Date - 16/02/08 Day - Saturday Start - 0945 bridge 100 End - 1300 Blue Lias
When we walked the dog last night the grass was already frosty with a very clear sky. This morning when I crawled out of bed it was -5 and the cut was frozen over but still very clear, as the sun rose the weather warmed a lot and we were in no hurry to push off, just before half nine a boat came along breaking the ice for us, it was about three eights of an inch thick. We made ready and were away at quarter to ten running down of the boat that came through earlier, it turned out he had only come from the Napton Marina about a quarter of a mile from where we had moored, from here we were breaking virgin ice all the way to Wigrams turn, where luckily there was a hire boat coming towards us from Braunston and he was turning towards Calcutt so I slowed down and let him go first, we then followed him to Calcutt locks and went down together. There were quite a few boats about by now and we were able to leave the gates open meeting boats in each pound. I wouldn't want to take a wide beam boat down as N.B. Laughter is now moored just below the first lock and her bow stick out about a quarter of the way across the tail of the lock., you wouldn't get a breasted pair through. There was much less ice now and also several boats comeing towards us. I noticed that the "No Turning" notice has been taken down at Stockton Marina, I wonder on who's instructions it was removed. We caught up with the hire boat again at Stockton Top and shared all the way to the Blue Lias, They had a good sized crew with dad, 3 daughters, 1 son, 1 son in Law and 2 grand children that we saw, so we were able to set ahead. We filled with water opposite the Blue Lias and then winded before mooring at the end of the Blue Lias lawns. Winding here is not the easiest place in the world with a boat moored opposite the arm and 3 boats moored in the mouth of the arm. -- Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Visit this site and help save our waterways http://www.savethewaterways.org.uk/
