‘There are long boats and short boats and ALL KINDS OF CRAFT…’ I am moored at Warmington Mill where there are all kinds of craft as the song goes; I have never seen anything like this craft*in the foreground. The pilot, who built the top part of this amazing feat of engineering, from a redundant garden rotovator and tines from a combine harvester, is cutting weed to keep the waterway navigable as far as the mill race at Elton Boat Club. Elton boat club
*in the background is a very smart boat whose charming crew helped me through the Elton and Warmington locks last week on my return from Peterborough. My boat is not smart. It is about 50 years old and has taken some severe knocks in its time – some of them due to unreliable piloting. The last knock was when I hit a tree…the river was wide and running slow, the sun was shining and all was peaceful and I thought, ‘hmm I’m doing ok on my own’ Then I remembered the G & T (poured before the previous lock and still in the cabin)…I left the steering wheel and popped below to pick up the drink. I was only gone a second, but the boat did a quick list to starboard and embedded itself into a very unforgiving tree.
I thought the boat would keep going straight… next thing I get a bump on the head, the G & T went flying, and I am surrounded by leaves and branches. Won’t do that again. This picture was taken at Wadenhoe several years ago with my three youngest grandchildren on board – and no time for G&Ts. –