Last night we had a takeaway from Ikbal’s Kitchen and to say the portions are generous would be an under statement. We ordered on line early afternoon and they rang when they opened to say one item was out of stock. I walked up and collected it at the appointed time and they were just completing the order, so all lovely and fresh.
Our mooring was nice and quiet overnight but we had an early call from two lady joggers chatting loudly as the passed the boat between 6 and half past.
Today has been lucky and unlucky, first the luck. We pushed off about half nine a boat had just gone by, but they winded at the top of the locks and didn’t go down in front of us. There were two Volockies on duty, one had the top gates open ready for me, the other was clearing leaves from the bywashes so set ahead for us down to lock 5. Between locks 5 and 6 a boat coming towards us was just mooring up so had turned the rest of the flight ready for us, some had leaked off a bit but most were good. We did the whole flight before it started to rain.
Now the bad luck, I felt something catch the prop as I pulled away from the mooring, it didn’t feel too bad so I carried on, not too much of a problem going slowly down the locks. Between 5 and 6 I decided something would have to be done, so in lock 6 I pealed off my top layers of clothes so I could feel down the weedhatch with a bear arm, I found 2M. of 14mm. mooring line tight round the prop shaft.
The water wasn’t as cold as I expected but it took some time to get it free, some unwound and then it would be tightly crossed, but slowly it all came free.
There are acres of land flooded to the east of the Atherstone flight along the line of the stream running up for as far as the eye can see.
his trip I have see three Royal Mail trains, I wonder if they have Royal Mail drivers or if they are just contracted out, as even the engines are in Royal Mail livery?
This trip is a bit different from most in that we have to end on a specific day, tomorrow to leave the boat on Saturday morning and as you may have realised we are now very close to out moorings, so we decided to sail straight passed the marina entrance and tomorrow go the Fazeley and back, that way we will only be moored in the marina overnight rather than just sit in the marina for 48 hour. Needless to say almost as soon as we passed the marina entrance it started to rain, heavy rain. Brolly up yet again which works really well until you have to stop and moor the boat up. We moored for the night between bridges 66 and 67 as this is a reasonable distance from the railway with housing between us and it.
Today’s Journey
7¾ miles, 11 locks in 3½ hours
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