Continuing .

Yesterday in keeping with my ‘don’t cruise every day unless you have to’ method I decreed it would become a ‘rest’ day, so I started work on de-rusting and treating the second bow locker, no pictures, it’s the same as the first one! I will continue with it in dry periods if we get any.

This morning I decided to continue the aborted cruise which had been curtailed by the lack of a functioning horn and a huge queue at the Hillmorton locks when I arrived, my destination was Rugby where I could stock up on non-perishable food stuff, which is getting a bit low, and perishables.

The forecast was for a showery day and it was lightly raining as I set off at 9:15am and headed for the first of the three functioning locks, it turned out to be the offside locks that were in use and I had to turn the first one (for those that don’t know this means emptying or filling it for use depending on whether you are ascending or descending), I am now back in narrow lock territory and that makes life easier but on the downside the queues can be longer in busier periods as obviously only one boat can get through at a time, but not this morning, no queue at all.

Entering my first single lock this year.

Having worked down the first lock I could see a boat in the second one so I held station in the jaws of the lock until I saw the gate being opened and then set off to pass him in the pound.

Second lock in the distance with boat coming up.

After working the second lock I had just closed one of the pair of bottom gates when a boat came into view, so I re-opened the gate and headed off again, passing the small arm at bridge 70 which leads to Granthams Bridge Boat Services which has a dry dock, it looked fairly busy.

Arriving at the third lock there was a lock keeper on duty so with his assistance I was soon through that one as well, another stress free descent completed J

Lock keeper's on duty today, to aid traffic through.

Not long after leaving the locks I passed a C&RT barge with tug and they set off to follow me.

Bridge 66 with some artwork depicting canal life then and now, on the opposite side it depicts Rugby, the game,  as you are now entering the outskirts of the town

But first you have to get past Clifton Cruisers, meeting boats here is always fun as there is not much room, but today I had a clear passage through.

With the barge following I was warning approaching boats when necessary, it’s amazing how many just accept the warning and do nothing, at least two boats got into bother when the barge I had warned them of appeared around a blind bend or emerged from a bridge hole, and then as I arrived at the Rugby visitors moorings where it is narrow and bendy (as can be seen in my mooring pics), I was attempting to pull my boat to the bank and a boat passing did not slow much, or better still knock his boat into neutral as he passed me, I shouted a warning about the barge as I struggled against the drag caused by him but he took no heed and ended up in bother as well, Karma for not slowing enough for me J .

Current mooring:

Totals today: 3 miles : 3 locks.

I will stay as long as I need to, no need to cruise in the rain and the forecast for the weekend is not great, it will allow a few trips to the shops, little and often is best when you have to carry bags!

It's rained steadily all afternoon and I managed to drop a charger on my tablet cracking the screen, not a great afternoon but on the plus side, oh sorry, there wasn't one!