I set off early as there was no need for Brenda to be in attendance as there were to be no locks at all today. As we were passing through Sale, Simon rang to enquire whether he and P. could join us for the day. We stopped by Town bridge and waited for them to park their car and hop aboard. On past waters meet and Jannock was now into new territory as we have not cruised this area with her before. We continued past the Trafford centre and then arrived at the Barton swing aqueduct just as it had re-opened after letting a ferry through on the ship canal. We were the only Northbound traffic whilst there must have been 8 - 10 boats waiting for Southbound passage. After 4 had come through I decided it was big enough for two to pass so we set off against the flow. The previously clear water through which we had been observing the rubbish on the canal bed was now rapidly turning red. Just before Worsley we passed a day boat full of 'merry makers' who, when we looked back, were doing their best to keep the boat upright. It appears that the skipper had turned tightly with all the crew on one gunnel or the roof. How it didn't capsize we'll never know. A few hundred metres after Worsley we found the site of their lunchtime BBQ. The ambers had just been thrown into the long grass and so we stopped and poured 8 buckets of water over the area of rapidly burning grass. Boating and Booze, not a good combination. We finally moored up at lunchtime and I fetched the car before returning Simon and Phaedra to Sale for theirs. A good run home with no motorway problems ended a pleasant sunny day. Graham www.jannock.org.uk
