Monday 31st July

Checking for weeds around the propeller in the weed hatch, before moving off from Diglis Basin.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Once we had topped up our water supplies and our food supplies we prepared ourselves for the final descent to the level of the River Severn. The crew were briefed on their roles and so we set off. The waters at Diglis Basin were quite choppy, being whipped up by the breeze, so precise steering and a fair amount of revs were required. This led to the first major mistake, as I concentrated so hard on steering the boat up to the jetty so as not to bump the sides I was not aware of how close the bow of the boat was to the end of the jetty. I went hard into reverse gear to bring the boat to a standstill, as usual, but I had overestimated the amount of stopping distance ahead of the boat and consequently we banged the end head-on with quite a bump, which sent various objects inside the boat, such as some drinking glasses, the TV aerial and a fire extinguisher, flying.

Once that unfortunate incident was over, the rest of the journey that followed was relatively smooth. We entered the double-width locks alongside another narrow boat, Persuasion, with a minimum of embarrassment and the 2 crews handled the heavier lock gates without too much difficulty. As we were ready to exit the final lock, Sue and Lauren climbed down the slippery ladder within the lock onto the roof of the boat and we were then taking the sharp right-hand bend into the river Severn. Steering then required much greater force, as we contended with the wind and the current. As we motored up past picturesque Worcester houses towards the bridge, the heavens opened again for a brief heavy shower, and then the hot sun came out again making for a very pleasant cruise up the Severn. Along the way we passed a cow taking a bath (pictured), boys swinging from a tree and jumping into the river, and saw numerous herons, swans and a kingfisher. The three locks of the river were all automated and we didn't have to wait long for any of them. We ascended each one alongside Persuasion, the boat that had left Diglis Basin with us, and struck up quite a rapport with the couple manning it.
 

View up the River Severn, with Persuasion up ahead.
 

After only 3 and a half hours on the Severn, we reached Stourport. Docking took a couple of attempts as I did not get the bow near enough in the first time for Sue to leap to the bank, which was a good foot or so higher than the deck. Once we had successfully moored, the girls and I strolled ahead to take a look at the forthcoming locks, and in particular the tight turn required to enter the first of the set. We watched Persuasion ascend the first two locks, which are set as a staircase rather than a flight, and then make the awkward diagonal crossing of the pound to the next lock. In the meantime another boat had entered the bottom lock, so Nicola and Lauren assisted that crew with the paddles, while I returned to Falmouth to prepare for the locks myself. I managed to negotiate the turn into the bottom lock without even the slightest nudge against the sides, much to my satisfaction as I felt it made up for the earlier fiasco of mooring. Having ascended the 2 staircase locks, I attempted the tricky manoeuvre to the 3rd lock which I had watched Persuasion make with ease a few minutes earlier. My attempt was not so successful however, as I felt the current from a weir pulling the boat to the left, so I was pleased to receive a bit of help from a crew member of the boat ahead of me, who guided the boat round into the lock with a rope. After that lock we emerged into Stourport Basin, a place that required extremely cautious handling, as the Canal takes a sharp right-hand bend, surrounded by moored boats which I was keen to avoid hitting. An added complication to the manoeuvre was that, having exited the lock and allowed another boat to enter, I had to reverse back to it to collect Lauren who, owing to some confusion caused by receiving conflicting instructions, had stayed on the jetty and was now stranded. Accurate reversing is somewhat random at the best of times, but by this stage of the week I was getting on quite well at handling the 60-footer, and I managed to steer out of the situation without any damage to any property, although Sue was on hand at the front to push away from other boats if needed!

One more lock and we were out of Stourport Basin and on the beautifully picturesque Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. The Persuasion couple had recommended the Bird in the Hand as a good pub for mooring, but we decided to moor sooner so that we were well-placed for going into Stourport for the evening. There we enjoyed crazy golf (as pictured) and other seaside-type amusements, before settling down for a superb meal at Ye Old Bridge Inn, where a fiver would get you a reasonably-sized curry plus drink. Slightly tipsy (speaking for myself that is) we wandered back to the boat and fell asleep.

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