(Retrospective post after failure to keep blog up to date)
 Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th May

(Boat Sickle - posted by Alan)

Tony Byfield is reunited with the boat he used to steer.

Whilst Cath is working, and it is term time, we continue to be in a position where most boat moving only happens at weekends, so "Sickle" had remained at Rickmansworth after the festival for a week, awaiting collection.  In practice I went down to visit once in that week anyway, and Odin was able to have a very fine explore of the Aquadrome.

Imposing, but hardly attractive M25 bridge at Kings Langley

"Ricky" presents a problem because there isn't really anywhere to leave a car safely over the weekend anywhere obvious near Batchworth, and it is not directly accessible by train either.  So we decided that I would deliver Cath and all our needs to Sickle, drive home again, then retuen by a combination of train to Watford and cycling to "Ricky".  I knew what to expect, having broadly done the reverse when we delivered her there, but the end result was not actually leaving until Saturday lunchtime, meaning we would need to work reasonably hard.

Lawrence Williams on "Tench" with "Australia" in tow.

Unfortunately as soon as we were underway we caught up someone working two boats together ahead of us, and single handed.  He did not seem to want to use top gate paddles at all to fill his locks, and the first lock, Lot Mead, was leaking so badly at the other end, I doubted for some time it would "make a level" at all.  Eventually it got there, but it was obvious we were going to only make slow progress for a while!

After the next lock, we never saw them again!

Fortunately, though, as it turned out, these boats were not going that far, and eventually pulled over to use a water point after a few locks, a bit of a relief, as we could see our available time ticking away.

We had been previously made aware that "Tony" who lives at the lock cottage at Cassio Bridge "used to have the "Sickle", but we knew little more.  However on this occasion Tony (Byfield) made himself known to us, and we spent some time chatting about his history with the boat.  He used to work with Alf Best, who can be seen steering Sickle in the various pictures I took of her in the Boxmoor area in the 1970s.  Tony had tales to tell about just how fast "Sickle" is claimed to have moved on occasions in the past - all I can say is I'm fairly sure that with her current set up she is not capable of it now!

I first photographed "Sickle" here more than 40 years ago.

After this we made steady progress, largely at our own speed, unimpeded by other boats, but approaching Kings Langley it was apparent we had caught someone up.  Inevitably this was not until they had worked Kings Langley lock, probably now the slowest to fill on the entire Southern Grand Union, (now Iron Bridge is fixed!), so when they volunteered to wait for us at Nash Mills locks, they actually must have waited a while!  We worked with them as far as Apsley, where they planned to stop, but we decided to press on through Boxmoor, and moor above Fishery lock.

In the early 1970s though my pictures were black and white.

If nothing else this gave fairly handy access to a local off licence, so I was able to cycle up, and get two much appreciated bottles of wine, whilst Cath used our elaborate new "Cobb" barbecue to cook an evening meal.  This had been a major unplanned purchase at "Ricky", but I must say we are mightily impressed by its capabilities, and how much cooking you can get out of a small amount of fuel.  It really does increase our cooking options on fine days, when it is too hot to light the cabin range.

South of Berkhamsted

On the Sunday morning we were just about to make a fairly relaxed start when we noticed the lock being worked.  Our immediate reaction was initially to get going quickly, but I'm glad we didn't, as it proved to be the Josher pair "Tench" and "Australia" moving along very briskly with a crew of four.  No way would us two "wrinkleys" have managed to stay ahead of a youth team like this for very long, without them being up our tail!  We never saw them again after the next lock, but it did set a pattern of nearly every lock for the day being against us, so relatively hard work again.

"Rising Sun", Berkhamsted.

Shortly further on, above "Slaughters" lock, but before the railway crossing at Winkwell, and with Cath steering, I tried to remember exactly where I had taken some of my "Sickle at work" pictures in the early 1970s, and to take some "fourt years on" equivalents.  I didn't guess quite right, but I wasn't far off!

Above Winkwell we were joined by a single hander, and shared locks up into Berkhamsted, where she stopped for water, and us for shopping.

Joshers "France" and "Holland" by new development in Berkhamsted.

By the time we got going again, she had left ahead of us, but we fairly quickly caught her up, and worked through some more locks, until she tied up for the day.  She seemed most surprised we intended to not only carry on across Tring summit, butr also drop down the Marsworth flight today!

Between the final two locks on aglorious evening.

When we started this trip, our plan had been to take the boat right on up to its home mooring, but I came to the realisation that we might still be able to borrow a mooring for a further week where we keep "Chalice", our other boat.  a few exchanges on the Internet, and it was confirmed - we could end our journey early, for the time being.  This would leave "Sickle" closer to home, and with extra facilities, so that we might well be able to get some much needed work done on her, if the weather stayed OK.



