Three Cutweb members spotted today.

 

We arrived at Weedon Bec just after 10am and lugged our ‘stuff’ up the steps to the canal where Jannock was still securely tied up waiting. I then parked the car in the village, the lane by the church is a bit of a rat-run so best to put it somewhere quieter. We then untied and set off by 10:45 heading North. As we approached Dodford wharf I spotted nb Ian moored against the field there - I had to take a picture because Ian is the boat that mini-Jannock’s original hull kit was based on.

We had a lunch of bacon sarnies as we approached Buckby bottom lock. Once in the lock, we waited a short while as both the first and second boats following us winded in the marina entrance and set off south again. Luckily the third boat, nb Queen Hatshepsut, came into the lock alongside us and we shared the whole flight with them. They were a nice couple from Devon and we made good time up the locks with only one lock being turned on us by a couple of private boats as we approached the empty lock from below. I was not impressed and told them so.

Up through ‘Bee Bra’ (Buckby Top) lock – named such after Brenda once had a Bee fly down into her bra whilst ascending the lock, much to the amusement of all the peeps sat in the pub garden. Onto the summit where we waved bye-bye to Queen Hatshepsut as they turned onto the Leicester Arm. We passed through Braunston tunnel, passing one boat coming the other way – why is it always at the bendy bit near the northern end?

No-one to share Braunton flight with, but there was a Cutweb member moored above the flight, so having introduced myself we travelled down solo meeting all-sorts coming the other way. At Admiral Nelson lock I found a solitary boat tied up in the lock and a single bottom gate open. No sign of life so I thought the owner had gone in the pub but it turned out that he desperately needed a comfort break and re-appeared from inside the boat shortly after. Once out of the flight, we travelled down to Braunston turn passing two more Cutweb members by the toll house. I turned Jannock round at the junction using all three sides of the triangle and then returned to the sani-station. I then did a pump-out whilst Brenda walked the rubbish down to the skip.

Pump-out complete, we passed nb Waiouru and nb Stray Away again to turn in the marina entrance and then reverse back to the last free mooring before Butchers Bridge to moor for the night.

Another first for Jannock – whilst moored in Braunston we had a visit from a door-to-door salesperson trying to flog dusters and cleaning cloths etc. I sent him packing pointing out that we had everything we needed thankyou. I did point out to him that ‘holiday boaters’ were likely to have everything they needed provided by the boat company and he might get more success trying boats with bags of coal and piles of wood on the roofs  ;^)  We’d seen none along the Braunston stretch during our earlier winding exercise.

Graham