About Me

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The name describes my demeanour and voice! I love narrowboating and that is why this blog is mainly about the boat and our interaction with it. I have been keeping a log for Sonflower ever since we bought her and moved onto her as our main residence. Some incidents in our boating life have been hilarious, some scary and some down right dangerous. I cannot tell what will come in the future but you can now share them! The crew are an 'ordinary' couple. The Best Mate and I.

Monday 27 September 2021

Worcester to Tamworth and beyond

 It is a long time since I blogged. However that is not because life has not been exciting. 

Sonflower was one of many boats at the IWA Festival if Water in Worcester over the August Bank Holiday weekend. This festival was arranged on the Worcester and Birmingham canal to celebrate 75 years since Tom and Sonia Rolt met Robert and Ray Aickman at Tardebigge Locks and the IWA was born. 

The festival was  a good weekend but low in “footfall”. The Worcester festival was in full swing with a line up of 100 bands and there was a lot of other attractions in the area. There was not much of a chance for boaty stuff either: the canal is not suitable for boat handling competitions or boat trips.

After the festival we moved down toward Worcester for boaty stuff like a pump out at Worcester Marina and a mooring near to Bridge 5 for a crew change. Sue left us and Alex came on board. Our bilge pump float switch failed so I had to get a replacement to fit when we returned. I rigged up a temporary bilge pump to tide us over and ensure that we were safe on the Severn. 

Our first challenge were the two wide locks that lead from Diglis basin to the Severn. Here, a couple of local moorers made things very difficult. As we were coming out of the top lock having set the bottom lock they opened the bottom paddles to drain the lower lock with the top paddles still open, The lady who did this was deaf so could not hear Alex shouting. He managed to retrieve the situation quite quickly but not before the intermediary pound had been lowered by about 18 inches!

Their local knowledge di provide a recommendation for dinner. We moored on the Severn beside the race course. £4 a night pay and display. We went to the pub htat was recommended to find that food is only served on Thursday to Sunday. We went to the kebab house instead. We did go back fir a beer as they had their own pale ale. It was quite good.

In the morning we set off up the Severn and made good progress. I was dreading the locks as Diglis lock had been firce and I thought they would all be like that. However they were quite gentle. Highlight was an otter seen swimming across the river ahead if us. Apart from that it was a bit of a boring trip to Stourport. 

We stopped in Stourport for lunch which was the remainder if the previous evening’s kebab! 

Onward again this time taking in the fabulous achievement of the builders of the canal who hewed channels out of stone cliffs to form the meanders and follow the contours. All the locks seemed to be identical in dimensions and fall. It was very enjoyable and we managed ti make out target of Stourton in good time. I had left the car here and used public transport to return to Worcester so we moored up on 5 day moorings to return home. 

Our only problems were made by the lack of repairs to paddle gear. Quite a few locks had only on paddle on the top or bottom. On top gates this was not really a problem because these locks have gate paddles which fill locks quickly but a single bottom paddle slows the process considerably. I spoke to a couple of CRT operatives wHo were tasked with fitting a pinion spindle to a paddle. They had difficulty deciding which gear train to fit it to as both paddles were equally worn! They only had one spindle with them. Other locks had leaking gates and some beams had been bound up and boxed in to keep then together until the winter stoppage season. It had all the signs of a wait til it breaks maintenance policy. 

Another navigational problem is reeds. Why are they allowed to reduce the canal to a boat’s width? It is difficult to see oncoming boats. 

From Stourton north The Best Mate was on the boat. We enjoyed the canal and made excellent progress to The Anchor Inn at Coven. Here we had a really enjoyable meal before locking the boat  up for another week. Here there was no 14 day moorings as all the mooring between the bridges is designated 48 hours. We had no option but to overstay. There were no other boats moored when we left!. 

Suepercrew came with us on return and The Best Mate and she navigated to Penkridge while I drove to Fazeley and returned by bus. I had fitted a new bilge pump float switch and put the temporary pump away. We cruised without problem onto Trent and Mersey Canal. At Fradley bottom lock we found the broken paddle gear had been covered with a  purpose made cover. Apparently it had been ot of action for months.

