There is heavy rain in the small hours of the morning, but the day dawns cold, bright and clear. To get back to Overwater Marina on Thursday, to give us time to clean and sort out the boat, we have a long journey to Whitchurch today. So I am up early and set off just before 8. Vera has not slept well, and stays in bed
I am layered up against the cold wind, including my heated glove liners, so am feeling quite warm and toasty as I cruise towards Ellesmere where we plan to stop for breakfast.
It's a generally straightforward journey, the only incident being an encounter with a boat travelling in the opposite direction. The bright sun is reflecting off the water ahead, so I have little warning of the approaching boat coming through a bridge. I put the engine into reverse and manage to stop, but need to reverse to allow the other boat to pass. Normally I find going backwards is very difficult, the steering just doesn't work and you end up all over the place. But today the gods are smiling on me and I reverse perfectly
The sudden stop and change of direction brings Vera onto the deck, and we travel together to Ellesmere, where we moor up in the same spot we had occupied on the outward voyage. I go into town for provisions. Breakfast is scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, and then it's time to resume course
Ellesmere, Blakemere, Colemere, we pass through the lake filled countryside
It's a beautiful day, the trees are greener than they were five days ago, spring is in full swing. Travelling so slowly forces you to notice these small details.
We stop for lunch before the first lift bridge of the day. It's a good choice as we avoid some rain while eating bread and cheese
After lunch we go through the bridge. We have timed this badly. There is a following boat. If we had delayed for five minutes, they would have opened the bridge for us. But we team up, and share the lift bridge openings all the way to Whitchurch
There's a constant threat of rain in the air. But the wind is a constant factor. The hedges provide a surprising amount of protection, but occasionally we are hit by strong squalls and blown off course. I have learnt to keep speed and power up to counteract this, but when forced to go slow it becomes a real problem
Such as slowing down for roadworks
The wind forces us on to the temporary bags in the centre and we just don't move
One of the workmen helpfully shoves us on our way. They are probably used to this
We reach Whitchurch far sooner than we expect. Travelling with the flow of the water does have its benefits
We head into town for beer and food. We pass this boat. It reminds me of a traditional categorisation of people: He that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool. Avoid him
Last time we were here my advice was that if you're going to visit Whitchurch, don't visit on a Monday. Sure enough, it's another Monday, and we head back to the Black Bear
One of the maintenance jobs we want to tackle is to fix the badly frayed centre line. To do this we need to cut the end off the rope and splice a new loop onto its end. So we study rope splicing videos while practicing on a length of line
Vera realises how this should be done
She is a natural splicer
It's just like braiding hair, except the rope is not behind you and you can see what you're doing
We've stayed too long in the pub, and have to walk back through the cold rain. We arrive back to find that the chimney cowl has disappeared. Either stolen or blown off in the strong wind, we'll never know
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