Cooks Wharf to Rickmansworth
Miles: 21.7, Locks:46

Rickmansworth Festival - Weekend 18th & 19th May

(Boat Sickle - posted by Alan)

What's to say ?  Our first "Ricky" Festival with a boat, and it had to be "Sickle" for this one, as it gave us our first chance to cover much of the territory she once worked as a British Waterways maintenance boat.  We had delivered her the week before, and she would need to stay there until the week after, so, as previously, we would still end up going to the actual weekend by car.

I could say that we met many friends old and new, including in the beer tent, for meals in town, or randomly climbing over "Sickle" when we went out to play.  I could say that we finally went into the "Tug of War" on Sunday, having been uncertain about it on Saturday.  I could say we got put up against the strangest of opponents.  I could say that we got boarded by the owner of a competing boat, (unconvincingly attempting to disguise himself as a lace bonneted boatwoman!), and consequently got nobbled.  But as I gather that cheating is the aim of the "Tug of War", and as he clearly cheated better than us, what would be the point!

I'll just let pictures give you a flavour.  Other bloggers have done the music side, the Festival side, the nature side. We'll just cover the boating side.  My thanks to those who have provided further pictures, as ours were a bit scant!

How we found "Sickle" shortly after arrival - all the boat moving having already occurred.

View forward from "Sickle's" tug deck - also known as "the Patio".

"Python", "Sickle", "Bream" and one of the three Josher pairs.

Joshers "Northolt" with "Kestrel", then "Archimedes" & "Victoria", plus bow of "Lynx".

"Renfrew", "Gerald", "Corona", "Tench & "Australia"

"Sickle" hides behind Chesterfield Canal Trust's "Python"

This has failed to capture my renowned grumpy and miserable look !                 (Photo Leni Simons)

BCN Tugs "Atlantic" & "Pacific" viewed from "Sickle" aswe head for the "Tug of War"

"Victoria", "Archimedes", "Kestrel" & "Northolt", from the canal, this time.

Trevor Maggs with his own boat "Corona" behind he has brought Corona to every "Ricky" festival there has ever been!

(From the bank) "Renfrew", "Gerald", "Corona", "Tench", "Fazeley"

Sickle's first encounter - actually a "Push of War" - Easy win!                   (Photo: Lucy Holmes)

"OK, Who Is Next!"                                    (Photo Jan Warsop)

Interesting tug, plus boy and dog.

If you are going to make fools of yourselves, make sure someone is watching.

Still smiling!                       (Photo: Malcolm Burge)

This lot had won against a steam boat, (honestly), so they got the pleasure of "Sickle" in the next round!

Serious competition - The boat to the right was the eventual winner!

We took on extra ballast - and nobody fell off, despite a bit of "Rock and Roll".

Lister HA3 versus people with long shafts.  People with long shafts lost this round!          (Photo Lucy Holmes)

Unconvincing "boat woman" Dave Wright owns "Lupin" that we are about to pull against, and is looking to sabotage us!

As "boat woman" tussels to hold my speed wheel shut, "her" apparently £200 valued watch flies into the canal - "Sickle" crew have lost, but kind of had the last laugh!                                    (Photo: Lucy Holmes)

At the Rickmansworth Festival
Miles: Less than 1, Some of it backwards!

"Ricky" Bound

(Boat Sickle - Friday 10th May 2013 to Sunday 12th May - posted by Alan)

Held up in the Marsworth flight.

Timings have not so far allowed us to get "Sickle" to our relatively local Rickmansworth Canal Festival, so we decided we would see if we could fit it in this year.  We are of course mid school-term, so into weekend "positioning" moves of the boat.  From "Sickle's" home mooring to "Ricky" in a weekend is a challenge too far, particularly while Cath is heavily snowed down with work.  Hence this is why we moved "Sickle" down to a borrowed mooring the previous weekend, to reduce the remaining distance to something more practical.  (Once you get South of Tring summit on the Grand Union, the locks come thick and fast, seldom even a mile apart, and many of them far less - so it's the locks that take most of  the time, usually, not covering the pounds in between).

Moving again after CRT have put some more water back.

We decided we would get on board on the Friday evening, but were not able to get going particularly quickly.  Although it is staying light quite late now, it was a cloudy evening, and we thought night would close in quite quickly, and almost certainly before we could complete the Marsworth flight.  So we contented ourselves with going up just the first lock of the main flight, to where there are good quiet moorings.  We went and had a pint in the"Angler's", leaving the cabin range slow cooking our meal, which we enjoyed later on.

The "troublemakers" gather in Berkhamsted - "Sickle" and "Jenlyn".

