Callisto
Pisces and
Callisto, Birmingham, June 2001
A phone call as I was walking past the Polish war Memorial was the start of what proved to be another lesson in my canal education. 'Dave Wright here, (another steerer/friend of Hillingdon Narrowboat Association) I'm bringing Callisto (a 1935 Star Class 70 footer, contemporary of Pisces, c. 1935 vintage) up the Hanwell flight this afternoon and wondered if you'd fancy giving me a hand?'
Would I? You betcha!! An hour later I was being whisked to the heady environs of Brentford Basin, where Callisto had slumbered since coming off the Thames yesterday evening (30 Oct.) She was rudely awakened by Dave's invasive boarding into her engine 'ole where switches were thrown, hatches were drawn back, levers were set--only to be met with stunning indifference on Callisto's part save a small torch-like bulb, hanging from the ceiling, that was the equivalent of an ignition light, winking out as the start button was pushed. We've all been there, "Bu**er it! Left the spotlight on last night when we went home!" The battery was now as flat as a finalist on Pop Idol! 'Never say die,' thought Dave as he determinedly set off for Brentford High Street to purchase a set of jump leads. This left me to ponder over this 70 foot beast with about 3 or 4 tons of coal left on board after coming down the canal system from Tamworth selling from her stock of 21 tons of coal in part loads as she travelled south. This remainder was destined for Denham. As she was now down by the stern because the coal is unloaded from the front as it's sold, the prow looked enormous to my untrained eye and stood impressively tall out of the water. It also had the effect of making the boat seem a lot longer than its 70 feet, and I had a momentary attack of the collywobbles at the thought of steering her later on (hopefully, if we could get her started.)
Brentford is having a makeover of mammoth proportions with hotels,shops, and private dwellings emerging from the months of mud, construction and confusion. It will be, when finished, enough to bring a tear to the eye of Carols Vorderman and Smillie, Laurence Llewellwyn Bowen and others of that ilk! Whilst looking at the emerging made-over scene I noticed that several cars were parked outside the sales office for the complex and mentioned to Dave just before he sojourned off that 'maybe we could get a jump start from one of them?' The idea was temporarily abandoned because, miracle upon miracle, a boat appeared from the gauging lock 50 yards (sod metric, I'm 54!) astern!! They agreed to help but jump leads were still needed to complete the deal. Dave had been gone some twenty minutes and our helpers having had the mini tour and potted history of Callisto, were getting itchy feet.
Grasping the bull by the horns I set off over the gauging locks, noticing with pleasure that the old toll office, (where the man in days gone by would reside, when not gauging the boats to ascertain the tolls due to the canal company,) was fully restored and will be a feature of the new Brentford Dock. Just past the toll office stands the temporary sales office, complete with scale model of the whole complex and computer-generated pictures of the finished Dock. Pleading my case to the people within, Geraldine, apparently the person in charge, led me gently to her car without and produced with a flourish from the boot, a pair of jump leads! She told me that, as a condition of this loan, I would be expected to buy one of these apartments!
Flushed with success, I phoned Dave to say we had the tools, let's finish the job. He made haste back to Callisto -- a reluctant turn over was the most we got -- but no bursting into life. After many combinations, disconnections, and repositionings it was decided that the best way forward was to swap batteries with our saviours on the other boat and that proved to be the key as Callisto duly erupted into throaty rhythmic chugging, her Russell - Newbury engine echoing off the canyon walls that are part of the new basin.
Effusive thanks were exchanged with our fellow boaters and mine with Geraldine in the sales office over the water as I returned her leads. She made the comment that 'we see the boats coming and going all the time and don't appreciate that they have problems but just see them as adding to the waterside scenery as a selling point.' Fair enough, I suppose.
Back on the boat we moved off and for the first time I had to deal with speed wheels and a separate gear wheel! For someone who has only used a single lever control, this was a baptism by fire, but enjoyable for all of that. Dave did the lockwheeling whilst I, slowly at first, but with increasing confidence, pointed Callisto north towards her ultimate destination of Denham Deep. I was spitting feathers as we tied up at 'The Fox' below the Hanwell Flight and got outside a few pints of Pride and Timmy Taylors Landlord. Later on, John Boswell appeared (another H.N.A. steerer) and we set off in pitch darkness save for the spotlight, so carelessly left on the night before, piercing the halloween gloom as we passed the lunatic asylum!! Not for the faint-of-heart, I tell you! The fireworks were starting to explode thick and fast all around us.
After a few locks of the flight were negotiated John and Dave opted to play the 'car-shuffling game' inasmuch as that I was left to slowly climb the flight whilst Dave's car was rescued from Brentford and placed at the top of the flight. Then Dave and John walked back down to me and Callisto, setting the locks in our favour as they approached. I was denied the chance of 'larging it up' to a largely ignorant bunch of admiring gongoozlers mainly because there weren't any! Never mind, I had brought a commercial narrowboat and cargo up the system entirely alone -- something I never thought I would have the privilege of doing in my wildest dreams! Twenty minutes after Dave and John's return, we had set off for Ruislip in Dave's car, John taking Callisto on to Tesco at Bull's Bridge for the night.
Today, the 1st of November 2003, it all seems like a dream, except for the fact that my muscles are telling me it wasn't!!
