Day 15 Hungerford to Crofton Grey morning and no sooner had I opened up the cratch cover than it began to rain and I had to unfurl it again. Hung about to see who was moving but the boat that emerged from the mooring opposite at 09:20, nb Sunshine, was only going up one lock so we were left to fend for ourselves. Marsh Lock was a shambles - the n/s gate paddle mechanism had clearly taken a direct hit from a boat and was bent so that the gate could only be half opened. What with that and the howling gale with rain blowing straight across the cut, working this lock [which also has a swing bridge over it] was not much fun. However, the rain stopped and we continued, arriving at Froxfield Bottom Lock to find a gate open in a welcoming fashion. Dave, a single-handed liveaboard on his way back to his mooring at Pewsey on nb Summer, was good company and skilful in handling his rather nice 60' boat. We therefore kept going past Gt Bedwyn, despite the uncharacteristically empty VMs. However, the wind strengthened through the early afternoon and by the time we got to Crofton VMs at 14:45 we decided to stop for a bit; in fact I felt the need to peer down the weed hatch as progress had been so slow on the last couple of pounds. All clear there, it must've just been the headwind. The afternoon continued breezy so we sat tight. After dinner there was less wind and we considered briefly the idea of chugging up to the summit but common sense prevailed and we had a delightful stroll into Wilton and back over the hill to get a view of the windmill - which is now illuminated at night [well, they wouldn't in the day, would they].
6mi 5fl; 14 locks; 2 bridges; 5.67 engine hours Baz
