Worcester to Sharpness via Gloucester (24 April 2009)

The boiler repair went very well and coincided with my brother, Terry, arriving at Worcester. Viking Afloat did a great job for us and came in right on the estimate for cost and completion time. The boiler itself appears to have just rotted away from the inside and apparently 5 years is about normal. It's working fine now and everything is all dried out underneath. The system is filled with 50/50 antifreeze, so freezing wasn't the problem.Since we left the marina at Worcester we have moored at Diglis Basin (by the river in Worcester), Tewkesbury, Gloucester Harbor, at Shepard's Patch on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, and tonight at Saul Junction (after visiting Sharpness). We like Worcester a lot and Tewkesbury even more. We moored just below the lock (that takes you from the Severn up to the Avon River) at Tewkesbury. Since this is "technically" a part of the Avon, we had to purchase a 1 day license. The lock up into Gloucester Harbor can be a little dicey. There is a weir just beyond the lock, so one wants to make it on the first try. We called the lock keeper when we were 6 miles upstream and he said to call back when we were at 3 miles. We did and he said that we were cleared and to come directly into the lock. When we arrived, the lock traffic light was red, but the gates were open. We could see that nobody was coming out of the lock so we went in and secured the bow and stern. It is really bad form to come into a lock on a red light, but I wasn't about to try to wait around outside. The current wasn't severe, but still strong. We waited a while in the lock and then I surprised the keeper by calling him and explaining that we weren't in a hurry but wanted to let him know we were there. He was amazed that we got in without him noticing and was apologetic as he locked us up. The basin is beautiful with several converted warehouses giving you a feeling of what it used to be like. There was a "boat jumble" that day (Sunday) and moorings were at a premium, so we breasted up with Rod and Rose who had arrived the day before. It was cocktails in bright sunshine on the floating pontoon that evening. We like this spot! Ann departed Tuesday morning to go home for a few days and Terry and I, and Rod and Rose moved onto the G&S. There are no locks, but lots of BW operated lift and swing bridges. Most are electric, but several are still hand cranked. The G&S is wide and deep and feels like a river with no flow. It starts out very industrial and turns quite rural before becoming industrial again at the port of Sharpness. The weather continues to be extremely nice here. The pub names are a real treat. The trick is to find the ones that are still like real pubs. You know, real darts, not electronic ones. The names of the beers, ales and bitters are amusing too. One of my very favorites is "Old Hooky" from the Hook Norton Brewery. About 10 years ago we booked a self catering cottage in the village of Hook Norton and I fell in love with their stuff.Tomorrow we will cruise just 2 1/2 hours back to Gloucester and to some stocking up of food and beverage. Then Friday we will do the slog upstream to Tewkesbury. Then it's up onto the Avon to aim for Stratford-upon-Avon. Somewhere along the Avon, Terry will depart and Ann will arrive.Great hearing from you.All the best,John (and Ann in Chicago) http://www.gloucesterdocks.me.uk/canal/canal.htm Also Avon info http://www.catshill.com/trips/avon.htm

Acton Trussell to Stourport (15 April 09)

We have moved on since the last email. After our night in Acton Trussell, we've overnighted: - between locks 34 and 35 between Penkridge and Gailey - By the Fox and Anchor pub at Coven - Between bridge 49 and the Bratch locks (a beautiful flight that looks like a staircase, but isn't) - Below Hyde Lock (great spot with lambs jumping and chasing each other across the way) - Just above Wolverley Court Lock - and tonight in the basin at Stourport-on-SevernThe Staffs and Worcs is a stunning canal in this area, with sandstone "cliffs" that border, and sometimes overhang, the canal. There have been lots of boats out because of Easter weekend and the local children being off school and available for a family holiday. Ann was helping some hireboaters work their first lock today and that's fun, at least when it's a group who wants to listen.So we say goodbye to the Staffs and Worcs tomorrow and head down the Severn to Worcester. We'll be there until Friday when my brother arrives from the States. Worcester is an interesting spot, so we'll have fun exploring that area for a couple days. The 2 days in Worcester will come in handy for another reason too. The boiler on our central heating system developed a leak, which, much to my consternation, was not rectified by some simple tightening of the associated fittings. Alas, it appears to be an internal leak in the water jacket, or heat exchanger. This is a gas Alde heater that we specifically chose when building Rhapsody because of the unreliability of diesel heaters. Luckily, the boats hired out by Viking Afloat at Worcester also use Alde heaters and one of their engineers has agreed to fix ours for a relatively good price. Good thing because a new unit approaches £1000. That all takes place either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday and viola!, my brother arrives on Friday. We're staying nice and warm with the coal fire, but it is a little more difficult to keep the fire going overnight when we have guests sleeping 5 feet from it.Stourport is a real "boaty" area with lots of nautical history. Our plan was to lock down onto the river and spent the night on the floating pontoons. Luckily, before we commenced the locking operation (two sets of 2-lock staircase locks), Ann noticed that all moorings on the pontoons were full. So we're "breasted up" in front of the old Tontine Hotel in the basin.OK. Small world time. Today we were coming out of a lock in a beautiful area just south of Kidderminster and I noticed a boat waiting to go up that caught my eye. It was Ubique! We chatted for a minute as drifted past each other. Nice folks, and I really like his blog and style of writing.The weather continues to be quite good. The pattern seems to be that the forecasters tell us how awful it's going to be and then it turns out to be pretty good. Maybe it's a mental game to make us feel good and we're all just participants. My only wet feet have been from the morning dew, so there won't be any complaining here.More soon.All the best,John (and Ann) http://www.canaljunction.com/canal/severn_avon.htm

John and Ann are back aboard

Kings Bromley to Acton Trussell.

We're back on Rhapsody and she's doing just fine. It is always a little worrying to see how she weathers 4 months of winter without us, and this was a particularly cold one in the UK. Everything fired right up though, and we are nearing our 4th night on the old girl. It took a couple days to get everything put away and organized again. We're traveling with our normal cruising buddies, Rod and Rosie, and it was a great help to have their car to do our initial grocery shopping.

We started at Kings Bromley Marina on the Trent and Mersey, just west of Fradley Junction. From there we headed northwest to Great Haywood where we turned left onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal ("the Staffs and Worst"). Both of these are pretty sections of canal and tonight we are moored just north of Acton Trussell.

The plan is to head for Gloucester and then on to Sharpness. We'll continue all the way south to Stourport (pronounced starport) on the S&W and then south on the River Severn all the way to Gloucester. There is quite a harbor and interesting waterfront there. It's exciting getting into the lock that goes into the harbor because the Severn is quite fast flowing there and if the lock isn't opened for you there is a possibility of being swept over the weir just downstream. Close coordination with the lock keeper with either a mobile phone or VHF radio is needed.

The Gloucester and Sharpness canal south from there was built to provide a safer route for sailing ships coming into the harbor. From there we should be able to see the Severn Bore which is, I think, the second most severe tide in the world. On good days you can hear it coming and surf on it. Yikes!

The weather has been quite good. In fact we haven't been rained on since we returned to the UK. It was windy today though, and that provides another level of excitement for me. The wind can push us around some, but a little skill and cunning (and luck) will get you through almost anything. Crosswinds demand a change to the normal plan of slow and easy to stay out of trouble though. If the wind is pushing the boat sideways, only more power will help you "crab" and maintain course. Then again, if it gets too windy, we just hang it up for the day. All part of the fun.
Cheers, John and Ann

Hi John and Ann

Well John and Ann are boarding Rhapsody soon to continue their meanderings of the canal system. Have a bon voyage and we will see you in early June.