We had to make a stop at The Taft for a cup of tea. Peter and Julie have sold their wooden boat but still offer hospitality to all who want it and have set up very adequate safeguarding precautions to maintain their self shielding against covid

We achieved our aim to be in Fazeley for the Boaters Christian Fellowship conference weekend.

The weekend was lovely. The first opportunity to meet together on person since Lockdown 1 in February 2020.

The Best Mate and Supercrew returned to home for a short while and now Alex and I are taking Sonflower a little further and nearer to her home mooring. 




Thursday 2 September 2021

Blackpole to the Town Centre

 Monday 30 August 2021

We left the IWA Festival of Water at 1630 to meet our allocated spot at Bilford Top Lock at 1700. Locking down these and Gregory’s Mill locks proved no problem and we moored for the night at Lowesmoor visitor moorings. We then went for a meal at the Blackpole Inn. We only went there because our hostillary of choice, The White Hart was closed on Mondays, Bank Holiday and all. Rough and ready place but vey good rump steaks and chips. Suepercrew left us after dinner to return to Grand-parenting duties in the morning. 

On return to the boat I discovered the starboard navigation light was hanging loose. Investigation showed that there had been a short circuit where the cables went through boat cabin plating and heat had melted the plastic to release the fixings. I opened out the hole, fitted new tails with crimped connectors, selected washer to allow the existing screws to be reused but failing light prevented me finishing the job.

1 mile 4 locks 1 hour

Tuesday 31 August 2021 crew Eeyore and the Best Mate

We had things to do and people to see. First we let go to move on to Lowesmoor Basin (Worcester Marina) for a very necessary PUMP OUT. We backed in and moored close enough for their very long pump pipe to reach the fitment at the rear port side of Sonflower. We took on water while the very friendly operator did the business. Nb Morning Mist was taking on diesel and I watched her attempt the starboard turn out of the basin. It was unsucessful and Kate Saffin, a very experienced boat woman, had to retreat and use the winding hole opposite to effect the turn. I learned from her mistake! We paid up and left, empty at the stern and full at the front. We attempted to moor on bollards just past George Street Bridge No5 but it was too shallow. I really think moorings should be deep enough to moor at! We moved on a little further to moor again this time on two rings and a pin. Leaving Sonflower again to get back to the car at Lowesmoor visitor moorings for return to home for the Best Mate’s hospital appointment.

1 mile 2locks  2 hours

Wednesday 1 September 2021 crew Eeyore and Piglet

We returned to take Sonflower ontothe Severn. the forst thing was rhe discovery that a suspected dodgy float switch for the bilge pump was in fact a failed float switch. The bilge pump had been failed in the on position and switch controlled form the distribution board but now it was to tally non operational. I rigged up another small pump that I keep for emergencies with a longer discharge hose and leant on tothe engine bay to position it. My brand new Samsung S21 phone slid out of my pocket into the bilge! Responding to my cries Piglet bravely got down in his best jeans and retrieved it. After wiping it off it still worked! But it has a notification that moisture was detected in the usb port and charging was to be discouraged. The phone spent the night in a bowl of rice and it is now ok! Samsung claim that it can be immersed for 30 minutes. I have only tested it to about 3 and did not intend to test it at all. 

We then proceeded to Diglis locks 2 ans 1. Between them nb Get Knotted opened the bottom paddles while We had the top ones opened to fill the lock in our favour thus almost emptying the inter connecting pound. All was retirived quickly and w locked onto teh Severn with a Star Cruises hire boat that had very boisterous children. I advised the crew to put life preservers on them. “Yes we have got some on board”  one of teh maternal crew members said. They took no action to actually get the children to wear them!

So onto the Severn and an overnight mooring on the Ci ty Council moorings at the Racecourse, Sabrina Bridge. £4.00 Pay and Display. We went to  PaulPry pub which was recommended by Get Knotted. The kitchen was closed. We went to Turkey, The Best Kebab house and were very satisfied coming home with a box of surplus doner meat!

1 mile, 4 locks 2 hours