An eventful day really. We were in a good position to make Calcutt Locks early in the day and only caught two Calcutt hire boats returning to base. One, behind us coming from Napton, took the turn at Napton Junction so fast and so badly that he just ran at full chat nose onto the opposite wall under the bridge. There was a loud bang and a cloud of vapourised stone dust. Goodness knows what happened to the crockery. Perhaps he wasn't happy with his boat.
We continued on to Stockton Locks where a cruiser was waiting for us two locks down and we made a good partnership exiting the lock through one gate. He stopped at Long Itchington. At Bascote I went to open the top gate after Pat had filled the lock and foolishly left the boat unsecured. The wind took it. I ran back and had a now or never moment. I decided now and made a leap. My hands made it to the hand rail, but my feet slipped off giving my shins an awful thwack on the gunwale. I now have a gigantic bruised shin.
We were making for Cape Locks, but knowing that the TV reception is bad there decided to continue on to the pound above Lock 27. Not much better there actually, but we did get a black & white grainy picture with sound. However, we are in a good situation for a head start up the Hatton flight tomorrow.
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