The Crinan Canal

Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Fri 22 May 2015 10:59
55:51.972N 05:24.582W
We arrived at Ardrishaig, on the East side of the Crinan Canal after an early start from Tarbet, only to find the tide so low that they would not use the lock - Reeds had said the Canal was an all tide event. As the Lockkeepers ate their breakfast we waited with Leava, the French boat, for two hours! It did not stop raining all day, so as we went along the canal working with the lines and fenders was a very cold wet business. This was only the second time Marita had been in fresh water. We heard several cuckoos and the birdsong was lovely, it would have been delightful if the weather had improved. The 15 locks were all manned which made life easier, doing it ourselves would have taken so much longer. At 5pm all the canal staff went home and we tied up on one of the mooring pontoons for the night, the whole boat was damp so we put the generator and greenhouse heater on for an hour or two. This morning we set off with two locks and a bridge to go, the weather should improve today hopefully.