Now we should have got away smartly on Saturday, but didn't, and some boats passed and set off up the flight ahead of us before we started up, so we were expecting to have to re-empty all locks before we could use them.  The, while Cath went to set the first lock, I found the pound we were in was dropping rapidly, and the boat heeling over.  I had an almighty struggle to get going on my own, but eventually managed it.  However our progress didn't last long, we had hardly got going when two chaps from the Canal and River Trust said we would have to pull over for a while,because a lot of the flight was short of water, and they were refilling pounds from the top, and didn't want boat movements upsetting things.

This hire boat is taking 4 weeks to do the Thames Ring - Expensive option!

They were actually very apologetic, and said they usually try and sort the flight out before most people move, but had instead been called to a problem right down at Hunton Bridge.  Apparently, (according to them), only three bank staff are now expected to cover the whole of the canal from "Stockers" at the South to Stoke Bruerne at the North.  If something goes wrong at one place, then they struggle to keep people moving elsewhere.  It seems that Marsworth doesn't get the benefit of the much vaunted volunteer lock-keepers, or at least if it does, only when any want to turn up.  Today there were none.

"Sickle" further South than we have previously been with her.

This seems to me to further emphasise that CRT has its priorities wrong, and is cutting essential staff who actually keep the canal running to the bone, whilst engaged in questionable and expensive schemes, like the South East Visitor Moorings, which are very hard to justify.  I feel given the choice most people who actually go boating would put enough staff on water control duties as more important than unnecessary short stay time limits on moorings.  Some of us are meeting CRT directors and trustees next week, so I think this may get a mention!

The "Rising Sun"

In fact the delay was not much over the stated half hour, and we were on our way again.  We worked a few locks with two chaps on a GRP boat who were expecting to get it quite quickly to Slough.  They didn't realise the Slough arm is currently closed, but also they had no map, and hence no concept that there were dozens of locks, and hence several days travel required to reach Slough.  Once they did, they started asking where they could tie up and find a railway station!

At "Bushes" lock at Northchurch they did what so many people seem to do.  Or more accurately they must have done it before "Bushes" lock, because having left the last lock just behind us, we waited, and they never arrived at the next.  I simply don't understand if you are sharing locks and someone intends to drop out before the next one why they can't tell you.  But they didn't,and after a wait  we pressed on.

"Sickle" passes "Holland" ("France" is following "Holland").

In Berkhamsted we stopped for Cath to visit the supermarket and buy supplies for the next meals.  My friend Steve who I have been working with in many of our exchanges with CRT had his wide-beam there, so it gave us the opportunity to update each other on some of the latest news.  I tried to post a picture of "the troublemakers gathering" on Facebook, (CRT's initial visitor mooring proposals for Berkhamsted were totally over the top, and we have had to fight for something more sensible), but my phone wasn't having anything to do with posting pictures.

"France"

South of Berkhamsted we met the two superb "Joshers" "Holland" and "France.  "Holland" is owned by "Sickle's" former "skipper" Ian and his wife Tina, and it is the first time we have seen it in all its splendour.  It has a particularly large engine, and we were told Tina had been making use of it!


We knew we wanted to get as far as possible today, and though Apsley might be feasible, despite the morning's late start.  It was and we pressed on, finally completing 28 locks for the day - maybe not a lot to those younger and/or fitter, but we are out of practice.  We rewarded our efforts with a an excellent meal at "Calzone".  Initially they said they couldn't fit us in, but eventually agreed, and said they would send someone to "Sickle" and knock on the cabin - now that's a first for us, particularly as it was by then raining!

Old Fishery Bridge, near Boxmoor.

Moving between the Hunton Bridge locks.

By Sunday we were well over half way to destination, but knew we had no car at "Ricky", and that I would somehow have to use a combination of bike and railway to get home to fetch a car, and this might take some time, so again we tried to progress at a good pace.

However yesterday's remaining bread had dried out, and lunch was in some doubt.  The canal quide shows a stores at Hunton Bridge, but neither of us could recall ever having seen one.  The good news is that there is, and it was open, so lunch was assured.  We also made a stop slightly further on for a purchase at the aquatic centre - don't ask, but we don't actually keep anything aquatic!

After this I was aware someone was catching us up after our multiple stops, so we waited at Cassiobury locks, and the small tug "Storm" appeared.  She was "Ricky" bound as well, and wewere able to work together through the remaining locks.  By now the weather was deteriorating - well I was about to try cycling from "Ricky" to Watford Junction!

"Sickle" and "Storm" - Iron Bridge lock, Cassiobury Park

If I had thought the boating was tiring, I had not bargained with the cycling.  The bike had spent about 6 months in "Sickle's" hold, and wasn't in the best of condition.  The saddle didn't want to adjust to any position that wasn't very uncomfortable, and I had not bargained with how much more tiring the loose surface of the "Ebury Way", (a former railway line), is to pedal on than a metalled road.  I was truly knackered by the time I arrived at home for a car.

