Lock Stuck Embarrassment
When we arrived at the bottom lock  which releases us from the K&A to the mercy of the River Avon we found a pair of hotel boats - a motor and butty - stuck half in the lock.

It transpired that one gate - on the left in this picture - would not open fully and a piece of timber had become wedged between the two boats.   As the boats had entered the lock breasted  up they became jammed.


(breasted up = next to each other - and is nothing to do with the next picture)

When we arrived the crew had exhausted their usual repertoire of techniques and appeared to be trying anything they could lay their hands on to clear the blockage.


 

The breakthrough came when they managed to waylay a hire boat passing on the river and persuade them to take a tow rope from the motor boat.

The successful team comprised two guests from the hotel boat, crew from Gecko and L'Attitude Adjustment and hotel boat crew.

With the hire boat pulling the motor boat backwards, three people pulling and pushing the butty forwards, two of us rocking the recalcitrant lock gate and one lady flushing water through the top gates........

.........we separated the boats so that they could recommence their lock procedures.

And progress to the deep lock in confidence.