Week 8

Total mileage 337, locks 251, Engine hours 229, actual travelling time 190 hours.
16:50 12/07/2009 5.16 miless 7 locks
Home sweet home! Well Crick Marina anyway. Unusually Watford flight didn't really have a queue, so we only had to wait for a couple coming down before we were in the flight and up, up and away. No one in the tunnel, and before we knew where we were we sailed in to our home mooring. If the rain holds off its the 'last' holiday BBQ tonight and then sort ourselves out for going home tomorrow.

16:28 11/07/2009 4.22 miles 6 locks
Took Bella shopping early this morning and came back with a paper and freshly baked croissants for breakfast - dog waking up early has some advantages! Set off before 9 to join the queue for Braunston lock flight, the first double locks we have seen for weeks. Plenty of traffic so we had a fast run through, the forecast was poor, and we had a little drizzle but nothing serious, through the tunnel in 20 minutes, the BW 'average' time, I don't know how you can do it faster if there is any traffic coming the other way. Reached the junction and turned on to home water for the first time in 8 weeks - moored up before the heavy rain and settled in for the day, getting our strenght up for the home run up Watford flight tomorrow.

16:48 10/07/2009
A rest day, walked Bella, shopped, food and Chandlery. Found the blue paint at last which matches the original Enigma colour, so I will be able to do some touching up at last when we get back to base. We are moving off tomorrow as the angle is deemed walkable on (just).

16:48 10/07/2009
Decided to move on today - single handed! The sitting around is partially because the crew injured their ankle on the rotten Oxford canal towpath and has taken to its bed!
Anyway plenty of people boat single handed - just not me. Luckily no wind or rain, so the 3 locks at Hillmorton should be a doddle. Plenty of boats coming the other way, so didn't have to empty a single lock, just fill VERY gently, as the boat was washing around all by itself.
All went well and so we cruised on to Braunston. Found a good mooring despite it being quite busy, we craftily arrived after lunch, so those only stopping for a lunch break were moving off.

16:48 8/07/2009
Another day of rest!

13:38 07/07/2009 day of rest.
Sat around reading and avoiding the torrential rain, as I write this we are having a load thunderstorm, Bella is not impressed, it keeps waking her up!

13:33 06/07/2009 10.6 miles 0 locks
Gentle cruise from Ansty through the North Oxford canal, mainly wide and straight, with large bridges. The only busy bit being around Rose Narrowboats at Stretton. Always busy there as it is a working boatyard, hire boat centre and shop. Saw Mick and Crystal ex lock keeps from Foxton, Crystal works part time turning round the hire fleet, they seemed in good spirits.
Moored up at our usual spot by the Rugby golf club, this year you can watch the golf as the hedge has been trimmed and laid.

17:47 05/07/2009 11.3 miles 1 lock (stop)
So off on the final homeward run, down through Nuneaton, saying goodbye to Chris and Helen as they turned up the Ashby and continued on around Bedworth to Hawkesbury Junction, took on water and hairpinned around to go through the stop lock and on to the Oxford Canal. Arrived at Ansty expecting it to be full, BW in their wisdom made some of the mooring permanent permit only some years ago, and there never were many! However we were in luck and the last mooring was free - even better the hire boat behind had been to the pub for lunch and soon moved off, so we backed down to get away from the bridge.