Another quiet mooring last night, we decided to push off a little earlier this morning, just before 9-30 which happened to coincide with a boat turning the lock behind us, so that was one we were ahead of’ As we passed the 48hr moorings someone has carved this seat from a tree trunk, the weird thing is that appears to be a bottle attached, someone has also left a dog lead on it which I guess they found.It wasn’t long before we were going up in Quoisley Lock. For some reason someone has attached an oil on canvas painting to the stop planks.
We obviously closed the top gate when we left but it slowly drifted open< the boat following was catching up and would think we didn’t bother closing it, fortunately a boat then appeared coming the other way meeting us, so the lock was ready for him.
At the next lock which was ready for us a boat was waiting to come down, their daughter who looked about 6 years old stood by the top paddle with windlass in hand. With the bottom gates closed the windlass went on, she looked down to me and managed to lift the paddle about two turns, she looked down at my bows and gave it another two turns and stopped and checks the bows again, one more turn and tells Diana it not quite ready to open wider yet. As she has it all in hand Diana crosses the lock and between them Harnser gently rises in the lock. Well she impressed me. At Poveys Lock we caught up with a couple of boat and then it was on to Grindley Brook where one boat was still below the locks but about to enter as we came under the bridge. I have never seen this on bollards before.
We followed the boat in front up and then it happened, the gear selector failed as I tried to leave the lock, like a fool I tried reverse , OK back into forward and we are still going backwards, so it was engine off and try to stop the boat before I rammed the gates. We pulled the boat out of the lock and while I repaired the gear linkage the following boat over took us. Needless to say they would then be the third boat to go up the staircase and we would be in the next batch so we had plenty of time for dinner waiting about an hour and a half for our turn up the locks. There were at least 3 Volockies working the flight, 3 up and 3 down keeping things moving. Up through the three lift bridges, 2 by our selves but met a hire boat at the third so they picked up their crew as they passed the bridge and we dropped it.
I do wonder what this floating garden is licensed as, a butty, a tender of a garden. Or maybe the owner is keeping stum.
We carried on just a short way to moor for the night in the middle of nowhere between bridges 35 and 37.
Todays Journey
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