We are off 2013

I guess it started for us on the Thursday visiting the In Laws and Parents to say our last farewell before setting off, thanks all for your best wishes.

Friday 22nd March, it's my birthday and we set off at around 11 o'clock heading for Willington and the boat, the car loaded, Socks (the dog). Gypsy (the cat) and my beautiful wife Sally. The weather is a lot different to last year and our wedding, now instead of 22 degrees we have snow and very cold winds. Arriving at the boat at around 2pm the first job was to unload the pets and bags and transport it all to our floating home for the summer, have some food and settle down for a night of unpacking and stowing away. The central heating still had a slight leak so this had to be repaired before we went to bed, it's a good job we had the stove roaring away to keep us warm.

Saturday 23rd March. Up early to make Sally a nice hot cup of tea, stoke up the fire and turn on the central heating. Once dressed and shaved Sally took Socks for his morning constitutional while I topped up the water tank, greesed the shaft ready for the off. We left the mooring at about 09.30 heading for the diesel point and everything was covered in snow to about three inches.

 

The tank full, the Thetford emptied we set off at 10.25, turning westward on the Trent and Mersey heading for Streethay where the boat is coming out of the water for repairs and blacking. Passing through Willington and on out into the countryside which by now was covered in a layer of clean white snow making for Alrewas and our first planned stop. We had six locks between us and a warm boat, the first one being at Burton on Trent, where I pulled in to work the lock while Sally navigated the boat in and out of the locks.

Cosidering it was cold and the snow kept falling we were both as warm as toast, well me especially as I was wearing my Canadian hunting gear, waterproofed and quilted like a sleeping bag and of course my Beaver hat. the whole trip took us a little over five hours and after navigating the upper reaches of the River Trent we moored up at Alrewas for the night. Once again, thanks Alex for the heating bypass as the boat was all warm and toasty.

 Sally at the healm

Alrewas