And I still had not only to go to "Ricky" to collect Cath, but we also needed to retrieve the other car from where we had set off on Friday evening.  The "non-boating" bits are the hard ones - the boating seems relatively straightforward by comparison!

Fenny Stratford to Cooks Wharf (Grand Union)
Miles: 21.7, Locks:46

And Back to "Cooks"Again!

(Boat Sickle - Sunday 6th May 2013 - posted by Alan)

 Stoke Hammond "Three Locks" with hire boat.

Well, had we thought things through, and made a few enquiries, we might have avoided last week's return of "Sickle" to her home moorings, and therefore the trip we were doing today to get her back where she had last been only just over a week ago!

Grove Lock

In fact I had failed to spot that another of our friends was off boating with her boat, normally also kept at the same place as "Chalice".  As she wsa going to the London Cavalcade it would not be back for a while, and, having checked, "Sickle" could be berthed on her mooring at "Cooks" for a week.  Still, whilst there is that old phrase "Is your jouney really necessary?", at least we were actually getting to go boating, after a very slow start to 2013.

Between Grove and Grove Church Locks

Because it was a Sunday, no trains run to "Sickle's" usual mooring, so once again Cath and I were into the "two car shuffle", which starts by taking two cars to where you plan to end up, then going on in just one to where you want to start.  Not to bad at the start of a day, but it gets to be a pain retrieving the other car at the end of a day!

Grove Church, (sometimes just "Church"), Lock

It is currently very quiet on this part of the Grand Union - unusually so, and it seems very few boats are moving.  Although we did share a few locks with a boat from the local hire fleet, when we passed their Leighton Buzzard base, it was obvious that nearly all of their boats were still there, and the number actually hired out was very small.  We made our usual shopping stop at Leighton Buzzard.  With "Sickle" that lacks the luxury of a cool box, let alone a fridge, it is easier if time permits to pick provisions up in small quantities, so you are eating them fresh.

Swing Bridge near Cheddington (again!)

We didn't hang on to our hire boat for long and, from memory, I on't think we saw much other boat traffic at all after that point, let alone actually get as far as sharing any locks.  A pleasant but highly uneventful day!

Fenny Stratford to Cooks Wharf (Grand Union)
Miles: 15.0, Locks: 15

Boat Returning to Borrowed Mooring, So Sickle Back to Base.

(Boat Sickle - Friday 26th & Saturday 27th April 2013 - posted by Alan)

Seabrook Locks

Circumstances had allowed "Sickle" to remain closer to home, on a mooring adjoining "Chalice's" for longer than expected, but we now knew  that the boat that belonged there was expected back.  So this was the trip to take "Sickle" back to her home mooring.

We had still not managed to get as much done as expected whilst we had her at 'Cooks', but at least we were getting the chance of another trip.

Seabrook Locks again.

It is our preference if we can get on board at 'Cooks' on a Friday evening, after Cath has finished work, to boat up the canal a few locks, and spend the night somewhere quiet.  A favourite spot is just above the two Ivinghoe locks, and that is what we did this time.  I was surprised deep draughted "Sickle" could be persuaded to come in close to some new piling that has gone in there, but she was still just about floating when at the bank - something you can never take for granted with an ex working boat!

Approaching Ivinghoe Locks after a night spent just above.

I don't have the pictures to prove it, unfortunately, but it was a truly stunning evening, as the sun set, with Ivinghoe Beacon fading into the darkness.  Later on a moonlit night produced some wonderful silhouettes from the trees that line the canal here.  Its a lovely spot, and that night it was magical.

Slapton.

We had knocked off the first 3 locks (at Seabrook) on the Friday evening, leaving a fairly leisurely 12 still to do on the Saturday, (or maybe eleven and a half, as the shallow "Fenny" lock barely qualifies somehow!

Saturday was a day of mixed weather - at times brilliant sunshine, at others heavy showers.  If I include one of the pictures of Cath togged up against the fouler weather I don't think I'll be too popular (!), so the photos will more likely show the bits where the sun was attempting to shine.

The sun is out for supermarket stop at Leighton Buzzard.

At Willowbridge Marina we passed Mike Askin's coal boat "Victoria".  Mike had already had problems with a hull leak when on his trip to Ellesmere Port, and some running repairs had been done.  However he was apparently now finding new water appearing in his hold, and clearly a bit concerned "Vicky" was still in trouble.  He explained he rather feared any leak was under the large tank that "Victoria" has in her hold to hold diesel fuel for resale to other boats.  Obviously not the best of places if you need to try and get to it in a hurry!

Cooks Wharf to Fenny Stratford (Grand Union)
Miles: 15.0, Locks: 15