Victor: The Oxford again - Supermarket slogans

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