Slow boat to Byfleet

You know how it is: you're at work on a lovely sunny afternoon and your boss says to you, "Do you fancy coming along with me to move my boat along the canal?".

Well, OK, it's not necessarily something that happens every day, but it did happen yesterday and it would have been churlish of me to reply, "No, no! I must stay here, indoors, and carry on with work!", so I didn't.

So, off we went to Send, to bring Little Edna 'home', along the Wey Navigation, to Byfleet Boat Club.

We made gentle progress along the canal, being overtaken by a few walkers and cyclists. There isn't much to do other than enjoy the day, enjoy the company, and pay attention to where the boat should be going. I took my turn at the tiller, and we probably meandered a bit more than we needed to but, hey, it was my first time!

Oh yes, there are locks to negotiate. I don't mind admitting to a fear of locks - it always seems to me that there's so much to go wrong! If I open the wrong gate at the wrong time, I might empty the canal! But, of course, that's not the case. A little bit of logical thinking, and I was an old hand by the end of the trip (3 locks later).

You can't be in a hurry when your top speed is 3mph. And there's a friendly vibe, "hellos" from other people enjoying the canal, "give us a wave" for photos. (Little Edna is very little - she attracts a lot of "aahs" and smiles.)

All in all, a very pleasant way to spend a sunny Friday afternoon and evening. Thanks, Mogs!

Little Edna

My first lock - Papercourt Lock

Newham Priory