Another early start

For the past three days I’ve been feeling crook.  Nose dripping faster than a leaking tap, head bigger than Donald Trump’s and a cough any sea lion would envy.  No doubt it will pass, but I’m not the best of company.  Jan has read somewhere that rubbing Vicks on the soles of ones feet before going to bed is a remedy for colds.  Somehow I suspect the only thing it will do is seriously annoy the bed bugs.

Yesterday CRT suggested we depart the Litherland mooring at 7.45 if we wanted to get through the CRT operated swing bridges at Netherton and Handcock’s in the morning.  Any later and we would have to wait for the afternoon window at 1pm.  Reveille was again at 6am, although both Jan and I were already awake.  Jan because she’s an early riser and me because I’d been trying to rid myself of the darned cold.  Poor son had to go along with the majority and get out of bed.  The first task was to top up the water tank (good water pressure) and then prepare Waiouru and crew for cruising.  We were quietly slipping past the CRT office when one of the staff raced out to open the footbridge for us. 

It was moderately cold with a side wind from the west which made steering tricky in places.  After a 20 minute wait at Netherton Swing Bridge CRT appeared on time and opened it for us.  Thirty minutes later they did the same at Handcock’s Swing Bridge.  

We passed wide beam Skylark moored at Maghull.  She departed Liverpool with us yesterday and continued on whilst we stopped at Litherland.

Four local escapees were seen on the cut today.  Two had already been apprehended by CRT whist the other two were still attempting to get out on the far bank.

I am of course referring to the shopping trolleys

Jan worked Waiouru through Turn Bridge swing bridge and then the damned bridge electrics decided to play funny buggers refusing to release our BW key from the control panel.  By this time I had continued on expecting her to walk to the next swing bridge (Bells Lane) which was just around the corner.  I dragged our son away from his work inside the cabin and sent him off to investigate whether Jan had made good on her many threats to leave me!  Upon his return I was advised of the problem with the bridge.  I told him to open Bells Lane Swing Bridge for Waiouru and then we’d phone CRT to report the problem.  He inserted our spare key into the control panel and it locked up with a message stating the electric supply to the bridge had failed.  So both our keys were locked in control panels.  Jan then appeared minus our key.  Whilst son phoned CRT I walked back to bridge 15 (Turn Bridge) and applied superior logic to reset the bridge system and retrieve our key.  Whilst waiting for CRT at Turns Bridge Skylark appeared behind us.  My “fix” on the bridge control must have worked.  CRT arrived and quickly reset the bridge before operating it for us. 

We made good time to the next swing bridge (No 20) leaving Skylark well behind.  You know how these swing bridge situations develop.  You wait for the traffic to clear and start opening the bridge.  This almost guarantees at least two vehicles will then arrive wanting to cross.  Son opened the bridge for me and then Skylark appeared around the bend in the distance.  But there were two waiting vehicles.  So he closed the bridge and it doesn’t take much to think what was going through the minds of the crew on Skylark.  However once the vehicles had crossed he re-opened the bridge allowing Skylark to pass us.  You would expect boaters etiquette would mean the next lift bridge would be opened for us.  However there wasn’t going to be a “next” swing bridge for us today  

wb Skylark

Not that it mattered as Skylark stopped and moored outside the pub at Haskayne whilst we carried on.  On reflection they may have made the better decision.

At Scarisbrick Marina we passed Heather & Mike on nb Smile & Wave.  Despite feeling miserable I did manage a smile and wave receiving the same back from Heather and Mike.  I hope they enjoy Liverpool as much as we did.

Eventually our son found a location where he could get a good signal on his phone.  His work is internet based and he needs a good signal for his bi-weekly calls back to Australia.  The location was reasonably exposed which indicated there will be no problem with both sat and DTV signals so after being on the move for six hours we decided to moor for the night.