Dredging up to Welford



We set off early again as we wanted to make the most of the good weather.. We soon got to a very wet Crick tunnel and it was wet.. In fact it was like someone was pouring a bucket over your head in some sections. When we came out, Al took over the tiller while Del wiped down Derwent6 as the water in a tunnel leaves horrid stains on the paintwork..

 

It was nice to see as we cruised that CART had been dredging large sections which had made some good moorings for the summer months.

We carried on twisting and turning through the countryside  and the sun was poking out as the day went on..

After four hours of cruising we got to the Welford Arm.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the vegetation all cut back and two boats could now pass almost anywhere.. even the horses raced over to see us..



We got through Welford lock and then to the end of the arm where it got busy..

We were also surprised to see a mooring in the two finger moorings right at the end.. Del turned Derwent6 and reversed into the gap..

After settling down for a cup of tea Del then noticed that the water pump was making a funny noise.. We had, the day before yesterday, hit a lock at Braunston where a paddle was sticking and pushed us into the wall as we entered.. Well on inspection you could see the pipe to the water pump was as tight as a guitar string and on further investigation we noticed that it was crushed against a wooden block so the water tank must have moved..

We had just filled with water that day and the weight of the water in the tank must have moved it by about 3cm.. How it hadn't pulled the pipe off we don't know..

Hmmm a problem, something to think about over a pint, so we went over to The Wharf Inn for something to eat. We had a love Fish and Chips with double helpings of chips Mmmmmm
While we were there Del got a call from his Mum saying come up for a coffee and watch the canal programme on telly, so we did.. We had a good catch up and hope to see them later in the week........