So, cast off, circle round, miss it at first go with all those imaginary onlookers guffawing, and try again - caught it this time, before it got away! Then the usual problem - the machine says 3 minutes - can we do it and the flushing in that time? Of course - their 3 minutes is more like 3 weeks, and you could have done it half a dozen times over, instead of the mad panicking rush that gets it done with the machine then ticking for ages after you have collapsed in an exhausted heap. Back to the quay to re-moor, then off for a stroll to see where we will be "let out" from tomorrow. The sight of the Ship Lock was quite daunting - it may be smaller than it used to be, but is still HUGE! Not to mention the enormous sector gates. I watched a narrowboat leave at the bottom of the evening tide (and the bottom of this very deep lock!), looking absolutely minute indeed in the vast space of the lock. It looked even smaller as it sailed out into the sunset! And it was a BIGGER boat than either of our two. Roll on the morrow....
The morrow dawned, dry but overcast, and brother Nick arrived to join us, and Sarah arrived to join Sorrel, as did a member of the St. Pancras club who had been of considerable help to all of us in the planning (and later repairing!) stages of our holiday. As we locked out at 8.15 a.m., it steadily got gloomier.
On leaving the lock, the Thames looked big enough to have warranted our including a sextant in the ship's manifest! But at least the water was flat.... so far.
Next