Sunday 13^th January 2018

It was an uncomfortable night with the wind buffeting the boat. The ropes were tied tightly because of being moored on a bend and the wind was causing the boat to lurch.

There are probably moorings on the tow path side at Rugby for about 16 boats. Of these spaces there were just three obviously loved and cared for boats and one end and at the other there were about a dozen tinky boats looking as though they move together en-mass. Certainly we had never seen them before. All had flaking paint and rusty metalwork, broken, taped up windows and a multitude of crap piled high on their roofs and spilling out over the tow path. An eyesore and a disgrace and there probably isn’t a single licence between them.

We had always planned, prior to moving onto the boat, that we would keep our traditional Sunday’s with a roast dinner, chat, tv and lounging about. So far we hadn’t been doing this and were both missing not doing so.

Being determined to reinstate our Sunday’s, but not wanting to stay on the moorings at Rugby, we moved just two miles out into the countryside beside the newly built bridge over the canal.

This bridge, and the approach roads, are a huge construction that lead out of Rugby but seemingly go nowhere. There used to be dozens of tall masts at Hillmorton that were visible from the M6 motorway when passing Rugby and were part of our defence network. These masts have now all been removed and the site is to be used for the 6,000 new homes, housing over 20,000 people they reckon. The new road is part of this contract and will provide the access.

    

Once we were moored I used the chainsaw to cut some logs and brushed down the outside of the boat while Breda tidied inside. We then set about cooking a lovely roast rib of beef dinner with the veggies being cooked on the stove. We sat and chatted most of the afternoon away and thoroughly enjoyed our day.

We really must maintain our Sunday’s.

There was a boat that moored behind us in the afternoon whose blog I used to follow when in the North Sea with Sentinel. We had seen this boat on and off for quite some time, waved at them but never really spoken, this happens regularly on the canals. So I went over to talk to them. During the conversation Alison said that their blog is never in real time and is always a few days, or a week behind. They do this to maintain security as, apparently, do most boats that keep a blog. In these days of social networks, unfortunately, you never know who is following your progress or what their intentions are. We had never even considered this. While we can see how many people follow the blog, there is no way of telling who they are.  

We are headed to Braunston where there is no internet connection and will take the opportunity here to delay publication of the blogs so they are not in real time to maintain security.

What times we live in to have to consider this, and a shame for our genuine friends and family that like to follow us.

Weather: a pleasant enough day.

Day Total: 0 locks; 2 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; engine running hours 0.8

Overall Total: 324 locks; 678 miles; 31 tunnels; 6 Swing Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; engine running hours 421.1