I lay awake this morning wondering what time I should disturb Rachel. I heard a boat go past so though it must be gone 7 as I'd set my alarm for 8.15 ( yep retired) How surprised was I when my phone said it was 9.15 am and I'd not saved my alarm changes !
We didn't rush and set ourselves a go time of about 11am... I did the engine checks, annoyingly despite the forecast saying no rain last night it did rain and I'd left the exhaust chimney stack on so there was a bit of 'black' muck on the engine from the exhaust on cylinder 2.
I set the boat but as we were no more than 100 yards from lock three on the Audlem flight I waited for Rachel which gave enough time for a boat to appear out of lock 2 so I held for them to pass which resulted in us having to turn 11 of the 13 locks remaining on the flight.
No hardship as the flight was quiet and is always nice to ascend or in our case today descend.
I tried agin to find our friends much loved and lost windlass on the flight but its a bit of needle and haystack and was a fail
Could this be Toms old boat ?
We hit the visitor mooring and decided to take food rather than press on so we did just that. We left Coxbank at 11.30 and arrived at the visitor moorings 1.15 so not too bad. We set off into Audlem for stamps and for Rachel to browse the tat market. Suitably shopped we set off as a boat came up lock 12 and a boat was dropping lock 11 so it was not rude for us to step out onto the lock landing.
The Shroppie Fly was pleasingly busy as it was last night when we ate there.
I emptied a half filled cassette at lock 13 by the services while in the lock as you do... then we motored on down the last two locks with one that was not actually leaking. !!
Last time we were this way it was for blacking and we turned into the marina so it was nice to press on to waters last travelled in 2020 - the plague year when we took Percy up the llangollen in September and did the four counties in July.
Our loose target for today was the embankment in Nantwich but I spotted a nice mooring by bridge 89 which is adjacent to 89a a railway bridge so we are hearing the odd train which I don't mind.
Tomorrow we need to get across the Middlewich arm as Monday is looking decidedly wet so might be a no move day ! Nice to have options
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