Exciting and Inciteful Boating

13th & 14th May

It was an excellent evening the night before last; both John and Nev were in high spirits (provided we stayed off the subject of Watford FC) and we had a high old time. Many classic remarks were passed, most of which had better not be reported on an unrestricted site. A flavour may be had from one by John, commenting on his new mobile internet deal. "I'm so pleased with my new dongle, when I get home I may well get rid of the old Virgin". Shades of the late and much lamented Humphrey Lyttleton, and I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue.

We managed to tear ourselves away in reasonable time, though, which was just as well, as we woke very early the next day, in the way that you do when you know you have to get up early. I'd set the alarm for six, but well before that we were up and about.

One problem swiftly presented itself – I'd taken the new hat to show John and Nev, and had carefully placed it on the step out of Waimaru's saloon so as not to forget it, but John had equally carefully put it out of the way when going to speak to someone outside, and I had duly forgotten it.

Waimaru initially looked all quiet, but as we were starting to get Sanity ready John looked out to hand over the missing article. He'd been kept awake by the passing goods trains for half the night, he said, but I reckon he was consumed by guilt at having hidden my hat.

Then followed a period of hanging about and peering down the cut, but at last the first Incite boat came round the corner at half seven. Rather than Davinia, it was in the charge of one of the other leaders, CJ, but she'd been told to look out for us, and we were soon rising in the lower lock of the Gas 2, whilst the course members urged each other on with merry cries and brandished windlasses.

There followed one of the most sustained bits of boating I've ever done. For seven hours non-stop we went up to the Cowroast, through Tring cutting and down the other side to Leighton. It must have been like this on a Tuesday Night Club cruise. The Incite boats stopped below the Grove for purposes of their own, and we went on to the Tesco mooring for a brief shopping trip before carrying on to moor near the Globe.

I don't know what the Incite Teams courses are like (though the participants clearly enjoy them ) but as a canal escort service they are superb. Many thanks to CJ, Davinia and co for their company and assistance.

Today, after a good, not to say exhausted, night's sleep, we woke at a more reasonable hour, and were boating by eight. The weather has now broken; instead of blazing sun, it was cloudy all day, and started to rain with increasing savagery as the morning went on.

We had to hang about at the top of the Soulbury Three for a bit. They were all against us on arrival, and a boat was just coming into the bottom lock, so we thought we'd give them a chance to come up before going down. They proved to be a sweet old Canadian couple in an enormous Wyvern boat. Seemingly they'd booked a much smaller boat, but on arrival at the yard had been given this beast which must have been 65 foot long.

For any first timers it would have been a bit of a challenge, but these old dears were seriously struggling. We helped them up the flight and saw them on their way before going down ourselves. I must say that, in view of Wyvern boss James Griffin's negative attitude to continuous cruisers, our continuing support and help for his customers is one of the most appealing things about us. That and our modesty, of course.

The weather continued to deteriorate, so I lit the Squirrel in anticipation of Sheila's need to thaw out at the end of her steering session. Just after 11 we got to Fenny Stratford and stopped on the service point to pump out and water. It's not that long since we had the pump out at Cowley Peachey, but we want the tank to be as empty as possible before we arrive at Crick.

It continued to rain at such a pace that one began to peer through it down the cut in expectation of this old guy with a complete set of animals on his boat showing up, but all we got was yet another Wyvern (whose mythical status presumably implies that they missed the original boat). Having completed our tasks, we worked down Fenny Lock, and are now moored on the handy visitor moorings at the bottom. Tomorrow we go through Milton Keynes without stopping, for once, and will probably tie below Cosgrove Lock.