A windy trip to Yelvertoft

We've still got Sally with us, but she says she is not inclined to do a blog post for me today as she is busy hunting a thing all round the boat, and anyway, where is Mummy? Those who keep them will know that doll type dogs like Sally can be very uncooperative in these matters.

Mummy, in fact, is hopefully soon to be on her way from Eisey Lock to Yelvertoft to rendezvous with us. Indeed, if it were not for the need to rendezvous with Elanor, we would not be moving the boat at all today, as it is more than somewhat windy. In fact, it is so windy, steering the boat is quite a challenge, and this morning Sheila decides that it will be better if she walks the dog for a while and I steer the boat.

We go on like this for maybe 45 minutes, by which time Sheila is feeling very tired, though Sally is still quite fresh. So they get back on the boat at a handy bridge, and I make Sheila take over the steering, as it is her turn today , and I am more than somewhat fatigued with the exercise of keeping the boat in the middle of the canal.

This takes care of maybe the middle third of the trip, during which time the wind continues to blow with large gusts, and the steering gets more and more interesting as there are now numbers of boats coming the other way, and not all of these boats realise the need to slow down when navigating a narrow and shallow channel past a  boat coming  the other way.

Meanwhile, I am down below with Sally, who is greatly displeased to have had her walk curtailed, and not to be allowed out on the bow to keep an eye on the other boats, dogs on the towpath and any ducks that may be about.

After I make a cup of coffee for Sheila, she asks me to take over the steering again, as she is very weary of it, and so I finish the trip to Yelvertoft, where we have some trouble finding a mooring that is deep enough to get into the side.

In the end, we manage to get in by Bridge 20, though the stern is left sticking out a bit, which is a worry as we are by no means well clear of the bridge and the bend after it, and so we are in some danger of impact from passing boats struggling with the wind, the bend, the bridge and the shallow water.

Since the forecast implies that these conditions will persist for a another couple of days, I think we may well choose to remain here until they improve sufficiently for us to make our final stage into Crick.

[I am presently reading a Damon Runyon omnibus on the Kindle, but do not in any way allow that to affect my writing style.]