For the third time this year, a trip to Ventnor marina near Calcutt for a boat test. It was pretty murky in the morning, but by midday the sun had come out and it was pleasantly warm. The only photo I took shows the lengths Andy, the photographer, goes to to get the right shot. Here he is lying across the back counter looking along the gunwale as we go along.
He'll be really disappointed if the shot doesn't make it into the magazine!
To Barby Moorings today for a boat test. And the most unusual thing about this marina is the alpacas grazing on the island in the middle.
The weather was even better than forecast, really quite warm if you could get in the sun and out of the breeze. The only annoyance during the day was that the journeys there and back were both pretty slow.
The November issue of Canal Boat is out, and includes my boat test of the Tyler Wilson widebeam Sheffield Keel.
To Newbury this morning for a boat test. While it wasn't as sunny as the rest of the week, it was still fine enough -- and the tearoom at Newbury Wharf was doing a roaring trade.
Maybe we were subconsciously trying to delay the end of our trip, but we seemed a bit slow to get going this morning. However, it was another bright sunny day, and we actually still got under way before 9.
The five miles back to our marina usually take an hour and a half, and they did today -- we were slowed only by two large fishing matches. I seem to have taken only two photos.
At the marina, Briar Rise seemed very reluctant to slip into her berth -- I like to think she would rather have kept going! But once we were moored up, we quickly sorted things out, packed up the car, and hit the road. We had to go first to Calcutt to collect Adrian's car, then we headed home. We've spent the afternoon putting the house back together, as the decorator has been in while we've been away, painting a couple of rooms.
5 miles, 0 locks. (340 miles, 269 locks)
