The End of Phase 2

Saturday 14th

Cool Fish 

Canary Wharf approaches

Arrived at Commercial Road Lock by 5pm. We were rain hopping most of the day. Sunshine, showers, downpours we had it all. The canal is full of rubbish. The water is crystal clear which makes it much easier to see the amount of weed and historical crap that fills the cut. Most of the places that were filled with boats on the way up are now deserted and the whole feel of the canal has completely changed, not for the better I have to say. The words 'ghost town' are being used by those left behind. We passed the floating market at Mile End and spotted Fisherman John and Sam the wood turner. Sam was there for the market and John was in the basin waiting to get onto the Thames the next morning.
Sunday 15th

Litter Bear

We were hoping to have gotten through today as a boat was booked to go to Hackney Marshes. We were up at 5.30am ready to have a chat with whoever it was that is organising passage on the ground. Yogi had already had a chat with the PLO chap the day before, he'd had a printout of who was due to go through so we though we may have had a chance of going early. But he had no key for the chains on the lock which were held by security apparently and had nothing to do with BW or what they were doing. . 6am came and went and the chain stayed on. Also no boat had appeared either. 9am the situation was the same so passage wasn't on the itinerary today.
Disappointed we settled in for a day in Mile End.

Strange Juvenile Goose

It turned out to be a nice day in the end, I caught up on some sleep and Yogi pottered. At lunchtime Sam popped in for a cuppa on her way back from a Thai Chi class and we walked up to the floating market together for a look about and to see if John was on the floating book barge Word on the Water. It felt further walking there than it had coming down on the boat yesterday lol.
There is a lovely atmosphere at the market and I would reccomend you visit it while it is there for the Olympics.  We had a pint in The Globe Pub and were treated to peanuts and fresh prawns as it was a Sunday.
Monday 16th
5.30am again, yesterdays boat arrived late last night plus another boat that was booked for today. So 3 of us are up and ready to go.
6.30am. Chain is still on and no sign of anyone to speak to and find out what is going on? Yog is getting cross and it's not looking good. We only have a 2 hour window to get passed the Olympic park and we've lost 30mins of it already.

The Dreaded Olympic Park

7am. 3 boats above the lock and 2 below now, chain is still blocking our path, although luckily one of the boaters has a contact number of the chap that unlocks it. He wasn't here yet because BW hadn't told him there were boats booked to go through this morning!! He is on his way now though so that is a step in the right direction I suppose. Problem is we need to be past the Olympic Park by 9am and we are rapidly running out of time.
8am. Finally we get through the lock!!
8.45am  Arrived at Old Ford Lock after hammering down Lime House Cut to try and get through the restricted zone in time and get out of there as quick as we could!  What a nightmare today has been.  But somehow we managed it and in 9 hours we will be back in Hoddesdon ready for Phase 3!!.