A scare at lock 50

More rain greeted us when we awoke this morning. Luckily we were on a slow time start off due to the 11am tunnel booking. I predicted a flow of boats around 9am and sure enough at 8.55 am three boats motored past. I hailed the first and asked how many boats were waiting for the 9 am tunnel passage and was advised two were waiting when they came out.

I set the engine ready to fire up ( it has a lubing procedure !) had some breakfast and then we set off just after 9.20. Predictably there was mooring at the tunnel with just two boats moored up. I set to watering up and chatted to the tunnel keeper. He told me there were just two of us going through at 11 with six boats on the way southbound at 10.

One of the two moored boaters came to ask the tunnel keeper if he could be added to the 11 am run, he was denied yesterday as his tunnel lamp was not working !

It was nice to meet you Barbara and your other half, even if it was a snatched 2 minute chat. A lovely Braidbar boat similar in sign writing to Adam’s Briar Rose.

I have to say I was quite excited as we were called forward. We were first boat there but I asked if we could go last as I did not want to slow the other two boats down. As it worked out I was on just over tickover for part of the trip as the other boats seemed to be not in a hurry.

So it was three of us set off at 10.55 am. The cutter on the exhaust just cleared the gauge ( seen in the picture above). Towards the middle of the tunnel the roof is very low and I recon there was only a couple of inches of free air above the cutter at that point.

When we emerged at the northern end there were two boats waiting, the lead boat an Anglo Welsh hir boat had a couple on it all wet weathered up and the lady’s smile was soooo wide she looked so excited it was truly infectious I really hope they had a good run through the tunnel.

Out the other side at 11.40 so a slow trip but immensely enjoyable and a little feeling of pride having taken Percy through for the first time. Last time I did the tunnel was on Waterlily with a couple of friends in .... 2010 and the year before that with my mum and her late partner Ross. 

The two boats in front of us moored almost straight away so we had a clear run at the Cheshire locks, far too many of the pairs now single due to one being out of action. 

We were making good progress and got to the Lawton treble locks where Rachel started me on the decent of lock 50 and went ahead to set 51. As I got lower I was being drawn back to the cill and realised we had left a top paddle open and the lock was filling while emptying. Two loud blasts on the air horn got Rachel back sharpish and the lock was stabilised.... a close call and a reminder to be alert and work the locks as we normally do as a team checking each other’s actions. We had a cup of tea in the lock while the adrenaline departed our respective systems !

Then it was a gentle and aware last couple of locks before we tied up just past Chell’s aqueduct. Two locks short of today’s target so a little longer day tomorrow.