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Guest post by Susan

It was a largely unplanned day. We expected to be exploring in and around Coventry with Miles and Mallory. However, we were all disappointed when their flight was cancelled because Heathrow shut down due to a nearby fire.

Jeff and I set out later than normal and initially left the boat for a walk in Hartshill. However the area near our mooring was unappealing so we quickly returned to the boat to continue our journey north on the Coventry canal.

We ended up spending most of the day in Atherstone, where we had lunch at a local pub, walked around town, and we (JEFF) went through a flight of 11 locks. Fortunately a man in the boat immediately aft helped Jeff through the last couple of locks. It was quite a sight see him sprint, with his English sheepdog in tow, down to open the gates ahead, then sprint back to his boat to open the gates for his partner skippering their boat.

We also had lots of fun conversations mostly with locals and other canalers. Although it was overcast much of the day, the air was warm, and the showers held off until we had stopped for the night. We’re in a very quiet spot where there are lots of birds, opposite the Pooley country park.

We woke up at 0300 to phone calls from Mallory saying all flights to Heathrow were canceled.  They were waiting to board when it was announced.  No visitors this weekend…

We followed our plan to go into Coventry, had a nice lunch at the basin, and headed back up the canal.  We’re stopped for the night here near Hartshill. 

We’ve uploaded video and shorts to my Youtube channel https://youtube.com/@jefffullerton2997?si=iTO8KNoEFfi39VOL

Today’s selection of photos

We’re stopped for the night at the intersection of the Oxford and Coventry Canals.  This is the end of the Oxford Canall  We’ve traveled 62 miles and done 33 locks in 5.5 days. 

Today was sunny and warm.  T shirt weather for a few hours, and more people out on the towpaths and underway.  We’ve just returned from a great meal at an outside table at the local pub.

The big adventure for the day was making two wrong turns, one of which put us into a dead end channel full of winter stored boats.  We made it, and got to turn the boat around twice.  To do that you need a winding hole, which is a cutout wide enough to turn around in.  Susan has some video that we may post.  It was tight getting through the packed boats.   I feel ready now for just about anything.

Tomorrow we head for the Coventry Canal Basin, where we’ll meet Mallory and Miles.

Today was lovely, sunny and warmer.  We stopped for lunch in Braunston, then continued up the Oxford Canal to Rugby.  On schedule to arrive in Coventry Friday.

We’re mostly traveling past farms, and have been winding through the hills with a valley on one side much of the time.  Very quiet and picturesque.

I’m feeling comfortable with the boat.  Today I got out my GPS to check cruising speed.  The speed limit is 4 mph.  Our now-standard cruise speed is 2.8 mph, < 5 km/hr.  Not fast, but it still requires attention to stay off the banks and get through bridges and past other boats.

There’s a big supermarket close by, so we’re off for more provisions.  This is a busy town.

Our plans for the next few weeks are getting clearer.  We’ll follow the Warwickshire Ring counter clockwise, returning to the Oxford Canal in Napton to return to base.  If we have more time we’ll do some side trips around Birmingham or go down the Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal.  That’s a couple of weeks out.

Guest post by Susan

It was another great day, albeit still somewhat chilly. The day began for me with a brief early morning walk along the canal. TBH I missed most of the sunrise but it was worth it as I got an extra hour or so sleep. The sun was glorious and the canal alive with birds, ducks and swans. Once we headed north out of Fenny Compton, the trees lining the canal disappeared and we had views of large fields, hills, occasional manor houses, and sheep for most of the day. After descending a series of locks into Napton, we continued on, entering that the wider portion of the canal where the Oxford and Grand Union combine briefly.

Here are some favourite pictures from Tuesday.

Today was a lovely day.  We had a late start and stopped for lunch out in Croperdy, then continued up the Oxford Canal.  Lots of locks, and a few other boats underway.  We were lead boat in a group of three all afternoon, and all stopped here.  We’ll probably see them at dinner at the local canal side restaurant.

These narrowboats are narrow for a reason.  There are lots of narrow passes and bridges where we get through with inches to spare on either side.  Turnaround areas are infrequent and much of the time the canal is not much more than a ditch.  It’s remarkable to be traveling slowly through the countryside on a 20 ton boat.  We were easily overtaken and passed this morning by a group of recreational kayakers.  That’s how slow we are traveling.

Our plan is to get to Coventry by Friday.  Mallory and Miles are meeting us there Friday afternoon for a few days.  According to the online planning tool we’re using that’s about 5 hours per day travel time.

Weather has been overcast with daytime highs of about 8C.  Not unpleasant, but not warm.  The next three days are forecast to be sunny and warmer.

These are our favourite pictures from today.

