We awoke to a dry morning. Where was the rain? The forecasters were promising heavy rain and had issued an "amber" warning of local flooding. Well we needn't have worried. As soon as I turned the key to start the engine the rain started. I suppose it was heavy in comparison to our usual feeble downpours, but in real terms it was just rain. I did need to put on my yaching jacket though after a while. At Camden, we found the top gates open as is often the case and went down the lock. The nexy lock was open too, and then a grumpy woman appeared and gave us an earfull for stealing their lock. It was a trip boat going down to Limehouse then around the Lee to view the Olympic site and back to Camden. They asked us to wait at the next lock which we were happy to do, but it was quite a long wait. They asked us to swap sides for the third lock and then asked it we minded if they went first "as there are several tight corners and we need to take them wide". A load of rubbish if I ever heard it, but we agreed. We followed, but with rubbish on the prop stirred up by their passage in front found it hard to keep up. However, rounding the corner at St Pancras they were closing the gates in front of us and had the paddles open before we could get ashore. I was furious at the sneakiness of their behaviour and the frank rudeness. Would it have been difficult to say that they had a boat full of passengers and a tight timetable to keep to and would we mind if they went on ahead. No problem. The irony of it was that we had to wait for them again at Commercial Road Lock just above Limehouse Basin, so they were no faster in the end. There is a lot more blanket weed in the canal than I have seen before, particularly in these later pounds where the water is clear and we needed several weed hatch visits before we had finished. Friends joined us in the evening for a meal at La Figa, an Italian restaurant. Twice the price of Zizzi, but twice the portions! Good service too. The rain had ceased by the afternoon and tomorrow should be better for the Thames.
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