A trip with a difference

On Sunday August 16 2026  we sailed on the restored Norfolk trading Wherry, Maud on the River Yare.
Wherry Maud Trust – Keeping Broads history alive
As it was a one way journey from Thorpe, Frostbites sailing club to Reedham ferry a bit of car shuffling was involved. We met another couple at Reedham and then travelled in their car to Thorp, leaving ours at the Ferry Pub.
This was our planned route

After donning lifejackets and a safety briefing we boarded Maud and cast off. One of the crew quantted the bows out into the cannel, no bow thruster for this old girl and then Nicky in the tender pushed us down stream against the incoming tied, there wasn’t a breath of wind and the sail was still down. As we approached Trowse Viaduct the mast had to be dropped  quite a way to clear it.

Once through the viaduct the mast was raised again, this is done with a block and tackle right at the bows of the boat and the sail hoisted, this is done with a two handed winch just ahead of the mast. You may expect the rope on the winch to be laid out evenly across the roller but its not. There is more effort required to hoist the sail the final few feed so the rope is wound to give a smaller diameter roller for that part of the job.

A short way beyond Trowse viaduct is where the local sewage works discharges into the river. You can see the incoming tide taking the foam upstreamThankfully as the morning progressed the wind freshened  so we were able to do some sailing. The wind was south east and the tide against us, but thanks to all the twists it the river we did pick a bit of speed up in places.

One thing I didn’t expect was to see three steel Narrowboats moored along here

Another strange sight was a stand-up Paddle Board with a chair on it, the chap at the front paddling and his young lady sitting watching the world go by.

We saw a few hire cruisers about but we also saw several yachts and although or general direction of travel was into the wind, the wind was on our stern as we met a couple tacking towards us and then behind us.

While we actually had some wind and the tender wasn’t required to pus us, some of the passengers took the opportunity to go out and take photographs of Maud.

The traditional Norfolk sailing yachts look quite splendid as they glides by, if I was a tad younger I could well look at hiring something like this for a weeks holiday

As we approached Reedham we passed the Cantley Sugar factory. By now the tide had turned and was slowly running with us. British Sugar recently announced that they plan close the site down.

As we approached Reedham the crew lowered the sail ready for us to come in to moor, we carried on downstream passed the pub before turning and come into moor right in front of the pub head to tide. We then took the couple who had gives a lift to Thorp this morning a ride to pick up their car in Thorp before heading home.

Back home

Change of plan this morning and we decided we would come home today and not tomorrow. So at 9 am we cast off, chugged round the marina and headed off to Dunchurch pools, in that short journey we met 8 Narrowboats heading towards Hillmorton. Our reason for visiting Dunchurch was to fill with diesel and I was a bit disappointed to find the domestic rate was £1-30 I was hoping for better. It was nice to go there when it wasn’t too windy. Anyway diesel bought we headed back to our marina only meeting one boat coming towards us. Passing a moored boat near Dunchurch , he told us 10 boats had left there this morning heading for Hillmorton.
I rather cocked up turning into the marina, I blame it on the water level down a bit and the bow catching the silt, that sorted it was through the bridge and backwards into our berth, a bit easier than yesterday as the boat on the next finger pontoon was out giving me a good 16 foot to play with.

Today’s Journey

 

3¾ miles with no locks in 1¾ hours

Home moorings

The first couple of boat came by quite early to join the queue for the ten o’clock flight opening so we were away about half nine. Three hire boats who looked to be one big family traveling together asked if the had to go down the locks to wind and then come back up. That should be fun with the boats queuing below the flight and them trying to wind. They are putting yet another floating chalet in the basin that was once full of boats at Blue Haven. Since we have been out the land at Barby Straight has been sold and lots of the other plots with no boats have private signs up. I wonder if the stuff left on the towpath opposite has anything to do with it, including an outboard and a generator. The past two days we have seen lots of small plastic cruisers in varying states of decay. Once back at our mooring we went for a ride round in the car, ending at The Wharf Inn on the N Stratford for lunch.

Today’s Journey

2 miles with no locks in 1 hour

Hillmorton

We were away earlier today as we decided we would head through Hillmorton in case they reviewed the opening hours on Monday, so off at 9am.Crossing the second aqueduct coming into Rugby the off side railing have rotted away, it will probably be put down to vandalism.As we approached bridge 58 it all looked a bit strange, not a boat in sight, the first one was round the corner, even all the moorings offside weren't taken.

It looks as if most of Clifton Cruisers are out, with a couple getting ready to go as we passed. Thankfully we met this beautiful craft on a straight section. It may look like she is built with wooden planks and

over 100 years old, but she is brand new and made of steel, fitted with a Kelvin engine and looks absolutely splendid.

We carried on to Hillmorton where I accidently jumped the queue when the boat I was following pulled in at the water point rather than carrying on to the lock moorings where two boats were waiting. We gave our apologies and explained out thought to which the steerer said well we could do with a fill up so carry on. One of the bottom locks is broken so they have locked off one of the top locks to save water, with a Volockie at the top and bottom controlling the flow. The water above the flight is probably down 100mm. Once at the top we passed these young Belted Galloways not only in the shade but also the canal. You have to look hard to see them.

Rather than mooring on the first vacant mooring above the flight we slipped into a gap half way to the first bridge to leave room for people arriving to queue for the morning. 
There are two things in the flight a bit unusual, a boat abandoned on the lock moorings of the second Lock and this chap between the bottom and middle lock towpath side

 

  
Today’s Journey

7½ miles with 3 locks in 3½ hours

All Oaks Wood

Away just before 10 and went over something hard just before bridge 15, that’s a little less 2 pack on the base plate. Round passed Charity Dock and there looked to be a few boats missing so this old wooden hulk was on display.

