While waiting for David

Yesterday morning, Sarah opened the lift bridge for me and then hopped on to the stern of the boat as I exited the marina.

I managed the exit quite well - no to-ing and fro-ing, just a gentle turn using forward and gentle reverse to keep the bow moving to port. Looked and felt very competent.

That look was not to last - within 40 metres of the marina entrance, I had to switch off the engine and to the weedhatch thing TWICE!!!

I am very pleased I had Sarah with me as she had to pole the boat away from the offside trees - we were blown there by the wind, and that part of the canal was exceptionally weedy.

The first lot from around the prop and the rudder - and there were 5 more stops and a total of 6 buckets of weed.

This was a common sight for Sarah. Good thing I was wearing old shorts that came down below my knees and an old top!

Sarah at Lock 14

Two NZ women

Yesterday's statistics:

• cheese scones baked by 7.30am
• water tank refilled by 7.35am
• breakfast prepared and eaten by 7.55am
• Actual Time of Departure: 8am
• Distance travelled : 2.3 miles
• Effective speed overall: 1 mile per bloody hour
• Locks: 1
• Number of stops for weedhatch clearing: 6
• when possible I stopped in bridgeholes so Sarah could hold the boat and then empty the bucket of weed into the hedge - away from the cut, so there would be no re-contamination
• other times I stopped mid canal. 
• most of them were only weed, but one had a large piece of hawthorn mixed in - the tile grouter scraper was employed then to save my fingers, and another had a long slender branchlet (a cross between a branch and a twig)
• very very few bits of reed though
• Actual Time of Arrival: 10.15am
• Other boats on the move coming towards us: 2
• 1 near the very narrow reeded stretch
• 1 coming in lock 13 as we moored up below it.

Brian's method of flicking the weed off the rudder and prop did most definitely not work for me.

I moored at the locklanding below Lock 13 (Red House Lock). David was not far away as he was in Morrison's opposite the station a few minutes ago, buying chocolate for me when he called to ask what kind of chocolate - anything that isn't Cadbury's sez I.

I know, I know - mooring on the locklanding is verboten. However there were no moorings above the lock and the CRT guys moored on the locklanding above said I should moor here and tell anyone who complained that they said I should do so.

One of the guys, Wayne, (having given me the name of one of the others) came down to the boat with the address and postcode for me to give to David; so I gave him scones and a wodge of butter for the guys.

Sarah and I discovered there are probably only 3 or 4 degrees of separation between us:

• her mum used to teach in Masterton so probably knew David's dad
• her dad came from New Plymouth and so my dad probably knew his family - Dad knew (or knew of) everyone ...

She and Rigs come over to NZ for a few months each year, so we will catch up at home in Waikanae over the summer.

And away she goes, back to Aylesbury Canal Society's marina, where she and Rigs were going to rake weed out of the marina basin.

David arrived close on 3pm, and we cruised up to above Lock 11 and then moored. The pound was low so we were a couple of feet away from the bank and armco. Not to worry, as we weren't planning on getting in and out of the boat much. We had moved on from the earliest part of the mooring as there was a wasps' nest - I saw a number of wasps entering and leaving as I stepped off the boat. And then I moved rapidly in the direction of away.

He showed me a photo of his sleeping companion from the night before:

Apparently Kai rearranged the pillows so she was comfortable and ready for David to share the bed. He tells me that when he woke in the morning, Kai had maneouvred him over so he had 25% of the bed and she had the rest available to her.

A very peaceful mooring and as we finished putting up the pram cover the rain came down in giant drops.

Sarah had talked about the dinner they had the night before so I decided to mimic it - chicken breast sliced up and marinated in lemon juice, salt and pepper then panfried with chopped bacon, salad with all sorts of vegetables in it, plus avocado and asparagus. Yum.

Early night, early start, but we didn't get far today. We had intended to get to Bulborne Junction, but instead we have stopped below the staircase pair on the Aylesbury Arm. For some reason, I am a bit weary!

We have seen the CRT guys again today as they brought up the digger and the two engines. They have a great sense of humour and were very helpful. No scones available to hand over today though, as David and I had them for morning tea/lunch - toasted, buttered and with a slice of tomato on top ...