To Kensal Rise

23 May 2009

Batchworth to Kensal Rise

Ye Gods!!! The geese at Batchworth - a constant cacophony all night.

Away about 8:30, and south, although it seemed slow progress. We passed nb Tafelberg (from Canal World Forum) coming north from Widewater lock.

Chalice at Black Jack's Lock


At Denham Deep there was a family locking up with three fairly young children running around the top of the lock. None of the family seemed to know what to do, and the parents were on the boat, with the engine off, poling the boat back and forward in the lock as it filled. I was a bit worried about the kids - especially by such a deep lock. It turned out that this was their third ever lock, and they didn't seem to have been given any advice about how to lock through safely - so we did a quick "how to do this safely" talk. What they really needed was someone working through a few locks with them, but we were going in the other direction. As they were setting off the woman asked Alan if they would be able to get to Tring and back by tomorrow evening.

We stopped off to speak to Roger Wakeham at Denham about our engine and the odd noise that it is making. He listened carefully and pronounced that we have a 'lazy cylinder' - one cylinder misfiring occasionally, not terminal, it should do the trip round to the Lee and back with no problems. He's given a suggestion for what might cure it (service the diesel injectors), and if we've still got a problem once we've done that we'll take it back to him for more serious work.

Paddle boat - how do they steer it?

At Uxbridge we refilled with diesel at the chandlery and I got a copy of "The Amateur Boatwomen", by Eily (Kit) Gayford about her work with the women 'trainees' during the war. I've been looking for a copy for a while, and although it is not perhaps the most rivetting read, I'm very interested to find out some of the background behind what I've already read in "Idle Women" - Susan Wolfitt and "Troubled Waters" - Margaret Cornish, two of the wartime women 'trainees'. The first day of her initial training trip with Grand Union boat people was from Bull's Bridge to Berkhamsted station, in around 12 hours - effectively the same trip as we've just spent close on two days doing. Although she did it in the ice in February.

We were planning to head for Little Venice, but when we got to Kensal Rise by the gasometers at about 7:30 pm there were a couple of moorings left, so, being tired we decided to stop rather than risk going on and then having to come back to find a reasonable mooring.

A very pleasant, sunny day.

Daily: 23.6 miles, 8 locks

Total: 40.4 miles, 45 locks.