The best made plans

摘要

So we're off on our own - nearly. A friend, Baz, has hitched a lift to the first lock from where he'll cycle back. He wants to see how his new rattling, squeaking bike handles; quite why he can't start from his own boat is a puzzle - he must be just curious about how our boat handles probably. He bids us bon voyage at the lock and sets off homeward, sounding like a heap of badly-oiled nuts and bolts bobbling about in a tin can. Our last tie with the old homestead is severed and away we go on our journey. One thing we are wary of is not being able to find a mooring so we stop on the first public one we come across. It is 200 yards from the lock where Baz got off, next to a busy main road and almost within shouting distance of our home port but we bring the beast to a halt and tie up successfully, employing a bewildering assortment of knots.