Our epic voyage

During our thirty-six years of marriage Brigid and I have enjoyed sailing on the river Blackwater having owned a Winklebrig, a Leisure 17 and spent many holidays on hired narrowboats. We have always thought of owning our own narrowboat but, only when we retired and had time to enjoy it to the full. Also, I had convinced Brigid that it would be sensible to hire a boat for a month or two each year and let someone else worry about blacking, servicing, painting, etc.
So, imagine my surprise when, within a month of this year’s holiday on Holly, a Middlewich boat, we were driving some 195 miles from Chelmsford to Barbridge to look at a boat, recently reduced in price to encourage a quick sale. That same day we booked a berth at Pilling’s Lock Marina in Quorn, Leicestershire, knowing that we had fallen in love with Polgara and that, one way or another, we were going to buy her. Within a week the deposit was paid, a surveyor instructed, haulout arranged and nails bitten to the quick.

What were we doing? All around us the money markets were crashing and here were we trying to spend most of our savings on a narrowboat!

So far, we hadn’t had a chance to take her out for a ‘test drive’ so we asked the vendors if we could stay on her overnight and deliver her to Swanley Bridge Marina for her survey. A fortnight after having first seen her, here we are navigating Polgara along the Llangollen canal enjoying the sunshine and experiencing what would eventually be our retirement dream.

The survey confirmed all that we had seen – an older boat that needed a touch of TLC – but a boat with a sound hull – also, the bit that I loved, a two cylinder Deutz air-cooled 26hp engine. It might not be a Gardener but it sounds just like one!
Exactly one month after seeing her, Polgara is ours, lock, stock and barrel. Wow! Now comes the exciting part. We have a six day window in which to move her from Barbridge to Quorn, a distance of 114 miles and 72 locks, before the winter stoppages take effect and everything shuts down for maintenance.

We set off for Pilling’s Lock early on the Monday taking two cars so that one can be left at the finish point and the other, loaded up with provisions, tools and bedding, can take us to Barbridge, the starting point, and be left there for collection at the end of the week. Everything is going well, it’s a sunny day and we’re off to fulfil our dream – that is until we get to Cambridge services. In the nearside mirror I see Brigid pulling over to turn into the service area so I pull over as well and look for somewhere to stop. Trust us to pick the busiest day of the week with nowhere to park except the diesel filling area. What’s the problem? Toilet? Drink? No! The exhaust has fallen off! An hour or so later our friendly AA man arrives, tells us not to worry and that he can fit a spreader to get us on our way. Which he does. Off to Pilling’s – again.

When we arrive at the marina we discuss the route we intend taking only to be told that the Trent & Mersey is blocked at bridge 20 where an agricultural trailer has landed in the canal. No worry, they say, take the southern route – it will only take an extra three days. The only problem is that we don’t have an extra three days, we only have a six day window and no more time. A few phone calls later and we learn that the canal has just been cleared and we are on track again. Except that we are now four hours behind schedule and instead of picking up the boat at four in the afternoon we arrive at eight at night. The handover is made in pitch darkness. We offload the car and get as much stowed as possible before setting off to the pub for supper – which they stopped serving half hour before we got there! Well, at least we now know that the oven works.

Tuesday morning we wake at seven only to find that Brigid has a blinding headache. We have breakfast, take painkillers, check the engine, oil, water, chemical toilet, stoke the fire and, at nine, an hour later than planned, set off. At about 12:30 we arrive at Audlem bottom lock, good going so far, that is, until it starts to snow. Snow!? In October!? Three hours later we are at Audlem top lock having paused only to take on water. The snow has settled and there is a layer of some 2cm over the boat, the lock gates, the banks, everywhere. Not exactly the start we anticipated.

Over the next four days we travel nine hours a day without stopping for lunch but keeping a wary eye and ear on the engine, waiting for a change in the beat or a hiccup to show that all is not well. But, no, she keeps going purposefully and steadily getting us through to where we need to go, until it starts to rain – heavily.

Rain!? As we leave Shardlow on day five we pass traffic lights indicating flooding on the River Soar. Flooding!? What now? Surely not! Who do you phone? Where’s the water equivalent of a policeman when you need one? Hesitantly we go on until we happen on Sawley Marina where we thankfully settle on a visitor’s mooring. What do we do next? How do we get our cars back? How do we get Polgara to her new home? How do we get home?

Luckily we are now members of the Pilling’s Lock Marina community. We give them a call and John, after having established that the boat is safely moored, offers to come and collect us so that we can recover our cars and get back home.
After waiting three days for the river to open, we make yet another round trip of some 260 miles and get Polgara to her final home.

What a voyage! Nothing went wrong that we expected could go wrong, but, as for everything else! What a baptism of fire for our new boat. Mind you, we are really looking forward to our next visit to Polgara. At least we know that in six days of some of the worst weather we could have had she looked after us and got us home in the end. Let’s hope that eventual retirement isn’t always that unpredictable. Watch this space.

Laurie Main