Due to circumstances, we can only cruise for limited periods this year. Being Crick based and with a two week window, we decided to do the Leicestershire ring anticlockwise.
Arriving at Foxton mid monday morning, we were in a queue of four boats waiting to descend. We were told that several boats were waiting to come up and they would be given priority. Not a problem.
But...
Progress was slow. When we finally began the descent, there was some sort of bottle neck, meaning we had to wait and wait in each lock. It eventually became apparent that the Velocky controlling the central pound was either very slow, or distracted by gongoozlers. Once passed him, we flew down the rest of the flight.
We had a wonderful trip theiron, sat out the odd bad day and arrived at the bottom of the Watford flight at 1230 last Sunday. The weather was awful. We were fourth in the queue. Ali walked up to book in. The first velocky did not have "The Book", but stated to all that he doubted we would ascend that day! People were frustrated. Several boats were waiting to come down and they were being given precedence.
Ali set too. She organised the crews of the waiting boats and set about assisting the boats coming down, then going up. Two single handers ahead of us slowed it, but the extensive crew of a Napton narrowboat, were true stars.
Eventually, everybody descended, all eight of us ascended. We were all soaked and chilled.
Just wondered if the velockys are deliberately slowing things down to conserve water and if this is a CRT policy.