Guest post by Susan

The narrowboat, our home away from home for the next few weeks, was chilly on Saturday night. At least, I was cold in my bunk. I think that’s why I awakened before dawn, though I had slept little the preceding night on the overnight flight to London.

I knew that the forecast was a low of zero and that frost was likely. Despite this, when I woke shortly before 05:30, I quickly went outside to experience, and photograph, the sunrise in Aynho.

I have had frustrating sleep issues for the past several years, but one of the few benefits is that I have seen many a glorious sunrise. It is a promise of the new day. Sunday morning was no exception – the bird song and beautiful vistas surrounded me. I was delighted when I realized that I could see sheep and lambs through the barbed fence near our boat. Even though I stayed too long in the freezing cold, I managed to snap what I think are beautiful pictures of frost and the sheep.

The last few shots I took were of a lone sheep who looked me in the eye, and then appeared to regally sit down. It was almost as if she was the queen of the sheep, and she was giving me permission to photograph her flock.

I hope readers enjoy these early morning pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.

This is fun.  Susan tells me we’ve traveled about 15 miles so far – about 5 yesterday and 10 today. 

We’re tied up here just above Banbury.  We stopped there and got groceries, and Susan preferred a country setting to sleep so we continued up here.

The locks are a hoot.  I’ve got Susan closing the top gate now, but I was doing it all myself, which is a bit of work.  Tie up at the bottom, walk up to the lock, drain and open the bottom gates,  then walk back to the boat and drive it in.  With Susan closing the top gate I can just pick her up after I’m out of the lock rather than tie up.

Here is a selection of my favourite pictures of the day. Susan will post some of her favourites (sheep!) in a separate post.

Susan and I flew from Toronto to Heathrow overnight and had no issues picking up our rental narrowboat.  This afternoon we headed north from Heyford on the Oxford Canal.  This canal dates back to the mid-eighteenth century.

Tonight we are stopped at Aynho Wharf, where we’ll eat supper out and get an early night.

The canal, bridges and locks are all just big enough for our boat, which is under 7 ft wide and 58 ft long.  Lots of fun maneuvering.

Addendum by Susan early Sunday a.m. – As I have found to be often the case, Jeff underplays his skills. On day 1 of our latest boating (canalling?) adventure, i was reminded of two things:

(1) while some days I have moderately severe anxiety caused a degenerative disease, I am, deep down in my soul, calm when I am on the water with Jeff. I think this is because I am fundamentally aware of the skills and wisdom he brings to each task.

(2) Jeff and I, and other members of our family, share a wildly practical, sometimes doggedly pragmatic, sometimes ‘unreasonably confident’, belief in our approach to problems.

Mid-afternoon, we encountered a narrowboat heading south. Its captain conveyed through barely understood words and gesticulations that they had turned around because the passage away ahead was blocked by a ‘stuck’ canal boat. Needless to say, we blithely carried on, me silently wondering when and how we would turn around in the narrow waterway, with Jeff opining that perhaps we (he) could help the boat become unstuck. When we encountered the boat a few minutes later. Jeff, with the help of a man biking along the canal, quickly realized that it was unoccupied, and that its position was likely the result of a failed stern line. With some careful maneuvering, they managed to reposition the boat so that the canal was clear. It probably took less than 10 minutes, and as usual, Jeff provided a simple, highly effective solution to a fairly pressing problem.

Here are some of our favourite photos in no particular order.

The trip is over, for me.  We made it.  Tomorrow Dean will drive me back to Ottawa IL in a rental car and pick up his incoming crew in St Louis. They’ll continue south in a week or so.

Yesterday we had a pleasant ride up to and through Kentucky Dam, and stopped at Lighthouse Marina.  Nice quiet spot with groceries and a decent restaurant close by. And hot showers. Today is sunny and warm, and I’m enjoying sitting out while addressing some minor issues on the boat.  The Marina is deserted.  It’s still winter here.  They turn the water on Wednesday on the docks.

That was a fun trip.  The boat did fine, and I’ve come away quite impressed with it.  At 35 years old it’s holding up very well, and all the original systems and interior details were very well done. 

The dogs were fun to travel with.  We had some concerns about denying them shore access for days at a time, but they did their business on deck when they had to.  No major fuss.

Dean’s food planning and cooking was first rate.  His promise of good food was a large part of my motivation to go, and I wasn’t disappointed.

The only real disappointment was discovering that we did some damage to the rudder in the ice.  We hit solid ice in reverse getting out of Ottawa, and I can see now that it wedged between the hull and the top of the rudder and peeled away the skin on the top of the rudder.  The top foot or so will need rebuilding.  Dean has plans to haul in Mobile.

Safe travels Seaquel!  I’ll be home for a day or two then off to the English Canals.