!!???

Continuation..

16.10 arrived 10 minutes late from schedule at Worcester Bar, Brum. The WWW and Junior WWW wanted to go to Sea Life Centre ..but why??? Neil and Peter, the Junior Commode D' Or had other ideas, but had to be back by 19.00..could it be done??? Spon Lane Junction and back??? After a near aborted start (did the Icknield Port Loop - 16.30 to 16.45, decided to go for it. Pass Smethwick Junction at 17.10 (only access to Engine Arm (aqueduct U/S due to painting - scaffolding all over top?), due to M5 works)
Arrive at Bromford Junction at 17.50 and commence VERY stoggy 270 degree turn. Narrowly miss 65ft Viking hire boat who is coming out of Spon Lane Bottom Lock! (Spon Lane Locks just access to Oldbury Boat Services and Titford Canal, due to M5 works) Straight into lock. Arrive at top of Spon Lane Locks - Spon Lane Junction at 18.15, after wind . The whole point of this exercise was that Spon Lane Locks closed due to yob burnt gate last year, during IWA Silver do all BCN Award.
Arrive back at Bromford Junction at 18.35 and then achieve speeds of 5.7 mph, on GPS to arrive back at the end of St Vincent St 14 VM at 19.45 and fuming WWW. Decide to move on as yobs throwing half bricks the other side of bridge. Passing boater said that moorings still available in Cambrian Wharf area. Eventually moor up on the officially disabled moorings at20.00 - bu**er, Neil forgot Orange Badge!!!
Eventful, only in Wendy spilling Coke over Neil, meal in Café Rogue. WWW somewhat cooled down, but expects early morning assault on Oozells St Loop (drained last year) to complete all BCN, within the year (I know IWA left us off doing closed bits, but that is not the point!) So 07.00ish start for Neil tomorrow (show off a lot of reversing!) and probably have to do Farmers Bridge 13 on his own (well he can think of a worse penance!)