We had a nice evening with George and Carol last night. They picked us up at the bridge (it was still howling a gale) and took us down to Audlem where we had a table booked at the Shroppie Fly. We last saw them in March when Macc was tiny, so there was plenty to catch up on. Today, the forecast was pretty dire later on, so we wanted to get going before the second storm in two days came in. Consequently I was laying in bed at 5am thinking how calm everything was — and how it was too dark to start boating! But we re-arranged our morning routine to cut down the time it took. I had a shower and breakfast while Adrian fed Macc, then I took Macc for a walk while Adrian ate. It was pretty much still dark when we set out up the towpath, but on the way back the sunrise was spectacular.
Before we set off we both put on full wet weather gear, then I went to set the first couple of locks. Macc was at first a bit put out at being sent back to bed when he’d barely been up an hour — but once we were moving he realised what was going on, put his head down, and went to sleep. Adrian brought the boat, and we were going into the first lock of the day (Lock 3) at 8am.
It’s a pretty flight, even on a dull day, and the locks down to number 11 are all close enough together to set ahead. So I’d raise a bottom paddle on the lock we were in, then go and fill the lock below. By the time I was back, the lock was often ready and I could just open the bottom gates; occasionally the other paddle needed raising. Then by the time the boat was at the next lock, I was there to open the gate.
One of the locks (can’t remember which one) had a number of clusters of cute little mushrooms growing in the cracks in the balance beam.
After Lock 11 they become further apart. When I got to 12 the bottom gates were open, but a boater who was walking up the flight closed them for me which was nice of him. He also said there was a hire boat heading up.
By the time we were down 12 the hire boat was approaching so I could leave the gates open. Lock 13, which they’d not long left, had already lost about 18 inches of water — so the only lock of the day that should have been in our favour, pretty much wasn’t. While the boat was in the lock I took the recycling and the food waste to the bins. The single-handed chap on Cazza was now in front of us, having set off from outside the Shroppie Fly. We shared the locks at Stoke Bruerne with him back in May, and we also saw him in Berko, London, and on the Thames above Oxford! We were down the flight at 10am, so the 13 locks had taken two hours. What’s more, while it had made an attempt at rain, nothing had come of it — and there was hardly my wind either.
Our target for the day was a little further on, the lovely moorings at Coole Pilate. We did the couple of miles in about 35 minutes, found there were only two other boats here, and moored on rings a good distance from both of them.
The good thing is that there are no trees here, so that’s one danger we don’t have to worry about. By lunchtime the wind had picked up, and then this afternoon the rain started as well. Yesterday’s wind had been head on, but today’s is hitting the back of the boat. After lunch I took Macc for a walk (he doesn’t seem too bothered about the weather), and as we set out the Cahmberlain’s fuel boat passed. The steerer didn’t look as though he was having a great time! Normally we might have flagged him down for some diesel, but we’re still pretty full.
The forecast for tomorrow is sunny but still with very strong winds, so we’re likely to stay put. Fortunately we have time in hand.
3 miles, 13 locks. (334 miles, 219 locks)