An easier day - but "oh dear!"

(Boat Flamingo - posted by Alan)

The big push to be at Alvecote last evening had put us in a good position for a somewhat more leisurely journey on to the Stretton arm of the Oxford canal, where we have arranged to have small amounts of steelwork done on Flamingo by Brinklow Boat Services. In fact this should have happened about 5 weeks ago, but getting locked in on the Rochdale canal had scuppered that plan - fortunately Brinklow could still accommodate us at this later date.

Now we had two relatively short days to get to Stretton, and an obvious half way stop is near Springwood Haven, where there are good deep moorings, and excellent walks for the dogs.

Today would be the day with most of the locks - the eleven lock flight at Atherstone, a good well maintained flight, though the locks are notoriously slow to fill.

Unfortunately as I tried to hand Cath the camera we normally use for the majority of the blog photos, my hand caught on the strap as I thought I had handed it over, and yanked it from her hand, after which it skidded across the lock-side, and disappeared into the cut just above the top gates of the second lock up at Atherstone. They don't half sink quickly!

Cath though it couldn't posibly retrieved, but David had a go with our big magnet. I wasn't sure there would be anything magnetic, but apparently it found something, (maybe the clip on the case), and came briefly to the surface, only to fall off and sink again before it could be grabbed.

There was steady traffic up and down the locks, so I had to move the boat on up the flight, but after a long wait David did eventually appear with the camera - once set a challenge he likes to succeed!

Approaching the top of Atherstone, (taken on the "other" camera!).

Now we knew you can resuscitate mobile phones by drying out in tubs of rice, so we have tried the same with the camera. Unfortunately unlike phones zoom cameras contain motors, gears, many moving parts, not to mention lenses, diaphragms and sensors.  So far the camera is refusing to play ball, and the lens remains fully extended and any attempt to use it results in a"lens error". There is visibly water inside the lens, and also between parts of the LCD screen on the camera back.  There may also be rice grains embedded in the mechanism that should work the lens! I have not completely given up hope, but I am certainly not optimistic of a good outcome. This sadly was not a cheap camera - we do have another with us, but it is less suitable for blog photos, and there will probably be a lot less photos posted for a while.

We did get easily to Springwood Haven, and the dogs got a good walk, but I think it will have been an expensive day, unfortunately.

Samuel Barlow, Alvecote to Springwood Haven
Miles 10.8, Locks:11
Total Miles 323.3, Total Locks: 345