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In 1977 we hired our first narrowboat from Anglo Welsh at Market Harborough.From that moment our destiny was set. In 2006 we finally purchased our own brand new 57' narrowboat which we named 'Free Spirit'. Our aim is to travel the length and breadth of all the navigable rivers and canals of the UK. This will be our story as it unfolds.

Tuesday, 14 July 2020

Beggars a question

Jammy Jameison....good name for you today Ian. Why is it then that when I'm steering FS into a marina its always blowing a hooley and I struggle massively to get onto a pontoon. Yet when you take the helm (as you did today) conditions are calm, tranquil with not a breath of wind! That smug look on your face saying 'this is how it's done darling' was enough to make me see red! To be fair though a pretty decent job was done as the only easy way back onto the canal was to reverse through the entrance. To the boater onlookers, it was a textbook manoeuvre.





Once out of the marina it was a left turn toward Fenny, past those new properties overlooking yet more pontoons. Hmmm, I wonder if some of them are selling points and if so how much more cash will it take to secure a flat with a mooring?


It also looks like the Parks Trust has made moorings available outside the marina. I thought this would have been the start of the proposed Bedford-Milton Keynes link.


Just past bridge 94 and we were dismayed to see the Fenny Stratford moorings looking to be full! Luckily we found a space only just long enough for FS to fit into, in fact, Ian even lifted the front fender button to make life easier to get in.



 But we got in and leaving Ian to hold the centre rope, I had a quick look to see if the 48-hour mooring was available. Well, it wasn't and also what I thought was 48 hours was in fact only a 24-hour mooring. What I did see though and this did beggar a question which some of my readers may know, if a public mooring (and I do mean public) is left vacant and in this case the boater in question went to visit the facilities below the lock, should his stuff be left along the length advertising the fact he was coming back? Or, if a boat has left, regardless for how long, should another arriving boat be able to claim the spot? If we hadn't managed to get in where we did I may well have done just that. I would be interested in thoughts.

Not only the bike but ropes across the path, a broom, sack barrow, bags and the toilet cassette all placed in a line along the length. Difficult to see in this photo but the gap was more than sufficient for our length of boat to have fitted into.
And the moorings for today,


Looking forward to tomorrow! Yea its haircut day😁



4 comments:

Brian and Diana on NB Harnser said...

You should read John Halfords blog for Market Harborough https://jhalfie.blogspot.com/2020/07/you-cant-moor-here-its-reserved.html?m=0

Ian and Irene Jameison said...

Thanks, Brian and Diana, makes me wonder if this is a new trend.

Marilyn, nb Waka Huia said...

The not wanting to miss out on a mooring is one of the reasons we stop quite early in the afternoon - that, and getting older and tireder!

I have occasionally been tempted to reserve a spot somehow when heading for water with the intention of returning within an hour, but have never had the gall to do so.

I seem to remember Mick and Julia telling us about someone known to you who put the towels out on the towpath though ...

Mxxoo

Ian and Irene Jameison said...

Who was that Marilyn? Intrigued!

Hugs Xxx

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