At 9am the next morning I reversed the boat back to the fuel pump and put £30 in the tank. We were then off for the rest of the climb up the rest of the Cheshire Locks to the summit . A short stop at the water point was needed to top up our tanks, and also to arrange a 1 weeks BW license (we are Bridgewater boats, don’t forget!). Unfortunately BW have stopped issuing licenses from Red Bull, so in the end I ended up calling Leeds, where a friendly young lady sorted us out. We arrived at the tunnel in good time and were directed onto the holding moorings by the tunnel keeper. We spent about 15 minutes dismantling the cratch as the headlight was fitted before this so therefore the cratch blocks the light. We also took the opportunity to straighten up the roof in general but unfortunately the plants stayed where they were. Once through the tunnel we carried on for around 3 miles before finally stopping at Eturia, at the China Gardens pub where the cratch was resurrected - just in time really as it started raining a few minutes after this was done.

We spent the night in the pub there. Expensive beer but a comfortable, rather quiet pub. The ladies were rather upset after checking out the menu as we had already eaten on the boats. I’m not one for reading menu’s but I believe it was cheap - eventually this was backed up by seeing a rather large plate packed with lovely looking food.

We set off a little later this morning as a trip to get some fresh milk and bread, as well as some tackle gear from the fishing shop was called for. We had a slow climb up the start of the Cheshire Locks due to the amount of boats out and about - we should have expected this really as due to the fine weather (85 degrees inside the boat!) and the holiday season meant the cut was packed! We were delayed slightly, due to a school boy (or should that be girl?) error was made by one of the crew. A lock refuses to fill when you have the paddles up at both ends, and it was at this particular lock we should of hurried through, as a couple I’ve seen our and about before, needed to get to Middlewich to see a Doctor. The bloke had woke up that morning coughing up blood - not good at all! Anyway, all was going fairly well until, after keeping the boat ticking over in gear, to keep the button against the top gate, the engine slowed, until it nearly cut out before I knocked it out of gear. The engine picked up again so I tried reverse but the same thing happened - the engine slowed and nearly cut out so I knocked it out of gear again. I tried forward and a nightmare crunch came from the shafting underneath the back cabin area of the gearbox. I knocked it out of gear and with pained expressions on our faces, we filled the lock and then pulled the boat out passed the lock moorings. The sound which came from the boat in the lock sounded very much to me like gearbox failure. I took the short shaft off the cabin top and had a poke under the counter and was very pleased to find that the prop was fouled. When the lock was full, the gates were opened and we pulled the boat out just passed the lock moorings. It took us a full hour and a half down the weed hatch to remove about a 20sq. ft. piece of really thick industrial plastic sheeting. After that we locked up the two final locks for the day, finally resting opposite the Romping Donkey pub for the evening. After all that we had just missed the shop for fuel as they closed at 5.30. Just our luck!

After kicking off from Acton Bridge at about 8.45 we had an uneventful trip up to Saltesford tunnel. When we arrived at Saltesford, we were around 15 minutes behind Annie May and weren’t sure whether it was them in the tunnel or somebody else had come through after they had cleared the southern side. We got the bows lined up, and sounded our horn where we were met with a reply - even though the time was on our side! I reversed out, and came in alongside the bank but suddenly lost power. After around 15 minutes down the weed hatch we eventually removed the culprit from the prop - a double cotton bed sheet! After that it was a quick run up through the two tunnels, past Anderton, Marston, The Wides at Winsford and on to Middlewich where we moored up, supposedly for a short break, but the women ended up opening the Vodka bottle and got themselves lubricated and further still in the Big Lock Inn, where we had dinner in the roasting hot weather. We had previously planned for a short stop, and some food in Middlewich with the idea of working up Middlewich Three, and finally Kings Lock before stopping at the visitors mooring overnight. It appears everybody else had the same idea! There were a few boats from Worsley Cruising Club who managed to pip us to the locks and a fair few were queuing up behind us. We eventually made it through after a bit of extra work between myself, who went up behind working our boat through with Alan working Annie May up the locks with each of us getting help from my Dad as the designated Lock Wheeler. The three blokes were treated to a nice pint as a treat by the ladies who walked on ahead - windlass-less! We spent the rest of that fine evening sat outside the boats, even though that stretch of banking is falling in to the cut, chatting away and enjoying a drink or three before having to take shelter in the large covered cratch area on Annie May as of course it had to start raining!

Off early from The Vine at Dunham, with a short planned stop at Lymm to pick up my Mum who had been out with my sister and future brother in law to finalise the wedding arrangements, then on to Acton Bridge. Along the way we bumped (not literally) in to Charles on Lyra on the tight bend just south of Dutton, but I really did bump in to something! There are some blind, sharp bends between Dutton and Acton Bridge, and with it being a Saturday - hire boat change over day, I was taking it easy and sticking to my side of the cut as much as possible. I was approaching one of these bends when a dinghy floated out from what appeared to be nowhere. I did see the bloke look over his shoulder and I was positive that he saw me coming - it’s quite hard to miss a 50ft narrowboat, some might say, but he did! I did a quick loud whistle, and nothing. I whistled again - and nothing. I finally beeped my horn just before impact and he didn’t move a muscle. He did move though, when I refused to move out of the channel and gave him a fair bump. It was an inflatable dinghy so it did absorb some of the inpact but I nearly knocked the poor bugger out of it. He said I should of mover, I told him I disagreed - that was pretty much it. We moored up south of Acton Bridge on the visitors moorings and spent the night in The Horns Inn.

