T'was on a Monday morning ......

Our first night on the boat was none too comfortable, as the cabin configurations were set with two single beds in each. The single beds are VERY narrow, and yesterday morning I suggested to John that it was a pity that we had not asked for the three double bed configuration. While I was making breakfast John wondered how the configuration was changed and discovered that the singles slide together to make the double (actually the size of a three-quarter bed). So he moved my beds, saw that it worked and by the end of the day we were all configured in the "double bed" plan.

So last night we had a very comfortable sleep - into bed at 9.00 last night, and woke this morning at 7.00!

The morning started with Weston Lock and Hoo Mill Lock which brought us down to Great Haywood where we found the Canalside Farm Shop. We have been wanting to get food as Sunday was not good for shops and apart from cereal and a few slices of bread the cupboard was looking very bare. The shop was great and had a wonderful variety of fresh vegetables, fruit, cheeses, freshly butchered beef and pork and and a well stocked bakery. So, we stocked up, headed back to the boat and set off turning west off the Trent and Mersey Canal onto the Staffs and Worcs Canal. To celebrate I cooked us full English breakfast - sausage, bacon, tomato, mushrooms and eggs with toast, marmalade and coffee.

I cannot leave the Trent and Mersey without relating the interesting half hour we had on the Water at Great Haywood. Entering Great Haywood, one first passes the the GH Marina, a section of public moorings, pass under a bridge, and arrive at a Canal Services Wharf. While we were filling the water tank, we spoke to a man on the next boat and he told us his wife had walked back, over the bridge, and back to the Canalside Farm shop. As we are not allowed to stay moored at this wharf for longer than it takes to fill up, we had to find a mooring. So we decided that as the turning into the Staffs and Works was a good size lake, we would turn round, go back under the bridge and moor next to the Farm shop. Once finished there we would head back to the entrance of the GH Marina, again turn 180 degrees and head back, past the Farm shop, under the bridge, pass the wharf and turn right into the Staffs and Worcs.

So much for the best laid plans - especially when handling a 69ft boat in a gusting wind. I went up onto the bridge to video John turning in the junction. That went well. Now under the bridge heading for the mooring at which point the wind caught the boat and John found himself lodged diagonally across the canal, totally blocking it, much to the amusement of an insta-crowd. I jumped onto the boat, Stan jumped off, and then John and I decided that we should forget mooring and head on to the Marina. Arrived at the Marina, as John turned, the wind caught the boat and we overshot the entrance. I jumped off with the bow rope and using engine power, wind and hard pulling on the rope we got partially into the entrance of the Marina. John started to reverse and again the wind caught the boat and again we had to use power and rope, eventually turning and heading back to the mooring and an anxious Stan.

We are in awe of the ease in which 'owners' can handle their boats. We know that takes lots of practice to get the boat to do what we want, rather than the reverse! We sail on regardless!

The Staffs and Worcs is a very pretty canal built by Brindley following the contours of the Sow River valley. We have had very few locks, but with a narrow canal have been on our toes as there is quite a bit of traffic. We have just 'locked-up' Shutt Hill Lock and will soon come to the town of Penkridge.