Date - 03 /08/08 Day - Thursday Start - 0800 Braunston Bottom Lock End - 1800 Arm End
Harnser's present position just click http://tinyurl.com/3fwb6v We were due to be floated out or the drydock following blacking at 7.30 am. but the chap didn't turn up until 8 am. to fill the dock. Filling the dock took about 20 minutes and we were out and on our way up the flight. We did the first lock by ourselves and at the next one the gate was closing as I rounded the bend, a couple of blasts on the horn and the other gate started to open and I slipped in beside a hire boat, Lady with her mum onboard and her husband setting the locks. It turned out to be bliss, they had been hiring for the past 17 years and the rest of the flight went like clockwork, spreading to let on coming boats pass between us and coming back together in the mouth of the next lock. At the top I took the lead as she explained hubby had to navigate the tunnel as she hated them and hid below. We met one boat in the tunnel, it was his first and he stopped as he met me drifting out into mid channel just as I reached his bow. A bit more of the new black diapered as I clumped him. As we left the lock we met our friends John and Joan coming towards us so a few minuets were spent catching up on gossip. We continued on to Buckby and carried on down with the same boat, in front a single boat with 3 men and a dog on was just leaving the lock, At the second lock was bit of a queue with 3 boats waiting. The first two were a single hander and another boat, then one boat with three men and a dog and then us two. While we were waiting another hire boat caught up and we invited them to pass and join the three men as we were working well together. By the time we reached the bottom of the flight the 3 men were in the front and the single hander was with the hire boat, something to do with losing a dog somewhere. Whilton Marina are selling their diesel at 95p/lt We carried on alone after the locks as the boat we shared with stopped for lunch, but we did stop at Fred Tarry's to fill with diesel at 85p/lt before turning down the Northampton Arm at about five past five, by the time we reached the boatyard they had all gone home, so we will have to buy our Nene licence in the morning and have a bit later start than planned. We were told that the water point at the junction is safe, even though BW have put notices all over it saying otherwise so we backed up and filled with water mooring at the junction for the night. -- Brian <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Join SOW and help save our waterways http://www.saveourwaterways.org
