Because of the ongoing Covid situation we haven’t been boating much at all this year. We were due to go camping in Wales with Nikki and family this week, but the forecast was for high winds and rain. So we have come boating instead.

We arrived yesterday afternoon and did a few jobs. The Downs family arrived this morning. We set off towards Middlewich just after 11 o’clock and stopped above Big Lock for a late lunch. Then on up through the three locks. By now the wind was getting fairly strong. An ex Ownerships boat in front of us had several goes at getting around the junction into Wardle lock, but eventually gave up. So now it was our turn. I decided that in the high wind the only way to do it was with lots of power on. So I pulled out to the left to give me room to turn, then put the tiller over and almost max throttle. For a few seconds I thought I wasn’t going to make it, then the nose swung round and under the bridge without hitting the side!

We had thought of stopping at Sykes Hollow, but it was getting cold and wet by four o’clock so we stopped early.