BCNS EXPLORER CRUISE DAY 4

When we got up we discovered we were well hemmed in. Nb Horned Lark with its Dutch crew has come alongside Stella by Starlighr whose mooring lines were across our bows.

We all extricated ourselves at about 9 am and lefy the basin to join the queue for Walsall Locks. We started the flight at about 10.30 and were through by midday. 

We had lunch on the cruiser stern as we moved. 

I saw a pair of kingfishers today, a few herons and a little grebe. We passed the egg laden coot's nest again so it must have been abandoned.

On arrival at our destination, The Nicklodeon in Wednesfield, we found a mooring next to the bridge. It was shallow where we were intended to moor. We were lent a plank to make getting off safer for the Best Mate after an initial stumble caused by dropping down from the boat onto the grass.

7 miles, 8 locks, 6 hours

Learning the ropes (in France) Pt 4: Tipping is optional

All the guide books suggest that the lock keepers on the Canal du Midi do not expect to receive a tip. However, many of them have a little stall displaying Mon Mammon preserves and Vin de Table at highly inflated prices. Sometimes a purchase from these stalls might not speed your passage through this time but might do on the return. The lock keepers also have telephones. They might communicate with the next lock keeper if you are sypathetic to their wares, the next lock keeper might also expect you to be.

At one lock, the lock keeper displayed a large number of wood sculptures. Many were obviously fixtures but there were some smaller works of art that were definitely for sale. I must say that I am not a collector of sculpture and it didn't really interest me. This lock keeper also had a large yellow labrador dog. He was particularly fond of mooring ropes and would not let go of ours nor would he let us get to it to retrieve it, pulling the end with great strength and gusto, dropping it and then barking furiously before attaching himself to it again. This game went on for quite a time. Long enough for us to get a picture anyway.

I wondered whether he was trained to hold on to our rope until we had bought a sculpture or left a tip!

Started already.

I handed the keys to Tooley's man and have perused, queried and received answers to their estimate. They said thay would start work on Friday so I went to the boat today to light the fire to keep the frost at bay.

I trudged through virgin snow six inches thick to get to the boat and brushed the layered snow from the cratch cover to discover that they had started the work! And the first thing they have started is the flue pipe! Without a flue I couldn't light the stove and without the stove the boat is entirely without heat unless I light the cooker!

Tooley's staff obviously had difficulties with travel in the snow today as there were locks on all the gates. The heaters were on in the dock! My boat is not.

I had expected that his would be done when the boat was in the dock and am dreading 'frost damage' when the thaw comes. At least I had drained the Morco water heater this time before we left.

It does make a change for someone to be ahead of schedule rather than behind!