With my canal enthusiasm in full flow, and now (after two years) looking forward to running my own cruise, I start to venture further afield in visiting canal places of special interest. Therefore, in the following year (1977) I visit several centres including:

• The Caldon Canal
• The Cromford Canal
• Bingley 5-rise staircase locks
• Shardlow (Trent & Mersey Canal)

However, it is only the first of these trips that remains strong in my memory. For on our day-trip to the beautiful Caldon Canal, we visit The Hollybush Inn, a charming canalside pub close to Hazelhurst Aqueduct (canal-over-canal). In a chance conversation with the barman, I happen to mention the lift-bridges, which are a frequent sight on the Caldon.

“Oh yes, those lift-bridges - a girl was almost decapitated on one of those last year. She was on
top of the boat, sunbathing, and got up at exactly the wrong time. Terrible tragedy! But people
are not careful enough. They think the canals are all rural and friendly – but they can be
bloody dangerous places if you haven’t got your wits about you.”

After hearing that, I went outside and felt sick. Would I ever go on a canal or narrowboat again? What was I doing offering to lead a trip with so many young people on board? Perhaps I should stop now! Of course, I was aware of the dangers of locks, and of having limbs outside of the boat through bridges, locks and tunnels. But lift-bridges had never crossed my mind!

So I seriously think about offering my resignation – before I had even started!

Keep Calm and Carry On

For several weeks I turn over this shocking discovery in my mind, together with Roger and skipper Noel. While similarly shocked, they both agree that tragedies like this should not prevent us from carrying on. For similar tragedies happen all the time on the roads, and we do not stop driving every time we hear of a terrible accident. Take more care perhaps, but not stop altogether. Gradually, I come round, and regain my enthusiasm and focus for the trip that lies ahead, the first week of which I will lead - and with a new route - the Leicester Ring – starting along the Oxford, Coventry and Trent & Mersey canals – with the changeover for week two being at Loughborough.

Before we set off from Rugby however, I have a meeting with all leaders and skippers at which we agree to the following:

• the need to be vigilant about safety at all times, both leaders and members.
• special vigilance is required at all bridges or lift-bridges, locks and tunnels.
• the members on ‘Flamingo’ are most at risk as it has a full-length hard-top which is perfect for sunbathing on.
• The camping boats with their single top plank are more difficult to be comfortable on, though doubtless some will try.
• We all agree that a blanket ban on sunbathing would not be workable or wise - as there are long stretches where there are no bridges at all and, in any case, most canal bridges have plenty of headroom – unless you get up at the wrong time!
• Skippers at the back of the boat have the best view of any bodies on top, that seem unaware of any potential dangers - so skippers should not be afraid to shout or blow the horn to alert the unaware or sleepy-headed.
• We should discourage actual sleeping on the top of any boat. If you must lie down, have your head looking towards the front of the boat, so you can see what’s coming.

It looks a frightening list - but better to be safe than sorry.

Fradley and beyond

After descending the eleven locks at Atherstone, we continue on for several hours with only two further locks, until we reach Fradley Junction, where the Coventry canal ends, as it makes a T-junction with the Trent and Mersey canal which, as its name suggests, spans almost the entire width of the country. Fradley Junction then, could be deemed to be the epicentre of the English canal system, with the ‘Swan’ pub, at the junction itself, being the most photographed pub on the whole of the canal network.

At the junction itself, we have an unexpected visitor – Ha! Ha! the Spanish Inquisition? Well, almost: as it is a CYFA ‘big-wig’ from London, although you’d never have guessed it, with his leather jacket, long beard and pony-tail. Doubtless he’s come to check up on me – being a new leader – and perhaps on the new chaplains as well. But he was off and away after a brief half-hour with us. Hopefully, he deemed everything to be ship-shape. But it’s a good job that he didn’t stay longer because . . .

Within a few minutes of setting off after our temporary stop at Fradley, I could see and hear a commotion and screams coming from Tern, the first boat to leave. Then a body drops in the water but is pulled out and back on board. Tern is in reverse and emitting a lot of exhaust, as the following boats queue up behind it. I ask Alison to take the tiller, while I jump across to the towpath and run up to Tern, to see what’s happening.

“It’s Kathy sir, she’s scraped her back going under the bridge – then she fell off. But she’s okay now, she says. One of the first-aiders is seeing to her.”

It appears that, as we left Fradley, Kathy had jumped up on to the top plank, ready to do some sunbathing – without realising that a low bridge was coming up. This caught the skipper by surprise and he couldn’t stop the boat in time: narrowboats don’t have brakes!! As a result, Kathy scraped her back on the low bridge arch above, which also knocked her off the plank and into the water. Fortunately quick-thinking members got her out of the water before she got crushed between boat and towpath. When I saw her later, she had indeed got grazes to her back – but she was shocked and realised it could have been a lot worse. I advise the members NOT to go sunbathing on top for the rest of the day – but by the look on their faces they had already learnt their lesson – that canals can be dangerous places, especially if you are not alert.

Soon after setting off the following morning, we face a ‘danger’ unexpected by anyone’s reckoning! A Royal Navy destroyer and submarine are in the process of mooring up, seemingly by barging into other boats’ mooring places and taking over! Barmy but true! For at that time the Royal Navy had mocked up two narrowboats to look like a destroyer and a submarine, as part of their recruitment campaign to Britain’s inland cities. But they had clearly annoyed other holiday boaters by their actions and attitudes, as we could see and hear from the altercations on the towpath. It holds us up for a while, before we are able to move on without having being shot at or torpedoed!

At Stenson lock however, things become more serious. Stenson lock is the first double-lock we have come to and the deepest lock on our route. We go in two boats abreast but not tied up, as we are not in a flight of such locks. Camping boats Tern and Sandpiper go down the lock first [photo: main picture], while Crane and cabin cruiser Flamingo wait above [photo top left] before the water levels are equalised. The gates are then opened, and we gently slide into the lock together. At this point, I step off Crane, just to check that everyone around the lock knows what they are doing, before opening the paddles. The paddles are then opened and lock starts to empty into the canal below – when I spot something that is clearly not right: Flamingo is going down normally – but I notice that Crane is at an angle, the bow remaining high at the top of the lock gate, while the stern is going down fast! What on earth is happening? Something needs to be done – urgently!!

“DROP ALL THE PADDLES NOW!” I shout, in the loudest voice I can muster - and I soon hear the paddles rattle down. So no more water is coming in or going out – but Crane is still at an angle and is still in danger of capsizing and going under, stern first. I then realise that Crane’s bow is caught in the lock gate by its fender. I then order the back paddles to be opened (and open one myself), so as to let more water in and re-float the boats, especially Crane Gradually I see the stern of Crane rising up, eventually becoming level with Flamingo. Relief! I then need to see why the bow is still caught in the gate. It’s the front fender – it’s stuck, it won’t move – it’s got wedged tight against the bow, whereas it is meant to lift up if anything gets caught under it. Eventually, with several skippers working on it, it comes free and is still attached by two chains to its two pins. No-one had realised before this incident, that although a bow-fender can look right, it didn’t mean that it’s actually working right.

On the final Saturday morning of the cruise, it’s a gentle mile of canal and two locks, before we arrive at Loughborough – from where the second week’s cruise will start. Then it’s all aboard the coach to Rugby except for those skippers and leaders staying on for the second week. Farewells, hugs and tears abound as folk say their goodbyes to their new friends from all over the country. Yes, there had been some great times along the way – but a few scary moments too - both danger and delight - with hopefully some lessons learned.