By 10:00 we were off and as we passed Crick Wharf. It seemed that every boat that had bopdies on had gone before us.
I was quite taken to see a boat mooring up at the water point. I did wonder if the young lady that was tying up the bow was new to boating or just a visitor as she was wearing yellow trousers! Not the sort of boating attire that Helen or I could wear and maintain that colour for more than about 10 minutes!
We were soon at Crick Tunnel and the drips stopped after about a third of the way through the tunnel.
We passed under the West Coast Main Line and the M1 motorway, both hurtling through the same gap in the hills as the canal. Once we got to the top of Watford Locks there was nobody waiting so we went on the water point and went to find the Lock Keepers. They reckoned that it would be about 3/4 hour wait. It turned out to be a bit longer and two other boats arrived astern of us.
After a single lock at the top there are four in a staircase with the red paddles for the side pounds as a water saving measure. Today was the day that water saving went up a notch as these locks, and Buckby and Foxton are only open from 10:00 to 15:30. It sounds as though this had caught a few out as there were five waiting at the top and three at the bottom when the keepers came on duty.
The side pounds were doing there 'thing' and assisting in the water holding process, and looking like rice paddy's too.
The lock keepers told us that Braunston Lock flights was being closed tomorrow until Thursday to fix No4. We had planned to go down tomorrow so brought this forward to today. Therefore we turned right at Norton Junction and headed onwards. It is a locley cottage at the junction which I assume is a holiday rental, but I may be wrong.
No.2 tunnel was Braunston and once we got in we could see at least one boat ahead of us, quite smokey too it seemed. It looks like a staright through tunnel but there does seem to be a kink. Nothing was coming in the opposite direction until we got near to the end when a floating floodlit football match entered!! LED floolights have a lot to answer for!! As we approached each other he must have stopped his engine as he drifted right out of line and gave us such a clout. As we passed he shouted that tunnels are really scary.
There were two boats ahead of us and two astern so we weren't breaking records as we headed down. Lock
Lock No.4 didn't seem to be leaking much worse than many that we have passed through. I love this little cottage, 'Crooked Cottage'. It has a nice little garden and is just a nice size for two. I wonder if this is another rental place.
We were wondering if there would be any moorings when we got down the locks. We were soon at the bottom lock and loo and behold there was a spot just after the first marina entrance so we pulled in. Has anybody noticed how there seem to be far fewer swifts and martins this year! Has there been some natural reason, or is it those French and Italians that find it sporting to shoot any birds that come their way?
4 comments:
LED headlights, deadly things. The boat is doing 4 mph, there in no one going to walk across in front of you or boats come out of a junction in the dark, there aren't even any bends.
Thanks for your comment. I think that LED's are obviously better for power consumption, not that you really use them when the engine isn't on. It is really the flood light effect that I don't understand as you can't really get lost in a tunnel! I think if you have a LED head light in a beam rather than just a wash you could direct it to the st'bd side and elevated upwards too. I usually put the interior lights on near the stern so that you can reference the bow and the stern to the side more easily. Still nobody hurt is the main thing.
Crooked Cottage is owner occupied.
Lucky devils. Thanks for the info.
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