Two more locks to the end of the canals

1842 Off at 0855 from the noisy duck farm and 15 minutes late for the first lock. Started off in just shorts then went to fleece and hat later as the clouds came over. Didn't see much of Mayuri (now she knows I can do the locks on my own and she can stay inside writing letters) until dinner when she had to jump up and down on the bow to get us unstuck from our shallow picnic spot. Met three oncoming barges, two coming out of locks. The canal is overgrown with reed beds at the side making it even narrower and each time was too close. I found if the front grounds in the mud, you can use a combination of one motor in forward keeping you pinned on the mud and the other in reverse stopping the back end being sucked towards the barge as it passes. It's works well unless the hump of water at the front of the barge ungrounds you then its back to legs over the side & fenders. The rain started just after the 14th lock and I motored the 3km to a silo quay with mooring bollards and a bit of depth for a change, dodging clumps of reeds that were adrift or just cutting the engine when they totally blocked the way to save them becoming wrapped and stopping the engine. The speed kept dropping right until we moored and I later noticed big clumps of reeds between the hulls and hanging out from the sides. Managed to get most out with the boat hook but the rain became really heavy so I went in and called it a night at 1710. Two more locks right in front of us as we set off tomorrow which is the end of the canals and the start of the rivers.