Audlem flight in record time?

Monday, 30 March 2009 17:58

Is there a record for the Audlem flight? I think we may have made one today - for the slowest time (see above)! Before we set off there were a few boats passing, both up and down.

Just before we pulled the pins motor Radiant and butty Regulus came past us going down. We waited a bit to give them a chance to get ahead and then pulled out in front of another boat before it exited Adderley bottom lock.

We pootled along but the butty, Regulus was still waiting at the top lock

This was the story all the way down! The "Middle Northwich" boats have been at Brinklow over winter for hull and running gear repairs. The owners Mike and Cath are on their way back home to Ellesmere Port in time for the Rally over Easter.

Although the crew had help it was a slow process bow-hauling the butty through the locks - especially when they managed to catch the rudder and unship it on the cill. As a lock settles at the bottom level the boat in it  begins to go backwards. Regulus is 70 foot long and the slack on bow rope was too much allowing it to drift on to the cill - a raised step in the lock against which the top gate closes.

John was working the locks so I had plenty of practice hanging around or holding Epiphany on the mid-rope on the lock landing - depending on the length of the pound, and what I felt like doing! Sometimes he ended up helping the butty go through the lock in front, closing the bottom gates after them.

Sometimes there was a boat coming up after the motor had gone down so we all waited for them. This meant we saved at least four lock fulls of water! Patience was definitely a virtue today; actually, as none of us were "stressing", it was very enjoyable!

The boat behind us was being moved to Bunbury for Anglo Welsh. Robin Pinder (of the boatbuilding Pinders) had to ring AW to say he would be a day late because of the delay! We all had quite a chat on the way down and Robin came to help us when he could too. Thanks Robin.

He is going back to work for his family as they are very busy with boat building and will be taking over a boatyard at Stourport in the next day or two. It will be good to see boat building back there again.

We arrived at the Shroppie Fly to see Radiant and Regulus moored; it was time for a bit of refreshment for them all! It was also time for us to moor up.

Radiant and Regulus moored, Audlem Mill in background

We moored on the off-side, opposite the restored Audlem Mill

We will finish the flight tomorrow - 3 more locks! Usually we reckon on 10 minutes/lock - on average, we took nearly double this today. Quite an eventful day and it was not over yet!

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