The last bit

Due to our groundings yesterday, at just before bridge 75 and more so at Rodbaston lock for one and a half hours then at Otherton lock, made us late for a call at Midland Chandlers for a few odds and ends. So it was a late start this morning, 9:00am and hoping for a better day. Down and out of Park gate lock but it's not long before we're scraping the bottom and we could see the level dropping. About half way on the pound and we're on the bottom smack in the middle of the cut and the counter's about six inches out of the water, no point in polling or anything, just wait for the level to come back up. After ten minuets or so the level came up a little due to an ex-Canal time boat coming down Park gate lock. On passing they agreed to give us a pull and while doing so the level came up further and we were off. As we motored on we could see piles of spot dredgings where we normally have problems which are now clear, well done BW, now just fix the gates and we'll be away.
It was plain sailing all the way to Great Haywood in the wind and the rain. On the approach to the junction the wind was getting stronger and in the wrong direction for me to make the turn. Well, with the Cratch up acting like a bluddy great kite it was was obvious what was going to happen, yep, you guessed it, round the turn and straight into the reeds. At that point, you talk about luck, some friends of ours with a JP2 power plant in the engine room came popping along and chucked us a line and dragged us out. We had to go right back to the bridge before the kite lost the wind and we could get back in the middle of the cut, then full chat forward passed the junction and into the cover of the trees. After that, the wind seemed to drop and we had no more mishaps for the rest of the way. Stopping for fish 'n' chips at Handsacre which were very nice, we arrived back at Fradley about 7:00 and the first decent shower for a fortnight.