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Friday 24 January 2014

Welford Friday 24 January 2014

Thank goodness yesterdays weather forecast was wrong and in stead of waking to pouring rain it was fine and even a bit sunny. We were away in good time at twenty past nine and I don’t know if the CaRT chaps had visited the workboats they left here yesterday, but it looked like the heater was running in the pod of one of them.DSCF4498

There was a large field of sheep opposite and they appeared to be walking across the field in a straight line as carrying out a search of the area.DSCF4500

As we made our way back to Foxton we met another pair of CaRT boats, this time loaded with safety fencing.

After about an hour we reached the bottom of Foxton Locks and Diana went up to find the locky, who needless to say was right at the top,  but he gave us the OK to make our way up. We had just worked the first lock when he walked down to give us a hand. I noticed that most people took photos from the top looking down, so I took this one looking up. DSCF4506Things were going well until second from the top where a piece of stick had got between the gates preventing them closing properly, so as the lock above me tried to empty it was being topped up by the lock above, so we had to refill it level with the second lock to open the gates and remove the stick and then start again. We were still up in well under an hour.

The CaRT boat with the chipper on it that I had retied on the way down was now hard at work, cutting back the offside overhanging trees and bushes. The chap on the bows used a long handled chain saw and long handled hedge trimmer to cut away the offending growth, the chap in the hold dragged it out of the cut and fed the chipper, the third chap was at the helm keeping the whole lot in the right position.

At North Kilworth Wharf this chap was hard at work sharpening the cutting blades on this rather posh weed cutting vessel. I don’t know if they plan to use it around here or load it back on the trailer and go elsewhere.DSCF4511

The weather stayed fine until we entered the Welford arm when in started very light drizzle and turned quite a bit cooler. CaRT have just replaced the top gate of Welford Lock including the butts that it shuts against but the locals tell me the bottom ones still swing open and leak, we will find out when we go back down.

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