Monday 31st May

After the high profile celebrations, fireworks, gift cheques and televisual and video encounters of the previous few days, in honour of her 90th birthday, resident's departure from Braunston was very low-key. Once round, at the end of the parade of working boats, at 2.30pm, and by 4.00pm she was steaming away down the Oxford Canal.The weather was mild and warmish, the cut was uncrowded and the going was steady; until a small boat, coming in the opposite direction, attempted a kamikaze run at President's mid-ships between bridges 100 and 101; despite Richard's repeated steam whistling warnings!

Turning from the Oxford at Napton Junction, Kildare was swung a little too close to a very prickly bush at the bridge. In the ensuing melee of straightening and readjusting, most of the contents of Kildare’s cabin roof – including a Buckby can – were swept off and deposited into the canal. Twenty minutes of interesting long poling finally raised the can and retrieved the floating items. Calcutt locks were wholly uneventful in contrast, although a crowd of sightseers gathered at the small marina. Progress to Stockton, where we moored for the night was also quiet. Ann had a welcome meal prepared, and all crew were early to bed.

Tuesday 1^st June

– following a good crew breakfast, washing down and general preparatory duties, President slipped away into Stockton locks not long after 9.00am. The first few locks were passed wholly in our favour, and only towards the bottom did we have to wait. Generally, we were making excellent progress; until the Blue Lias pub. Once again, Kildare was swung a little too wide, and the cabin stove chimney and Buckby can made an unscheduled contact with the bridge, crumpling both impressively. Watching, almost incidentally, on the other bank was a British Waterways man talking on a mobile phone. His presence was to reappear on this trip!

Running repairs were undertaken and a new chimney purchased at the Warwickshire Fly Boat Company chandlery. The rest of the journey, on an increasingly warming day, was almost blissfully quiet after that start. But every so often, we came across gangs of green-clad British Waterways’ maintenance men, asking interestedly about our contact with the Blue Lias bridge. Our reputation preceded us to Royal Leamington Spa.

We arrived at the bottom of Hatton at 6.30pm, after negotiating a cleverly moored boat situated as stupidly as possible on Budbrooke Junction, requiring three careful manoeuvres to bring two boats round a sharp corner. It could have been a suitable time to stop; we were tired and it was a delightful evening. After some discussion, it made sense to continue, however, and with the boats breasted, Morris making excellent steam, and Geoff experiencing his first set of locks steering two boats from one tiller, the whole flight was conquered in just over two hours. Every lock was prepared and set in our favour on the way up by Richard, Ann, Jack and Andrew, working very hard. At the top the crew were wholly knackered, and after a big tea – provided by Mrs Dean at the start of the trip as a takeaway – we crawled into bed.

Wednesday 2^nd June

– the rain was pouring down! It was an awful morning. The decision about tackling Hatton the previous day was totally vindicated. Engine room crew were particularly favoured, as they were spared the downpour and the temperature below, for once, was comfortable.

If the morning was bad, with frequent heavy showers, the afternoon was dreadful. Deciding not to take the Stratford Canal, we arrived at Knowle locks just after lunch. The skies opened up in spectacular manner, and our wait at the locks was made worse by a day boat crew displaying a clueless approach to boating, getting hopelessly tangled. As we made our way through the locks it became clear that the pounds were very low and President became stuck on the mud – more than once. The Richard Thomas method of boat extrication, and long poles, contributed to an eventual refloating. Between Knowle and Solihull the rain continued to make the journey as unpleasant as possible, arriving in heavy showers dumped relentlessly on to the steerers of both boats, mostly Geoff and Richard. Ann and Jack kept appearing at welcome intervals with reviving steaming mugs of coffee and chocolate biscuits. Overhanging branches, loaded with water, regularly assaulted anybody standing on either boat. At Solihull, President again became stuck under bridge 78a – just outside the shelter of the bridge! To make our short stay in Solihull even more memorable, a group of schoolboys returning home, decided to throw handfuls of stones at us from the roadway above. The Richard Thomas approach to boat rebuoyancy was severely tested, but he eventually triumphed.

After another hour or so of soggy journey, with crews wearing donkey jackets three times their normal weight with water, sodden caps and sloshy boot fillings, we decided that the day was over. Richard moored us under the eaves of a dilapidated warehouse, with all the boarding rotted and gone, on the opposite side from the towpath in the early evening. All the available clothes were placed close to the boiler, whilst Morris closed down everything mechanical. Most people’s ambitions for a couple of hours were just to remain dry. Dinner and another earlyish night were very welcome.

Thursday 3^rd June

– the morning dawned far more promisingly, and it was certainly drier. We set off into central Birmingham, heading for the Ashtead locks. Once there – past the former FMC warehouse at Digbeth Basin – President went ahead, whilst Richard, Geoff and Jack did their best with Kildare. Richard rigged up his man-hauling ropes and pulleys, and he and Geoff shared the heavy labour through these and the following locks. Jack steered carefully! At one point Kildare confronted a modern narrow boat in a narrow lock pound. Despite mathematics, calculations, various rehearsals in Richard’s head, and one longish moment of being firmly wedged against each other – it was not possible to allow the boats to pass and the narrow boat had to retreat backwards to the previous lock in search of more space. President and Kildare then rejoined to proceed to the Farmers Bridge flight, where lunch was taken before further hauling.

Two locks into the flight and the rain started again, with another thunderstorm unleashing the sort of downpour now becoming associated with this trip. Exactly a year before, Richard, Geoff and Jack had passed through Gas Street Basin on the same return trip, in blazing sunshine, watched by thousands of canal-side tourists. On this trip, a few desultory stragglers, gazed momentarily at President as she steamed past in a mini-tempest.

There was nothing for it; the crew would just have to put their heads down and set off for Dudley as fast as they could make it. Luckily, the journey was not delayed too much with snags around the propeller and other hazards, and a straightforward run was punctuated only by Ann and Jack providing their snack services – emerging out of hatches on a regular basis with beverages and biscuits. At Factory Junction, Richard decided that enough was enough. With the Pie Factory likely to close quite soon, and a hungry and mutinous crew threatening to leave him, he made arrangements to tie up round the corner from the lock and the crew made their way to the eatery for pies and beers.

Friday 4^th June

– was wet, in the morning! A fine mist was falling as we set off on the short journey to the museum, where we had to leave Kildare, taking President on to Bradley Workshops for dry docking. At the museum nobody had a key, so it was over the wall, to lift the bridge to allow Kildare to be deposited inside. After some unpleasant bruising to Richard’s leg (sorry, Richard) from the winding gear, the boats were separated and President set off for Wolverhampton Level and the Wednesbury Oak Loop. The weather began brightening as we arrived at the less than picturesque Loop; to encounter a new menace – weed! The Loop is little used and the weed had built up alarmingly, causing regular stops for prop cleaning.

Dave Stott met us at Bradley Workshops, explaining what he wanted to the British Waterways staff, whilst other members of the crew walked around in astonishment at the scale of the building and maintenance work taking place. The crew were transported back to the museum in Dave’s car, quite ready for their fish and chip lunch. Kildare was moved to a new position, cleaned up and visitors entertained. Richard, Geoff and Jack left at about 4.30pm and Ann, Maurice and Andrew would be picked up a bit later. A wet, dramatic and happy trip was over; there were many aching muscles and strains to remind the crew of their week!

Geoff Dean