Saturday brought the sunshine after a misty muggy morning. We set out around 8:30 and got to Napton by 10. It was a summer trip through the flight of 9 locks - meaning a huge number of boats with a combination of private and hire. That made for teams and conversations at most locks and the odd passing on of tips to the newbies. Great fun!
One story passing from one lock to the other was that a boat coming down the flight had a frightening escape. A single hander, the boater opened the top gate paddles to fill the lock, entered the lock, left the boat and went to open the bottom gate paddles. And, look at the new lambs. And - this is the critical bit - forgot to CLOSE the top gate paddles. So as water rushed out the bottom gates, water rushed in the top gates, the boat got stuck on the cill - the ledge at the bottom of the top gates - and the boat nearly flooded as the stern went up, the bow went down and the boat started leaning so much it looked like rolling. Luckily the boaters coming up the locks noticed that too much water was rushing, wondered what was going on and went to find out. They, along with the boaters whose boat was in the queue to go down, managed to quickly close paddles, allow the boat to settle and then help the single hander to get going. A sober lesson to us all, especially when we get so used to doing what we do and we all love to take in the countryside! Poor driver made it with help through the next lock then needed to stop and recoup.
Safely through the flight, the sun blazed us through Marston Doles where we have been so often moored in the pouring rain or freezing fog. Elizabeth took to the deck chair again, sitting next to Pete who finally admitted that he needs to be prised away from the tiller, he loves it so much. Except of course in locks where we still swap tillers for windlasses at each one. Love it. So Elizabeth knitted and watched the country. We saw ponies, calves, geese, ducks with ducklings, swans with signets, kestrels, buzzards, swallows and much more. And we were watched by many of them. Look at the bridge photo and you'll see a cow staring down at us!
We moored up in Fenny Compton around 3:30 and enjoyed popping in to the pub and being greeted like old friends by Mark and Kevin. The Wharf Inn is where we were frozen in back in January. Thankfully there was no sign of a repeat of THAT weather! We put up the parasol, set out the bench and enjoyed the lovely summer day. In the evening, we helped warm the new house of our boating friends who are presenly between boats...
