Braunston

Here I am Rune

Distance 2.5 miles

Total 1667 Locks 82 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2312.1 miles

Once again back on the move travelling through Braunston Tunnel, down the Braunston flight of locks and into Braunston itself, outside of the marina. A fairly easy day’s work as we manged to team up with another boat, ‘Samsara’ to come through the lock flight. Interesting method used on this occasion at the suggestion of the helm of the other boat. I have gone through locks in tandem with other boats but this was the first time of going through with the two boats tied together. It works OK provided that all of the lock gates open fully (travelling in tandem up the Hatton flight we had to break away at a lock near to the top as one of the gates wouldn’t open fully so you can’t get two boats into the lock together).  I was intrigued that the helm of the other boat hadn’t seen me steering a boat before but was happy for his pride and joy to be tied to ours to go through the locks whilst he worked them. It does make quite a difference to the steering and, to be honest, if anything went wrong it would probably have been his boat that would have hit anything since from my boat I had virtually no view of where the side of his boat was. It all went very well however and we managed the 6 locks, one tunnel and about 2 ½  miles of canal in slightly over 2 hours. Think we may remain here tomorrow to get a few bits and pieces and press on towards Fenny Compton on Wednesday.

Daventry

Here I am Rune

Distance 2.1 miles

Total 1661 Locks 81 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2309.6 miles

Since the weather yesterday was crap we stayed where we were, it seems to have been a good move since the weather today was a whole lot better. The main issue yesterday (despite the rain) was the strong wind that was blowing. We needed to go down to Norton Junction and then reverse to the water point/elsan. In the wind that was blowing yesterday that would have been an utter nightmare whereas today it was calm and relatively easy. 

I did take the opportunity of a non-moving day to give the engine a service so it had an oil and filter change, an air filter change and a fuel filter change, so now is probably when it breaks down!

We are now pretty much at the same mooring that we were at last weekend and will probably stay here now until Monday.

Weltonfield

Here I am Rune

Distance 4 miles

Total 1661 Locks 81 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2307.5 miles

Although we have done 4 miles today we haven’t really got very far, we are only about 800 yards from where we were previously moored! The logic behind it is that we were on 48 hour moorings that we needed to move on from. To head back towards Braunston would have meant that we would run out of water/elsan cassette by about Sunday so we needed to stay in this area until tomorrow so that we can refill the water tank and empty the cassette which will then cover us until about next Tuesday. This means we can moor back at this end of Braunston Tunnel over the next weekend then head for Braunston. The 4 miles we did today took us up to Watford locks where the nearest winding hole is, the alternative would have been to go to Norton Junction and then reverse back up the Leicester arm until we could find a mooring, and I couldn’t be bothered! 

Although we are moored about the same distance (about 800 yards) from the M1 motorway as we were over the past couple of nights, it certainly sounds quieter here.

Norton Junction

Here I am Rune

Distance 1.5 miles

Total 1661 Locks 81 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2303.5 miles

Well I competed half of the original plan for today and travelled the short hop to Norton Junction where we have refilled with water, emptied the rubbish and dealt with the Elsan cassettes but then we didn’t bother ‘drifting’ back to last night’s mooring, we found a 48 hour mooring here. It was a tight squeeze however, we are 60 feet long and I would estimate that the mooring space is not more than 63 feet long however a boat, unlike a car or lorry, you can pull sideways into a mooring space!

I did make another trip back to Daventry on the bike for a few more ‘essentials’ but the ride took a bit longer than when we were moored on the outskirts of the town. We will probably hang around here until Wednesday then start heading back towards Braunston, we are hoping to be contacted by the Cratch cover maker at Braunston to tell us when out fitting date will be.

Daventry (2)

Here I am Rune

Distance 0 miles

Total 1661 Locks 81 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2302 miles

Since we have found a reasonable mooring (decent internet, phone signal and accessible to Davetry) I think we may loiter here for a while. We’ll need to go up to Norton Junction (about 1 ¼ miles away) tomorrow to top up with water and deal with the Elsan cassettes but once that is done I think we may well drift back to here.

I took advantage of a non-moving day today to go into Daventry for my first swim of the New Year, the new year ‘resolution’ is to see how far I swim throughout the year, target is a ‘Channel Swim’ of 26 miles or more, all I managed today was just the 1 mile so 25 to go.

Also popped into the local Waitrose to get some odds and ends. To use an old fashioned term it is fascinating how shameless people can be these days. Whilst standing in the queue for the free coffee (how long can Waitrose keep that up??) I heard a lot of shouting and sobbing coming from the direction of the cash tills that you can’t actually see from the coffee machine. My first thought was that someone had been caught shoplifting and was arguing their innocence to the security staff, how wrong I was. A few moments later a young woman appeared from the direction of the cash till not with a Policeman alongside her but with her mobile phone pressed to her ear and still shouting and sobbing into it, clearly having a major row with someone on the other end which she continued as she went out of the shop. The woman behind me made me chuckle though with her comment, “Do you know it really cheers me up to see someone having a really bad day like that, it makes my day look so much better!” But how someone can conduct a full blown mobile phone argument with tears and everything in the middle of a crowded supermarket I find amazing.  

Daventry

Here I am Rune

Distance 1.7 miles

Total 1661 Locks 81 Tunnels

Running total mileage 2302 miles

Our first movement of 2016 was a pretty short one but did incorporate Braunston Tunnel, which was the challenge that it always is. The tunnel itself is fine (a bit crooked, by hey ho) but you always seem to meet boats in it that try to make things more difficult than necessary. Today’s gems were first a boat who for some reason best known only to himself, didn’t switch on his tunnel light until he was halfway through the tunnel. I’m not sure what he was trying to prove but it certainly makes things confusing for other boaters. The problem is that in the darkness of a tunnel you can see the shape of a boat ahead in the profile of the tunnel exit. If you can’t see a white light then it is reasonable to assume that it is going away from you so is not a risk. When you get three parts of the way through the tunnel and suddenly this boat switches its tunnel light on you are left to decide whether it is a muppet who has just switched on their light or still a boat going the other way who is now shining a torch at you! Fortunately things happen fairly slowly on Narrow boats so you do have time to eventually work out what is happening. The offending boat however had a very badly set light and the closer it got to us the more I was being blinded by it until, at the point of meeting I really couldn’t see a thing and just relied on the fact that the back of the boat was close to the tunnel wall and hoped that the front was in the same place and we wouldn’t collide.

Having passed the first boat, and now having totally lost any night vision all I can see at first is the tunnel exit portal in the distance. After about 50 metres and night vision starting to restore I then see that there is a ring of light on the tunnel roof but cannot see any headlight approaching. As we get to within 50 metres it becomes clear that the following boat has got his tunnel light on but it is obscured by a large bag or something so that it cannot be seen from ahead. This was fine until we approach one another and the light then starts to appear around the side of this bag, and some light it was, pretty much a searchlight!  So for the second time within a couple of minutes I am totally blinded in the tunnel, we do however avoid a collision (not sure how!).

I didn’t think this tunnel business was supposed to be this difficult, aim tunnel light at roof and steer through avoiding oncoming boats, some people however seem to love to introduce complications!