As planned, we made an early start this morning, setting off at half seven. As we rose in Bagnall Lock, we saw Margarita, crewed by blog readers Ken and Ann, just setting off from the moorings above. They moor in Stafford Boat Club, so we'll be following them that way, though not as quickly, probably.
By the time we got to Fradley, things were getting busy, and we took a bit longer than usual to get up the flight, though it wasn't a big hassle. We stopped on the service flat at the yard and had a pump out before carrying on onwards and upwards.
We've tied on our usual towpath mooring just beyond Kings Bromley marina. There was just the one boat here when we arrived at eleven, but by lunchtime it had filled up. I'm sorry to say some of the later arrivals have done the tedious trick of tying a half boat length apart, thus reducing the total available mooring, but then, it is high season still, and there are a lot of comparatively inexperienced boaters around.
There's a handy website called Considerate Boater that I can recommend to anyone looking to improve their boating etiquette.
We've spent the afternoon very quietly. I'm gently working on my thoughts about the way forward for the IWA National Festival, but it will be quite a while before I'm ready to commit myself to anything in print. It's a venerable institution, so it wouldn't be right just to abandon it, but there is the question of what it sets out to achieve, and whether it does so.
1 comment:
Bruce
Whilst your comments were not received by some in the tongue in cheek manner I suspect they were offered, I agree with a lot of what you have said. My son, who is in his 30's, is an avid boater (he's doing the Droitwich on Wednesday which miffs me as he is doing it before me!!) but says that the National, oops, Waterways Festival, does not have that much to offer for people of his age with a young family, and that it needs to change. I admit that I enjoy the 'family' atmosphere of the 3 week workers, people I see and only meet once a year at the National,in my opinion the Festival needs to change to embrace the younger generation, to provide more attractions for them, maybe invite local organizations such as majorettes (maybe not our cup of tea but will appeal to the kids) who would be more than happy to promote their cause for free....
I could go on but you probably agree with a lot of what I am going to say...........
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