Brighton dislocated at Buckby

Buses and a train and a lift from Rick's friend Phil got us back to Herbie yesterday afternoon just before it rained. We set off intending to descend the Buckby locks only to find that the first lock was occupied by historic working boat Nuneaton and her butty Brighton and they were going nowhere. The shallowness of the lock pound had lifted Brighton's mighty rudder out of its seat and they we having a hard time trying to relocate it. We pulled in to watch and wait outside the super little canal shop which sells Buckby cans, lamps, klaxons and other paraphernalia. Then the heavens opened and an almighty thunderstorm drove us inside.

We decided to go no further as it was already 5pm and the nearby New Inn seemed strangely attractive.

So there we stayed overnight and today we rose earlyish and finding a friendly boat to partner us got down the locks by late morning. Then on through Weedon, Bugbrooke, Gayton and Blisworth in, for us, amazingly heavy boat traffic. Our end of the GU is never as busy as this. At Weedon we spied Brighton again having her rudder hoisted off by a digger arm on a tractor. Apparently the retaining pin at the underwater end had broken off and they were getting a new on welded on.

In the Blisworth tunnel it was still busy and in the one and three quarter mile length we had to squeeze past five boats coming the other way. And so to Stoke Bruerne where we now sit for the night and yet another sighting of Brighton and Nuneaton. There seems to be a small gathering of historic boats here. Anyway Brighton is now mended, and we're making good progress towards home.