Getting certified!

So, we have bought ourselves a share in a canal boat! In the mountain of paperwork that went with it was an insurance checklist. With three trips under our belts we probably would have met the criteria for being able to handle a boat but the opportunity for a few days on a boat with S&G AND an RYA certificate with a photograph attached was just too much to miss for some, aka P!

Off we set, early flight to Birmingham, all on time for a change! We had a few hours to spare so a delay wouldn’t have mattered but it wasn’t to be. We took the train down to Alvechurch, and enjoyed the sunshine beside the canal while we waited for S&G.

After a lovely lunch in The Red Lion we headed on to Market Drayton. We located the meeting point for the course then checked in to our ‘motel’ The Four Alls (anyone remember Crossroads)…. this might have been the original setting! This wasn’t the most salubrious of destinations but it was clean, the staff friendly and the food good. We ensconced ourselves at a table in the bar, ordered a few bottles of wine and settled down to a few hands of Monopoly Deal!

After an average breakfast we set off to the marina to meet Terry, our instructor, who had over 20yrs delivering this program, came highly recommended and was a complete canal anorak. The course is supposed to be divided over 2 days, covering all aspects of narrowboating, locks, bridges, ropework, turning, mooring, man overboard etc.

After introductions, stowing away our gear, a cup of tea and a few more directions we set off up the Shropshire Union Canal on Shropshire Lass. Our route took us through the five Tyrley Locks, the wharf at he top has a nice group of Victorian buildings finished in 1840.

After a lunch of bread and cheese and ham we motored on up the dank and gloomy cutting at Woodseaves. How the old “navvies” who built this canal managed to construct such a gigantic cutting with the primitive tools that they had 150 years ago is beyond comprehension – no power tools, or JCB diggers for them, just brute strength and determination and pickaxes and shovels – and lots of courage….

We arrived at our overnight mooring opposite the The Wharf Tavern around 3.30pm but before we could partake of a pint or two we had an hour and a half of “classroom” learning through our workbooks and our daily checks to complete – oil, grease, alternator belts and the weed trap!

The weed trap entails someone, Sara in our case, to put their hand down in to the metal box that protects the propeller and the drive shaft. Literally into the canal to check for damage and remove weeds – yuk! This task always reminds Paul of the film Jaws!!!

After the chores it was off to the pub for a well deserved drink and a rather delicious meal. Great craic with a number of characters who knew our Terry very well!

Day two and after H had turned the boat around at the winding hole in front of the pub we headed back to Market Drayton. This time we had to do the locks individually so we know we can in an emergency and P had to get us off the bank after we grounded, on purpose, to learn how! Back at the mooring he then had to reverse the boat back on to its pontoon. All that done our books were signed off and we were presented with our certificates.

We were very blessed with the weather on our course and the four miles (lol) we traveled on the canal! It was well worth the effort doing it.

Friday and Saturday nights we stayed with friends and on Sunday watched the Ireland Scotland rugby match. In the afternoon we had the handover on Somnia and were able to join G&S on our maiden voyage before heading home to get ready for the next adventure.