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Sunday 10th June 2007 |
Mike, Wendy, cats Tilly & Mandy
Three Mills
round the Bow Back Rivers loop & via Limehouse to the London Canal
Museum |
The morning
after
|
I cooked breakfast, then Wendy retrieved &
cleaned the barbecue. John helped her get it onto the boat. There was a lot of
restoration of bits and pieces onto their right boats. At 10:18 we did a
boat-juggle with Ernest then set off behind Galatea &
Rhino to do the Bow Back Rivers loop from south to north. Arun
was planning to do the loop in the opposite direction before heading for
Limehouse where they'd lock out on the evening tide. Ernest was going to
tow Panacea back to St Pancras. |
Bow Bridge
|
Bow Bridge Junction
|
In St Thomas' Creek
|
City Mill Lock
|
We had an uneventful cruise round the loop. As
everybody hoped, the dredged depth is staying OK now that Bow Locks have been
modified to keep the tide & silt out of this stretch. There were a few very
small patches of floating pennywort still around, but without the former large
silt banks it doesn't appear to be spreading. In the old River Lea we met
Arun coming the other way on a bend and had to take to the bushes to
avoid a coming-together. Fortunately there was depth and no grot under the
bushes.
Under the sewer
 |
Industry on City Mill River
 |
Future Olympic site
 |
Carpenters Road Lock
 |
Old River Lea
|
Old Ford tide gates
|
Pudding Mill River
|
Old Ford Junction
|
When we reached Old Ford junction and rejoined the
main Lee Navigation, Galatea & Rhino were working up the
lock, so we decided to go via Limehouse - that way we wouldn't be immediately
behind them all the way. On our way back towards Three Mills, we met
Ernest & Panacea breasted up. We passed Bow Locks and took
the Limehouse Cut to Limehouse Basin. We had a mixed road (mainly good) up the
Regent's as far as Duckett's Junction, after which we were (we assumed) behind
Rhino & Galatea, out of sight somewhere ahead of us. As we
were rising in Old Ford Lock, Ernest & Panacea came out of
Duckett's to follow us. By City Road lock, they were right on our heels. It was
a very hot afternoon and we were working slowly - only working one side of most
of the locks. While waiting below Sturt's lock, Wendy had to contend with
strong surges from the lock & by-wash trying to turn the boat round and
only just avoided getting jammed between the towpath and a mooring pontoon on
the off-side.
South of Old Ford
|
Floating towpath
|
Limehouse Basin
|
Heading up the Regent's
|
When, at 16:02, we arrived at Battlebridge Basin,
Chiswick was on the mooring, having been doing the museum's boat trips
all day. So we waited outboard of her until she was ready to leave then did a
boat-shuffle and took over the mooring. We went to The Driver hoping to
eat, but their kitchen had closed at 18:00 (in future they plan to extend their
Sunday cooking time until 20:00). DAY'S RUN 9.5 miles, 8 locks in 5
hrs 44 min
 |
