11th May

I did write this blog but I was probably on a poor phone signal and it failed to post it.

We set off at 8.15 a.m. filled up with water and cruised along the Bridgewater Canal. We passed the Old Trafford Stadium. No locks along this canal today and as we approached a bend with the big Barton swing bridge over The Manchester Ship Canal, Graham radioed to say that we should just carry on as it's rarely swung, however as we got around the bend we could see that the gates in the water were closed and a man in a high vis. coat waved at us and disappeared. And then, the whole of the aqueduct of water, started to swing!!

We climbed up to watch all that was going on, we had a good view over to the road bridge that is a swing bridge, with all the traffic passing over it. We had to wait a long time for that to move and then when it was open, a boat with a crane on it passed through both bridges. The road bridge closed to let the traffic resume, we expected the aqueduct to swing back so we could continue, but no it remained open until twenty minutes later the road bridge swung open again and a big police boat came along in the other direction.

So after a delay of one and a half hours we continued on our way.

We had a good long cruise and moored by the Pennigton Flashes before bridge nine.