10 am and we board PhoenixIII for our first trip. This is really just a chance to take her out to see how she performs. We are joined by Rebecca, Daniel and Rachel for the day and within minutes we are manoeuvring out of our mooring, through the marina and out on to the canal. A two hour trip sees us heading in a north easterly direction towards the top of the Ashby canal, reaching our turning point at bridge 34, Sutton Cheney. On the way we pass through Stoke Golding where a couple were sitting on the banks fishing and six year old Daniel wasted no time in telling them that there was a no fishing sign on the bank. A short stop for lunch before we turn the boat around and head back for Hinckley. The Phoenix continues to handle faultlessly and we are soon back at trinity marina where we get tied up in a few minutes. All in all a good trial run for us and PhoenixIII. We are now planning our first “proper” trip in two weeks time.