Down to the river.

It was spitting this morning when I got out on deck after breakfast. I had to fill up with water before we left the basin to move on. I also emptied the rubbish and did the engine checks etc. I had to have the electricity meter read and pay up the bill for our stop over and we were already for off by just after 1100. We then waited for another boats from the basin as they were heading down hill for a jolly. However by the time we left the first lock it was throwing it down and out came the trusty Alton Towers cape came out for only the second time since April 1st.

Looking back at St. Pancras Lock.

There is a bit of working going on just round the corner at Kings Cross and the towpath and moorings are closed off. There are several areas that are full of duck weed but not to impede passage.

The moorings on this side of Paddington are definitely more crowded than to the west. We passed several ships lifeboats and I can't think of a more uncomfortable boat to be in. These enclosed boats were originally designed to provide protection from the elements and then were fitted with spray systems to keep cool in case of fire on gas and oil tankers. They were full of condensation in normal use so must be terrible here. I would love to see what sort of a conversion would be possible inside. This one was designed for 50 to escape in. I'm not sure I would like to be in this on my own here, but it is better than under a bridge I suppose.

It was a relief to get into Islington Tunnel as it was dry and gave us a break from the alternating heavy drizzle and rain. It is only 960 yds long but seemed longer as we went through at tick over.

It was good to see that some of the old buildings had survived along the canal. One of the joys of walking through London is that you come across such anomalies as old next to new buildings. It is good to see that everything wasn't swept away from the canals.

An old warehouse and factory near City Road Locks.

City Road Basin, Islington. There will be a Canal and land based festival here on Sunday 7th September. These new buildings contrast well with the previous picture.

Victoria Park is on the left and was opened to the public in 1845. It has two cafes and is about 86 hectares. In WWII it was a huge anti aircraft battery. I don't recall seeing a bridge with the VR on it before.

We shared the last few locks with 'Maris Piper'. This was our first view of the Canary Wharf complex.

Limehouse Basin is a marina for loads of different boats and I was glad that we could ask 'Maris Piper' crew where we went. The 24hr moorings are just near the lock down into the river. There was a Black Prince hire boat there who where going to lock out tomorrow around midday. I was interested to hear that they had a pilot coming to take them. Not too long ago a hire boat had misjudged the tide and got swept across a moored barge. They were taking off by a lifeboat but there was no harm done to crew or barge. I thought it was a bit strange that they were allowed to go on the tidal Thames in a hire boat. It makes sense for them now to take a pilot I think.

There was a spring tide today so the water in the river was actually above the level in the Basin today. We watched the road bridge open and the lock gates split to let this yacht out on to the Thames.

It looks like the rain has finally stopped now and so we will have a wander around and see what we can find. The restaurant over the lock on the other side is a Gordon Ramsey place, but there was nothing Helen fancied so we will make done with eatings up aboard.