RCR Rescue

Sorry, no service facilities

finally on our way - in the wrong direction

It was another hot sunny morning. Fortunately we were moored on the shady side of the canal but but Lottie made it clear that she would rather cruise to a grassier toilet. 

At 9.00 the Captain prepared to move off, but when he turned the starter there was no electrical power to the engine. After ferreting around in his engine bay the Captain found the cable connector was broken. 

passing our overnight mooring

While having a cup of tea he debated whether to call RCR (River and Canal Rescue) or deal with it himself.

Eventually he took the cable off and decided to see if the nearby Sherbourne Wharf could make one up. After one false start when he returned for his wallet  the Captain trudged off leaving me to clean the kitchen and Lottie to loll on the sofa.

 entering the Worcester and Birmingham canal

the Worcester bar

His journey was a waste of time as the wharf had a modest chandlery and no longer had any service facilities. Plan B (which should have been plan A) involved a simple call to RCR. They helpfully booked him an engineer but it could be a while before he arrived.

interesting modern architecture

At eleven the engineer phoned and after finding out what was broken said he would have a new starter cable made up. An hour later he phoned again to say he was in Birmingham. Finally he trudged into sight on the far side of the canal as we finished our lunch.

Thankfully he had no trouble fitting the starter cable so at 1.00 (a delay of four hours) we set out.  We headed past Sherbourne Wharf and turned around before we could head onto the Worcester and Birmingham canal. That's where short cruisers win every time, they can turn whenever they want.  

heading out of Birmingham

rails, towpath and canal

It was a scorching day, over 31 degrees, and we would have preferred to be moored in the shade near the Tardebigge but at least the boat was fixed.

sunshade vital today

We waited for an approaching boat and squeezed through the narrow section beside the Worcester bar. When the Worcester and Birmingham canal was first built it was not allowed to join with the main BCN so goods had to be unloaded at the Worcester bar and reloaded onto barges on the far side which took time and effort.

We cruised out of Birmingham with the railway alongside but the trains passed slowly and were not too noisy. 

I sheltered from the sun under our sunshade until I walked Lottie along the canal. The level was low and she found a way down onto a shelf to cool down in the shallow water.

view from the aqueduct

Lottie walked along this stretch

Cadbury World was the last of the buildings. shortly after that the railway headed away from us. 

As we passed King's Norton Junction we saw the restored guillotine lock with the gates hanging in the air. I wonder how hard it is to hoist them up and whether they have ever fallen down on a boat.

unusual guillotine  lock

Cadbury World

We met a boat in Wast Hill Tunnel but there was no drama or collision. We moored up not far from the tunnel a couple of hours from the top of the Tardebigge flight of locks near shady trees. In spite of the shade it was still hot at 7.00. this is already the hottest cruise we have ever done.

our overnight mooring

Underground Boating

Heron drying in the sun

under buildings...

...and alongside the elevated M 6

It was a bright sunny morning so the Captain set off at 8.00 to try and beat the heat though the other boat beat him to it by half an hour. However it re-moored before the first Minworth lock. A couple of Indian gentlemen watched us lock up, and asked sensible questions about boats and locking. 

They walked on to the next lock and waited for us to cruise up. This time the Captain worked the lock and chatted to them. As they wandered off over a bridge the boat went aground but I steered it back to the middle of the canal.

“This pound is very low”, the Captain muttered and took the helm from me as if I had deliberately steered into shallow water. 

Salford Junction 

He made it to the jaws of the lock making me jump onto the narrow shelf by the gates. I opened the gates but the boat bottomed out in the mud and stopped. The Captain jumped over to the shelf and pulled the boat through by hand. Without his weight it just floated over the mud and slid into the lock chamber.

“Didn’t realise I had put on that much weight,” the Captain muttered. 

We had to empty the lock after we left as water from the lock was seeping into the neighbouring lock cottage. Two ruined sofas stood outside but I wondered how the lock water could have done such damage. Perhaps the cottage had a basement as it stood backing onto a steep hill. However it happened soggy furniture is no laughing matter.

Lottie up on the lock side

We had an easy cruise round to Salford Junction bemused by the vast row of car sales and service buildings. As we eased along the canal a heron was drying his wings only feet from us. Unusually it stayed put while we cruised by almost within touching distance. After we passed the heron dived in and emerged with a fish speared on its beak.

We got an break from the sun by cruising through the basement of our first building. it was like a tunnel only the roof was held up on the left hand side by pillars, between which we could see outside.

