Must say, the social life whilst on the K&A has been quite exceptional, and looks likely to remain so for a bit yet. Partly, that’s a matter of it being summer, and of us meeting folk who, like us, are pottering about before foregathering at the National site at Beale Park next month.
We had, as I tweeted, an excellent session with Derek and Sheila Mills of Clarence yesterday afternoon. Derek had passed on some useful tips about Hurricane installation during the build of Sanity Again, and it was good to meet up, show off the new boat and partake of a modest drink or two with them.
No sooner had they gone, and I had turned my attention to making dinner, than Colin and Jane from Slow Gin knocked on the roof. They fall into this category of pottering blue shirts; they’re liveaboards, with a permanent mooring near Newbold on Avon, and were out for their summer’s cruise and taking in the K&A.
We put them off for a half hour so’s we could get something to eat, then gave them the guided tour and shared a few more potations. They’ve also presented us with a bottle of Slow Gin’s sloe gin, a nice prospect for us.
It meant a bit of a late night by our standards, and we had to show determination to get going early this morning, but we did it, moving down to the water point at half six, and refilling the tank whilst eating breakfast.
We had a pleasant run down to Newbury, taking just on three hours for the seven locks and handful of miles. We shared the final few locks with a family on an ex-Reading Marine hire boat (now operated by ABC), which made for sociable boating.
At half ten, there were good spaces at the visitor moorings between the swing bridge and the lock, where we’ve been for the rest of the day, shopping and pottering on board.
An early night tonight methinks, before the run to Woolhampton tomorrow, and our rendezvous with Graham and Brenda Keens.
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