Barry and Deidre in Denham

Another few minutes elapse before Tim goes for the triple jump, "All the boats are out except Pisces--would you be happy to take her? Vicky, at The Country Park will arrange for one of her team to look after members of the public within the boat whilst you steer [new readers please note that Pisces, an ex-coal boat and BCN WWII fire pump, powered by a loud, thumping but distinctive sounding Lister engine built in 1935 has a back cabin, engine 'ole and a passenger cabin {added in 1970} giving no access from there to the steerer's position except down the outside gunwhale] so you won't have to worry about their welfare?"

Back at H.N.A. after disgorging my current group, Harold Redshaw offered to place his folding bike aboard so's that I could cycle back to Coppermill on the Saturday evening, leaving Pisces to sleep that night within sight and sound of the mighty A40 some 500 yards further south, and get back to Pisces on the Sunday morning, my car being in position to get me home on Sunday evening [Ah, the car shuffling game, played many times with no two shuffles alike!]

"Pisces" with Geoff C. and Tim Snowden

When I took the phone calls one after the other, I had a tyro on the counter with me, the gloriously-named Deirdre Kilfeather. She is very new to the canals and H.N.A. but has a fierce enthusiasm for the work as demonstrated by the fact that she has already embarked on a steerers' course and is learning fast. When she asked if she might come along for the 'craic' [well, she is Irish] I was happy to oblige. This would mean help at the locks on the way down to Denham as well as the many trips through Denham Deep Lock itself. It also meant I could imperiously walk through the passenger cabin, like an airline pilot, asking the passengers if they were enjoying themselves, and ensuring that all was well.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny and after a sustaining cup of coffee Deirdre and I pushed Pisces over to Coppermill Lock and began our journey down through Black Jack's, Widewater and stopped at 09:50 in warm sunshine just above Denham Deep Lock, ready for our first trip. Now, the Country Park is a good ten-minute walk from the canal bank and we weren't surprised that no-one showed by 10:15 when we should have been loosing ropes and twirling windlasses. In fact, it wasn't until 11:10 that Kathy, Vicky's assistant for the day arrived to tell me that a group would be over by 11:30. The various stalls were just setting up and understandably, people had to see the notices advertising said boat-trips before we could expect clientele. Eventually we set off with eight people for the trip. Insurance limits the number of passengers on inland waterways to twelve on any particular boat, so a two-thirds group was fine. Deirdre moved a few yards forward and started tackling the lock, which was set against us, i.e. it was empty as a couple of boats had gone down whilst we were moored. She got a few things in the wrong order but on the first part of her steerers' course she told me that she had not set any locks but the emphasis had been on, surprise, surprise, steering!

Fair enough! I tried to think back to my steerers' course--but then I had already been boating for many years and locks and their mysterious [but logical] workings had held no terrors for me, Deirdre had first seen a lock barely a month ago. Anyway, with the lock behind us we made our way down under the A40 and past the idyllic Willowbank Island, various oohs and aahs emanating from the front of the boat 70 feet ahead of us as we passed impossibly small ducklings---they must have hatched earlier that very day! We winded just above Uxbridge Lock where the Colne flowed back in to the canal once more and made our measured way back to just below Denham Deep Lock where our thoroughly satisfied members of the public disembarked. At £1 per head a boat trip of between 60-75 minutes, so they should be! The next trip started in the lock where Deirdre learnt the wrinkles of paddle-drawing and the correct order to operate them--not so easy when one has the choice of six paddles! Denham Deep is aptly named. The rise is roughly eleven feet, until recently the deepest broad lock on the system. This has now been superceded by Bath Deep Lock on the Kennet and Avon canal at 19 feet 5 inches![see elsewhere:- The Two Barrys Go West, Saturday 21 August] but that was because in the restoration of the K and A a slight realignment had to take place, necessitating two locks being replaced by one.

Kathleen Farrier sang "Blow the wind southerly" [blimey, does that date me, or what?] and it was appropriate as the boat turned the bend in the canal to reveal the longest straight stretch in the country leading from Denham right up to Widewater Lock just above Moor Hall Road. The gusts made us reach for our jackets and coats despite the sun still making a fair showing. Winding took place this time in the entrance to Harefield Marina, where incidentally I did my winding on my course. Deirdre had asked if she could try her hand and made a fair fist of it, with me being on the throttle control. Winding is an inexact science--no two turns are the same and one cannot have enough practice at this, probably the most difficult of all narrowboat manoeuvres.

Consequently, we stowed all extraneous items, boat hooks, poles and lifebelt-rings and left Pisces to have a well-earned rest for the night. John Boswell, another H.N.A. steerer, had been in touch and met us on the towpath. He stowed Harold's bike in his car boot and returned us to Harefield where we had some refreshing 'London Pride' [John on soft drinks, naturally!] in the ''King's Head'' in Harefield before going home.

10:05 saw Deirdre and myself preparing Pisces for sea. What a difference to yesterday! A small knot of people were already waiting for us at the lock, and Vicky was on the phone to inform me that George and Ann, a married couple, were taking the role of cabin staff today and that our first trip of the day would have six passengers. Of course I had taken the gongoozlers into account, whereas in fact my passengers were still making their way over to the water. As I said earlier, it's about a ten minute walk from the centre to the water and with young children that can be even longer. We patiently waited while the passengers made their way over the lock to the waiting boat. In an ideal world I would be moored up on their side but below the lock so that they could experience at least part of the lock negotiation. Unfortunately, Denham Boat Services are always moored immediately below the lock on the Country Park side leaving no room for the transient boater except for the other bank. Everybody overcame their fear of heights and or water and safely arrived at Pisces' door. If anyone had been unwilling to cross over the lock then they would have had to wait until Pisces had risen to their level within the lock for safe boarding--but that didn't happen. Indeed when doing my 'imperious walk' through the cabin, most of the women were proudly discussing how brave they'd been! Deirdre again successfully tackled the winding just below Widewater Lock, and the temperature slowly climbed with the hour. Back at Denham Deep, no chance of a rest, a full house [twelve passengers] awaited us. Ann departed for the centre where Vicky was short of staff and left us with George who twirled his windlass with aplomb, leaving Deirdre free to make a well-earned cup of coffee for herself and yours truly. She was gobsmacked when one of the women came into the galley from the front of the boat and exclaimed, ''Oh, you're making us coffee as well!''

On the next trip I had my youngest ever passenger---11 weeks! This little girl had come on board in a padded all-in-one suit but in the comfort of Pisces' cabin had been 'peeled' and was bouncing on her mum's knee and gurgling with contentment. Inevitably I thought of my 'little girl' Tammy, who, on 25 April, will be making me a grandad. I'd forgotten babies could be as small as that! On the next trip was an 'old un' of four months, I wonder if either will remember their first boat ride? We passed a couple of Barnacle geese tending their single youngster, [more oohs and aahs] how nice to see a variation from the Canada geese who are reaching plague proportions in many parts of the country.

With all the passengers off it was time to make the home run and the weather took a turn for the worse, freezing rain and a cold, cold wind assailed us as we climbed our way back to Coppermill, Vicky phoning her thanks as we went, I never did see her! Someone told me she's blonde and lives on her own boat, sounds good to me! And, of course, I've got her phone number! By the time we reached Black Jack's Lock, the sun was out and all was serene once more. We silenced that great motor for the day back at Coppermill by 17:45 and then enjoyed some convivial drinks at the "King's Head" to round off a perfect weekend.