A quiet Sunday.....

......with no need to move.

Over the last week or so my thoughts have turned to ascending the Caen Hill flight and wanting to avoid both a hot day, imagine doing 29 locks in 31° heat, and a weekend, too many gongoozlers, I have been planning progress based on that with the possible bonus of being able to find suitable moorings to watch the Hungarian F1.

As I was preparing to move off yesterday the couple moored a few boats ahead asked if I minded them sharing the lock with me, no problem, in fact it would help me more than it would help them, so the lady walked ahead and set lock 15, once in the lock I joined her to close the bottom gates and then we found that a boat was waiting for someone to fill the lock so that they could reverse into it and go down backwards as they wanted to wind (turn) and the winding hole was further down, so we were able to re-board and leave them to open the top gates, a nice bonus.

Moving from their offside permit holder mooring to reverse into the lock.

Passing Semington Dock where the blue boat was having a facelift with a nice new paintjob.

At lock 16 three boats were waiting to come down but as the lock was in our favour they waited and locked us through, another bonus.

The three boats begin their shuffle into the lock.

I had let my locking buddies go first as I had told them I was looking for a mooring, reaching the next swing bridge they opened it and I passed through and told them I would close it after they had passed, no mooring opportunities yet. The next swing bridge was the one that had defeated me on the way down and I caught them up again as they struggled to get it open as well, I again closed it after they had gone through, closing them is easier because you can get some momentum going.

I saw a potential mooring soon after but despite a valiant effort could not get close enough to the bank, it left me grounded and it was a bit of a struggle to get off again, another attempt further along also proved fruitless. 

Arriving at the next swing bridge 155 they had gone through and closed it so I was glad it was an easy one, another attempt to moor met with failure and I decided the 24 hour visitor mooring before the Seend locks would be my only choice, it would mean another move today but I was ok with that, coming to the end of a line of moored boats on the towpath before the visitor moorings there was a nice big space, deep joy, I was in and free to stay 14 days if I so desired, not that I did desire but it meant no move today and I was able to watch the F1 qualifiying yesterday, visit the pub two locks ahead, the ‘Barge Inn’ which was very busy, and watch the race today. This morning I spent two hours in the sunshine sitting in the bow well deck reading. A good weekend.

Current mooring:

The camera makes the gap look bigger, there's not room for another boat.

Seend lock (17) ahead, the second boat ahead of me is on the 24 hr
visitor mooring, just room for two boats there.

Totals yesterday: 1.5 miles : 2 locks : 3 swing bridges