Needing to return home to collect Grannie and the two labradors we had arranged with Kate Boats at Warwick for overnight moorings. We had in mind the 12:21 train, so an early start was necessary. So we did a stealth departure at 6:30 and pottered along the lines of moored boats at tickover. Soon we arrived at the Bascote staircase and then set about the descent down to Radford bottom lock. All the locks were against us bar two, so Pat went ahead for the first few, but after Bascote they are spaced too far apart for practical walking. Halfway down we came across a BW crew having their early morning cuppa. They were waiting management instructions to close the lock to repair paddle gear. They explained that in the old days they would just have got on with it, but now they have to have a Health & Safety assessment including working down holes, working behind dams etc, environmental assessment, lifting assessment, and more besides. Failure for BW staff to wear a life jacket and pee-ing in the hedge are both disciplinary offences, so obviously, before they can work on the lock they need a lot of equipment including toilets. No wonder our licence fees go up inexorably. For our part ( with eyes closed so we couldn't see because we had not carried out the above procedures except for a job appraisal and that in our heads) we ferried one of the guys across the canal halfway down the next pound to drop a plank in a weir.
Two locks from the end opposite direction traffic had set the locks in our favour, but at the bottom lock some lock wheeler had got there first and drained the lock. We had to wait ages for his boats to appear, easily enough time for us to have been down and gone saving him the work and BW the water.
Needing provisions we made for TESCO Warick. To our surprise we found them occupied by what looked like residential boats with washing lines in the trees and other furniture on the bank side. This inspite of a BW 24 hour max stay notice. Considering the convenience of the mooring site for TESCO and its popularilty with boaters it is really surprising that there are no mooring rings or more ujpgrading of the site. This should be a 4 hour max shopping mooring . In the picture (click to enlarge) a Wyvern boat has to breast up to a long stayer.
Kate Boats were very helpful, and we even got an earlier train than planned.
Comments