A long and different day

Looking at the forecast last night I was expecting dark clouds but not the rain that was falling at 6.30 am when I rose to get us moving at 7am 

A wet approach to the M54 which we go under twice on two canals. Other than the rain it was an uneventful hour and twenty to Autherley junction. There were quite a few hire boats in base but as Rachel pointed out only one family can book them so the larger boats which normally take multiple families will be in base until at least the 17th May.

The gates at the stop lock are getting no better not fully opening so boats scrape down them in and out.

Then is is the narrows but we did not meet a boat coming until well past Coven Heath which I think was being crewed by Roger Fuller ....

 Halfie and Jan off NB Jubilee had let us know they were on route so we stopped for a mid channel catch up at Coven Heath.

Then a steady quiet and thankfully not wet anymore cruise via Gailey to Penkridge for food and a shop. 

Sadly after the Shroppie the Staffs and Worcester is a noisy canal marred by motorways specifically the M6 ....here Rachel is racing an articulated lorry, she lost. On reflection we should have turned right at the junction but I was unsure we’d be granted passage down the Bratch locks as I realised my license disks had not been printed out and were out of date ! 

Just as we were prepping to set off from our food and shopping stop in Penkridge NB Jubilee came under the bridge hole so we held and John and Jan came thru with John then setting the Services Penkridge lock as they were mooring on the 48 hours between locks. 

Tiredness started to set in as I’d been on the go since 6.30am crusing from 7am so at 6.30 pm we called it a day just above the Teddersley boat yard. 

A long day but tomorrow should be easier with a target of a mooring just past Tixall lock ......