Slow slow, quick quick, slow boat to Hawkesbury!

Newbold to Hawkesbury Junc, Nth Oxford Canal, 11.25 miles 0 locks

I didn’t mind that tunnel at Newbold.  I think it is only about 250 yard long and no lights were needed.  It has a towpath alongside, and Lucy seemed more bothered about the darkness today than the Skipper!

So just how slow should one pass boats on canals?  Well that is debateable you know.  There are lines and lines of moored narrowboats, maybe there are more than last year on the canal, or maybe I just forgot after being away from ‘the system’ for six months.  At Welton I got shouted at.. ha I thought the guy was having a laugh.. just over tickover I was doing.. he asked me if I had read the guide book, and in his estimation I was “Full throtal”!

On tickover today I was holding boats up… so I went just over tickover smiling sweetly at boaters polishing brasses, fixing broken engines, chopping wood, mowing their mooring lawns… well whatever.. none shouted at me today.  Maybe the guy at Welton was taking the ‘P’.. maybe a ‘lady skipper’ was a good target for a bit of fun.. who knows, anyway my passing speed will be just over tickover for the canals.. On the rivers you can pass at normal speed you see.

First week of October and it’s still busy with hireboats.  The companies must have had a good year this year, but it wasn’t a hireboat that caused me a problem this morning.. a wonderful manover from a boat pulling out, just as I was approaching, determined to go across my bow to get the correct side of me to pass.. fine… but it was a good job they seemed to be aware that NP can stop extremely quickly!!

It’s been a lovely day on the canal today..

Hawkesbury Junction never changes, one of my favourite spots.  We were going to pop into the Greyhound here at the Junction this evening, but it was absolutley packed out, so decided to open the bar on NP instead. 

Probably call in on our way back from Gt Haywood.. Hartshill tomorrow all being well then..