We only had just under two miles to the marina where we will leave the boat for the next three weeks whilst we return home. We have also booked an engine service and it may just possibly be an opportunity for solar panels but that has had a slight delay.
Although Gayton Marina where the car was parked is only just over 10 miles as the crow flies, it is a very long and complex trip by public transport. As a result we gave in and Christine booked a taxi for 11:30. Since they quoted £30 we thought that was reasonable to avoid a four+ hour journey.
This gave Mike time to make a prompt start on cleaning the boat roof. It really needs several 'goes' with mop, brush and sponge as well as a final thorough rinse to get it anywhere near looking clean. The frustration is then that as soon as we move off and use the centre lines then marks quickly reappear!
Around 10:15 we pulled pins and set off for the marina. Shortly before the junction we had a good look at the piling work which is still on-going. The first stage - seemingly the only one being worked on and just by one person who was setting piling sheets into an already set out frame before they are hammered into the ground.
The next section is when the horizontal tie bars are added.
The space behind the piling is back-filled and the towpath re-instated.
Finally, the first part that had been done, was topped off with soil and grass seed which was already showing a tinge of green.
That brought us to the junction where we turned onto the Leicester Line and ten minutes later we were into the marina entrance and finding out which pontoon we had to negotiate our way towards.
Mike made a quick change from his rather soggy clothes (cleaning the roof always entails this as it cannot effectively be tackled a bank or pontoon) and was just in time to meet the taxi which was very prompt, even though the driver had a problem because the postcode for the marina leads on sat nav to a farm some distance away! Fortunately the marina's website has the correct physical location - Mike discovered exactly the same problem when he came back with our car - not that he realised it at the time.
After lunch, we then set-to once more with more cleaning. Christine, as usual, cleaned right through inside at the same time as packing ready for tomorrow's homeward journey. Having a marina hook-up means that we can run the washing machine thus avoiding much of the laundry that otherwise has to go home and back again.
Mike washed and polished the cabin sides. In order to do both sides we had to move the boat across to the next pontoon - which was unoccupied - and later back again. The front well deck and stern deck also needed a through clean as well as making sure that the deck drain channels were clear of leaves and other rubbish. Just to complete the checks, it was down the weed hatch where a small amount of plastic was found around the prop.
When everything was eventually completed we drove over to Braunston to pick up a newspaper! Again, a surprisingly complex route for such a short crow fly.
1.6 Miles - 0 Locks
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