Monday 27^th January 2020

All 111,000 tons of Matt’s ship is passing through the Panama Canal today. He has been sending photos and videos of his progress. We have both applied for jobs as lock-keepers during the winter months, stating we would be willing to work for food and board only! Well, the principle has to be the same!

British Contributor passing through locks on the Panama Canal with a huge Container Ship ahead and 2 locks up

                                                                         

Kenny had wanted to fuel up at Venetian Marina and we were to have breakfast at the neighbouring cafe, they make mean breakfast baps. However, we found the chandlery is closed on Mondays and the café on Mondays and Tuesdays, so decided to stay put today.

We went for a walk to the so-called Syke’s Hollow, just over a mile away. This is a very popular mooring spot in the summer with picnic benches and BBQ stands. However, the moorings were clear. Small wonder with the state of the area, a clay mud that stuck to your boots, Syke’s originally having been a clay pit and the mooring, it’s wharf.

An experiment was carried out along this stretch between bridges 5and 6, a distance of about a mile, in 1888. 18” railway track was laid alongside the canal and a small locomotive from Crewe railway works was used to haul barges. Although the locomotive had successfully pulled two, four and then eight boats at speeds up to 7 mph, the experiment was abandoned just one year later.

1889 Photograph showing Loco Pulling a Train of Boats

Walking back to the boat, we walked around the marina buildings. There is a boat glass company here who we may approach to make some kind of insert for the corridor porthole.

Again, we spent the afternoon quietly, myself computering and Brenda reading.

Weather: a nice, clear day, but cold.