Crick Trip - Day 3

We set off at 8am in sunshine.  I walked up to Buckby Top Lock, and turned it after a couple of boats had left.  Once we were up we stopped on the water point to fill the tank.  Then it was along to Norton Junction for the turn onto the Leicester Line.  The run to the bottom of Watford Locks always seems longer than we remember.

At the locks, I went to book in with the lock keeper, and he said we could come straight up after the boat in front, as there was no-one waiting to come down.  The boat in front was a hire boat, who for some reason hadn't started up the locks; when told they could go, they set off on the boat without setting the lock.  I went and emptied it for them, then worked them up.  The lock keeper had set the next lock, and worked that for them.  Eventually, they had to get off and wind a paddle or two themselves.

Our journey up the locks was pretty quick.  But the weather had worsened, and it was cold.

At the top of the locks, it started raining.  We did the short run to the tunnel, which is very close to Bridge 10.

The tunnel is nearly a mile long, but Crick is straight after it.  The moorings were in a state of confusion, as the temporary bridge across the canal was still being built, so we moored up and would move into our proper spot later.  During the next couple of hours, we had rain, hail, and sunshine.

Eventually the bridge was finished, as we and the other Braidbar boats moved into our slots right by the bridge.  In the middle of all this, when cold rain was falling, Jo and Keith on Hadar went past.  We are on the outside, breasted up to Ice Breaker.

Later in the afternoon, I went onto the show site and saw a few people I knew, including the owners and builder of the boat I tested last week -- so I was able to have a few questions answered.

It's been really cold this afternoon, and we've lit the fire.  Tomorrow, the forecast is pretty bad.

6 miles, 8 locks.  (27 miles, 21 locks)