Wheelock to somewhere near Bunbury Locks I went out to get some milk from the Supermarket we saw last night, it was only when I saw the sign again did I realise it was a pet food supermarket and since I wasn't desperate I went back to the boat. I decided to set off, but as I got back to the boat another smaller boat which had earlier stopped at the wharf, man with red can in hand, and telling his wife to turn of the engine before it ran out, came by. He obviously wasn't going to let me go in front, but then later once we'd both passed a slower boat didn't go any faster so we plodded along at between 3 and 3.5 mph. Another boat pulled out from the boat yard and so all four of us arrived at the next lock together. Eventually we got through the lock, which spread the boats out a bit more. We got some fish and chips at Middlewich, and just as we were eating them on the lock mooring while another boat came up the lock another boat magically appeared behind us – moored above the lock I think. They asked if we were going through, and we were soon in the lock heading down just to go up the lock on the Wardle canal – the worlds? shortest canal at only a few hundred yards long.
We had a long wait at Stanthorn as a boat went up, another went down, and then a wait while the next boat got himself in, and then I had to turn the lock for our boat. The weather turned colder, and cloudier as though it was going to rain. It finally did just as I was working through the next lock, where there was a long queue, and an even longer queue at Cholmondeston at which I spent most of my time in the boat waiting for the queue to reduce. When we turned at the junction there was a hireboat coming southward along the Shroppie, but was quite a way from us. They panicked when they saw us, jammed the boat in reverse and promptly swung across the canal and into a moored boat. The owner wasn't to pleased, but it was only a like bump and I don't think he'll be able to get the hireboat company to pay for anything. It did take a long time for the hireboat to get themselves sorted out, but finally got under way again so we could pass them. "You need more practice", I said. "We've only been doing this for an hour", came the reply. I do wonder though if hire bases should spend a little more time teaching people how to handle the boat. We pulled in about ½ mile above the Bunbury staircase, still in the rain, and since we had a big lunch satisfied ourself with some toast! Cheers, Mike -- Michael Askin http://shoestring_DOT_zapto_DOT_org/ ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canals-list/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
