Wednesday 4th April.

Weather continuous rain all night temperature about 5c.
8:30 start we sailed with NB October House to the bottom of Foxton locks arriving at 9:30 ready to go up. There was five boats waiting, the locks are on restricted hours 10 to 16:00 hours. Jo walked up to check in with the lockie (Derek who was once the head lock keeper at Foxton, now a volunteer), he was letting six boats up at a time so both our boats could not go up together. We chose to wait and let Mike and Sally on NB October House go up before us.
The weather is getting worse, the wind was getting stronger, the rain was changing to sleet. Fortunately Jo and I had kitted out from the start with our foul weather clothes. The first of the five boats started up the locks at 10o'clock followed by a mixture of hire boats who had no idea, a single hander and private boater. Jo helped October House up  I helped the hire boaters that were at the front, to keep the convoy moving.
After NB.October House had entered I could take Acen in to the bottom lock to go up to the middle pound to wait while the six boats came down from the top. After the sixth boat coming down had passed us in the middle we could continue our progress up the locks.
The weather was getting worse with the sleet changing from snow to hail and the wind getting stronger.
We arrived at the top at about 1 o'clock. Gave Mike and Sally a lift to their boat, moored a way away down the cut. The mooring there was not the best so we continued on to Laughton Hills 3/4 of an hour away. Moored up and on to October House for tea and a chat after we had all changed out of our wet clothing and into warm clothing.
Probably the wettest and coldest day we had moved on the cut!!