It had to happen! Sooner or later

3 Locks, 7½ Miles and 1 swing bridge. Now moored at Fradley Junction, Coventry Canal.

We left Rugeley just before 10am with clear blue skies and a nip in the air. We had 1 boat ahead of us and by the time we reached the first lock there was another following us. The first boat had suffered battery failure and had to wind just before Fradley Junction and head back to Great Haywood for assistance. The lady on the boat introduced herself as Ngaire and told me her father came from Christchurch, New Zealand and that she had been christened with a full Maori name which was a bit of a mouthful so I won't even try to write it.

As we turned onto the Coventry canal Dot had to operate the swing bridge across the narrow entrance to the canal and we pulled into the water point about 100 yards further along. I got off the boat to help Dot on the centre rope and when the boat was close to where we wanted it I went to get the stern rope. Unfortunately as I went to step onto the stern the boat moved away from me and I didn't get a firm enough foot hold and my foot slipped and the next thing I knew was that I was standing on the canal bed up to my chest in freezing cold water. I soon managed to scramble out and had to leave Dot to secure the boat so that I could strip out of the wet clothing and have a quick shower and change of clothing.

Luckily Dot had a saviour on the next boat who came and gave her a hand. When I spoke to him later he said "Welcome to the club, you are not a boater until you have fallen in" The last time he fell in the canal it had an inch of ice on it. Other than a grazed shin I'm still in one piece.

1572 locks, 3269 ½ miles, 52 Tunnels, 43 swing bridges and 39 lift bridges since Nov 2006