Appendices - Trip Reports 2006.

Trip Report - Stoke Bruerne to top of the Soulbury Three,
Saturday April 1st. By Dave Davies
Crew: Fabian Hiscock, John Fevyer, Rich Davies & Dave Davies.
My brother Rich & myself arrived at Stoke Bruerne around 8.40am and set about getting the range going and doing the engine checks. Fabian & Jogn arrived in the next halfhour and we took down the top cloths, expecting a blustery day.
Off by 10am, we were slightly disapointed to find a brace of hire cruisers proceeding down the flight very slowly in front of us! We found out it was their first time on a boat
and their knowledge was zilch. Having explained the concept of lock-wheeling to them, things slightly improved and we were through the seven lock flight by 11.30am. Fabian & Dave shared motor duties while John & Rich dealt with the singled out butty. Conditions were now very difficult with strong winds gusting across the open fields, with the pair proceeding 'crabwise' down the Stoke pound, arriving at Cosgrove lock without mishap by 1pm.

Through endless Milton Keynes, which always seems to take an age, we met very little traffic and apart from the wind and a 5-minute shower the weather was kind to us.
We picked up something nasty on the prop just as we were passing a Dutch barge, lost steering but 'chucking back' hastily cleared the problem and we only just missed bashing the barge.

Arriving at Fenny Stratford lock around 5pm. we grabbed a quick pint 'to go' as we went through the lock and on through Stoke Hammond to the Soulbury Three and good mooring above the top lock for 6.40pm.
We tidied and clothed up, before getting a lift back to Stoke Bruerne, courtesy of Fabian's wife, Pat A relaxed and very enjoyable day's boating.
22 miles and 12 locks in 8hrs 40 minutes.

Dave Davies.

(somewhere over the rainbow?...)

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