One minute on the boat, and next she was in!

Aug 24th

 A very relaxing day yesterday, we didn't do much, even Ian chilled out only doing a bit of tidying at the back. Oh, he did wash one side of the cabin top. An ideal mooring when we arrived on Wednesday, or so we thought, but neither of us had noticed the one long high branch overhanging the boat. Appears this was a particular favourite for the roosting pigeons. A lot of pigeon poop splattering had to be washed off quickly Thursday morning, before it got baked on! 

Chris and Sue arrived late afternoon. With them was Tia, a really wonderful cockapoo full of fun and pleased to see everyone. A far cry from Toffee's timid nature. It was a shame Toffee wasn't with us though, as on their first meeting a year ago, Tia and her got on famously.

 After a great catchup, Chris drove us all to The Dog and Hedgehog. Wow, it's gone up market. It used to be more of a steak pub, T Bone steaks were a speciality and if I recall correctly the portions were enormous! Mind you I am going back a long time, back to1975 as a matter of fact, when we first moved to a place called Barlestone near Market Bosworth and that pub became one of our haunts for playing darts...gosh that was nearly 50 years ago! Anyway the meal was delicious, service brilliant, staff very welcoming and I would recommend but make sure your wallet is well stocked with cash. It was not cheap! 

The Dog and Hedgehog seen from the canal. From Dadlington, it's a good walk along the road.

Aug 25th

So this morning we departed fairly early. The Ashby hire boats were returning to base and with us moored opposite, did make the channel width a bit narrow. First the sponge and bucket came out again to wash even more pigeon poop from the cabin top!  

Sutton Cheney was where we hoped to stop, only about 2.5 miles further along the canal. Low water and the bottom being far too near to the top was a big problem along that section. Our pace slowed even more, in fact I reckon an athletic snail could have easily overtaken FS so slow were we going. Even so a wash was created, this canal is badly in need of dredging!

 

Now what did I say about meeting boats by bridges? This time we had only just come through when Ian suddenly slammed on the anchors. Coming toward us a bow of a boat was seen. A slight panic moment and why he went into reverse will all be explained,  but first I need to set the scene....

 A moored boat on the offside literally feet from the bridge and we were travelling slowly past. In front, on our side, was a crack willow with its branches full of leaves almost touching the water, and then there was that oncoming boat! So FS was not seen by the skipper because of those foliage curtains, consequently he stuck to the centre of the channel. Contact was not made, but more by luck than judgement as Ian had to put FS's bow into those willow branches to avoid a collision, whilst that other boat's bow was rapidly pointed toward the bank. Ian stopped FS but not before a horrible scrunching and scratching sound was heard. What had those branches done to our cratch cover? That other boat scrapped past but so slowly because his prop was stirring up silt instead of being free spinning in water and with the skipper putting on the revs to get it to go forward, just dug the stern deeper into the silt. What seemed like forever that boat finally got past. His words to us was he didn't see us at all and as a deep drafted boat, struggled in the low water conditions. We could understand that with FS being nearly 5 inches deeper than most narrow boats. Normal draft is around 2 foot. FS is 2ft 5.

You can see that moored boat and the willow overhanging the canal

There is a bend which would have shown why he didn't see us but this gives a rough idea of his obscured vision due to that willow.

 

Making Sutton Cheney our first thought as we went through the bridge was if the water point was free. One boat already there but we got in behind. Loo emptying and rubbish taken but then...where was the rubbish skip? No longer does Sutton Cheney services have a rubbish point and its all to do with rats! Too many had used the skip as a feeding station and complaints were made because of it. It was removed never to be replaced in the future so now we will have to carry the black rubbish bag with us until the terminus at Snarestone. Filling the water tank, quite a few boats came past and one which wanted to use the facilities.  Ready to breast up with that boat behind us. a lady was standing at the bow holding the rope. But the unthinkable happened, she overreached trying to hand the rope to one of the moored boat crew members, her foot slipped and into the canal she went! Her husband slammed the boat into reverse, last thing he wanted was a crushed wife! I shouted for Ian, raced toward where she had fallen in and got there just as another lady arrived at the same time. Between us, we grabbed hold of an arm each and hauled her half out. By now her husband had managed to attach the bow rope to that moored boat, got off his boat and he manhandled her the rest of the way onto the bank.  I was shaken but not so she. Very cheerful about the whole incident although I rather think she felt a right idiot and in front of a load of gongoozlers too! 

The lady is the one with dark hair

Very wet.

 

Just past the service mooring was the 48-hour pontoon. We decided to sit out the bank holiday weekend here as already the canal was busy with boats. It was also a good place to polish the starboard side of FS. That will be tomorrow's job. Oh, and whilst sitting inside a loud hail was heard. None other than Ken and Sue on nb Cleddau came past. They were not able to stop as another boat was right behind Cleddau, all I could do was shout hello. I had to look up the last time we saw them, crikey it was way back in June 2016, surely not...it can't have been 7 years ago. I must have another posting somewhere, it really can not have been that long ago! Anyway as we are both heading the same way, our paths will cross again at some point.

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