Leaving on a jet plane....... or not.

So then after hurrying home in the car, a journey that took something like six hours, absolutely no fun at all.

We had one day to pack, well obviously David went off to play golf and I did everything else.

We were going to join friends on a cruise around the Adriatic coast of Croatia, touching on the Dalmation coast.  Anyone know the difference?  No? Well nor did I.

Finally ready we left home to stay the night at the hotel at our local airport.  It was a tremendously antisocial flight at 6am hence the hotel.  Sadly one half of our friends had to pull out due to illness, the husband had cancelled the 4th place a fortnight before, a week ago the boarding passes had been issued to the remaining three of us.  Our friend had decided against the hotel room as he wouldn't sleep anyway, so he'd arrived at 3am to check in.  We joined him at 4am to tell us the unbelievable new that all our tickets for the flight had been cancelled.  We were speechless.

Some human had, I hope in error, cancelled the entire booking instead of the one place.

Not at all annoying.

Hours later and many phone calls to the travel agent, we were luck enough to; 

A) Get rebooked onto the next flight 

B) Get the very last spaces on the next flight 

C) Have a next flight available.

But we did and landed in Split to a comfy 25C.

So a few photos of historical sights for your delight and a few others in the mix.

This is our wee boat, we think it could accommodate 28 passengers, we were 23.  I would not consider a whopper, this was plenty big enough.   

Lovely views whilst we motored along.

El Capitano reversed into sheltered coves for swimming.

I'm working on one of these for the back garden.

We three were watching the sunset from the luxury of a deep sofa on the quayside then literally in minutes all these ships had zipped into the moorings, blocking the view. 

Oh my word the Gelato...

Approaching the town of Korcula.

The birthplace of Marco Polo, Wikipedia lists him as being born in Venice, but here they insist although his parents were Venetians, Marco was born here in what was then part of the Venetian Empire.  

Luxury whopping yachts, someone onboard looked up the prices but it was so high I can't remember but thousands a night.

And down to Dubrovnik, "The Jewel of the Adriatic"

Dubrovnik is really stunningly beautiful in the very real sense of the word.  It was a place I wanted to visit for years.  The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has in turn been occupied by many, each leaving their mark on the city.  What was impossible to understand was why why oh why did the Serbs shell it during their siege of seven months back in the 90's.  Hardly any buildings were undamaged, the rebuilding took a decade.

The Keep on the right and although not in sight the keep on the left were both used in the filming of Game of Thrones.

Pretty amazing castle.

Split is wonderful.

Republic Square in Split, built by the French.

   

We followed our noses around the also very historic Split and came across this square not exactly a copy but built in the style of the famous square in Venice.

So there you have it.  A great trip and if I were to be invited I'd go back again like a shot.  

In a few days time the packing starts again to go back to Tattenhall Marina to move WaL back down to Staffordshire and Great Haywood marina again.  We would have chosen to go via Middlewich, Heartbreak Hill, Harecastle tunnel, Stoke  and down to Great Haywood but I doubt "The Cheshire Locks" are open yet after this dry summer so we will head down via the Shropshire Union, not my route of choice as I consider it a little on the dull side but I'll take a good book.

Oh I meant to have said, a few posts ago, I made a mention of Mr Elon Musk in the title.  Ordinarily the view numbers in the days after a post are in the few hundreds, they grow after a bit.  But tonight the number of views is getting towards 11,000.  I can only suggest that people were searching for said 

Mr E Musk and found my little old diary.  

I bet they were disappointed.

Great boat but a horrid day.

 Well well Reader, lots of news.  Most of it non boaty but stick with me.

We left you having returned along the Llangollen canal and popped WaL into Swanley Marina for a long overdue repaint.  

I say overdue as when we collected WaL from new after being at the Crick Boat Show in 2012, our boat builders, Fernwood Designs, had recommended that we'd be looking to repaint her after about seven years.  I told David way back then to save £1K a year and all would be fine. 

Did he.....? Did he heck, but what he did do or rather say over the years was, not yet, she's fine, maybe next year.  

So while WaL was in dock we went home for a summer holiday!

Frequent Flyers to this blog will remember that in August we have a flurry of family birthdays, one of which was my mother's.  She was 95 but wasn't frightfully pleased when I told other people so keep it under yer hat.

She has ten great grandchildren and eight were present at her tea party, one was let off as he has a job and the other is in New Zealand, so pretty good excuse and four out of five her grandchildren.

We didn't do all the candles due lest we cause a safety incident.

