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Well I am lending my boat to my son for him to live on while he is in Drama School.  It will be safely moored in a Marina so he doesn't have to move it at all.

I will be able to visit on occasion and maybe take the boat out for a jolly every so often.  He especially wants me to visit to cat sit while he goes and visits his girlfriend back in Sheffield.

So it has been head down and forwards to get the boat from near Chester to London in the time I have available.  In the end I did take the shortcut through Birmingham up the Wolverhampton Flight.  Dearly beloved joined me and I was jolly glad he did.  Moored overnight in Tipton someone tried to steal our bikes.  However cutting one of the curly bike locks alerted us and the scrote got back on his bicycle and vamoosed.

We had a lovely visit to the Black Country Museum.  Then on to near the Sea Life for our second night in Brum.  This was uneventful although ruined by the fact that though we moored up with a minute to spare to watch the footy England went and lost.  Dearly Beloved not happy. For me the best bit was getting to the Lapworth Flight in one piece.  Dearly beloved had cycled back to Brewood for the car while I boated and he arrived about half an hour before I did!

When I did the Lapworth Flight solo I tackled the first 4 the evening I got back to the boat.  Then the next morning I did three solo before a kind volockie took pity and helped me down the rest of the flight.  However while he went ahead to set the next lock a walker offered to help me pull the boat out of the lock.  I instead offered him my windlass so he could drop the paddle as this was of more use to me.  Not quite understanding my advice of "lift the pawl and do not let go the windlass" due to being German and his english not that great I had to stop pulling the boat and go and show him.  Of couse like an idiot I put my hand through to the pawl from the wrong side and lifted it and he let go the windlass. 

One full revolution later and thwack, ow.  Luckily I have very strong bones or that would have been one broken wrist.  Which would have made getting the boat to London interesting!!!

I will no longer accept help from anyone any more.  they can shut the gates behind me that is all.

Today I let the two boats behind me go ahead at the locks going up from Leamington so I could take my time and enjoy the journey without being pressured from behind.  Interestingly the boat actually tries to get into the lock by herself which is very helpful of her.  Only works on those weird very close to the lock landings where the bollards are in the wrong place for a close securing of the middle rope!  I was joined on the third lock by another boat and she was very interested in what to do as a solo boater!  I think she might have the wrong idea now.

Anyway the upshot is I will not be doing any boating next year.  I will be concentrating on helping himself knock down and rebuild the garage, learning to ride my motorbike properly and maybe going over 40mph?

It might be two or three years before I get my boat back so toodle pip.