Rode Heath

Yesterday didn't go entirely to plan. This was partly due to poor maintenance by CRT, partly by the Chaos Fairy and partly by me stepping on solid ground which wasn't.

We intended to move up to Wheelock, empty the loo, have a shower at the shower block, give the water a top up after having done some washing then head for Rode Heath. When we got there the Chaos Fairy (who we didn't know was the Chaos Fairy) was moored on the only working waterpoint having her breakfast! She assured us she would soon be moving, it was nearly midday. Here be Dragons managed to get close enough to the tap to water up but we decided to wait and wait and wait. Eventually when she saw us joining hoses together to reach the tap she apologised and moved. During this time we could all of had a shower except that the shower was closed for refurbishment.

All this meant we were following the Chaos Fairy up through the locks. At the first lock she trapped her rope in the lock gates, leaving it behind as she ascended. She asked a young man to try and rescue it for her using her boat hook but these are deep locks and there was no way her boat hook was long enough to reach it. If I had opened the lock gates it would have freed the rope which would have promptly sunk and probably ended up tangled round our prop. So I climbed on the prow of Morgana with a boat hook, hooked the rope then Ray nudged the gates open with Morgana so I could rescue the rope and return it to her. She had carried on through the next lock but lacking her rope to control the boat in the lock, as a result the inrush of water caused the boat to surge forward, hit the head gates and snap two of the four chains on her front fender.

As most of these are paired locks Kit thought the quickest thing to do was to assist her through the locks and set the locks for our two boats with Ray, Mike and I following behind. This went well until the Chaos Fairy went ahead into a lock Kit had walked up and set for her before walking back to reset for Mike. As Kit then walked to assist her she heard a scream, it was a 'fear for a life scream'! Kit rushed u to find that one of the Chaos Fairy's dogs had fallen in the lock from the boat. Luckily they wear life jackets with grab handles so Kit lying on the lockside reaching down to grab a rope to stop the boat from moving forward in the lock while the Chaos Fairy climbed onto the front of the boat to hoist the dog out with the boat hook.

The Chaos Fairy decided she was having a bad day and decided to stop for a cup of tea.

After that thing went much better but we were far later than we planned so decided to moor below the locks at Rode Heath and move on this morning.

The sun was shining, it was a lovely late afternoon so we sat outside the boats and I decided to open a bottle of last year's elderflower champagne. I poured four glasses, picked up two and stepped on a nice green patch of grass about eighteen inches from the edge of the canal. I dropped straight down a hole as deep as my knee, Kit had visions of me fracturing my ankle which thankfully I didn't. She was very impressed that I didn't drop the glasses and barely spilt any wine. I was a little bruised, had a couple of grazes and was somewhat shaken up. With Kit here I had my personal healer on call so she administered first aid and I'm OK.

Today was just a short hop up through two locks to Rode Heath where we intend to spend the weekend and maybe do a bit of trading.


Yesterday's journey 5.2 miles and 12 locks

Today's journey 0.5 miles and 2 locks

This year we have travelled  75.7 miles, 90 locks and 3 tunnels

In 2014 we travelled 425 miles, 334 locks, 2 swing bridges,17 lift bridges and 23 tunnels

In 2013 we travelled 459.1 miles, 434 locks, 7 swing bridges, 15 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

In 2012 we travelled 876.9 miles, 675 locks,  55 swing bridges, 22 lift bridges and 31 tunnels

In 2011 we travelled 461.4 miles, 444 locks, 3 swing bridges, 34 lift bridges and 15 tunnels

During 2010 we travelled 740.3 miles, 642 locks, 53 swing bridges, 4 lift bridges and 25 tunnels

Since Ray retired we have travelled 3037.8 miles, 2619 locks, 120 swing bridges, 92 lift bridges and 128 tunnels