We also had the two six year old grandchildren for the best part of a week, a few days were needed to recover after that, as divine as the children are.

A sizzling hot day out for these two divine creatures.

So that pretty much brings us up to five weeks later and the collection of WaL, it was a bit like Christmas with the excitement building.  

So over the course of the seven years I, (and only I) had been considering a new livery, I have over time, really really liked Kingfisher blue and then cream with navy lines and then all the way back to red again.

So just by way of a reminder her is WaL earlier this summer looking pink, very pink.

Here she is, red again

As I said to Amanda, do you like my diamonds?

A grey roof again, we had some fancy design on the roof previously but I had forgotten what it was as it had considerably been worn off.

This is my favourite part I think.  Nothing ever again to be put on the hatch David!

A kingfisher and an owl now.

New font and a new compass

So there we are, I hope you approve Reader, we are thrilled even if it slightly surprising to have it red again and not pink plus the blacking done too. 

We set off for our sister marina which is Tattenhall marina, it was about 14:30 but I was kinda confident we could get pretty close to it.  It had been a while since David had helmed so I'm not judging but he bumped the first bridge, then a bit of madness struck as he slid all the way down a nasty bush.  I didn't need to admonish him as he was a tad upset himself. 

 

Anyone got some spare blacking paint?

Well we made progress with the help of a couple of volunteer lockkies at the Hurleston flight, it was all going so nicely when later on we had a bit of trouble.

It was at The Iron Lock.  It's close to the lock before so I walked between the two.  I filled the Iron Lock, so called as the sides are lined with sheets of iron, in recent times its become a bit bowed so now the instructions are for single boats only to go through, not that there was another boat around.

So I filled the lock and due to the leaky bottom gates, I heaved and heaved to absolutely no avail.  I kept trying as David brought WaL onto the lock landing from mid canal where he had been loitering.  He too heaved and heaved and together we got nowhere.

I was ahead of him in my thoughts that we would have to spend the night on the lock landing until the CART staff man would come along in the morning....

At the 11th hour who should come around the corner but a lovely couple out for a walk who lived locally.

They had helped another boater a couple of nights before, but I have to say that even with four of us on the one beam success was not a certainty but at length the gates did open and in went WaL.  They asked repeatedly if we were okay I declined further help as I thought all was well.

Then WaL got hooked up on the cil, so Reader although we have been down through this lock this summer without incident, WaL was diagonally across the lock when the hookup occurred, he yelled at me, I ran to close the paddles which are higher up than the average, so winding down was slow.

David told me later that he was on the verge of jumping off when WaL slid off and flolloped into the water again.

Phew.

That was a close one, a really close one.  We were both shaken and not stirred.  

After all this delay, twilight was coming fast.  We just wanted to moor up and relax.

The photo above was the sight that met us when we got in, so that is the entire larder on the floor, several glass breakages, sundried tomatoes in oil, lazy garlic, peanut butter and a jar of pickle.  All the unbroken jars and packages had to be washed and the smell was awful.

A bad end to a bad afternoon.

The first place we could get WaL in was just above the last lock landing that we had to do.  The next morning was forecast wet so we knew we would be having a lie-in.

But we did get WaL into the marina at lunchtime the next day.  Car packed up and away home again.  We had to pack for a busman's holiday, we were going on a cruise a day later.  I'll save that to bore you with next time. 

 

A close shave and Elon Musk

What I forgot to tell last night that it was so warm, that after lights out in bed I asked David to take the bungs out to help with air flow, he aimed it at the floor but there was a tinkling sound as something hit the floor, "I've no idea what that was" he said before dropping off.

This morning, despite him getting up early, something made me look down and there was my engagement ring by the radiator, half an inch from the hole for the pipes.  So close to losing it forever.

So this morning we were going to go the whole way to Llangollen, despite bloody foot and see how we go.

Leaving the gorgeous tended mooring.

The hire boat operative held his nerve here and no bumps either side.

 Well it was a very scenic cruise literally with the Welsh hills coming into view in the distance.

CART's wild flowers are going great guns.

Have you ever seen so many ducks sitting in a row, I couldn't capture them all in one shot.

The forecast was heavy rain later in the afternoon so with one eye on the satellite and the other looking for a mooring as far on as possible we carried on until the sky darkened, what about here? says I looking at a straight section with armco and even space for the solar if ever the sun should come out.... No I want to go a bit further says he.  David is the sort of man who likes a gamble, especially on a homeward journey and the petrol light is on red.  

I think I just felt rain says I....

Oh bloody hell alright then, here.  Exactly where I had suggested before.

