Set off this morning with Dawson driving for the day as I needed to get some work done.. (A life afloat is good – but work does keep getting in the way) – and a very good drive it was. Easy all the way, good with locks – and even dealing with the cross wind well.
A little while on, at lock 61 (Winkwell bottom lock!) we were joined by another boat. He wasn’t having a good day, on approach to the lock, the side winds caught his boat, and pushed the back into the tree’s which promptly smacked him in the face! With that over with, we both got into the lock and started to empty it.. when.. he realised that the bow was hung up, and was about to sink as the stern was being swamped, the boat was twisting and starting to climb onto ours – threatening to sink both!
After a call to the team at the bottom gates.. the paddles were closed to stop the water leaving the locks.. I grabbed a windlass and ran to the top lock.. opened the paddles to get some water back into the lock to raise his stern up out of the swell.. eventually, the boat stabilised with the bilge pump getting rid of the water that started to come in!
After the panic settled.. and averting a near sinking.. we had a look and it seemed that there is a single brick slightly sticking out – just enough to catch the port side rubbing strake.. which it did. Needless to say – we started to empty the lock once more, and kept a close eye on it.. Soon enough, the lock was empty, gates open and we were able to get going onto the next one!
Thankfully.. he didnt end up like this poor boat!. But yeah.. canal boating is an easy calm life.. until it isn’t – and it can change in a heart-beat.. and locks, whilst useful can be very dangerous places and will bite you if you don’t give them the respect they seem to want! Always keep you wits about you – don’t get distracted – and always have someone near to the paddles to shut them – just in case something starts to go wrong!
But this was not the end of the days exploits..
Eventually, we got to the target for the day.. Sainsbury’s in Apsley for some much needed supplies of Vodka (and other things), and to fill up the water tank as we ran it dry last night.
Soon after getting back from Sainsbury’s, and moving the boat to the water point after it became free – Dawson and Celeste spotted 2 kids throwing stones and anything else they could get hold of at the geese quietly minding their own business.. after a few objections were raised about this – and several objectionable expletives and gestures thrown back at Anna – which of course she accepted gracefully……. the situation grew into a requirement for the police to be called, who arrived particularly promptly.
As the water tank was full, and we really didn’t want the boat trashed in retaliation.. we all agreed – time to move!.. So onward.. with Dawson driving, and me getting on with more of the afternoon phone meetings which always seem to fill my afternoons – especially when you work with a team based out of Minneapolis – and their day starts at 3pm UK time.
Eventually, we were joined by a gentleman with a fibre glass cruiser.. and Dawson – quite rightly – stated he didn’t really want to risk being the cause of another boat sinking and asked that I do the driving whilst loading and unloading the locks. The following 3 locks.. worked in procession.. he lead the way to the lock, tied up, got the lock ready, we moved in and got the narrowboat tied up and stable, he them moved his in.. emptied lock, opened the bottom gates, let him exit first and so on..
He was a little worried at the start – as when we first met the very first question was “Do you know how to drive you’re boat”.. So obviously he’d had to share a lock with someone in the past who didn’t appreciate – or care – how fragile a fibre glass boat can be.. or how fibre glass reacts when hit by 10 tonnes of steel.. Needless to say – I think he was relaxed after the first lock, and settled into it as before exiting the first one.. he asked if we could share the next few locks for as long as we could before we stopped to moor up for the night.
So all in all.. a good, eventful day – with highs and lows.. but in all.. Dawson did a damn good job!