Today was the day. We severed the mains power umbilical cord and cast off for the last time from Crick Marina. We had said our goodbyes over the last few days to a lot of good friends that we had made over the 10 years that we had been there.
We dallied a bit at Watford locks and passed the time of day with lockies Andy and Carly as we waited for our turn to go down. A few hire boats with excited crews (adults as well as children) waiting to come up after we had passed. All were in cheerful mode which makes the canals just that bit different.
At Norton junction we met BW lengthsmen (or multiskilled) Joe and Tommy who never miss an opportunity to take the mickey; we had a chat with them before tying at the top of Buckby flight for lunch. We teamed up with Eric Openshaw on NB Rhonda, a single hander and had an enjoyable passage (I will try to avoid such phrases in the future) down with him. I looked across to the M1 motorway and felt slightly smug, my chosen method of transport allowed me to take in the sights and sounds of the countryside; hence the photo of the sheep and two lambs.
Eric stopped at Buckby foot to make a drink, whilst we carried on; tying for the night at Flore, by Br.28.
2009 totals: Locks 14; Miles 17.5; Bus pass journeys 2
