A Somewhat nonplussed Terry Streeter wrote....
"As I arrived at Dukes Lock to open the top gate, a suited gentleman appeared from the pub and asked if I was Terry from NB Arun. Somewhat nonplussed I answered that I was, and he then introduced himself as Ray off NB Owl. We had a bit of a chat as the boat was going down and he helped me by closing the gates and dropping the paddles while I left the lock." Nonplussed-ness - one of the hazards of blogging, Terry. Yes, I was that suited gent! A pleasure to lend a hand. Have a great rest of trip, see you if you're down Shropshire sometime. In case Terry thinks he's acquired a stalker, I should explain that I just happened to be in the pub outside drinking area with a colleague visiting from Chicago, who was also nonplussed - by my cry of -"Oh, there's someone I sort of know but have never met - Hang on a minute" while I left her in charge of the beer to lend my weight to the balance beam. There was even more water coming down the Rochdale than usual, a good 6 inches coming over the top gates so making a level both ways was tricky - and the lock was half full 5 minutes after I closed up after Terry. I then had to explain to my visitor that boating is one of those hobbies that requires washing one's hands both before and after using the lavatory. In case anyone else is coming through, ALWAYS close front doors when going uphill on the Rochdale, and hang back from top gates if your fore-end is neither well-clothed or self-draining. Going downhill, always close back cabin doors and pull the slide over. Wet carpets / full bilges are a right pain. Ray Nb Owl - back in the water on Friday (X'd fingers please) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
