It was off to St Ives today and it now really feels like we are heading back and August is just around the corner. After last night’s heavy rain today looked like a mixture of sun and showers however it stayed dry all the way and was a pleasant cruise with just the one lock.

We left our island mooring at around 10.30 heading for Hemingford Grey and the waste bins on the public moorings as we had gathered a bit of rubbish over the last few days. Passing the mooring we stayed at on the way up we approached the village and got in quite close to the bins and pulled over for a brief stop, before passing through and making for Hemingford lock.

On arrival there was a cruiser in the lock on its way back upstream heading for Buckden marina and work the following day for the crew. After helping them through we prepared to enter the lock as another cruiser came up behind us, so we waved them in before we followed them in. Sally did a great job of coming in slow and securing the boat against the free wall and receiving the adoration of the other boaters, I am sure that they were worried that she may have hit their boat, but she did well (well done Sally, you are getting good at this).

Queueing to go upstream

Once in I lowered the guillotine gate and climbed back aboard as the other crew worked the front gates, then it was off again. I went off slowly to allow them to overtake us as they travelled a bit faster than we did, and with a wave they went by. With the flood meadow on our right we could see the town of St Ives just ahead and made our way toward the quay and the water point, Passing NB Thomas Ryan 2 moored just outside the town. On arrival we could not get to the water point because of moored boats so made for and moored up at the EA moorings next to The Dolphin Hotel.

The Dolphin Hotel

As it was market day, it was not long after we secured the boat that Sally went off into town to explore the market, returning with a nice present for me (a bottle of Banana Liqueur) which I have found a taste for. (She loves me yeh, yeh, yeh). We spent the rest of the day reading as the rains had caught us up with some heavy showers, before getting ready and going out for a well-deserved meal at The Dolphin. 

Gypsy keeping the evening watch