Jannock is on the move again.

Saturday 4th August 2012

We moved back onto hotel Jannock today and ran away so that no-one else can move in. As we were about to cast off from the mooring nb Great Britain was coming up through lock 59 so we were able to share a couple of locks with them until they decided to moor up to watch the World Sports Day athletics rather than continue boating.

Ascending Sewer lock we decided to exit as a pair since there was a widebeam boat waiting to descend so we had no need to close gates and pick-up crew. Neither of us could see that the top gates would not open fully and were a little surprised when both boats got wedged. We went into reverse to un-stick ourselves and then left the lock singly. It was as we were doing this that Mr Bombastic from the waiting widebeam informed us of our folly and a new law of physics. He told us that narrowboats never come out of a lock together, never! It’s because they get stuck. I must admit that it is a phenomenon I have never experienced before, but it obviously had nothing what so ever to do with gates that wouldn’t open fully. No. Mr Bombastic went on to explain that it was because the two boats moving close together at the same time created magnetism that prevents them from getting out of the lock. Now, call me stupid, but if boats are closer together due to a magnetic attraction surely they’d find it easier to get through a narrow gap. But then again – he must have been correct because his one widebeam boat found it difficult to enter the lock, after we’d left, even with two men rocking on the balance beam.We tested his theory at Bottom Side lock. We were unable to substantiate his hypothesis.

A steady solo run after that, no Olympic congestion here and no evidence of the multitude of boats taking up BW’s offer of Olympic moorings conveniently close to a station to make attending easier – not one – not surprising at the prices they thought they could charge for Berkhamstead and Tring.  We finally called it a day at Bulbourne and finished with a pint (or two) at the Grand Junction Arms.

Sorry – no pictures as Graham left his camera in the work kit he was using Friday ;^(

Brenda