Blue Dragon

Well, the days are getting longer, it's very nearly not quite dark when I leave work at night, so our thoughts naturally are turning to boating. David and Sarah had to test their new gearbox before March, so despite freezing rain, Sarah's flu and David's bad leg, they decided it needed doing.

Naturally Mr Blue Dragon and I scrounged a lift, and Mark and Cormack turned up just in time too, so we all went for a jaunt. Up to Bait's Bite Lock, down to Bottisham Lock and home to the Club.

Sam, of course, was in his element! He looked out the whole time, regardless of the rain and cold wind, and got very upset when we went right up to Bottisham Lock without going in and stopping - he wanted to jump ship and run around like a mad puppy, like he usually does!

We got back to the Club safely, the boat worked, and the season seems a lot, lot nearer, Huuary!

It probably didn't bode too well that it poured with rain while I was trying to get the boat loaded up on the Friday

but I eventually managed to get everything on board okay.

We set off on the Saturday to an unofficial mooring, now christened "Diamond 22", with David and Sarah, and had a very pleasant time, until they went back to the Club on Sunday afternoon. Behind the flood bank there was a nice walk, with an interesting old pump for the boys to look at.

A good start to the holiday for John!

Boys and gadgets!

John and I continued up to the Ship Inn, and then down the Little Ouse (or Brandon Creek) to the GOBA mooring half way along. It was lovely there, in the middle of nowhere, and sheltered from the wind.

The aliens have landed

Next morning we went on to Brandon, through the lock and moored at the town moorings while we went for lunch

Modern art??

We then attempted to get to the GOBA mooring at Santon Downham, which we had been told was a very shallow and overgrown route, but were defeated by a fallen tree.

Being followed by the Environment Agency posse!

So, back along the Little Ouse we went,

A local fisherman

on to the first mooring on the Wissey for the night

Next day, it was down to Denver, and through onto the Relief Channel, where we stopped at Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen before going to the end of navigation,

after which we went back to the moorings at the Heron for the night, and had a very good (and large) meal.

The next leg of our journey was to go right to the end of the Wissey, which we had not done for some years. The camp site at the end was vastly improved, although not so funny to talk about. We stayed two nights, and continued past the end of navigation in the dinghy. Mr Blue Dragon went fishing at a small lake near the site and caught some big fish - no camera, but passing campers told me all about it!

Then back down the Wissey to wait for David and Sarah to join us at Hilgay

However, things don't always go to plan, and just as I thought I heard Sam barking as they approached, we got a phone call to say that they had broken down, and didn't think the boat would be usable. Next morning we went down to Southery to meet them. David had gone off with John W to collect his boat, WKD, so that he could tow them back.

WKD arrives

We followed up the river, stopping at Littleport to replace the catch net which we lost overboard going through the lakes on the Wissey (he lost one a few years ago when it fell off the boat at the Heron ... some people never learn!). They were stopping at the Five Miles from Anywhere No Need to Hurry Inn, at Upware, so we went to join them for the night. John had very generously offered to lend them WKD for the week, so on Sunday, while they went back to CMBC to swap boats, Mr BD and I spent a lazy morning at Fidwell Fen. Little did we know then that this was the last of the good weather!

Once David and Sarah came steaming back to join us we continued down to Littleport, where we moored with Banne and Arry, Brian and Ann, and John and Maureen, and sat out on the bank all evening, eating takeaways, and having a little drink. And then the deja vu tour started ...!

That's the life!

Then, it was back to Denver for our two boats, where there was a down pour for part of the afternoon, but we managed a walk in the evening.

Next day, we went through the lock and down to Downham Market on WKD. By the time we got back to the mooring at Denver, the wind was blowing a hooly so we set off for the Wissey, under the bridge (just, in the case of WKD) to Hilgay. Sam had a great time there!

The water rose overnight, and it was interesting watching WKD going back through the bridge ...

Back at Littleport, we met Dynne and Lon, who were out for the first time this year. It had, of course, begun to rain, so what else could we do ...?

We set off next day in pouring rain, and John, accident-prone as always, tried to cut the top of his finger off in a fan (and succeeded a little, very, very bloody bit - he now has a little hole in the finger and a blood-stained shirt)

Rain!

At Ely, we went to see Roy and Annie, who entertained us well, and took our minds off the rain, which continued through the night. We had a bit of a leak in the front window, but on Friday it dried up, so after a walk along the riverbank and into town, we bought some stuff to mend it with. We were able to sit out while the boys fished, and then went for an Indian meal in the evening.

Next day, David and Sarah left to go back to the Club, so they could clean WKD and take their belongings off, while we meandered back, stopping on the Old West for lunch, fishing and a snooze before slowly going back to join them.

We did toy with going up to Burwell (the original plan) but were a bit worried about getting back if the rains came back, so we decided to go back to the Club, and thank goodness we did, as the gear-box had come loose, with all the bolts needing re-tapping.