The wind has dropped, but still the grey overcast. No locks to do today. We are planning to moor before the Preston Brook stop lock and tackle the tunnel and Bridgewater Canal, the latter booked to start tomorrow. So just a cruise for about 12 miles with two short tunnels one of which has timed access as they are both single boat width. Three things of note. Firstly there are scattered large infestations of Himalayan balsam on this section, although first noticed to a much smaller extent over the last day or two. Secondly there were also small clumps of floating pennywort, mysteriously always attached to bramble shoots in the water, in the Marston area. These are both invasive plants as I understand and spread rapidly. Lastly the reed beds. Nothing new here but they seem to be ever encroaching on the channel and single line working is necessary in places. When in a convoy, as after the tunnels, this causes quite a bit of confusion and loss of “cool” from time to time.
The Anderson Boatlift visitor centre was just opening its doors as we passed. Shortly after we came to the site of the recent land slip which had blocked the canal for a while. Investigations seem to be ongoing here and a narrow marked channel has been opened for boats to pass, single file only, although there was plenty of room. The entrance to Barton Tunnel is at right angles to the canal heading and as this is a single line tunnel it is necessary to visually check that it is not already occupied with opposite direction traffic. So a clear view is only obtained when the bow is at the tunnel mouth and as the tunnel has a kink the view is not totally clear. Saltisford Tunnel, however, is bent and a timed passage is needed. On the hour for 20 minutes in the northerly direction. We pitched up at 5 minutes to and two boats were waiting. The first set off and the second waved us on. As with all tunnels it is difficult I find to judge how close you are to the boat in front, so caution is necessary possibly over caution if the truth were known. Then when the boat on front emerges into the daylight it becomes apparent how far behind you are. The tunnel light is not meant to be a searchlight and in a two way tunnel as such would blind oncoming boaters, so generally the beam is aimed ahead more at the tunnel roof than along the passage.
On the last tight bend before the stop lock we met an opposite direction. Fine, we are always expecting that but what we didn’t expect was a second boat appearing going quite fast almost immediately. This was a hire boat probably with an inexperienced crew who evidently misjudged the turn, saw us and then went into reverse. Perhaps necessary in the circumstances one cannot tell. I though he would have made the turn, but in reverse all his steering was lost and it forced us to make a hard reverse ending up against the outside bank of this turn from which there is no immediate escape.
Nicholson’s talks of good moorings north of Bridge 213 and sound of the stop lock. We saw the ringed moorings enough for three boats after bridge 213, but nothing like that until we arrived at the winding hole before the stop lock, and thereafter nothing. However, we are now nicely moored in the stinging nettles and other vegetation on mooring pins on a hard bank just before the winding hole. At least there is adequate water depth here and we wont have far to go in the morning to the tunnel mouth.
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