Friday 23 september 2011

Due to no signal last night a double dose - 

Thursday 22 September 2011

Ready at 08:30 for the fun of going down Bosley Locks, just about to pull out of mooring when nb “Sanity Again” (another Braidbar boat) went past so a leisurely chug to the first lock as the Macclesfield Canal has narrow locks that will only take one at a time.  Bruce on “Sanity Again” had gone through, there wasn’t another boat coming up so I filled the lock and headed to number 2, but Bruce wasn’t going down.  As I got closer it was to find that there was a traffic jam – locks 2, 3 and 4 had boats in and there was insufficient water in the pounds (that’s the bits of canal between locks) for boats to go between locks 2-3, 3-4, 4-5.  Bruce had phoned British Waterways to report the situation and to get some-one out to supply extra water.  Eventually a BW staff member arrived (with red lifejacket) and agreed that more water was needed and he went off to the top lock.  Bruce then organised a good British standby in emergency – a cup of tea.  Nothing seemed to be happening and a different BW man with a blue lifejacket arrived, had a look and went up to top lock.  Slowly it was noticed that the water level did appear to be rising and eventually we got the word that we could start going down as water would go with us.  So at 10 we began to move and because initially there were no boats coming up progress was quite rapid.  By 1pm I had finished with lock 12 and moored up on the Dane Aqueduct for the day having completed 1 mile along and 118 feet down in 12 steps.  We were fortunate that the weather has been sunny all day, although if it had been raining instead of chatting on the towpath we would have all gone into our boats.

Friday 23 September 2011

Peaceful night watching stars – very little light pollution so a great show.  Up and ready to start at 8:30 and a good run down to Red Bull Aqueduct (just before the junction with the Trent & Mersey) arriving at 12:30.  A quick change of plan and onward to the Harecastle Tunnel to get that out of the way.  Moored up number three in the convoy with two others behind (between “Frodos Hope” and “Mandikini”) waiting till 13:40 as journeys through the tunnel are controlled by BW staff.  The same staff member was on duty as when I had gone south in May and back North at the beginning of September.  They do two weeks duty at each end of the tunnel.  Went through in good time but those walls keep jumping out at me.  Moored for the night at Westport Lake, meeting up with “Sanity Again” again.  Later went to shops and was passed on the way back by “Kisimuls Galley” (another Braidbar boat).  Again the day has been sunny and warm.