We began the day with the timing of the rest of this trip somewhat uncertain. We spoke last evening with Joanna but did not reach a conclusion and agreed to speak again this afternoon. In any event, Christine decided that she would like to go up to Hackney Marshes for a night - we have stayed here several times in the past and found it quiet and with plenty of mooring space.
First of all we moved across the basin to the services pontoon for elsan and water, before setting off along Limehouse Cut, a long straight section as far as Bow Locks, which give access to the tidal river below - although this is rarely used these days. We met the first group of assorted long stayers just after leaving the basin (which has very restricted mooring controls) - but this one with its strange decoration obviously cannot read the signs!
We have seen a number of these orange converted lifeboats but this one gives us the opportunity to wonder whether they are actually stealth boats that can hide under CRT's radar and escape enforcement action!
We counted at least five blocks of apartments being constructed along the Limehouse Cut - as well as one close to the basin itself. Some are quite anonymous and some try to retain something of the warehouses that were the reason for the canal in the first place. Others try to be different - another that is just being finished off just before the turn to Bow Locks looks from a distance as if it is wrapped up in green sticky tape! Close up it looks even less appealing.
We passed Three Mills - we looked up to see if we could use the defunct WaterBus pontoon to pay a visit but it seems they only open on Sundays.
A fuel boat pair passed us - one of the reasons we filled up at Thames Ditton was because we did not know where we might find somewhere in London. Sadly this meant that we just had to wave them along.
Swans and other water birds find all sorts of strange places to nest. At least this one had not been built out of bits of plastic bags, like some we have seen.
At one bridge extensive repairs were being made - this young chap was very keen to have his photo taken!
After about an hour we reach Old Ford Lock. We knew that the mechanical lock was closed today for urgent repairs but that the manual one would still be available. Mike dropped Christine just before the lock and she set off to do her best to charm the workers into helping her out. As it happens, the lady in charge of the work was more than ready to help and to volunteer one of her staff.Just as well as the paddles and gates are worked through an unusual hydraulic mechanism and are very still - they are not used very often. She also proved rather chatty and told us that moorings ahead would be rather scarce as the area had been flooded with long stay boats that are refugees from enforcement elsewhere. She offered a space just before Lea bridge which is where they keep their workboats.
CRT appear to be putting in a lot of long term and visitor mooring facilities but these are not yet complete. Not sure what trade boats will be taking up the couple of slots allocated to them, but there are plenty of takers for the room right now. Not sure about the name (Sweet Water Moorings . . .)
The comments from the CRT lady at the lock about mooring were more than justified - it was a long line of boats often of indeterminate age and condition - some with several small children on school holiday. We found barely and spaces all the way up to Lea Bridge. There was not quite enough room for us between the CRT boats and the footbridge but a space in the middle just fitted so we pulled in and had lunch.
Alas, early afternoon someone from CRT came to say that they would be needing the space at the end of the day, so would we please move.
By then we had a provisional date to meet up with Joanna and the grand children tomorrow for our run into London, possibly meeting up near Haggerston. We turned the boat around and set off tom retrace our steps, expecting to have to go up the Hertford Union branch where we were told there ought to be space.
In the end we saw a gap at the south end of Hackney Marshes and decided to pull in - a boat had just left an earlier gap but said that it was very shallow which is why they were going. We quickly discovered why the gap we went into was there - it was not possible to bring the boat right to the edge as some underwater obstruction in the middle provided an obstacle. Since we were not staying long term and could just get ashore to moor we decided to take the space rather than risk having a problem further on.
Mike had some work to do on the front button. Earlier in the trip he had replaced a bent part of one of the stretchers that holds the button tight which had been stretched in an incident at the end of last season. (They are really designed to do this: going down a lock it is often possible to catch the button on a protruding part of a lower gate, or in the gap between the balance beam and the top of the gate. Under these circumstances it is a safety mechanism if the retaining chains break away so the the boat is not left hanging in the air)
However, our ungainly entrance into Limehouse Lock yesterday seems to have had the same effect and the stretcher was hanging sadly, not catching in the hoop welded to the hull. In the process of fixing it, Mike also realised that the button and chains had stretched downwards and provided less protection to the bow than they should. Further work needed to shorten the chains - not helped that two of the shackles had rusted and some of the chain links been squashed! The button has also worn lopsided so really it is time we looked for somewhere that does good replacements!
A final phone call established that we will not now have to make as early a start tomorrow as, being a Bank Holiday, there are a lot of line closures, especially from Slough into London. We will now aim to get back to Packet Boat a little early and go to visit them at the beginning of next week.
It had been a grey start to the day right up to lunch time but much of the afternoon was warm and sunny so a sit and read was not unwelcome.
5.7 miles - 1 lock
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