Crew - Graham, Brenda, Simon and Phaedra.

15 boats, plus a caravan with 'west wing' and various foot passengers gathered. We enjoyed a pre-lunch Easter egg hunt, and then an excellent roast in the pub. Simon and Phaedra joined us in time to play with Laplander, a treat all round. Thank-you Sean. Guy held a live-firing exercise from the bridge and discovered why they are called MISS-iles. Much cake eaten and many beers drunk, then onto a quiz night.
Universally Challenged: Brian and Diane (Harnser), John (Black Pig), we 4 and Dave (Raven) came a surprising second, losing only at the tie-breaker. Just as well the boat was literally a short stagger from the pub.......
A lovely day, thanks to Connie and Guy who organised it.

Crew - Graham, Brenda, Simon and Phaedra.

Assisting Albion's passage home - injured crew.

Phaedra: Today started as a lovely and sunny day, suprisingly enough. We went through about 8 locks in a row to start with, and I'm quite proud because I managed not to get any grease on me. The canal was quite busy. I never thought I'd see a traffic jam on a canal. Anyway, we continued without any major problems and we're about to reach Rugby, where we are going to stop. Thank-you for having me aboard.

Simon: First suncream application of 2004. Working up the flight sun protection was required, but the sun disappeared within 30 mins of its application. Phaedra became star lock crew addition, and 9 hours and 16 locks got us into Rugby for a Jannock repaint. See you in your new colours soon.

Brenda: How I wish we had time to stop and observe the mayhem: parallel single locks at Hill Morton, we descended and left the left lock empty with gates open and ready. Newbie 1 entered empty right lock and started to rise. Newbie 2, following Newbie 1, saw us pass, decided it was their turn next and sent a swarm of lifejacket-less (grrrr) anklebiters, plus dog, to prepare the lock.
The kids were told to open the bottom paddles to empty the lock..... they ignored our suggestion to enter the lock we'd left ready for them and started to empty the righthand lock whilst Newbie 1 were still in it. They were beginning to wonder why their ascent had been curtailed.... I like to think there was a Bank Holiday punch-up in the making, but I'm just a sadist.

Link to next page of log.

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Crew - Graham & Brenda.

Brenda: Today's weather: dry and sunny, blue skies for the most part, temperature 18 degrees, wind chill down to -4 !!! Crick tunnel sent freezing drips down our collars, so meteorologically speaking the most pleasant place was inside Braunston Tunnel out of 'THAT' wind. We moored for the night surrounded by dozens, yes truly, of pheasants. We saw the first and only kingfisher of the year just North of the tunnel.

Graham: Did a DiBlasi run from Welton Wharf to Bryco in Daventry to purchase some oil filters. Changed the engine oil in Jannock's kubota once we'd finished for the day.

Crew - Graham & Brenda.

Brenda: Rain threatened, but that's all it did. The wind increased as the day went on. This was basically a rural cruise with 2 staircases to finish with. Graham returned to fetch the car from Napton after we had tied up at the boatyard. I cleaned up and thought to visit the shop. Entering Foxton flight was a BW workboat, the steerer sent to take it to the top of the locks; but no-one had the boatkeys. Therefore he had no engine or windlass. Using a poor, knotty length of rope, his hands, the lock-keeper and me on gates, he got the boat to the top. A private boater who had not consulted the lockie before entering the flight, as per BW orders, was most indignant when asked to pull over to one side in the middle pound to let the workboat pass unimpeded. He was even more cross when the wind and current pushed the boat onto his shiny new paintwork and did not accept the argument that he shouldn't have been on the flight by rights and so it was his own fault. Ho hum. It took me an hour and a half to get to the shop, 5 minutes to get back.
Yesterday I lied, it wasn't the only one of the year, I saw another kingfisher this afternoon.

Crew - Graham, Brian, Ian and Peter.

Graham: To get an early start up Foxton I rallied the crew at 06.30 hrs to get water before tackling Foxton locks at 07.45. Ian surprised us all by-
1) Establishing the record for the earliest drink of the day at 06.45, a challenge if ever there was one, beat that Brian.
2) Showing a natural aptitude for steering the boat, he even took it through Husband's Bosworth tunnel.
3) Falling asleep DURING the live radio coverage of England vs. Wales after bleating on for so long about how he didn't want to miss the game

Once we had cleared Foxton locks, we settled down to a peacefull run across the summit level to the Watford flight, pausing only briefly for lunch and a spot of un-fishing. At Watford we had to wait whilst 4 boats came up the flight before we could descend. Between Watford and Norton junction , Brian's hat was whisked from his head by a tree and deposited in the cut. A quick bit of reversing saw it returned to it's rightful owner - albeit slightly soggier. We search the banks for a suitable mooring spot once we had turned Norton Junction and finally settled on a spot opposite a moored workboat. Still no sign of a fish :-)

Peter: Weekend scores.
            England 2 Wales 0
            Haddenham 4 Thame 1 ( Soddit games won )
            Hats 1 Fish 0
EEC regulations now require all future Soddit cruise to be monitored for CO2 emissions.

Ian: Me thinks he means methane!

Crew - Graham, Brian, Ian and Peter.

Ian: Fishing, to use the well worn euphamism for standing by a canal with a long stick, commenced just before 8 am. After a short break for an excellent kedgeree, rustled together by Cap'n Pakwash, the worm danglers stared into the waters once again. We obviously moored on a bank where it was :-
a) previously, totally and utterly fished out.
2) an Exon Valdise type disaster had polluted a small stretch of water.
last) the fish were smarter than Pete and Brian could imagine.
Make your own minds up!

Braunston tunnel was such a restful environment that I drifted off into the arms of Morpheus and imagined adventures worthy of 007, myself in the starring role. The dream (fully documented elsewhere, but too hot for a family website! ) was shattered as Jannock left the tunnel ( of lurve it would seem! ) to duel with a Dayboat.

Brian: What on earth is Ian on?
Cruise almost over, Cap'n Pakwash and his merry band of pirates have made the journey from Foxton to Napton in one piece although a Navy ship did ram us in Braunston tunnel. We fought off the boarders as they were in fact 2 OAPs. Catch of the week was a 7 3/8 hat, alas no fish but that is the norm for Soddit / fishing weekends. As always the cruise was excellent but methinks that someone is going to walk the plank before too long. Roll on Soddit 05.

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