Having A Smashing Time!

Well, there we were, just cruising along when we got into conversation with a boater at the lock in Fradley Junction. "Will it be easy for me to reverses my boat into the lock?" he asked, "NO!" was the quick reply. The man was with a hire boat with 2 days experience. He had wanted to fill up with water at the junction but now needed to get back through the lock to turn. The Mate offered to go and man his boat but he said he'd manage. By this time we were in a series of locks with nowhere to stop.

I went back to talk the man through the manoeuvre, yelling from the towpath. He wasn't coping. I commandeered 2 other experienced boaters to help with the situation. They also said it would be very difficult. I recommended he went down the next 4 locks and turned in the winding hole. "What does a winding hole look like?" Oh my goodness! I left him talking to the other men and caught up with our boat further up the locks!

Later in the day the hire boat guy passed us. Then along came the boat with the 2 experienced guys. They had gone aboard his boat and reversed it for him! Well done them!

So the blip? 75yds long, 15' - 20'high and 20' - 30' deep. Toilets, wash hand basins, plates, cups! We saw the brand we use, Churchill by Steelite, which are made down here. All this debris must be breakages and imperfect things from the potteries. We think these get ground up and added to bulk up roof tiles.