This was happening, then thunder

Well the tow path was a slope down to the water, so much so to attach the nappy pin or mooring hook if you prefer David had to lie flat with me holding the belt in his trousers to moor us up.  That was a first! But it did the job, tonneau cover on the back and minutes later prolonged heavy rain which we all desperately need.

Later lightening and masses of thunder.

Supper was simple, breaded  fish and peas.

This morning, we were late up, 05:30, leaving at 05:50, similar operation to remove the nappy pin and we were away.  Creeping past other moored boats as quietly as we could.  One boat without any sign of life that morning was NB Naughty Lass, Robbie Cummin's boat 'im off the telly.  

Almost night time but we were away.

Fab house, prettiest of the day.

NB Naughty Lass, no sign of life but there again, I'd still be in bed....

First view of the Chirk viaduct.

I was playing around with the shadows here, but the valley id lovely.

This was a first too.

David's shadow.

Chirk aqueduct was a bit of a doddle, its built up both sides with a pavement one side and a wide wall the other. 

The horror came next.  

This is our third trip to Llangollen so at least 6th time over this, does it get easier.....?

Absolutely not.  Completely worse.

A hire boat in front of us was finishing at Trevor.

Pontcysllte Aqueduct.  Pavement one side.

Absolutely nothing the other.  I felt as if we were being sucked onto that edge and going over any second.

View to the north, the river Dee just coming into view

Oh dear god look how high we are.

I couldn't bare to look down any closer to the edge.

We didn't meet any other boats until we were on the last leg that is to say turned at Trevor and about half a mile along.

We easily saw a flock of Kayakers', they looked nervous and we came to an almost halt while they scrambled to the edge tow path side.  They had a shepherd and he passed last herding them along, then off we set again not too fast then Horror of Horrors at the very last second and I don't say that lightly there was another kayak that had inexplicably gone 90 degrees to WaL and was almost under our bows, David saw them at the last second and slammed WaL into reverse, we hit the off side and went aground and the shepherd came haring back.

Well in the kayak was a mum and child and I have never been so frightened on WaL as that day with the "What If's".

The mum apologised, the shepherd too, he said he only took his eyes off them for a second.  We had assumed that he was the last to pass and I reckon in small panic the mum had paddled one side, the child perhaps frozen  so went across us instead of to the side.

Phew.

Next three boats were coming towards us (Oh did I say this was all on a slight bend?)  the first one pulled in seeing the situation... by now WaL's bow was across the canal in David's efforts to get off the shallows.  The second boat just kept coming as boats often do when faced with a situation, they just keep coming instead of stopping, well he went bow into the towpath and stern across the canal.

The first boat rescued the entire situation by getting off his boat, his  

able wife taking the helm and slipping past WaL, he then pulled in the hireboat then we slipped past the third boat on the wrong side.

Phew.  After all that I needed a sit down.

Gorgeous scenery, what the heck is that coming?

So here they are clutching the sides, can you see the mother and child across the bows?  No nor could we.  We then went aground

I can't remember passing any other boats, the bloody foot wasn't too bad so I walked the mile I think it was through the narrow sections.

There are two narrow sections, the first of which closest to Trevor has a few passing places, the last one does not so crews should walk ahead to stop other boats entering until your boat has cleared.

Two Day Boats were coming and happily moored up to wait the five or six minutes before David was out.

Two day boats happily pulled over to allow WaL (Nose just coming into view)

Two sections of narrows, this is the second section without any passing places.

Finally into the basin.  £13 a night now, by agreement to stay longer than the strictly enforced previously, two nights regardless of if the basin was empty.

Demanding food with menaces.

We got to the basin and decided on a mooring, plugged into the leckkie and had a nap.

For those interested in timings, we left our mooring between bridge 15 and 16 at 05:50

We arrived at Trevor at 9am and arrived at the basin in Llangollen at 11:20.

Now for some reason my ancient laptop is not allowing me to load any photos.  I don't know why and in the absence of Amanda as my IT tech support I will try tomorrow at home.

We are leaving WaL in the capable hands of Swanley Marina for a repaint, finally that is.

So when I get home I'll another go at loading photos.

Well the photos have loaded I'm glad to say, perhaps it was an internet dip.  There were plenty of those in Shropshire.  Going back I met a lay preacher who has a Starlight on the roof of his boat.  He said he loathes paying Mr Elon Musk each month but it is brilliant.  I certainly would have an issue giving Mr Musk any more than £1.50 an month...

Back in a few weeks.

TTFN.