Hire boat tales.

Our plans to stay in Foxton until Tuesday meant that we will once again have to go and fetch the car. Its all to do with another hospital visit scheduled for Monday. We needed somewhere to park the car for several days. There is a huge car park by the Foxton Lock Inn but it's a pay and display and warnings are issued at the machines stating that a £60 fine will be given if you overstay the allotted 4 hours. So what to do?? We decided to have a walk up the flight to see if we could find the lock keeper. He may give us some idea of where we could park safely and for free but not a hair nor hide of him was to be seen anywhere. On our way back and as we approach the bottom lock, we noticed a canaltime hire boat already in the flight who appeared to be having some difficulty. He was half way between gates and trying desperately to enter the next lock. Somehow there was not enough water for him to manoeuvre and I can only assume he was stuck on the gate cill. Now whether it was because they had opened the paddles in the wrong order and therefore drained the side pound, or the pound was empty in the first place and, being first time hirer's( admitted to us while chatting to them )  had never done a lock let alone a staircase, we will never know but before we could even offer our help, along came a guy in a high viz jacket with BW Car Parks written on the front. He took hold of their windlass, shouted to the very flustered chap on the stern to put the boat hard into reverse, which luckily worked so at least they could move back clear of the gates, dropped all the paddles and then proceeded up the flight to run water down to refill the side pound. He hardly spoke another word to them and looked none to pleased at the turn of events. In a way I felt very sorry for the hirer's. It didn't matter why this had happened but just a smile and reassuring word wouldn't have gone amiss. We told them that this could have happen to the best of us and just to put it down to one of the highlights of the holiday. We left them sitting in the lock waiting for Mr Grumpy to return.




Stuck on the cill??




You can make out where the water should be. ( There's no algae growth on the walls)


 So to return to the story of parking the car. We had a walk into Foxton village and some of the side roads looked very promising. This morning the decision was made to first wind round by the locks and get diesel from Debdale Marina. Then return the way we had come and go through the swing bridge onto the Harbourough Arm, wind at bridge 7 and moor by Blackhorse Bridge. All very well but it was blowing a hooley when we woke up but, having made our decision we were going to stick by it. Getting off the side was a game in itself with Ian literally pushing the front end while I put the power on.Thankfully we had no problem winding by the locks as it's remarkably sheltered by the pub. Had no problem getting into Debdale for our diesel and it wasn't until we reached the next winding hole by bridge 7 that the fun started. I was on the helm but try as I might all I kept doing was crabbing side ways and getting nearer and nearer to the opposite bank. Ian tried to help but nothing really worked until I said sod blast it and swung the tiller hard over, putting as much power on as I could with the hope of not sticking fast in any mud. Luckily that winding hole appeared to be well dredged and slowly with the front hard up against the bank, the boat eventually came round. So here we are moored up by the village with the rain beating down on the roof and very relieved to be here. Ian was going by bus to collect the car but as our friends Pat and Keith live in Wigston about 7 mile away and with the bribe of Sunday lunch here at the pub, we have persuaded them to come over and then take Ian back with them to Kilby tomorrow instead.