Escape!

It was a day when we wanted to get quite a lot done and the good bit is that we've managed it. We made an early start so that Sheila could get another wash load on and then make a start on polishing the boat. Indeed, she was doing this last by half seven.

I took yesterday's last wash load to tumble and then got on with a variety of support jobs, including hand buffing the bits the mains polisher won't do. In the event, I then started working along the open areas just to keep busy, it being too early to use power tools. In fact, I got so far with this that in the end there was no point in rigging the polisher.

Sheila was worried that she was going to run out of the Craftmaster carnauba wax we use, so at nine I popped into Midland Chandlers and got some of the Bullet carnauba that they stock in case she did. In the event, she managed to finish the whole side with what she had; the Bullet will come in handy for doing the well deck bulkheads.

Not long after ten we got the call from Fasil, today's Ocado driver. He was already at the gate, so had to wait whilst I walked round to him. It was a mega order so that the cupboards were very full by the time we'd stowed it all away. After a bit of a sit down to recover, I finished off the buffing before we had lunch. This meant that we could leave the marina whenever we wanted to in the afternoon.

After a quick call into Still Waters to get some fresh veg, we got going just after two. The marina was buzzing both with visitors to the Boardwalk and with boats coming and going. I don't think I've ever had to give way to five boats whilst manoeuvring before, including one coming in whilst we waited between the tunnel and the canal entry.

I manage the turn out reasonably smoothly, though the bow did touch the opposite bank at one point. We tied by Sally's favourite copse; we'll be able to walk back to Potlock's Bridge and across the field to the bus stop in the morning. Elanor and Sal came across for the afternoon; Sal had a good run in the copse and a bit of a swim in the pools. There was a fair bit of litter around, empty cans mostly, so Elanor and I gloved up and cleared it all into a black plastic sack.

Elanor has now taken that off with her to drop into a skip in the marina on her way back to the car.

We're looking forward to a quiet evening with maybe a bit of wine to celebrate our escape; it's been seven months this time and though the marina is lovely, it is so good to be out and soon to be on our travels again.