Sunday 3rd August 2008
With fire in our bellies and a favourable wind behind us, we bid farewell to our land based activities of the past three weeks and head for the waters down south.
Our summer cruise is starting two weeks later than last year so we have some catching up to do. The weather was reasonably kind to us as we left the outskirts of Leicester and the locks were mostly in our favour. Seventeen double locks later we pulled in to the side just north of Debdale Wharf and marvelled at how we didn’t ache after some three weeks away from the canal. It had only taken a few minutes before standard cruising routine had kicked in and we’d shot along the cut, V working like a slave on the locks and me concentrating, as only a man can, on getting the steel through the gates without spilling the coffee.
My comments about other boaters enjoying plonk from bottles and cans as they cruised were met with the standard answer, they’re on holiday, you are not.
No.1 daughter has deposited her cat Maisy with us for a few days so we’re having to plan for three people – a dish for me, a dish for you and a dish for Maisy.
Don’t open the windows on the towpath side in case she takes a liking for the trees and don’t forget she likes a walk on the roof before bedtime. Pork chops don’t have the same appeal when there’s a strong smell of tuna from Maisy’s dish in the corner of the saloon.
Our first night together passed without incident, if you don’t count the occasional meow, I want attention, and the dirt box scratching which conjures up images of tiny white gravely things being scattered all over the bathroom floor.
Enough of Maisy, back to me.
Bumped into narrowboat Jay the other day at Kilby Bridge. She was built just after Balmaha and she has all the hallmarks of a Sandhills boat, shiny paintwork, the attention to detail and distinctive marquetry in the panelling.
Like us, the owners Terry and Lynn chose a reverse layout, putting the bedroom out of the way at the front and a walk-through bathroom between bedroom and the saloon/galley.
Lovely people, we shall look out for them on our travels and hopefully have time for a proper chin-wag and get to know them better.
Tomorrow we hit the road again and I’ll probably hit the wall half way up Foxton Locks for good measure. We’ll more than likely top up with diesel before the prices drop (yeah, yeah) and grab a couple of gallons of oil from Foxton Boat Services on the way and then it’s hi-ho silver, next stop – Leicester summit and a new adventure.
