Westhoughton Motorcycle Club
Westhoughton Motorcycle Club
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[Home]. STREAM IN THE SKY OR MESSING ABOUT ON THE RIVER OR CHAOS ON THE CANAL Well it started with a simple idea from a link off a website. It said you can hire a small narrowboat for a day on the Llangollen canal and cross the famous Pontcysyllte aqueduct,126 feet above the River Dee, cruise down the canal, under a couple of long tunnels, turn round and be back for teatime. So I thought I`ll see who`s interested, swap bikes for boats for a day, at least no-one can get lost, should be a different and relaxing day out. WRONG Mix twenty WMCC members with two small narrowboats and not much experience of port and starboard steering and helpless laughter is guaranteed. At least we had Ste and Mark on our boat [both had steered a boat before] but watching the following boat, with Rex in command and Brian sat on the roof and Joe jumping on and off to take pic`s with a big grin on their faces, crossing over the aqueduct, leaving the boat listing at an angle started the giggles which hardly stopped all day. Different it was. We opened bridges, got grounded on mud banks, hit by low tree branches, went through long tunnels, waved and shouted [and apologised] to other canal users, fed an army of ducks that chased after us like little living torpedoes, and learned to pass on the right. At least we did [thanks to Ste`s experience] but passing two long narrowboats together proved too much for our second boat. We watched in hysterics while a mistake on the steering sent it chugging, at a right angle, across the canal aiming straight for the second narrowboat. What the owner of the boat was thinking as he desperatly tried to back up, while our lot were descending on him with arms and heads sticking out of the windows, all shouting instructions, like a scene from a pirate movie, I dread to think. Half way through the day we reached a mooring point and got off the boats, had some dinner and strawberries and icecream [thanks Les & Jean] then it was time to turn around and dash back before 4 o`clock. Probably breaking all the speed limits on the canal we just about made it without a penalty charge. It was different, and chaotic, and I think everyone enjoyed it so perhaps next time we should tackle locks. I mean what harm can we do with a few tons of water behind us ????????? What did everyone else think ???
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