Two nights of
heavy rain and one look at the volume of water in Bugbrooke are all that is
needed to know the River Nene is likely to be on Strong Stream. The C&RT
workers at the bottom lock on the Northampton Arm say The Nene isn’t on Strong
Stream the recorded message on the EA alert says it is. We progress up The
Northampton arm, trying to discern the results of the month long closure for
repairs. A bit of new infilling of
brickwork, maybe the gates are a bit easier, or maybe it is just two months on
the canals that have raised fitness levels. Definitely no sign of any weed clearance or
dredging.
At the second to last lock on the flight a narrow
boat is coming down but seems to take an inordinate amount of time, I stroll up
and find he is stuck in the lock.
‘This lock is
very narrow’ he says. It may be the
narrowness of the lock that has jammed him in but I suspect that his large blue
fenders, the type more commonly seen on cruisers, may have more to do it. We manage to drag the boat out, lift the
fenders and Hey Presto it goes in with inches to spare on each side.
After we leave
the Rothersthorpe flight we’re scraping along the bottom and getting snarled up
with weeds. At the top lock the red
flags are flying and the flow on The Nene is strong so we stay on the canal.
The next day the
flow has eased, my crew member is going home and I take the boat to the new
Northampton Marina because I have a couple of days work in London and don’t
want to leave it by itself on the Town Quay.
The marina is lovely, a clean launderette and showers plus the luxury of
a landline. I look for electrical items
to plug in but I’ve slung everything that won’t work from the batteries power
and apart from having a fully charged phone and computer I can’t find anything with
which to take advantage of the landline.
I’m tempted to go into town and buy a hairdryer and kettle so I can
utilise all the free power.
When I arrive back at Northampton station late on Thursday night, in the rain, lugging a heavy computer I decide to get a taxi for the short journey and ask to be taken to Northampton Marina.
‘I take you on Ring Road to Billings’
‘Not Billings Marina the one in the centre of Northampton’
'No Northampton Marina’
‘You mean other
at Gayton’
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