Victor: The Oxford again

SO TO the Oxford Canal yet again—the eighth time since 1998—and there are still plenty of boats moving, but now a preponderance of hire boats.

One thing is definitely certain, that the number of boats that passed us on the Coventry Canal must have exceeded the number of visitors on the towpath, it being extremely rural, and even through Tamworth and Nuneaton the number of visitors only comprised of a few people walking dogs. No doubt others who have travelled this way will testify. And it seems to be the same on the Oxford.

Deserted

The picture shows the Oxford Canal towpath actually outside Brinklow Marina. Do you think this mile of the towpath takes 630 visitors every day as Cart would have us believe?  We moored at 12.35pm and during the rest of the day all that  passed on the towpath was a 'bunch' of five ladies and one solitary dog walker, as Rusty—who can recognise a passing canine at 50 paces—can no doubt testify.

We were going to take water at Rugby, together of course with a trip to Tesco, but luckily passing a water point at Newbold-on-Avon we decided to take it on there, and a good job too, as the water point at Rugby—you've guessed of course—was out of action.

Big mistake

Setting off from Rugby we made the error of allowing a pseudo traditional boat towing a butty to first go past, and a big mistake it was. In the past we have encounted many pulling butties, and without exception come a clear stretch the pair have waved us past their slow entourage.

But not this pair. Even when pulling over to allow boats to pass, they quickly took up the centre channel again, and should we make any attempt to use the space to pass, the fella on the butty arrogantly waved us back. It was the old problem of course—even on tick-over we were catching them up and had to keep knocking the engine out of gear.  And yet there was plenty of depth.

As to whether the boat, Zulu, pulling the butty was short of power or if just plain cussedness, there was no need for being so awkward for mile after mile. As neither of the men would look at us when they eventually moored, coupled with their attitude, we firmly believe it was sheer awkwardness—perhaps little people having a bit of power.

Permanent

As I mentioned, it is quite a while since we were down this-a-way, but I well remember those great orange weir buoys fastened to an overhanging tree stump  that needed cutting, and they are still there, with the tree stump still well in place. Trouble now is that one of them has 'escaped' and has been simply tied to a tree. I would have thought that leaving what must be expensive buoys tied up for the sake of a couple of minutes with a chain saw is not too good a way of looking after expenses.

Daft poetry

Most of us cruising boaters will have come across that daft poetry on lock gates, that was supposed to give inspiration to visitors.

There's quite a bit of it on the Hillmorton lock gates, but alas no admiring visitors, in fact none at all.

It wouldn't be so bad if the poet knew what it was all about and had not called a lock gate a door!  But I found out that each lock so inscribed, left unpainted of course, cost the old British Waterways upwards of a thousand quid each!

Yet again there were literally hundreds of moored boats all over the place, very many more than in previous years, and their method of mooring left something to be desired as other boaters must have discovered, forever slowing down for single boats that would be better moored together with others.  Yet as we all know there is that eternal problem of noisy engines.

At least all the vegetation prevented boats being moored.

Supermarket slogans

I expect it had to happen when the few boat builders now left in the business vie with each other for customers, so it was no surprise to see one builder—didn't notice the name—proclaiming his boats are 'Excellence Afloat'.  Now surely others are going to take up this new 'supermarket slogan' trend, so we should get some interesting slogans.

After all, Every Little Helps. [No corny jokes, please Victor.]

You always get one

We on the boat are strictly controlled about the speed to pass moored boats by 'She Who Must Be Obeyed'—so when approaching such, down go the revs to 1,000, the revs at which the gear box engages.

Yet you can guarantee that on every cruise there is someone yelling 'slow down'! This time it was on the Grand Union section of the Oxford when the fella in the picture took umbrage.  Thomas was at the tiller at the time so took the somewhat unusual answer of speeding up to normal cruising range, showing the daft sod he had slowed down.

Personally I blame Simon Piper who built the boat, as his 'swims' are so well designed that the boat goes through the wet stuff without causing any bow wave, giving those who haven't the nouse to hear that the boat is on tick-over or realise that their boat isn't being affected, as that boater obviously didn't.

One thing I do remember about the Grand Union section of the Oxford is that it has always been somewhat of a graveyard for decrepit boats, and the one of many shown here still shows that nothing has altered.

This was the part of the trip where wrecks abound, but I expect it all gives the waterway a bit of character!

South Oxford

Onwards and upward to the South Oxford at Napton, where the marina there was showing no few empty berths, and even allowing for boats out cruising there does seem rather many of them.  In fact it has been the same at all the marinas so far passed on this cruise.

In addition to the downturn in boating I expect many who have no commitments on land, have taken the continuous cruisers' way, saving themselves a few thousand pounds a year in the process.

Napton Flight

Then it was still yet one more handy volunteer lock keeper on Napton Flight, who told us that though he instructs all to take up their fenders for the narrow second lock, many think they know better, he telling that one has been stuck every time he has  been on the locks.

We all thought the flight was easy to work, but it seems there is a good reason, as many boaters we spoke to about the flight agreed—Cart had to make sure the locks were easy to work otherwise no volunteers!  And only one broken paddle—on Lock 15.

What a difference

But there was no volunteer at the Claydon Flight, with a gentleman on the seat at the top lock telling he had never seen one, and he comes regularly to help the ladies with the difficult top gate. And difficult it was as it needed two of us to move it—well, three actually as that gentleman also gave a hand!

And the paddles were another pain, for there was just the single gear connecting direct with the paddle gearing, meaning that there was no reduction gear, and though then needing just a few turns to fully open, they were bloody hard work. We solved that problem however with our trusty Yorkshire windlass, but passing through the locks saw others really struggling.

The whole flight was in a mess. All the steelwork was rusty as can be seen in the above picture, and though I decided that badly leaking gates are no longer worthy of a mention, the bottom gates of Lock 20 certainly are, as can also be seen and surely will not last another season.

And of course this is why there are no volunteers on the Claydon Flight—it's too much like hard work, very hard work.

But really, Cart should be ashamed—very ashamed.

Victor Swift