Day Twenty One – Trent Lock – Tuesday 8th August

I have my delayed zoom call with the feedback team for my publisher. I literally just switch off the computer when Chris comes back from the shop and tells me the water point is free, so we quickly untie the ropes and off we go. There is a large fire in the distance but not quite sure what it was as couldn’t find anything about it on the tinterweb. Let me know if you know – it was in the direction of East Midlands airport.

We moor up at the water point and a lady comes over to chat. Her boat is on the floating pontoon official CRT moorings which we thought we might try and moor on, as I mentioned we weren’t sure about returning the same spot. Anyway, the woman said they were literally about to untie and fill with water when we snuck in! As they hadn’t set off we didn’t know they needed the water point. Anyway, it turns out they are filling with water and then heading down the Soar as sadly the women has to have treatment at the hospital for a long period of time. Bless her, what a thing to have to deal with when negotiating the standard issues with boating. We have a lovely long chat and then she goes back to her boat and we give them a signal when we set off and swap places which works out really well as we can have 3 days on these moorings.

When I say we just swap, it wasn’t quite as simple as that. I walk the short distance to the pontoon so I can be ready to catch the rope and guide the boat in. But the river has such a strong flow that when Chris tries to turn the boat it bounces into the end of the pontoon and then swings the boat back into the river! He turns the boat again ((See the vlog this Sunday for a time lapse video clip which is the fastest The Plot will ever go!)) and a couple from a cruiser in front of us come and lend a hand with a boat hook but Chris swings it in perfectly this time and we moor up. What is so lovely about the boating community is that someone is always willing to help. ((They were probably just worried you were going to crash into their boat Peachy))

Once all safely tied up we decide to put a wash on as it’s not sunny but quite a breezy day but as we are coming to realise stuff breaks on a very regular basis and today is no exception as the washing machine gives up the ghost! ((Oh this what you were alluding to? Wow, well worth the wait!)) Luckily, we had a spare one back at Chris’s folks garage and as we have the car and have to go back to Newark tomorrow we are able to swap them over. You wonder sometimes about things that are meant to be. It wouldn’t have been so easy if we’d have sold the car!

I did manage to get all the bedding done before it broke though. We are grateful for the cratch covers as not only to they provide shelter from the weather when cruising they are great storage when moored up and keep the weather out of the boat, they are a pretty good drying area for clothes as well. If you wondering about getting them for your boat, then if you can afford it, then one hundred percent get them.

We decide to treat ourselves to a little drink as it would be rude not to since the pub is now about a 3.5 second walk from the boat ((Honestly, there is a surprise. You two that close to a pub. The Half-Cut carrying company on the side of your boat could not be better named!))

That’s it. Until tomorrow… x