Crick

Here I am Rune

Distance 6.6 miles

Total 2223 Locks  92 Tunnels

Running total mileage 3143.0 miles 

At last a day in which we covered the intended distance and have arrived in Crick. The weather was glorious for a an Autumnal day clear sky, little wind and slightly chill, but not too much.

We had passage through the flight of locks in which I have previously had a near disaster, the Watford Flight, and have to say that they are a funny set of locks. Once you take the boat into a chamber it doesn’t seem to want to lie quietly in the water, it is either going forwards or backwards. My method of operation in locks is to hold the boat from the shore on a mooring line and it is necessary to get the centre mooring line very tight to hold the boat in position and keep it there. I didn’t want the boat going up to the top gates since there was a gap below the ‘bump plate’ on the gate in which the button on the front of the boat could become easily trapped and  I didn’t want the boat going back onto the bottom gate as there is a risk of the rudder getting trapped. We got through the locks anyway.

The next feature was Crick Tunnel, and there cannot be a greater contrast than with the previous tunnel, Braunston. Crick tunnel is as straight as a die, you just point the bows at the portal in the distance and go straight there. If you tried to do that in Braunston tunnel, due to it’s various kinks, you would undoubtedly hit the tunnel wall (probably several times).

The approach to Crick Tunnel

A view inside (the white bits are drips of water from the roof)

The Halfway Mark

Interesting limescale patterns on the walls.