Napton to Fenny Compton

Monday 13 July

After a great weekend with my family, it was my son's birthday we returned to the boat this morning arriving a little before lunch. There was a continues stream of boats going up the flight so we decided that we may as well have lunch before setting off, a good move as then it started raining quite hard so we stayed to listen to the Archers. While we were on the moorings a hire boat turned the top lock  while a boat was beside us approaching it, he took it a lot more calmly than I would have and yes he did see him coming because he walked up the lock and looked, waited a couple of seconds then drew the bottom paddles.

We finally set off at 1430 hrs winding in the Engine Arm and heading up to Marston Doles locks, Just as we were leaving the bottom lock a boat came round the corner so we were able to leave the top gates but we arrived at the second lock just as the boat ahead entered the lock, so were delayed as they went up and we turned the lock. There were no more boats coming down so we closed up and moved on. Just after bridge 124 there were a couple of boats moored to the off side, I dropped right back to tick over to pass them and in the distance I heard a noise like a train roaring by, I was thinking there are no railways in the area and the noise was getting louder and louder, then a large 4 engined , turbo propped plane came over at about 100 feet from the ground and flew off into the distance. I don't know what it was as I can only identify the Spitfire and the Concord with any amount of certainty. We continued on in the rather windy but warm and sunny conditions. We passed friends moored by the Wormleighton aerial and spent a few minutes chatting before continuing on to Fenny Compton. There were a few moorings before the Wharf pub but we continued on past the pub where a boat was moored on the water point/ winding hole, following this things looked pretty full until we reached the junction between the 24 hr moorings and the 14 day mooring where a shortish boat was moored with about 30 feet ether end of him, a bit of gesticulation and he popped out and moved his boat forward so we could get in behind him, needless to say he was not on a new shiny boat. We moored for the night at about 1745 hrs.

You will find our latest position at
http://tinyurl.com/Harnser-s-route

The 3 signal is very good here with the dongle just hanging in the back cabin.