Awoke to the sun streaming through the window and thought we may have overslept but a quick look at the watch showed it was still only 6.15am. Getting up now is getting harder especially as we turn the heating off at night (the boiler clunks and hisses every 5 minutes of so keeping us awake) so it is bl**dy freezing and a shock to the system as we get out from under our warm duvets. By 6.45am we were underway. Even though the sun was out there was a definite chill in the air and with me taking first helm duties I made sure to dress in thermals and long johns. My biggest problem was the glare of the sun in my eyes. Starting as early as we do the sun was still very low in the sky. The only large rimmed hat belonged to Ian, which I immediately pilfered, but because it was so cold outside I also had to my woolie hat on to protect my ears. So the first idiot of the day was me looking more like Worzel Gummidge .
The locks came and went, Fosse, Bascote staircase etc and before long we reached Stockton flight. It was here we encountared the next idiot. I stepped off by the bridge ready for me to walk to the bottom lock. This particular bridge is on a bend so the lock couldnt be seen. I saw a boat excited out of the lock and rushed back to warn Ian. It's a good job I did because the boat tore out of the lock and didnt even slow down to negotiate the bridge. There could have been a head on collision but for some quick thinking on Ians part. Anyway the chap on the stern said he had had to turn round every lock and I cheekily said at least now all the locks would be in our favour. Sure enough they were but not just because he had come down the flight. One of his crew members had left every paddle up on every bottom gate on the whole of the flight! So that was idiot number 2. Imagine if you were on the flight following that boat! I would have been cursing by now! This now neatly brings me to idiot number 3. Stockton flight has 8 locks all fairly close together. After the third lock ascending there is a bridge which obscures ones view of the final 5 locks. So there we were in lock 3, I had lifted the paddles to bring Lady Thersa up and then walked on to open the next gate. Bear in mind they were all with us because of the idiot no 2, when I suddenly saw water coming from in between the bottom gates. I rushed to the top to see a chap winding up the top paddles and shouted for him to stop. He just looked at me and said his mate had told him to fill the lock and he continued with his task. I asked him why he had turned the lock around in front of us. His reply........... He didnt see us coming! I then said that all he needed to do was stick his head under the bridge to check if any boats were coming up. Well he lost it with me saying that there was no way he was going to walk the few feet to look under the bridge. I lost it also and told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of idiots like him! In the end I walked back to Ian to let him know what was happening and then ambled ( there was no way I was going to help him through the lock) back through the bridge. When I arrived he came up to me and very sheepishly apologized. He said that he had never done locks before and was only helping his friend down the flight. After having words with his skipper, who quite rightly told him off for turning the lock round, was told to come and apologise to me. I also apologised for losing my temper as I hadn't realised it was his first time. We all came away laughing and a valuable lesson was learnt by, not only the chap, but by me as well. One should never judge a book by it's cover. So you could say I was once again an idiot for jumping to conclusions.
After that incident we made good progress up the flight and before long got to Calcutt locks. The breeze had certainly picked up by now, so much so, that I struggled to get the boat away from the side to enter the first of the locks.
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| One hell of a breeze blowing from left to right |
With this in mind Ian hurried up to the middle lock to try and get it set ready for me. Unfortunately a boat was just coming into the top so Ian helped him down instead. He then walked back to me and I moved onto the lock landing to allow the descending boat to enter the lock. Thats when it was Ian's turn to be the idiot. Instead of leaving the gate open as I came out he only went and closed it in front of the oncoming boat and started to walk towards the next lock. I had to shout at him to come back and open the gate, which he very quickly did. Talk about senior moments. Maybe it's time for us to give up boating, or then again..............
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| I've included this photo as this was the boat Ian shut the gate on. What I loved was the porthole with the dogs head sticking out from it. |
So after turning right at Wigrams turn, doing all of Napton flight we finally stopped for the day at the top by 4.30pm
Total mileage 14.4, locks 30 and time 9.5 hours.
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| Jade waiting while we watered up |
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| Two dogs standing guard by Fosse locks no 2. Could be very intimidating if you didn't like dogs. |
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| And yes there was no one around. A mobile home was in the field so we assumed they had come from there. |
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| Low pound by lock 13 on the Napton flight |
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| A really vibrant rainbow |
And my usual wildlife photos all taken on Napton flight.
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