Home Port

A beautifully sunny morning. The wind has died down, the air is cold, but there is the promise of a fine day to come. I head into town for supplies, managing to find everything I want except a piece of light chain to link the cowl to the chimney to prevent it being blown away again 

We chug slowly around Nantwich, there are many boats moored - this is clearly a desirable place to visit. We think that when we are back on the boat in September and November we will moor up for a day to explore the town properly 

The wind has really died down, so Vera takes to the helm. We have found a longer tiller arm in the front toilet, and this feels much lighter and easier to steer. Vera has previously struggled with the counter-intuatative nature of the steering, but there seem to be no such troubles today

Just two locks today, and a short journey back to Overwater Marina 

I pull into our mooring berth. We now have to prepare the boat for the next owners to take over. Refill the water tank and thoroughly clean the boat inside and out. Tomorrow morning we will do the final pump out of the toilet and refill the diesel tank

Vera sits down to cut out the frayed part of the centre line and resplice a new loop onto the end

But the old rope is badly aged. As the individual braids are unwound they reveal more breaks and flaws. This centre line is for the bin, and I attach the spare centre line that I have found in a locker. This also clearly has a story to tell. I can tell that it's been used as a centre line before, a weakness cut out and the two parts rejoined. It is obviously coming out of retirement for one final mission. Sceptre needs new ropes!!

So we have one last night aboard and reflect on our experiences. Sceptre has felt like our home afloat, and we feel very attached to her. The whole canal boat voyage has reminded me of children's TV. Every day brings a new problem that has to be overcome with teamwork and the help of passing characters. Nothing too dramatic or scary, nothing to give you nightmares, or make you want to hide behind the settee. But enough mild peril to keep the story interesting and each episode different from what has gone on previously 

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