Well things didn’t quite go to plan, last night my son should have brought my grandson to stay and we were all going to have dinner at the Boathouse. In the end it was just Diana and I who had dinner as my son’s car broke down and they all went home on an AA lorry. The meal in the Boathouse was way beyond expectation, I don’t expect much from 2 for 1 places but we had the carveries and they were first class.
This morning we got a call from my son saying Claire was bringing George over, so while we waited for them we went and filled with water and ordered a new Tipcat from Trade Line Fenders, the old one only lasted 15 years.
Claire and George arrived just before 11 and we set off straight way for Braunston locks, there were 3 boats ahead of us and we teamed up with a Wyvern Hire boat who were spot on, we met boats at every lock and had a good run, stopping at the top for lunch.
The repairs to the tow path between the top lock and the tunnel are a 50% success with half dry and half a quagmire. Where they raised the path level using an edge board it has worked well, as expected where they just kept the same level its a failure.
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Awash After lunch we set off through the tunnel with a boat coming towards us, it turned out to be a small plastic cruiser with an outboard engine, the first I have ever met in a tunnel. As we approached Norton Junction there is about 100 meters of red safety fencing along the canal edge/tow path.
We arrived at Buckby top lock to find it almost full and no other boats in site, with the aid of the Volocky we were soon down meeting two boats shortly afterwards. When we arrived at the second lock there were two more boats just entering, so time for an ice cream from the little shop. As we locked down a boat arrived behind us, we had passed them moored at the top of the locks, so I waited for them just below the lock, by the time we both reached the next lock again we were meeting boats and this continued all the way to the last one which we had to turn.
The second lock down has taken quite a bash at some time snapping the beam that is there to stop boats getting their fenders on top of the gate. It looks as if someone did mange to get hung up at some time.
Once clear of the flight we said goodbye to our second lot of locking friends of the day and made our way south finally mooring on the approach to Weedon, I think it was just as well we did as we have had a couple of boats reverse back and moor behind us. Needless to say by the time we moored it was raining steadily.
Today’s Journey
9 Miles, 13 Locks, 1 Tunnel and 1 junction in 5¾ Hours
3 comments:
That's the lock where a boat lifted the gate off the week before the Crick Show, holding up lots of us! The whole balance beam came off, and has had to be replaced.
Maybe they should take 10 min screwing the wood back on so it doesn't happen again.
Hi Adam, I have several emails back and fort about this from CRT so we will see what happens, I wont be back this way this year so I wont see for my self.
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