Underwater obstructions

Coming out of the first lock this morning, it was clear something was amiss. Erin Mae was proving hard to move, stop and steer. A trip down the weed hatch was in order.

That's what I pulled out from around the propellor and rudder. We've been affected by various things before – rope, plastic bags, a tent – but, in four years of boating, never actually weed, until today. It had been sucked in while we were in the lock, in spite of my best endeavours to use the throttle only minimally to control the boat as the currents swirled around.

There was masses of weed in the section of the canal we covered today but all the other locks were happier experiences. There were gongoozlers a-plenty at Kings Lock, where the tea rooms had attracted a large sunny-Sunday clientèle.

Later, at another lock, we met a family out for a walk, and Isabel and Daniel brought their parents on board for a little trip down the cut.

Isabel and Daniel get full marks for the masterful way in which they learned how to steer with a tiller. They also get full credit (as do their parents) for not panicking when each, in turn, put us on the shelf by the towpath! It only occurred to us later that this pound was 12 – 18 inches lower than it should have been, so they get double brownie points for steering-under-difficult-conditions. Well done, guys! An honourable mention on the Erin Mae blog awarded to you both.

Once we were up the next lock, water levels were back to normal. We also came up behind NB Dunwyngyn, and were able to share some of the locks with them. Somehow the last few locks just flew by before we both tied up at Kilby Bridge for the night. On the side of their boat they have "Time is precious – waste wisely." Nice one.