As I am writing this (on Thursday 24 July)
I realise it is one day short of 2 months since we left NZ. A lot has happened
in that time, even if we haven’t cruised as far acanal (the boating equivalent
of afield) as we had expected to.
Milestones for 23 July: Have passed lots of
them, esp on the Macclesfield Canal which has them in abundance – they all look
like headstones with chiselled lettering. Oh, that’s not the reporting milestones
you were expecting? OK, here goes.
·
Milestone 1 – David arrived
back in NZ to a Wellington mid winter southerly with a 5 deg wind chill factor.
Went to bed not long after arriving home (courtesy of Gary who collected him
from Wellington Airport). Two hot water bottles, loads of blankets, and he
can’t find his warm pyjamas! The other thing was that his bag did not arrive
with him back into Christchurch – he was the first one out to baggage claim and
the last to leave.
·
Milestone 2 – He successfully
found Gregor’s carriage clock and champagne opener that we’d put in a safe
place, (almost) never to be found again. Usual story – we decide on a place,
are convinced we’ll remember it, and then promptly forget. One of our favourite
hiding places for precious things was in the piano, so we both had palpitations
thinking that we may have put them there – and we sold the piano a few weeks
before we left … But no, we don’t have to replace Gregor’s treasures.
·
Milestone 3 - My first day as a
single hander – from Marple to Macclesfield: 100% complete, a successful water
fill before leaving, then 11 miles, no locks or lift bridges. Lots of boats
coming the opposite way though, so in most instances I let others go first
through bridgeholes, esp if the side I was on had plenty of room. A couple of
women kayaking flat out came towards me and then overtook me when they turned
around. I could see them when they were beside me, but not when they were in
front for some distance so I went into neutral – seeing 2 sets of flashing
paddles was a help until they pulled well ahead.
·
Milestone 4 – The warmest day
of the year here so far – eat your heart out, David! I have improved my tan,
but for the sake of my neck I repaired my cap – sewed the hankie back in more securely.
·
Milestone 5 – Lunch at Lyme
View Café – my reward for successful first half of the solo journey. Lovely
food and excellent service. My lunch was a lovely goat’s cheese salad starter made
into a main by adding a side salad and fries.
o
When I’d moored up and was
heading for the café along the towpath, a couple of kayakers asked me if they
could leave their kayaks and gear beside the boat while they went for a drink
at a nearby pub. They had been on the cut since 7am and were trialling their
gear for a Firemen’s Charity event in which they are circumnavigating the
Cheshire Ring in early August (portaging through the locks). They had a cool
thing for heating food – a metal tray they put a pack of some chemical that
they added water to and it heated up the food in a container that slotted into
the metal tray. Very cool! Well, actually, very hot. The guys did make me laugh
though – they made sure not to let their forks touch the towpath but they were
happy to place them on the bottom of the kayaks …
·
Milestone 6 – lost the first
piece of laundry overboard. Coming through Bollington the wind picked up and I
looked alongside to see a familiar Tshirt sinking. I hope it sank like a stone
and stays on the bottom so it doesn’t wind around someone’s prop. I had no way
of getting it out of the water. I did however stop in the next bridgehole and
raced through the boat to get all the rest of the washing out of the cratch and
tossed it on to the sofa in the saloon.
·
Milestone 7 – Mooring up at the
marina visitor mooring in a strong wind: 100% complete, with a bit of swearing
and much hauling on the middle rope to stop the boat from blowing away down the
cut – the 60 foot by 3 foot 6 inch side of the boat acts as a very effective sail.
Once the middle rope was finally tied on, I got the back tied, then the front,
then the middle again to tighten, then adjusted the back and front again. Breathe
out.
·
Milestone 8 – Put up pram cover
in the wind: 100% complete. I wasn’t sure if it was better to leave it down with
the wind or to put it up, but decided that at least if it was up all the canvas
would be supported by the framing, whereas down it could flap about and may
tear.
·
Milestone 9 – A good night’s
sleep: 100% complete. When I got into bed I could hear the boat squeaking
against the rubber fenders on the jetty. It was only at the stern, so I
eventually went out and loosened the rope. Then I could hear the middle rope
creaking as the boat moved a bit in the wind. Too bad. I decided that 3 ropes
would hold the boat and that I had knotted them correctly, so decided that
sleep was the best remedy for noisy ropes.
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