Huge boat mural

At Salford Junction we turned... straight into a boat coming across the aqueduct. What a place to meet our second boat of the day. The Captain backed up and let them pass without hitting anything. 

Within minutes we met a second boat.

“That means all the locks will be set for us,” I said.

“Unless there is someone ahead of us,” the Captain replied.

New development with fake lock waterfall

The  locks were at our level which meant less winding up paddles in the heat. We passed the only mooring on the concrete Aston flight deciding to have lunch between the Aston and Farmers flights giving us just 13 locks in the afternoon heat wave. It was a good decision in one way as we met another boat which reset the leaky locks for us but at several of the locks we were cooked by the blazing sun.

Aston flight 

Fortunately other locks hid in the subterranean basements of the tall buildings. At one several men stopped drinking their beer to admire Lottie. She wouldn’t let them stroke her but I saved the day by explaining that she had been mistreated by her first owner,

“Dreadful!” one man exclaimed. “How could anyone mistreat such a lovely dog.”

“Proper man’s dog,” another chap agreed. 

The only hazard were cyclists who approached too swiftly for us to recapture Lottie. She however was on her best behaviour neither chasing them or getting in their way.

At the junction with the Digbeth branc

 The decision to pass the only mooring on the concrete Aston flight proved to be a mistake. When we tied  up at the visitor moorings on the Digbeth branch we found there was a building site next to the rings. Lunch was not as restful as we had hoped as unseen vehicles roared behind the towering fence.

view of  B T tower from a lock 

into the underworld

staircase to the street

 Lottie was suffering with the heat as she had been unable to dip in the canal as she usually does when she wants to cool down, so I wrapped her in a damp towel. After two hours we turned round and rejoined the main canal into Birmingham.

view back from an underground lock

back outside looking back

Thankfully part of the flight was in the building basements which gave us a break from the sun. Unfortunately a boat had gone up the flight so that all the locks needed emptying before we could ascend. It was hot work but we speeded it up by one person preparing the lock ahead while the driver opened the gate and lowered the paddles.

However we passed a hire boat between locks 5 and 6 whose lock operator had left all the bottom gates open. It was handy for us but it would have been tough if a boat had followed them down. She claimed she had been told we were coming up but admitted she found them ever so hard to open. I guess she didn’t want to close them with so far to go.

nearly at the top

We finally moored within sight of the SEA LIFE CENTRE, but Lottie wasn’t amused by the urban toilet.

Locked Gate

quiet countryside 

working wharf

When Lottie woke me up it was a bright warm morning. I took her out to do her toilet letting the Captain have another hour in bed.

Ogley Junction

Once up the Captain was swift to move off as hot weather had been predicted. We passed quite a few boats but saw none going in our direction. The canal seemed quieter than we remembered apart from the busy Streethay Wharf with the road running alongside. There was lots of space at the moorings, fortunately the breeze prevented us from stifling.

carry me

The tow path was quiet but a man walked a long way with a child on his shoulders.

Coventry Canal meets the Birmingham and Fazeley.

At Ogley junction we passed the unnavigable Lichfield and Hatherton Canal which is undergoing restoration which at this end is used for mooring.

For the first time I spotted a modest stone showing the point where the Coventry Canal became the Birmingham and Fazeley canal

The only noticeable difference between the canals is that the bridges have names instead of numbers and the bridges have arched windows with wooden shutters  in them.

window in bridge

I had often wondered what the windows were for but the Captain noticed stop planks stored in the rectangular cavity beyond an open window.

floral mooring

Peel wharf

Straight ahead for Birmingham

Drayton Manor footbridge

After the redeveloped Peel Wharf we turned towards Birmingham and moored within sight of the junction. We stayed there until the shade from the overhanging trees vanished.

The afternoon was hot and cloudless as we moved off. The Captain stopped for water at Bodymore Heath Bridge so I took a shower while he was filling as I use a lot of water when washing my hair.

He was coiling his hose when a couple with a child in a push chair approached anxiously. They had ignored the private parking sign and parked to go for a walk. When they returned they found the gate locked and didn’t know what to do. He explained that we were just passing through and that his water key might not work on a private car park. However it was an old BW padlock which yielded to his BW key. The family were delighted to be released. Hopefully they won’t park in a private car park again.

emptying the bottom lock

We were the only boat moving beyond Drayton Manor footbridge. Most people were moored and sat in the shade or at a pub.

nearing the top

This made cruising and locking easier but all the Curdsworth locks (bar one} were against us. It would have been lovely if a boat had met us and set them all for us.


