Atherstone

Mike S is a yacht skipper more used to ocean racing than narrowboating, so taking the helm came naturally until the quirks of shallow canal navigating manifested themselves, like bank effect and lack of control in reverse.  Much of the Coventry Canal is in large pounds and our planned day today would have involved no locks at all, so we decided to go on to Atherstone which would then include the two locks at Glascote as well as the 11 at Atherstone itself.  Mike soon got the hang of sterring through narrow locks, so Pat and I were able to enjoy the luxury of working the locks.  Glascote, always a bottleneck, involved a wait of three boats including two single handers who were helping each other.   Then the long pound through Tamworth which brought no surprises.  Finally, approaching Atherstone bottom lock we found ourselves first, so set up our usual team but with the luxury of a "full time" helmsman, Mike.  Pat ahead soon radioed back that there were boats ahead and soon enough, even with an opposite direction boat to slow us down, we were up behind a pair of small boats working the locks together.  With a crew of four they should have been able to leave us in the dust, but were not employing labour saving techniques.  At the marina, a boat shot out in front and this held both teams up, so at the top we found that we had taken 3 hours for 11 single locks compared with 3 hours for the 21 double locks of Hatton.  Mike's journey back to Rugeley would be problematic possibly.   There is only one train a day it seems from Atherstone to Rugeley.  He will need three buses to get back.   Tomorrow we hope to be at Hawkesbury Junction for a great meal at the Greyhound (table booking made this time!).