It is now two weeks to the day since we took ownership of PhoenixIII and today we embarked upon our first weekend trip away. Straight after work we headed off to the marina and took the necessary clothes and food.
Stopping to pick up a new gas bottle and a tankful of diesel on the way out, we headed in the direction of the Coventry canal. Mindful of the sunset, we had only planned to go the short distance to bridge 15 next to the Limekilns, a pub that we have visited many times in the past, but not this evening.
We moored at about 5.30, giving us about another half an hour before dusk gave way to night time. After a meal of steak pie and new potatoes, we discuss the following day in more detail over a glass or two of wine before retiring to our cabin.
The plan is to start as soon as it is light at 8am. The forecast for the weekend is clear and bright, maximum temperature about 14 C, overnight frost. More important for this time of year is knowing when the sun rises and sets each day. At the moment the sun rises at 8am and sets at 6pm giving us ten hours of daylight cruising on a good day.

We awoke at 6am, it was dark and cool, the heating has been on all night at 15C so the chill is off the boat. This is one of the things that we will be setting up to suit ourselves this weekend. Daylight seems a long time coming so we fortify ourselves with bacon sandwiches and tea and wait for the light. As the sun comes up, we can see just how cold it has been overnight, it is misty and although we are only half a mile away from home, it seems like we are at the dawn of another world.