Confidence and calamity

New-found electrical confidence equals spending a night on your own marina berth without connecting the hook-up. Well, it seemed a lot of hassle to unwind the cable, and the forecast indicated early bright sunshine. That gave me the confidence also to leave the pram cover down overnight.

Confidence was well rewarded, so there were two less jobs to do before we set out for Stone. We used the time to go through stuff and be a bit stricter with ourselves about what we should leave in the car for the next few months.

Our estimate of how long it would take to get to Stone was blown away at Weston Lock.

Some of these had been in a queue at Hoo Mill Lock, but we weren't travelling fast enough to catch all of them up again. Turns out someone going up the lock had got a line wrapped around the prop and also caught in the bottom gates when they closed, without noticing. So as he filled the lock the back of the boat stayed where it was, with potentially disastrous consequence. He realised what was happening just in time to stop the boat sinking, but it seems it took him nearly an hour to sort out the mess.

So it was mid-afternoon by the time we got to Stone. The moorings below the bottom lock are good, but you have to gamble on how near you can get to the lock – will there be a space round the corner? We took the conservative option, so it's a few hundred yards to the lock.

Well, we made it. Mercia Marina seems very far away and a long time ago. Tomorrow older brother Nº 2 and wife arrive via the bus, and we aim to enjoy a week up the Caldon together.