A diesel pollution

 Friday 13th....no mishaps please!

Up at 6 am...away at 6.15. Just enough time for a quick wash and to get dressed, the cup of tea would wait until we were underway.

Breakfast.... gosh, how early? Ian was sent below to cut the bread and make tea, I froze my socks off steering FS...yes it was Bl**dy cold this morning. That wind chill...enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey! Hat, scarf, gloves, crikey had the seasons suddenly changed?

Took 40 minutes to reach Atherstone top and dismayed to see the lock empty. In fact, every lock bar one had to be turned, but soon we had our well-tried system on the go. Ian would open the top gate, I take FS in whilst Ian walks on to fill the lock ahead.  I would close the top gate and lift the paddles. Ian would return in time to open both bottom gates and for me to continue to the next one. It all worked brilliantly, and for once I actually had some work to do. 

Atherstone top lock

Hardly a boat on the town moorings, we were to find out that several boats had already left, and here was I thinking we were the only mad sods to leave at some silly o'clock!

 

One boat was met and because the arrival at lock 8 coincided with the bread maker paddles necessitating their removal from the dough, Ian did the deed while I helped the couple up and for once Ian got to take FS into the lock.

Two hours from arriving at the top lock, 11 locks were ticked off and out of the way. A quick stop at the facilities and onwards towards Polesworth.

Got to bridge 50 and suddenly a very strong smell of diesel filled the air. Looking down, the water seemed to be full of the stuff. Where had that come from?

 

We were soon to find out. By Bridge 51 was a sunken boat, A boom of sorts had been put around, but this did nothing to stop the diesel leakage, And its position, so far out in the channel, it was, in my opinion, a hazard to boat traffic. CRT must know about it, although I don't remember seeing any alerts on their website.

Not much room to get by, FS was almost touching the offside vegetation.

This shows how far out the boat was.

Ian was about to phone CRT when through bridge 52 more piling works were taking place. We couldn't decide if they were CRT or Rothen contractors, so we asked the question.  Definitely CRT, so we mentioned that boat. They had no knowledge of any sunken boat or the diesel covering the water, Ian made it very plain that this was pollution that needed addressing sooner rather than later. I hope something will now be done because the wildlife it will affect could be considerable.

 

And a few more images of the piling works

That small yellow box is the spirit level guide

 

10 30 am and we stopped. Four hours already cruised, and although the wind was still gusty, when out of it. the sun was lovely and warm. My plan, go fishing again, Ian's plan, hmm, he didn't have one! But best laid plans and all that. It was the noise from not only the trains but the motorway that got to me. Wind blowing in the wrong direction, namely directly at us. 

 So after lunch we moved. Gosh, that's three times in four days that we have done this. Anyway, through two bridges, one of which was the motorway bridge and about 1/4 mile further on a lovely rural mooring found. In fact, almost the same spot as when we came with Toffee in April. Back to fishing, and this time it was a Perch hotspot. Wonderful and I spent a good 2 hours having a great time. But then a boat came into moor just in front, blast,  It killed the swim dead!

And wildlife