About half a mile further on out in mid channel we scraped on something else. As I turned at Hawkesbury Junction I didn’t expect to meet a Coaster and a Gun Boat, so I didn’t get round in one.

Hawkesbury Lock was like a real lock today with the Coventry being so low,just a bit more difference in level.

When we last came under this bridge at Ansty it was being repainted to cover the graffiti, it looks as if it may have worked.

This wouldn’t be my chosen spot for a mooring for the night but maybe they like trains.

It looks as if work is finally complete at the two breaches in the narrows between All Oaks and Rose Narrowboat, unlike the one further north hat has had nothing done and the towpath closure fences put to one side . We will see what happens when it rains, if it ever does. Floating in the narrows was a flower arrangement complete with miniature solar panel. I may walk back and see it it illuminates tonight.

We moored on pins at All Oaks Wood until the boat ahead who was moored to the piling left, then with great difficulty we moved down a boats length once we were clear of the mud.

Today’s Journey 10½ miles with 1 lock in 4 hours

Marston Junction

About half nine this morning a CRT chap walks by and said the locks are off. They needed to let water down so the boaters waiting may as well make use of it so opened early. We set off and were third up the locks behind yet another member of The Cutweb Internet Boat club, that was three of us moored in the same pound over night completely unplanned. The cottage at Lock 5 has a rather splendid Sun Flower, I would say it’s over 4Mt high. Once we were into the 5 top locks we were away with Volockies helping single handers and boats queuing to come down, often with one waiting in the pound above for us as well as one coming down in the next lock. This is normally bad practice as it wastes water, but today they needed to get excess water down the flight. By the time we cleared the top lock there had been 10 coming down.
In the winding hole above the lock flight for some reason someone has erected a stop, no sure why because its a dead end and the sign wont stop you hitting it, the buoys will which have made the winding hole even shorter, no chance winding a full length boat

We had been told about the buoys along the canal in front of the now flattened hat factory and this was what greeted us under Coleshill bridge.

The sign asks you to glide by but as we had to stop and wait for a boat already coming that was impossible. The reason for the dam is they are repairing the old factory foundations that run in the canal bed.

Further along yet another garden now has manikins residing in it.

This boat gives an indication of how much the Coventry summit is down along with all the Ashby.

Looking at the weir I would estimate it between 150 and 200mm. When you consider the pound is approximately 38 miles long its going to take a lot of water to bring it back up to the correct level.

There was no water coming in at the Anchor Bridge opposite the Anchor pub, there is normally a steady flow there and this was the level gauge.

A most unusual sit by Springwood Haven, this normally has at least half a dozen boats moored there, today just one at the very end near the bridge.

It amuses me the different items people put on top of their exhausts to jeep the rain out, I have seen everything from a Chamber Pot to a leather hat, this one had a stainless jug, we have a painted coffee tin.

Passing Boot Wharf I see there diesel price is very much in line with others now at £1-30 domestic price. As we left Nuneaton we passed the large Rhenus Logistics establishment and I noticed they had repaired the faulty glazing since we last were this way.

Time to look for a mooring for the night, we tried our usual spots but all were too shallow for us to get in so we carried on to just prior to Marston Junction

Today’s Journey9¾ miles with 5 locks in 5 hours

Lock 5 Atherstone Flight

Today’s plan was to moor below Atherstone Locks as the last entry was at 1400 hrs. but that changed.

Soon after setting off we passed a CRT mooring basin that has no boats moored in it. It did however have a couple of geese in residence sitting on the mooring buoys along with a duck.

At the junction we carried straight on towards Tamworth. The Glascote locks were against us and again I found someone had left the top paddle up 3 notches. Looking back a freight train was crossing the canal and every truck was painted with bright graffiti.

By the time we where up the bottom lock a boat was working down the top one so we both had locks ready for us. At the top lock there was a CRT employee who gave us a hand, he was waiting for a tug and pan coming  down, we met them just through the next bridge hole. We had to pass on the wrong side but it was no problem. We soon passed where they were working, replacing the piling, well inserting another layer in front of the old stuff.

Then we actually had some rain and I had to deploy the brolly, all 0.4mm. But it was enough to get you wet. When we came through Polesworth on our way out this was an open piece of land, now its an almost complete bungalow.

Looking at the spill weir the water level didn’t look too bad, but it was heavy going in places due to the bottom being too close to the top.

We stopped at the Grendon Services to top up with water as it was twenty to two and supposedly the last entry up the Atherstone flight was two o’clock with the padlocks going on at Three. It was spot on two when we finished filling with water, just as a boat came by, so now we would be second in the queue in the morning. However when we arrived at the locks a boat had just come down and another was holding the bottom gate open before they turned the lock to come down. We waited expecting the boat ahead to enter the lock, but they didn’t as they couldn’t decide whether to go part way up the flight or not. In the end they said they were staying there so we went up, meeting boats in the next three locks which worked well. One of the bridges now supports some bright graffiti, I don’t thing the artist was paying attention doing the biology lessons. The pounds were down a bit until we got to lock 7 where it looked to be on weir, we went up through lock 6 and moored for the night, only to find we were behind two lots of boating friend who we had not seen for some years.

Today’s Journey  10 miles with 8 locks in 5½ hours