Summer Cruise#2 – Day One!

 

With the ensign hoist, the wee ship fully vittled, we slipped our lines and sailed serenely from our friendly shores into the not quite unknown. Aaaaargh, we be orf! Through Crick, through the tunnel, and down through Watford locks minding the Gap and mooring just beyond bridge No 3, outside Welton Havenmarina. Three and a half hours – that’s it. Seven locks and 5 5/8 miles.

Are the conscripts happy? I’ll have to lay on extra rum rations methinks!

Past Crick marina

Past Shaun and not so Shaun

Under the M1 motorway, wryly watching the scurrying commuters.

The most pleasant Watford flight, little public access here, so very few gongoozlers. You have to seek out the (volunteer) lock keeper and “book in” the system. One hire boat just zoomed past the Q and went straight into the lock – the lockie made em come out again! Good for him. Had a good 30 min wait as three boats came up.  Steve drove – Viv wheeled that windlass and Toby, well, just supervised.

Four staircase and three narrow locks here. 45min to an hour to get thru.

It does help to have the volunteers on.

Thru these trees is the infamous Watford Gap services – we creep past, they are totally unaware of our presence. Good.  It is very busy today – nothing at first and then maybe a dozen or more boats all chugging past our delightful mooring. Some boats a little too fast – Steve puts his “Slow Down – or Else” notice embarrassingly in the window!

A little image of the guide book – showing our vast trek today – all of one and a half pages, from the star on the right, to the very bottom left!

Yelvertoft to Welton Haven: 5 miles, 5 furlongs, 7 locks. Engine hours = 3.5 Water=Full, Gin stock = Full! State of ship’s company “good spirits”.