I’m not sure how many others have the same problem, but when visiting Acton Bridge I never know where to moor! We’ve visited regularly over the past couple of years and it was only a couple of months ago that I noticed a small, rotting sign saying that it was a private morning for a 45ft boat. Since going back to Acton Bridge we’ve never moored there again but moor right at the end of the moorings, where the bank is falling away, and the quickest root to the pub is about a 10 minute walk through thick bushes, spider’s webs and of course biting midges! Don’t tell anyone but this time we moored up in the private mooring again!

After getting all our gear together and stored safely on board, we set off from our moorings along with Nb Annie May at around 5pm. We got to our planned destination, The Vine (Sam Smith’s Best Bitter at £1.38 a pint!) at about 7pm. We had a quick tea and then took a stroll down to the pub where a good evening was had. Back to the boats at a late hour.

I initially heard about this on CWF, and then, later on, on TV.

The BBC says…

A 15-year-old girl has had both her legs amputated after they became trapped in a swing bridge she was sitting on in Greater Manchester. Jade Smethurst, from Abbey Hey, Gorton, was with friends at the Yew Tree Swing Bridge on Buxton Lane, Droylsden, Tameside, when the accident happened. It is thought she was dangling her legs over the edge when the bridge swung back, trapping her against the bank. She had both legs removed below the knee following the accident on Friday.

The heavy steel bridge over the Ashton Canal is fixed at one end, opening like a gate, to allow barges to travel along the waterway. Swing bridges are locked and can only be opened with a key, which is issued to boaters. It is unclear why the bridge was unlocked and an investigation is under way to discover if the bridge was left unlocked by a boat user or vandalised.

Friends of Jade, who is a Year 10 pupil at Wright Robinson Specialist College, are said to have pushed the bridge open to free her before the emergency services arrived. She was treated at the scene by a specialist trauma medical team during the incident at about 2030 BST and was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where she underwent the emergency amputation. She has since been transferred to Booth Hall Children’s Hospital where her condition is described as “comfortable”.

Jade’s mother, Wendy, said: “None of us is thinking straight at the moment. It is still a nightmare we are going through and it’s still a blank. “At the moment she is comfortable and we have not really spoken to her about it. I’ve not spoken to anybody properly about what happened. “We’d like to thank the emergency services, the doctors and nurses at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Booth Hall and her loyal friends who helped.”

British Waterways, the Greater Manchester Police and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating the accident.

A spokeswoman for the North West Ambulance Service said: “When paramedics arrived at the scene they found she had suffered horrendous injuries and a medical team was called. “They gave her a lot of pain relief as she had traumatic fractures.

” A police spokesman added: “We are investigating the incident which we are treating as a tragic accident.”

A spokeswoman for British Waterways said: “We are conducting an investigation into the incident and cannot really comment until we know exactly what has happened.”

Just what are BW playing at? They have postponed the auction once already, and now, according to the Go Industry website, it has been delayed further.

“THIS SALE HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND DUE TO CLOSE ON THURSDAY, 31ST JULY.
LOTS WILL BE UPLOADED INTERMITTENTLY”.

I wonder what Go Industry, as a company who organise huge international auctions, for multi national organisions think of British Waterways?

Whilst visiting Middlewich last weekend for the Folk & Boat Fesitval, I walked passed the IWA stand and was passed a leaflet advertising a Canal and River Festival at Anderton Nature Park on the 21st and 22nd June. I did find out the event was taking place a couple of weeks ago but I had no idea what was happening over the weekend. The leaflet states that there’ll be childrens events, colourful working and pleasure boats, many stands and stalls, the Mersey Morris Men Brass Band, and the Cheshire Year of Gardens event, amongst other things.

Again, I won’t be able to make it in the boat, unfortunately but I hope to make a trip out on the Saturday in the car to see what’s going on. I’ll be taking my camera with me so I’ll also be hoping to add the snaps to the gallery! More information, including contact details for the event can be found here:

www.northwichcommunitywoodlands.org.uk

A friend of mine is looking to replace his current Lister SR2 engine with a Lister SR3.

When he bought the 45ft narrowboat it had an SR3 installed but a year or so ago, when coming back from a trip it packed up. He managed to get an SR2 for a reasonable price from a friend but he has decided it’s now not pulling right. He therefore wants to fit an SR3 back in the boat.

So, if you have a Lister SR3 for sale, or knows somebody who does, or even an ST2 as I beleive this is of the same spec, or thereabouts, please let me know.

I have just got back home after visiting Middlewich to check out the Boat and Folk Fesitval. Although I didn’t get to see much of what was going on in town, which was my own choice, I did walk from below Big Lock to above Kings Lock. There was a nice variety of working boats, as well as pleasure and cabin boats selling a variety of things, including Fudge!

Middlewich itself was very busy and as I walked around it looked like it was going to be an evening of entertainment with the amount of bands setting up and warming up! One day we’ll actually manage to get there on the boat!

There are a few pictures which have been added to the gallery. Check them out.