Captions
Pat at Stonehenge
Roman Baths
Pat at Fashion Museum in Bath
Astronomical Clock
Roman Baths
Pat at Fashion Museum in Bath
Astronomical Clock
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
May 2009 Canal Boat Trip Pictures Part 1
Captions
Don on boat
Descending lock
Wildflower
Canal and towpath
May 2009 Canal Boat Trip Pictures Part 2
Captions
Approaching a narrow passage
He’s got it all
The Swan family
View from canal
He’s got it all
The Swan family
View from canal
May 2009 UK
CaptionsSt John’s Chapel
Building in Cambridge
Dover Castle
White Cliffs of Dover
Moving, UK and Canal Boat Trip
May 2009
We spent the first half of the month helping Pat’s father make the final preparations for his move to his cottage at the Lutheran home in York. The move went smoothly, with plenty of help from Pat’s siblings, niece and nephews. Her father seems to be settling in nicely.
We didn’t plan on taking a riverboat trip this year, but since we were doing a Baltic Cruise leaving from Dover we decided to take a couple of extra weeks to explore more of the UK. We stopped at Stonehenge, spent a day touring Bath and then headed to Cornwall, going as far as Land’s End. For the second week, we had requested a timeshare from RCI for wherever we could get one. RCI offered us a narrow canal boat for our exchange.
After our Cornwall trip we reported to the marina and were amazed to see so many canal boats docked there. We loaded our food, gear and drinking water on board and then watched a video on the operation of the boat and another one on canal navigation. They showed us how to operate the locks. The instructor took us out in the boat and showed us how to dock and turn this 45 foot long boat around in a narrow channel. When he felt we were ready, he jumped off and we were on our way.
It didn’t take us long to get in trouble. The canals are narrow and with boats parked on both sides, sometimes you have to hold your position to let an oncoming boat by. When a 10 ton boat gets moving, even at 3 mph, it can be difficult to stop. A strong cross wind and side currents from the river complicated maneuvering. I was just getting used to using the tiller going forward, when I had to put it in reverse and try to hold my position. Before I figured out what I was doing wrong, we were broadside in the channel and the propeller was digging gravel out of the bank. Fortunately that was the worst of it. The further we went, we gained confidence and experience. Eventually I could parallel park it without crashing in to the other parked boats.
The locks were another challenge. Because there were only two of us, one person drove the boat, (usually me) and Pat usually operated the locks. To operate the locks you had to open up to six sluice gates (called paddles) and four heavy lock gates. This required crossing the canal several times. This was quite a workout for one person. Fortunately you would usually get help from other boaters, or at least advice on what you were doing wrong. You also had to open the gates in a certain order, depending on whether you were ascending or descending the canal and whether the lock was full or empty when you arrived. Usually advice from the boat captain was not well received. When locks are located near pubs, there is no shortage of spectators to add to the confusion.
Although cruising along at 3 mph is relaxing, we were far from bored. At the end of May the wild flowers were out and the canal was filled with baby ducks, geese, and swans. Navigating through tight bridge underpasses or avoiding collisions added to the excitement.
The captain has to stand outside 4-6 hours per day to navigate, so fair weather is very welcomed. We had excellent weather. I even got sunburn. We covered 49 miles and 24 locks in 6 days. If you are looking for something different, give narrow boating a try. A great trip for families (the kids love to operate the locks and play captain.)
After our canal trip, we headed to Dover and stopped at Cambridge on the way.
May 2009
We spent the first half of the month helping Pat’s father make the final preparations for his move to his cottage at the Lutheran home in York. The move went smoothly, with plenty of help from Pat’s siblings, niece and nephews. Her father seems to be settling in nicely.
We didn’t plan on taking a riverboat trip this year, but since we were doing a Baltic Cruise leaving from Dover we decided to take a couple of extra weeks to explore more of the UK. We stopped at Stonehenge, spent a day touring Bath and then headed to Cornwall, going as far as Land’s End. For the second week, we had requested a timeshare from RCI for wherever we could get one. RCI offered us a narrow canal boat for our exchange.
After our Cornwall trip we reported to the marina and were amazed to see so many canal boats docked there. We loaded our food, gear and drinking water on board and then watched a video on the operation of the boat and another one on canal navigation. They showed us how to operate the locks. The instructor took us out in the boat and showed us how to dock and turn this 45 foot long boat around in a narrow channel. When he felt we were ready, he jumped off and we were on our way.
It didn’t take us long to get in trouble. The canals are narrow and with boats parked on both sides, sometimes you have to hold your position to let an oncoming boat by. When a 10 ton boat gets moving, even at 3 mph, it can be difficult to stop. A strong cross wind and side currents from the river complicated maneuvering. I was just getting used to using the tiller going forward, when I had to put it in reverse and try to hold my position. Before I figured out what I was doing wrong, we were broadside in the channel and the propeller was digging gravel out of the bank. Fortunately that was the worst of it. The further we went, we gained confidence and experience. Eventually I could parallel park it without crashing in to the other parked boats.
The locks were another challenge. Because there were only two of us, one person drove the boat, (usually me) and Pat usually operated the locks. To operate the locks you had to open up to six sluice gates (called paddles) and four heavy lock gates. This required crossing the canal several times. This was quite a workout for one person. Fortunately you would usually get help from other boaters, or at least advice on what you were doing wrong. You also had to open the gates in a certain order, depending on whether you were ascending or descending the canal and whether the lock was full or empty when you arrived. Usually advice from the boat captain was not well received. When locks are located near pubs, there is no shortage of spectators to add to the confusion.
Although cruising along at 3 mph is relaxing, we were far from bored. At the end of May the wild flowers were out and the canal was filled with baby ducks, geese, and swans. Navigating through tight bridge underpasses or avoiding collisions added to the excitement.
The captain has to stand outside 4-6 hours per day to navigate, so fair weather is very welcomed. We had excellent weather. I even got sunburn. We covered 49 miles and 24 locks in 6 days. If you are looking for something different, give narrow boating a try. A great trip for families (the kids love to operate the locks and play captain.)
After our canal trip, we headed to Dover and stopped at Cambridge on the way.
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