Wallingford

A cold and frosty morning with blue sky and promise of a warmer day welcomed us.  Pat walked off to prep the lock and I started pulling the stakes.  Just as I pushed the front of the boat off I saw another boat approaching in the distance.  We were down and away by the time it arrived, but we must have spoilt their day.  At Dukes Lock the boat Manitee that we had followed last evening was just entering the cut.  They told Pat that they moored at Trupp normally, but were escaping the bank holiday mayhem that they said was the norm there.  We followed and down Kings Lock.  Godstow Lock was unattended, but the Kings Lockkeeper drove round to work it for us.  Very helpful.  There was a very strong stream through Osney which made mooring just below the bridge a little difficult, but we made it in the end.   Pat bought a few essentials and we carried on, now behind an ownerships boat on the way to change crew at Devizes.  Cudham Lock is quite deep and has large gate paddles.  It was the end of lunch hour and the lock was empty apart from a small narrowboat which had just come in and the gates were being wound closed.  Our crew moved in to help, but there was a lot of high pitched shouted instructions and counter instructions being shouted from the helm to the poor chap on the lockside.  I opened the ispilateral paddle a bit and after a short while was asked to open it more.  When the lock was half full, the helmswoman must have lst control in the swirling water because the boat started running forward and there was a lot of panicky shouting.  The chap on the lockside dropped his rope at the bow and rushed back to help, but this made matters worse.  There was just enough rope for me to hold the boat on the front bollard and bring it to a stop before it hit the top gate.  There was no way that the paddle could be closed in time to make any difference.
By lunch time it was getting warm and by 2 pm it was shorts and beach wear.  Lots of folk were out picknicking and walking and the kids were out enjoying the sun.  Wallingford seemed our best overnight destination, but the left bank moorings were taken and we were left with the dodgy spot below the bridge.  An anchor provided extra security, but moored right on a sloping bank, would the level drop overnight?