Day 003 - getting worse!!

Do you ever start something and half way through wish you hadn't - that's exactly how I feel this evening! Today has got to have been one of the worse days cruising in my life.Woke up this morning and the wind was even colder than ever with temperatures not getting above 3 degrees. By the time I entered the first of the 2 final locks on the Atherston flight, this was happening....

.....and as I entered the final lock, it had become this.....

and so set the pattern of the day. A few seconds of sunshine followed by hail that whipped across and into your face; completely blinding you, followed by winds that hit the boat and pushed you right across the cut before you could do anything about it.

One thing I have just about managed to notice, is the plethora of rediculous signs that som eover enthusiastic 'waterways operative' has sprouted everywhere along the Coventry Canal! The more useful ones display the bridge numbers, long since vandalised or shot at with air guns, some can be seen floating face down in the water causing yet another prop. hazard and the more sublime display the absolute obvious. One proudly announced 'road bridge by aquaduct' but I couldn't get my camera in time. I did manage to capture this one...

The thundering lorries pounding overhead were a slight give-away! I wondered if it was a premature April Fools - could someone in the know please explain??

Finally moored up at 4.15 in a howling gale just past Hopwas. In fact the wind was so strong, it took me 40 mins to get the boat moored including twice losing the bow in the bushes the opposite side to the tow path and once a gust of wind hit the cabin sides and managed to snap the goat chain I was using to tie up with. I just about managed to leap back onto the towpath, run to the back of the boat, jump on and then fight hard to get it back under control. Of course, once I was safely tied up, the innevitable happened and the wind instantly subsided to absolute nothing!

Note the water on the towpath where heavy thrashing of the prop to attempt to re-gain control in what felt like a force 10 gale caused me to empty sections of the canal onto the bank!!