The weather for the next few days does not look good. Heavy rain and increasing wind is forcast for Wednesday and the wind is set to increase with storms and heavy rain on Thursday. Our intention was to be home early on Thursday, but we cannot leave Limehouse early enough - due to availability of water at Thames Lock Brentford - to make Harefield in a day. As the likelyhood is that weather will be to bad to travel on Thursday (that's a personal thing, just that I have had bad experiences single handed in strong winds before), we decided that if our guests, Rosie & David, could help us up Hanwell then they and Pat could leave at Hayes and I would travel on alone not being under any pressure to make a deadline.
So Wednesday dawned windy and wet with torrential rain just before we called up for the locking out. Heavy wet weather gear was called for and proved necessary as the rain continued for two hours. There was very little traffic on the river save a couple of catamarans and a rubbish barge train which preceeded us part of the way, so the boat ride was remarkably smooth although the water was choppy in the wind. Welcome bacon rolls and a mug of tea appeared after after Putney. The lock keeper was waiting for us at Brentford and the sun came out. We were soon on our way up Hanwell. The same trouble with lock 95 was experienced as we had previously, coming down. The culvert to the side pond is partly open, delaying the filling and emptying of the lock and making gate operation very difficult to open the exit gates. We had left Limehouse at 9:00 am and reached Hayes bridge 200 at 16:00. I then continued alone on in the failing light, passing two gravel barges before reaching Cowley opposite the Packet Boat Marina where I moored up for the night. About half an hour later Pisces and Lupin passed but went further on. No TV signal here, so after a light supper, tried to watch a DVD, but fell asleep.
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