Down to Northampton

Friday 11^th August; Gayton marina to above lock 17, Northampton

We hoped we’d wake early, and we were early enough to have left the marina and entered the top lock of the Rothersthorpe flight by 8.30.  A CRT lady had been running water down and opened the first two locks for us, then disappeared.  The locks are close enough together to lock ahead, and with both of us working we were making decent progress.  A single-hander was following us down, so for the first few locks I raised a paddle to start the locks filling again for him.  It got very warm and we were very soon down to shorts and t-shirts.  The locks on this flight all have a mosaic set into the grass above them, with different designs depicting local history or wildlife.

Mosaic, with my amazingly grippy and waterproof (almost) Shoes for Crews

another mosaic

Bonjour on the way to lock 6

Approaching the M1 and its slip roads

Under the bridges of the M1 and its slip roads, there is artwork by local children.  The light was too poor to take a photo of the rather wonderful fish mural, but there was plenty more in better light.

All was well till we got to the bottom of the main flight at lock 13.  There was a boat on the lock landing, apparently empty, though as there was room for me to get back on the boat below the bottom gates it wasn’t going to be a problem.  Then a boater appeared with a windlass – her husband had been busy clearing the weed hatch.  She warned us it was very weedy, and she was right.

Dave’s first trip down the weed hatch happened after about 300 yards.  And then again at the top of the next lock. Some of the weed was caught on the rudder and trailing behind, so he hooked that out too for good measure. 

Evidence of past weed hatches having been cleared was in dried heaps everywhere you could get into the edge (which wasn’t often).  We met a boat who had put their bow into the offside reeds so they could get down theirs, and we crept by.   Eventually Dave found a level of revs which enabled us to keep going, and after lock 15, having been down the weed hatch 3 times, the weed growth was less and we got to the moorings above the river by about 1.30. 

Dave carefully chose the solar panels so he could safely walk past them to/from lock ladders

The last 3½ miles and 4 locks had taken 3 hours, half as long again as the first 13.  Once more Dave cleared weeds, then we relaxed for a bit.  Should we turn round and try the Nene earlier next year, before the weed really gets going?  We had heard some stories about lots of weed on the Nene.  And one boat we met today had aready turned and was going back, defeated by the weed and the stories.

So we had a late lunch, and then walked down to Beckett’s Park, which is on the river, to try and find the marina to ask for more info.  We couldn’t actually find the main entrance, but managed to speak to some boaters at the moorers' gate, who reassured us it would be fine – maybe a few patches of weed here and there.  That’s for tomorrow.  As we returned, we found the single-hander who had followed us down was stuck in the lock onto the river, waiting for CRT.  Later I walked down with Meg and found both EA and CRT in attendance – the EA chap was not working today, but lives in town, and the CRT bod was based in Braunston and finishes work at 4.  It was now gone 5.30.  So well done to them both – bits of tree, and some bricks were pulled out by hand or with the keb, and Irene Jean was on her way soon afterwards.

5 miles, 16 locks, 4 trips down the weed hatch.