June Cruise - Day One

We left home before 7am, and arrived at Brinklow just after 9.  Unpacking was done quickly, then the car was parked and we were off at around 10 in lovely sunshine.

There didn't see to be that many boats about, but of course you always meet them at the worst places.  Just after Newbold tunnel is a funny little pound, on a bend, with moorings and a water point, and a bridge.  There was a boat just finishing up on the water point, and my bow was nearly level with his stern when I saw a boat coming through the bridge.  I had to reverse, the boat coming through the bridge had to stop, and it was all a bit messy.  The man on the water point bent down to release his ropes.  "Shall I get out of the way?" he asked.  "Sure," I replied, thinking that if he'd indicated to me that a boat was coming, I could have waited further back and everything would have been a lot easier.  Anyway, he set off in front of us, and had a better run up the locks at Hillmorton.  There were quite a few boats at the locks, but even so we had to turn the middle one.  We stopped at the top for a lunch break.

There seems to be much more progress on the Barby Moorings, with the entrance now built and the wharf side very visible.  On the approach to Braunston, I jumped off at a bridge hole and walked up to Wharf House to buy a pole, just in case we need one this trip.  I can't actually remember the last time we had to deploy the pole, but I suppose it's safer to have one available just in case.  On the way, we spotted Starcross moored up.  I walked back with the pole to the junction, where Adrian had moored up to wait.  Then we carried on to Bridge 102, our planned stop for the night.  As we came round the corner, we could see that the best moorings, beyond the bridge, were full, so we joined the end of a long row of boats, immediately in front of Jannock.  A little later, Doug and James from Chance came for dinner, our first guests on board.  We had a lovely evening, talking boats and all sorts of things.

I didn't take many photos today as we've done this section a couple of times since buying Briar Rose, and as it happens the internet signal here is too weak to upload them anyway.

12 miles, 3 locks.