The Narrowboat Shuffle.....

......two types!

I cast off this morning around 8:30, boats had been passing me in the direction I was heading since 5:45 (earliest one I saw) this morning, later on I found out why.

My first stop was just about 100yards ahead to do the usual fill and empty and then I was off to negotiate the fairly tight busy section around the junction leading to the Oxford South first passing The Boathouse pub.

As I approached the actual junction with its twin bridges a holiday boat was heading out to go in the same direction as me, he had time had he been going straight out, but, he wanted water and his wife on the bow was pointing to the tap which is very awkwardly placed on a tight bend immediately after the junction, having seen me and the tap he carried on, I would have waited had it been me and let the other boat through first (me in this case) but he did not wait, so I had to stop and wait for him to get in position and get moored, the gap left once he was sorted is just wide enough to get through without clipping moored boats opposite as you are turning at the same time as squeezing through. No harm done but it would have been so much easier for both of us had he just paused.

Just ahead past bridge 90 is the burnt out shell of a ‘Sea Otter’, they were good quality expensive aluminium boats but are no longer made, unfortunately aluminium does not handle fire well as can be seen, the fire happened a while ago, I read about it on someone else’s blog, everyone was safe but his pride and joy is no more now.

A little bit further along and another boat pulled out ahead of me, once we got onto an open stretch I could see one ahead of him as well, and then one behind me, it was getting busy, boats coming the other way at frequent intervals as well.

He got ahead while I was still passing moored boats on tickover.

The sky was fairly clear and the views were of sheep grazing in the ridge and furrow fields that are found here.

It wasn’t long before the first type of shuffling began, the lead boat of our group of four pulled over for some reason and was passed by the second boat, he then pulled away again in front of me, I met an oncoming boat in a narrow overgrown section so I paused to save either of us having to go gardening, the boat behind me had been catching me up so I took this opportunity to wave him past as well.

Along the straight stretch passing the Barby Moorings the rain started so it was out with the umbrella and the second boat off our little group decided to moor up.

We were passing the new Onley Marina and I was just taking a couple of snaps, when a boat appeared through bridge 80 causing the chap ahead to take evasive action while I came to a stop and waited for it all to clear before heading off again.

Still being completed but now occupied Onley Marina

I wanted a bottle of gas and intended to get one at Saisons wharf but there was a boat moored on the landing area that clearly wasn’t just there for supplies, he had too many ropes tied, and as there is only room for one boat I decided it could wait.

Just after the wharf is bridge 73, again on a bend, and it was here I made a discovery, I had my bow half way in the ‘ole’ when I spied the sharp end of a C&RT barge being pushed along by a small tug also about to enter the bridge hole, I went for the horn, and was met with silence, me horn was kaput! The tug driver, once he saw me, took evasive action, it was all very controlled really, and pushed the barge into the bank as I squeezed through the gap, I thanked him and watched him take a few minutes to extricate himself from the awkward position he now found himself in, so when they say check your brakes horn and lights before a journey (in a car normally) you should do it, I may check the horn in future J

Having discovered the lack of a working warning device I decided it may be best to moor up and sort out the problem, so I pulled over onto the visitor mooring just before the Hillmorton locks at the end of a line of boats.

Current mooring:

Totals today: 7 miles : 0 locks

It was here I discovered something else, all but two of the boats ahead of me were queuing for the locks, there are 6 locks here 3 pairs of single locks side by side, but only one side is currently operational, hence the early boat movements this morning and I am now being entertained by another type of Narrow Boat shuffle, boats passing me and finding the problem, so reversing back again, then as one boat moves forward they all shuffle up going around me and the other two moored boats and stopping temporarily in the gaps between. I was glad I stopped and stopped I will stay for now.

This afternoon I sorted out my horn problem, it seems that somehow while painting the inside of the bow locker I had pulled apart two crimped electrical joints, silly billy! it was soon fixed though so I’m all horny again (sorry, couldn’t resist that).