Four hours to Kintbury

It was a peaceful night’s sleep on the 24 hour moorings above Newbury Lock and a lazy start to the day leaving around 10:00am.  We’ve been experimenting with our locking technique and adopted something very similar to the method used by Jan and Alastair.  A short rope tied between the bow and the front of the lock with the centreline held well to the rear (actually behind the stern).  This appears to hold Waiouru in place whilst Jan (my Jan) fills the lock. 

The trip from Newbury to Kintbury took four hours and because of our late start we ate a late lunch at Kintbury.

There was hardly a boat to be seen for the first half of the cruise

and then we had three in a row!

We arrived a Kintbury only to discover the pumpout station was unserviceable effective TODAY!  &^*(%!

Jan had put on a load of laundry knowing the plan was to fill the water tank at Kintbury.  We did fill the tank although it became somewhat interesting when I had to wrestle the yellow snake to the ground.  It thrashed and spat all down my trousers.  Note to myself to get a better grip on the end of the hose!

The was an empty mooring immediately in front of the services point so we bow hauled (pulled) Waiouru forward onto it. 

Moored above Kintbury Lock

The clothes line was then erected on the stern, much to the amusement of some of the walkers.  Jan then sat me on a log beside the towpath and produced the shearing clippers.  Whereupon she proceeded to cut some nesting material for the local birds from my head.  More amusement from the local walkers.  No one asked for a haircut so I’m wondering what the back of my head looks like.  Never mind.  The difference between and good and bad haircut is two weeks!

I’ve been watching the stern as we cruise and it drops an inch or more depending upon the engine speed.  Obviously we need to keep our speed very slow when attempting to pass through shallow water.  No doubt we will rise a couple of inches after the toilet tank has been emptied.  It’s a big tank so it’s not urgent for us to empty it.  But better safe than sorry so we’ll move on to Hungerford tomorrow where there is another CaRT pumpout facility which will (hopefully) be available.

Sunset is starting to get later so we’ll probably go for a walk around Kintbury before calling it a day.