FreeSpirit : Blooming 'eck he hit that hard.

Saturday 21 September 2019

Blooming 'eck he hit that hard.

We said our goodbyes this morning to Dennis, Margaret, Stuart and Wendy. I can't think when we enjoyed a week more and who knows, maybe next year we can do it all again. So with heavy heart we set off without them toward Harecastle Tunnel.

At Westport lake, we had brief glimpse of the lake.

As I passed the last moored boat, a few yards further was bridge 128. Now, this has quite a nasty left-hand bend and luckily I was still going slow as suddenly a bow appeared under the bridge. Quick reverse and put FS well into the right. Through came the boat and then gestured that two boats were following closely behind. I heard a horn sound so assumed he was VERY close. But I was not prepared for what happened next. That boater must have seen me waiting by the bridge , panicked and never turned the tiller to avoid the brickwork. My God he clattered the bridge support hard.The boat bounced and I'M SURE breakages must have occurred. Got the boat through and as he passed had the audacity to say "Didn't the first boat tell you I was coming and I did sound the horn you know!" Good grief was he blind!!! Couldn't he see I had stopped well away from the bridge 'ole! "Why do you think I've stopped" said I. "Yes I had been warned and yes I heard your horn!" He put on the power which pulled FS's bow out toward the bridge 'ole. No way could I get it back so powered forward with fingers crossed that the third boat wasn't right behind. Luckily this was a small Sea Otter narrowboat and the lady helmswomen had seen what had happened and stopped. She grinned and said, "Bet that must have hurt his pride"

With those three boats, it was obvious that we had missed the timings on the tunnel. Good oppertunity to watch those doors open at the South Portal and a boat emerging.

It had been but a forty-five minutes wait before being told to proceed. Three boats to go through and it wasn't long before a loud bang alerted us to the closing of the doors. Then the fan started, really really noisy. For a minute all goes foggy as the exhausts from the previous boats are drawn toward the vents.

As lead boat Ian powered through. I wanted to see if the skeleton was still there which would have meant slowing down. .Didn't fancy being hit in the stern by the second narrowboat to enter. I need not have worried as they were far behind when Ian brought FS to a stop to get the photo. The skeleton appeared some 25 years ago and baffled the tunnel keepers at the time. The general consensus though was during Rag week a bunch of University students did it as a prank,

Skeletal fingers is the first glimpse.

We exited after 35 minutes, a record for us even with the stop.

The start of Heartbreak hill locks was but a stones throw from the North tunnel portal.We hadn't planned on doing all 26 locks today but gosh our luck was with us. Apart from 3, every lock was ready and waiting and that has never happened before. From when we entered the first lock at Hardings Wood Junction to doing the 26th lock at Wheelock it took 5 hours 30 minutes.