Today we have only travelled 4.5 miles but we have had the Crick Tunnel and the staircase locks at Watford to do.
We left fairly early this morning and headed for Crick Wharf to get water and empty the loo. This was the scene of the disaster in 2012 when a chap, moving things off a boat moored in the small marina there, tipped a whole wheelbarrow full of stuff in the canal trying to get over the rickety swing bridge. (Search ‘Crick to Norton Junction’ and read the entry for Tuesday March 20th for the full story). The swing bridge looks as if it has been replaced now.
On this occasion during our wait for the tank to fill we were treated to an ABC Boat Holiday boat trying to turn round in the entrance to the small marina but his boat was far too long and he became wedged across the canal. His crew tried to open the swing bridge to give him more room to manoeuvre. Unfortunately the swing bridge swung towards his bows instead of away from them so this didn’t help him.
Ken had to tell him that if he continued through the next bridge he would be able to turn round at the larger marina entrance. So off he went to turn round properly.
It has been all hire boats or marina boats today. Not surprising seeing as it is Easter and the beginning of April at the same time. We have seen at least one boat from nearly every hire boat company in the country today. We were surrounded by them at Watford Locks.
When we got to the top of the locks we were already 5th in the queue and as there were also 2 boats coming up, we waited about an hour before it was our turn. It takes roughly an hour to go down the 7 locks. The top one is on it’s own, then there is a staircase of 4 and finally 2 more separate ones at the bottom. So it took 2 hours in total from the time we arrived at the top and when we left the bottom lock.
We then travelled a further mile and a half and then moored near Welford Haven marina. It’s about a mile from Norton Junction and we are the only boat here. We walked to the New Inn at Long Buckby, just past the junction and did some gongoozling. There was plenty of activity to keep us amused.
Tomorrow it will be an early start to get through the tunnel at Braunston before all Hell breaks loose!
