It's all my fault

Situation normal then. That will teach me to make obvious jokes as the tailpiece to a blog post. It all started so well, Sheila making a quick getaway at seven and us taking it in turns to breakfast.

It was just after eight that we started up the flight with all locks against us.

And just after eleven before we emerged wearily at the top.

The first few locks were OK, but I found a boat floating unattended in lock eight, engine off, classic imitation of the Marie Celeste. Walking on up the flight I found Wild Thyme III above the next; Paul was standing gloomily by it and told me that the pound between six and five was dry. He wasn't going anywhere anyway as his gear cable had snapped.

Walking on, I found the steerer of the Marie Celeste Summer Breeze letting water down through all the locks above. I set to and gave a hand to-ing and fro-ing drawing and lowering paddles as needed. There was a boat on the way down – by the time they reached five there was just about enough water down to get through.

By now, three boats were queuing below Sanity Again. Gradually we all got going again. Sheila volunteered to swap jobs with me once we were up lock seven, that being the usual deal on a long flight like Bosley. This did mean that I had the low pound to navigate. It was still about two foot down, so it was a case of easing her along the middle of the channel.

I thought we weren't going to make it as we neared the far end; sinister rubbing and grinding sounds began to manifest under the base plate where the bywash had left a bar of silt across the cut, but we just managed to keep going and slither into the lock.

Despite running so much water down, there was still enough to get up the rest of the flight. The summit pound is also very low, perhaps eighteen inches below its norm. The paddle into the side weir was half up above the top lock; presumably CRT are running water down the Macc to keep the Trent and Mersey going.

Only a dribble of water was entering the canal from Sutton Reservoir. We've had trouble at a couple of bridgeholes already; indeed at Bridge 50 we stopped altogether and Sheila had to use the cabin shaft against the abutment to get through.

We've tied at Lyme Green, just behind Martin on Ice Breaker. We plan to stay here two nights then poddle on through the rain and thunder to Adlington on Sunday.