Today we had to turn them all round getting hotter and hotter. Lottie kept her cool by bathing in the by washes that ran alongside each lock.

long pound between locks

Wisely the Captain moored in the shade even though it had cooled down. Three quarters of an hour later a boat moored behind us. We had not been alone but they had been at least three locks behind us, hidden from our sight.

The top lock - at last

A late start

heading east from the Marina

our first lock

The next morning I had a lazy breakfast then set out for Flitwick Hill where the fete was going to be. I got lost. Somehow I missed my turn and ended up in Rugeley. It took some time to extract myself from the town but at last I found my way to the fete, only three miles from the marina. 

At the top of the Fradley flight

As rain was predicted; I gratefully accepted a share of a spare gazebo and set up my stall. I enjoyed the fete as both my bags and my painted slates found favour. It was a warm overcast day but as on the last three stalls the rain came. Thankfully this time it was light drizzle that didn’t dampen the locals.

leaving Lock 52

Meanwhile the Captain moved our boat to the service pontoon where he had a pump out and bought diesel and a new gas cylinder. Thankfully the boat carries two so when the gas runs out we just switch to the full one. Of course it is important to remember to change the empty cylinder or we could run out in the middle of nowhere.

Afterwards the Captain cleaned the roof and the port side of the boat.

By the time I arrived back from the fete the rest of the crew were ready for action after a relaxing day. We had a pleasant cruise to Woodend lock, arriving just as a boat began descending.

After helping them through we followed behind, with Lottie taking the Captain for a walk. 

Fradley Junction in sight

At Fradley top lock we had a short wait for a boat to come up but he left the last lock ready for us. Thankfully these locks were not too heavy, an easy start to our cruise. 

The Captain swung straight into the Coventry Canal leaving the crew (me and Lottie) to close up and go the long way round via the next lock to cross the canal.

As I opened the swing bridge I noticed a boat was tied to the bollards for the swing bridge which would hamper a single hander. 

the pub on the junction

At the end of the visitor moorings a boat was stuck with its bow to the bank. The skipper signalled for our boat to speed by hoping our bow wave would free the boat. It worked and they followed us to our mooring, a quiet stretch where only two boats were waiting.

the swing bridge

After a lovely evening cruise a few spots of rain fell as we moored up. If only the good weather lasts.

on The Coventry Canal

Busy Going Nowhere

Lottie ready to travel

We left home at 11.20 an hour later than usual due to packing the car. The journey to the boat took 5 hours and twenty minutes instead of the normal 3 hours 30.

I queued through our local town, but got up to 70 on the M 23 until we had to queue to join the M 25. We had a good run up Reigate hill then signs flashed QUEUE CAUTION and queue we did! It was stop and start all the way to the M 40 with plenty of time to observe the more interesting cars.

We stopped at the first services on the M 40 and were lucky to park near the dog walk which wound around a lake. After a quick lunch break (after 2.00 to the Captain’s disgust) he took the helm and soon complained the M 40 was as bad as the M 25. The M 42 was heaving with traffic but kept moving at 40 mph. Even the local roads were busy.

Once at the marina we unloaded quickly and cruised to Handsacre to cool the fridge, charge the batteries and heat our water then turn around. Why start a cruise like this? Well it was because I had a craft and book stall at a local village event on Saturday so our cruise would begin after that.

The Captain was listening gloomily to the England versus Pakistan cricket test match when I reached the winding hole.

on the way to Handsacre

I started to wind the boat ready to return to the marina, but the engine stopped when I tried to reverse. Worst still the control lever was jammed and the engine would not restart. The captain tried everything but the lever was frozen.

Meanwhile the boat drifted to the far side of the winding hole where a man in his back garden stared wide eyed. Realizing he might be asked to help he bolted into his house like a startled rabbit.

approaching the winding hole

Unfazed the Captain grabbed our barge pole and punted us across to the towpath. Lottie hopped off and spent her time sniffing the shrubbery while I pulled the boat over to the bank. Up came the back deck and the Captain descended into the engine bay where he found the gear box selection lever jammed. He fiddled around with the prop shaft then came up and tried the control lever which moved freely. Encouraged, the Captain tried the engine – it fired up first time. What caused the glitch? We don’t know and as long as the boat behaves correctly we don’t care.

come on - follow me

As Lottie made it clear she had no intention of returning to the boat I walked her part way back to the marina. Was she miffed because once again we had not set out on  a cruise? Tomorrow she will get her wish. 

We had a pleasant meal back at the marina and then discovered the next week was going to be HOT!