Well, I’ve learnt a lot about wind today and I think I prefer the rain! We started the day with our Zoom church and planned to journey to Lower Heyford, where there’s a train station. The wind was moderate at midday and not due to lessen so we decided to stick to our timing rather than delay. To explain, we have chains that loop round the bar on the steel shutterings on the towpath side and once the boat ropes are free of the chain, you then have to unloop the chain before you can hop onto the boat. The plan was to attach the mid rope to a tree stump on the towpath and then R would untie the bow rope and get our chain free before I untied the stern rope, got the chain and then jumped aboard to helm. However the wind was so strong where we were moored that every time R tried to unleash the bow rope the bow immediately swung across the canal. There was no way the two of us had the strength and weight to pull it back. Just as we were despairing about what to do next the man from the only other moored boat ran up to help us, like a heaven sent angel. His intention had been to walk his dog but he spied our distress and immediately offered his assistance. Younger and stronger, he was able to hold the midrope firmly enough whilst R and I undid our ropes and chains and jumped on board simultaneously. Not only that, but he knew we would encounter difficulty with a drawbridge a mile further along and so he went ahead of us on foot to raise and then lower it once we had passed through. The kindness of strangers – he certainly met us in our hour of need! Under normal circumstances we would not have chosen to move today but had little choice. No wonder a sound bit of advice given to us before we embarked on this trip has proven true – try not to make plans set in stone as you never know what hazards are ahead of you! Certainly the wind today hampered our progress and it was very hard work to avoid being beached on a shallow flat bank and keeping the boat on a straight course, avoiding moored boats. There were three locks to go through, the first being the second deepest on the network of single locks, at 12ft. Not one to attempt alone and I couldn’t even raise one of the paddles on my own – it just would not budge for me! Then I couldn’t shut that particular gate once R had left the deep chamber and so he had to come and assist. Meanwhile we hoped the boat would stay where he left it on the exit from the lock, as we were in a narrow archway that happened to be quite long. All quite exciting and tiring. The remaining locks I managed alone with R at the helm to assist. I felt I had proved my lock abilities yesterday so didn’t need a repeat performance!
We moored at Lower Heyford in, it seemed to me the only available mooring, so congested with boats was the canal. I fear we will have difficulty all the way through to Oxford with moorings, which might deter us from taking the boat so far along. We had no choice with our internet connection and it has to be said, it is poor. In order to watch Endeavour without constant buffering R must have repositioned the phone at least 20 times. Eventually he balanced it above the doorway, high enough for us to have to crane our necks and so far away that we, with our old eyesight, could only just identify the characters. Luckily we are set for a warm week if the forecast is correct, so I shall have to find some good coverage outside, hopefully even on the boat bow.
The train station is literally next door, sharing the towpath with us. Although not particularly busy as a passenger station, quite a few freight trains are passing through at regular intervals so I can’tsay it is the most peaceful of places to be!
NarrowboatTLC 