Knackered!

This won’t be long and neither will bed!

Another early start to the day optimistically hoping that the new pump would have filled the pound overnight and we’d be on our way up the Wigan flight.  Alas it was not to be.  The pump hadn’t been working at full capacity and a mere two inches had been added to the pound overnight.  The CRT worker who put in 12 hours yesterday arrived around 9.00am and told us he was running water down the flight in an effort to fill the pound.  Apparently the pumps and their maintenance belong to a contractor.  They were also scheduled to arrive and remove the pumps with a crane so the debris choking them can be removed.  The pound had risen 8 inches by 11.00am which is when the CRT workers disappeared and the water stopped coming down the flight.  Needless to say the very leaky lower locks then started to drain the water which had been run down earlier.  CRT returned at 12.30 with a plan but didn’t send anyone to the bottom of the flight.  As a consequence Plan A lasted less than 5 minutes because the people above the bottom lock in the flight decided to come down.  CRT had sent five boats through the low pound (we were one of them) to go up the flight only to arrive at the bottom of the flight and find boats coming down.  Chaos!!!!

Waiouru bounced around on the bottom collecting urban jellyfish at a rapid rate.  Then I had to somehow loiter in the low pound waiting for the boats ahead to go up.  Once into the bottom lock of the flight things started to improve.  We were paired with a boat that had a crew of four which was an immense help.  But every lock was against us.  I kept an eye on the bywashes as I knew the boaters wanting to either go to Leigh or Liverpool would be looking for water coming down the flight to refill the pound.  Unfortunately it appeared that little water was going to make it to the bottom.

We actually made good time completing the 21 locks in just under four hours and are now moored about a kilometre from the top of the flight.  There has been no time to walk around Wigan over the last three days because we’ve always had to be near Waiouru in case the stoppage was removed. 

We’ll sleep well tonight!

Lock 3.  No photos of the bottom pound as I was far too busy!

Jan had a routine and would go ahead to set the next lock

Starting to climb out of Wigan

The gates drifted open after we had left them closed.

Three from the top and there was a pub on the left.  Very tempting to call it a day.  But the lock gates leak so badly we’d probably wake to find no water underneath us.

Done!