Challenging boating

If we didn't have a couple of commitments tomorrow, we'd have sat tight at Barlaston today and let this cold front blow through. But we're booked to go through Harecastle Tunnel tomorrow morning (it's the last week of the winter when you have to book a passage) and later on we're meeting up with Bill and Eileen in Congleton so that Bill can cut Sheila's hair.

So we had a quick cup of tea in bed between half six and seven, then Sheila set off boating whilst I breakfasted. After we'd worked up Trentham Lock, I took the helm whilst Sheila fed herself, then handed back to her for the run through Stoke. We were both as waterproofed as we could be, with gilets, fleeces and waterproof jackets and trousers, but we still ended up quite damp round the edges.

I did the remaining locks up to Etruria, then gave Sheila a break to warm up a bit. At the top lock we met a boat waiting to come down, but saw no others moving until we'd tied here at Westport Lake. There have been several boats past since then, all going towards the tunnel, of course. One, the Shakespeare hire boat Titania, duly came back; the others must be waiting there to go through in the morning.

As the afternoon went on, things have improved a bit, with sunny spells amongst the showers, but the wind is still a chilly nor' westerly. We've stayed snug and warm in the boat, with the fire well stoked and the cratch keeping out the worst of the wind. The wet stuff is slowly drying; the heavy gloves seem to be taking longest.

We'll make another early start in the morning, hopefully joining the first convoy through the tunnel at half eight.